Private Where the Quiet Still Hurts

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre's eyes followed the creature disappearing into the trees, though only briefly. The question drew a knowing smile, and she couldn't help but notice how quickly Jayna had seized upon it. The transition had been almost comically obvious. More importantly, the smile that followed carried the faintest hint of effort. Something in the conversation had brushed against a sore place. She didn't know what, and she wasn't about to press. If Jayna wanted to change the subject, they would.

"Vaerix," she answered, her gaze returning to the treeline. "They're native to Veradune, and they're remarkable creatures." A warmth entered her voice that had little to do with the conversation itself. "Highly intelligent. They live in family groups, choose mates for life, and they're fiercely protective of one another. People sometimes mistake them for animals that can be tamed, but that's never really been true. They aren't pets."

A faint smile lingered as she watched the spot where the Vaerix had vanished, her gaze softening before she glanced back toward Jayna. "They form bonds, not ownership," she said gently. "If one decides to trust you, you've gained a companion. If it doesn't..." Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "No amount of persistence is likely to change its mind." The question about riding one earned a soft laugh. "Some have."

She nodded once.

"Usually for short distances, and only because the Vaerix allowed it. You don't train them to carry you. You earn enough trust that, for a little while, they choose to." The smile in her eyes deepened as she continued, "From everything I've heard, they have a stubborn streak a kilometer wide, valuing their independence almost as much as those they've accepted into their family." She glanced back toward the woods, then sideways at Jayna with a knowing smile. "So...yes. There's hope for you." A quiet laugh escaped her before she added, "Though I suspect your first challenge won't be convincing one to let you ride it. It'll be remembering its name long enough to introduce yourself properly."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna felt an almost imperceptible wave of relief settle over her. Ian had noticed. She was almost certain of it now. Not the details—those remained safely tucked away—but the momentary hesitation, the way she'd latched onto the passing creature just a little too eagerly. Ian could have asked. Could have gently circled back to the subject Jayna had so obviously abandoned.

Instead...

She hadn't. There was something profoundly kind in that choice. Jayna filed it away quietly, another reason she admired the older Jedi.

Her attention returned fully to the conversation as Ian began explaining the Vaerix. The more she listened, the wider her eyes became. "They choose?" There was genuine wonder in her voice.

The idea was... beautiful. Not ownership. Not training. Trust. Companionship. Family. Her gaze drifted back toward the woods where the Vaerix had disappeared, imagining the creature somewhere among the trees with others of its kind. "I didn't know any of that."

She smiled softly. "I just thought they were really beautiful." The admission felt almost embarrassingly shallow now. As Ian continued, Jayna's expression shifted into one of thoughtful embarrassment.

"...Oh." She rubbed the back of her neck. "So my first question being whether I could ride one was probably not the best start." A sheepish grin crossed her face. "I promise I'm not usually that hopeless."

Well...Maybe she was. "It just looked so..." She searched for the right word before settling on the obvious one. "...majestic."

She looked toward Ian again. "I guess I was thinking about what it would be like." Another glance toward the trees. "But honestly..."

Her voice softened. "I think I'd rather have one decide I was worth trusting." That felt far more special. "If one ever decided I was its friend..."

A smile spread across her face at the thought. "I don't think it'd matter whether it ever let me ride." She gave a small shrug. "I'd be pretty happy just sitting nearby while it ignored me."

The image made her laugh quietly. "Actually..." She reconsidered. "It sounds like I'd have to earn the right to be ignored." That somehow sounded exactly like the sort of relationship a proud, intelligent creature would cultivate.

Ian's final comment drew an exaggerated sigh from Jayna. "Oh, that's just unfair." She pointed accusingly. "I ask one question about riding them and suddenly my memory is under attack."

Her smile returned easily. "I'll have you know I've already remembered it." She held up a finger, reciting carefully. "Vaerix." A beat. "...I think."

Jayna laughed at herself before looking once more toward the woods. "I hope I get to meet one someday." Not because it might carry her. Because, somehow, it seemed like the sort of creature whose friendship had to be earned. And lately, Jayna found herself appreciating things that couldn't simply be taken.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled as Jayna carefully repeated the name, quietly pleased that the conversation had found lighter ground again. She had no doubt the young woman would remember it now. Some lessons stayed because they mattered, and somehow she suspected the Vaerix had just become one of those.

"I think you'd like one." She glanced toward the woods where the creature had disappeared. "Not because you'd ride it, but because you'd understand it. Vaerix value trust above almost everything else. They're curious, independent, and they have an uncanny knack for judging character." A knowing smile crossed her face. "If one decided you were worth trusting, I'd consider that a compliment of the highest order."

As they continued walking, the path opened onto one of the larger training fields. Several students were already sparring in the distance while others practiced forms beneath the watchful eyes of their instructors. Iandre slowed, looking from the field to Jayna with an expression that mixed amusement and curiosity.

"Who knows?" she said with a small grin. "Maybe if we're lucky, one is still watching from the trees. You could always give it something interesting to watch." Her eyes drifted toward the open practice space before returning to Jayna. "What do you say? Feel like showing off those Ataru footwork habits you've been defending so passionately?"

A quiet laugh escaped her.

"Best case, you impress a Vaerix."

She tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Worst case...I get an opportunity to critique your footwork."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna's gaze lingered on the treeline even as they entered the edge of the training grounds. She listened, but every so often her eyes drifted back to where the Vaerix had disappeared, half-expecting another broad pair of wings to emerge from between the branches.

"They sound like my kind of friend," she said with a soft smile. "A little stubborn, independent, and impossible to bribe."

She paused. "...Actually, that's probably giving me too much credit. I'd absolutely accept snacks." A quiet laugh escaped her before she looked back toward Ian. "But I like the idea that they choose their family." There was something comforting about that. Not because it was convenient. Because it meant the bond meant something.

As they stepped into view of the larger training field, Jayna instinctively straightened. The familiar sounds of practice—the rhythmic footfalls, wooden training sabers clacking together, instructors offering corrections—settled over her like an old cloak. This was home in its own way.

Her attention followed Ian's gaze toward the open space before returning to the older Jedi with an eager grin. "Oh, now I see your plan." She folded her arms dramatically. "You've lured me into a training field under the false pretense of taking a peaceful walk." The accusation lacked even the slightest conviction.

"If a Vaerix is watching..." Her eyes flicked once more toward the trees. "...I'd hate to disappoint it."

Without another word, she stepped onto the edge of the practice field. Her hands remained empty. Always empty. Years of drilling forms before she'd ever forged her own lightsabers had made it second nature. She didn't need the hilts in her palms to feel their weight.

Jayna settled into position with practiced ease. Her feet slid apart into a balanced stance, light on the balls of her feet, every muscle relaxed without becoming slack. Both forearms rose as though gripping invisible hilts. Rather than a single centered guard, her hands separated naturally into the posture her own style had evolved toward. Her dominant hand lifted beside her right shoulder, the imagined primary blade held vertically, its invisible line extending toward the sky. Her off-hand mirrored the motion lower and slightly forward near her left side, the imagined shoto likewise vertical, angled to guard the space beneath the first weapon. The two invisible blades framed her body in parallel lines, creating overlapping avenues of attack and defense without sacrificing the fluid balance Ataru demanded.

Her weight shifted almost imperceptibly. Ready. Coiled. Never rooted. There was a quiet stillness about the stance, but it wasn't static. It felt like the instant before motion, as though the slightest thought would send her springing into a leap or spinning into an attack.

She held it for only a heartbeat before looking over at Ian with a crooked smile. "I know it isn't exactly textbook Ataru anymore." There was no apology in her voice. "It just... happened."

She made a small gesture toward her empty hands. "Once I started carrying the shoto, every time I practiced forms my off-hand wanted something to do. Eventually it stopped feeling like I was adding a second blade..." Her smile widened. "...and started feeling like I was missing one whenever I practiced with only my main saber."

Jayna relaxed the stance, though her posture remained athletic and ready. "So?" She tilted her head expectantly. "How badly has my terminal footwork condition progressed?"

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre watched without saying a word as Jayna stepped onto the training field. Her eyes followed every subtle adjustment, from the placement of her feet to the way her shoulders settled, the invisible weight of two lightsabers evident even with empty hands. She smiled to herself. There was something deeply satisfying about watching a student who had stopped trying to imitate someone else. The stance wasn't copied from a holocron or drilled into her by a Master. It had been discovered.

"It isn't textbook Ataru," she agreed, folding her arms comfortably as she studied the younger Jedi. "But that's not a criticism." She began walking a slow circle around Jayna, her eyes never leaving the girl's posture. "You're no longer forcing a second lightsaber into an Ataru form. You've allowed your body to solve the problem on its own." A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "That's usually how the best techniques are born."

She stopped just off Jayna's right shoulder.

"Your center is excellent." There was unmistakable approval in her voice. "You're balanced. Relaxed. Ready to move in any direction without committing before you need to." She gestured toward Jayna's feet. "Your terminal footwork condition, however..." She let the words hang dramatically before a laugh escaped her. "...is unfortunately progressing exactly as expected."

The teasing faded into thoughtful observation.

"If I were to change anything, it wouldn't be your stance." She met Jayna's eyes with a warm smile. "It would be reminding you that speed can become a habit just as easily as stillness. Every now and then, let your opponent wonder why you haven't moved." She held up a finger. "One heartbeat. That's all it takes. Ataru teaches you to seize momentum. Makashi teaches you that sometimes the greatest advantage comes from convincing your opponent you're about to do one thing...and then calmly choosing another."

Her gaze drifted toward the treeline where the Vaerix had vanished.

"Besides..." she said with an amused smile, "if one of our feathered friends really is watching, I suspect it's far more interested in seeing whether you have the patience to wait than whether you can leap the highest." She looked back to Jayna. "Now...show me how your invisible shoto moves when the rest of you forgets I'm watching."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna's cheeks warmed ever so slightly. She tried very hard not to let the praise show. Your center is excellent. Coming from Ian, those four words landed with surprising force. She focused instead on taking a slow breath, pretending the compliment hadn't made her stand just a little taller.

"I'll... take 'excellent' over 'terminal footwork condition,'" she said, the corners of her mouth betraying the smile she was trying to suppress.

The moment Ian delivered the punchline, her carefully maintained composure cracked completely. A laugh escaped her. "I was trying so hard to stay serious." She shook her head. "I should've known better."

As Ian's tone shifted back toward instruction, Jayna listened with the same intensity she'd shown all evening. Every word was weighed carefully. One heartbeat. She nodded slowly. That makes sense." Her eyes drifted toward the practice field as she thought it through. "I don't think I've ever really been... comfortable standing still." There was no embarrassment in admitting it.

"Ataru fits because moving has always felt natural. If I'm not changing angles or creating momentum, it almost feels like I'm wasting time." She smiled faintly. "Maybe that's exactly why I need to learn a little Makashi."

Her gaze returned to Ian. "I'll probably never be a Makashi master." She said it without disappointment. "I don't think that's who I am."

A thoughtful expression settled across her features. "But patience..." She nodded once. "That lesson would probably do me a lot of good." The words carried more meaning than lightsaber combat alone. She knew it. Ian probably would too.

Then came the instruction. Jayna's expression settled into calm focus. She took one slow breath. Then another. Her eyes closed. The sounds of the training field faded into the background. The conversations, the distant clack of practice sabers, even the breeze moving through the trees became secondary.

She wasn't trying to impress Ian now. She was simply moving. Her hands rose once more into her familiar opening guard, invisible hilts resting naturally in her grip. She held the position for a single heartbeat longer than instinct urged her to, Ian's lesson already taking root.

Then she began. The imagined primary blade traced a smooth diagonal cut while the unseen shoto remained close, protecting the opening left behind instead of merely following the first strike. Her lead foot advanced only a fraction before pivoting, redirecting her entire body rather than forcing it through the movement. Every transition flowed into the next with practiced athleticism, but deliberately slower than she would ever perform it in combat.

She wanted every flaw exposed. Every habit seen. Rather than relying on explosive leaps, she kept herself grounded, emphasizing balance over speed. Every so often there was the faintest hesitation before the next movement—a conscious attempt to resist the instinct to rush ahead simply because momentum invited it.

The kata itself wasn't one she'd learned from a holocron or an instructor. It was hers. Built piece by piece over years of practice, sparring, mistakes, and small discoveries. She opened her eyes only after completing the final motion, the invisible blades lowering to her sides as she looked toward Ian expectantly. "I know there are things in there that can be better."

She smiled, completely sincere. "So..." A small gesture invited the critique. "I'm listening."

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre watched in silence, giving Jayna exactly what she'd asked for: her full attention. She didn't follow the invisible blades. She watched Jayna's feet.

Partway through the kata, a broad shadow swept silently across the training grounds. Another Vaerix glided overhead, riding a thermal high above the treetops before disappearing toward the mountains. Iandre noticed it only briefly before returning her focus to Jayna. If it had come to watch, it was no more distracting than the breeze itself.

When Jayna finished, Iandre let the silence linger for a heartbeat before speaking.

"Good." Her voice carried quiet approval. "Very good."

She stepped forward, indicating Jayna's stance with a small gesture.

"There's only one thing I'd ask you to keep in mind." A faint smile crossed her lips. "Widen your stance just a little when you land."

She demonstrated, placing one foot a fraction farther apart than before.

"If you're going to leap as much as Ataru encourages—and I suspect you will—you need a landing that absorbs the momentum rather than fighting it." Her gaze returned to Jayna's feet. "A slightly wider base gives you more options. You can spring again, change direction, defend, or stop completely without spending an extra heartbeat recovering your balance."

A warm smile appeared.

"Everything else..." She nodded once. "...looks like your own style." There was unmistakable approval in her voice. "I don't want to change that. I only want to make sure it supports you instead of asking your body to work harder than it needs to."

Her eyes drifted briefly toward the sky where the Vaerix had vanished.

"And for what it's worth..." she added with a knowing smile, "if one of them was watching, I don't think it would've been disappointed."

As the words left her, Iandre found herself lingering on the moment. For the better part of an hour, her thoughts had been occupied not by grief, or by Rellik's absence, but by Jayna's footwork, her questions, and the quiet joy of helping another Jedi find her own path.

She hadn't planned for that.

It was only now, standing on the edge of the training field, that she realized what Vulpesen had been trying to give her all along. Not an escape from grief, because there wasn't one. Just moments where it loosened its grip enough for life to quietly return.

The realization brought with it the smallest, most genuine smile she'd worn in days.
Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna let out a slow breath as the kata came to its natural end. Almost unconsciously, the measured rhythm she'd adopted for the exercise faded back into her normal breathing. There was no conscious effort behind it. Just another transition, as practiced as drawing a blade.

She listened intently, giving Ian the same attention she'd given every lesson throughout the evening. When Ian demonstrated the slightly wider landing stance, Jayna mirrored it almost immediately. One foot slid outward by only a few centimeters. She shifted her weight experimentally.

Rocked forward. Back. Turned her hips. A thoughtful smile spread across her face. "...Huh." She tested it again. The extra width didn't feel cumbersome. If anything...

"It feels sturdier." Another subtle shift confirmed it. "I don't think I'd have noticed that on my own." She looked up, smiling appreciatively. "That's... actually really helpful."

The compliment about her style belonging to her drew another quiet nod. She liked hearing that. More than she probably should.

Then Ian mentioned the Vaerix. Jayna's eyes immediately darted skyward. A laugh escaped her. "I almost looked." She pointed accusingly toward the trees. "It took everything I had not to stop halfway through and see if it was still there."

She grinned sheepishly. "I figured if I did, you'd immediately know." A beat passed before curiosity got the better of her. "...Do you think one actually watched?" The question wasn't asked with childish excitement. More with quiet hope. The idea that such a creature might have paused, even briefly, to observe was strangely wonderful.

As she waited for Ian's answer, Jayna found herself studying the older Jedi. Something had changed. Not dramatically. The grief hadn't disappeared. It was still there in the Force, quieter than before but unmistakably present. Yet there was something alongside it now. Warmth. Ease. A genuine smile. Jayna couldn't help smiling back. Only then did she realize...

She felt different too. The knot that had been living in her chest ever since returning from the search for information about her mother wasn't gone. It probably wouldn't be for a long time. But for the past hour...

She hadn't been wondering where her mother was. She hadn't imagined the terrible possibilities. She hadn't been trying to solve the impossible. She'd simply...

Been here. Talking. Learning. Walking. Living. The realization settled over her gently. "Purpose..." she murmured almost to herself.

Then she looked back to Ian. "I think I understand what you meant now." Her smile softened. "Helping someone doesn't make the hurt disappear."

She glanced around the training field. "It just reminds you that life keeps happening." Her brown eyes met Ian's again. "And... maybe that's enough sometimes."

For a few quiet moments she considered everything Ian had taught her. Makashi. Ataru. Patience. Footwork. Identity. Then another question formed.

"If this is going to become..." She gestured loosely toward herself, searching for the right words. "...my form..." She smiled. "Are there places you can already see where Makashi could fit?"

There was genuine curiosity in her voice. "Not enough to make it Form Two." She shook her head. "I don't want to stop being me."

A small laugh escaped her. "I've spent too long figuring out who that is." She settled back into the slightly wider stance Ian had suggested without even thinking about it. "But are there moments..."

She mimed one of the transitions from her kata. "...where patience, distance, or something else from Makashi could make my form stronger instead of changing it?"

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled as Jayna instinctively settled into the slightly wider stance without even realizing she had done it.

"See?" she said softly, gesturing toward Jayna's feet. "Only a few centimeters, but they make a wobbly landing feel secure and steady. It's a small adjustment, yet it gives you far more control over what comes next. You can spring again, change direction, defend, or simply stop without needing to recover your balance first."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the distant treeline. Another broad shadow passed silently overhead, a Vaerix gliding effortlessly on the afternoon thermals before disappearing toward the mountains. A faint smile touched her lips.

"I think there is at least one watching." Her eyes lingered in the direction it had flown. "And I have nothing to show them."

She turned her attention back to Jayna, listening without interruption as the younger Jedi spoke about purpose. The words settled comfortably between them. There was nothing to correct, nothing to add. Instead, Iandre simply nodded, the quiet approval in her expression saying more than another lecture ever could.

"I think you've understood the lesson better than I could have explained it."

When Jayna asked about blending Makashi into her own style, Iandre's expression became thoughtful again. She replayed the kata in her mind, not as a series of techniques, but as a conversation between movement and intention.

"I do see places." she replied with a gentle smile. "Not many, and certainly not enough to change who you are. Your form has its own identity now, and I'd rather help it grow than replace it."

Stepping back to give Jayna room, she motioned toward the open practice field once more.

"Go through your kata again." she instructed. "This time I'll stop you whenever I see an opportunity where Makashi can strengthen what you've already built. We won't be teaching you Form Two." A faint smile returned to her face. "We'll simply borrow a few of its habits."

As Jayna prepared herself, Iandre remained where she was, her arms hanging loosely at her side. Only then did she realize something that hadn't occurred to her all afternoon.

For the better part of an hour, she had been thinking about footwork instead of funerals. About patience instead of loss. About helping another Jedi discover her own path rather than wondering how she was meant to walk hers alone.

The grief hadn't disappeared. She doubted it ever truly would. But for the first time since Rellik's death, it had loosened its grip without her even noticing.

A small, genuine smile found its way onto her face.

Perhaps that had been Vulpesen's intention all along.

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna shifted her weight again, testing the slightly wider stance a second time. This time she didn't even have to think about it. Her body settled naturally over the broader base, and she could immediately feel the difference. There was less effort involved in simply existing there. Less tension in her ankles. More options if she wanted to move.

She smiled. "I can feel it now." Another subtle pivot. "It doesn't change how I move." Her foot slid back into place. "It just gives me more choices after I get there." She looked up at Ian with a grin. "I like choices."

Her attention followed Ian's gaze as another Vaerix passed overhead. The broad silhouette drifted across the sky with effortless grace before disappearing toward the mountains. Jayna's smile widened immediately. "So one was watching." There was a hint of triumph in her voice, as though she'd somehow won a small wager with herself.

When Ian remarked that she had nothing to show the creature, Jayna laughed. "I don't know..." Her expression turned playfully thoughtful as she looked Ian up and down with exaggerated consideration. "You've got a generally attractive presence." She shrugged innocently.

"Maybe it wasn't watching the footwork." A grin spread across her face. "Maybe it was just curious about you." The teasing came easily now, comfortable in a way it hadn't at the beginning of their walk.

When Ian remarked that she'd understood the lesson better than Ian could have explained it, Jayna's cheeks colored ever so slightly. She ducked her head with a quiet giggle. "Maybe..." She looked back up with a warm smile. "...it's because I have a good connection with you."

The words came without hesitation or awkwardness. It simply felt true. "I think sometimes people explain things in different ways, and for whatever reason..." She gave a small shrug. "...the way you explain them just clicks."

As Ian explained she wanted to strengthen what Jayna had already built instead of replacing it, Jayna nodded appreciatively. "Thank you." Her voice carried genuine gratitude. "I really like that approach."

She glanced down at her empty hands. "I've never wanted to collect forms like trophies." A small smile crossed her face. "I just want to keep making this..." She gestured to herself. "...better."

The invitation to begin again drew an eager nod. "Okay." Jayna stepped back into position. Her breathing slowed. Her posture settled. The familiar opening guard returned, both invisible lightsabers resting comfortably in hands that had practiced this sequence hundreds of times before she'd ever carried real weapons.

She held the stance for a heartbeat. Remembering. Then she moved. The kata unfolded once more, every motion deliberate and unhurried. The wider stance Ian had suggested found its way naturally into each landing, and almost immediately the transitions felt smoother, requiring less conscious effort to regain balance before flowing into the next technique.

This time, however, Jayna's awareness remained just a little broader. She wasn't performing for Ian. Nor was she trying to ignore her. Instead, she kept a quiet corner of her attention open, anticipating the interruption she hoped would come.

Every pause. Every correction. Every borrowed habit from Makashi. She welcomed them. Not because she wanted to become someone else. Because she wanted to keep learning. To understand. To grow. And, if she was honest with herself...

Because spending another hour talking about lightsaber forms with Ian sounded infinitely better than letting her thoughts wander back toward all the questions waiting for her beyond the training field.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre watched in silence as Jayna settled into the kata once more.

The adjustment had already begun to disappear from conscious thought. That was always the goal. The best corrections were the ones that became so natural a student forgot they had ever been taught differently. Jayna's landings flowed more confidently now, each transition carrying less effort than before. She no longer fought to regain her balance. She simply had it.

A small smile tugged at Iandre's lips.

"Good." she said quietly. "Don't think about your feet anymore. If they're doing what they should, your mind is free to focus somewhere else."

She continued watching, her eyes moving not to Jayna's imagined blades but to the lines they would carve through an opponent. Every opening. Every recovery. Every moment where one weapon naturally became the dominant threat.

Then she raised a hand.

"Stop there."

She stepped forward, indicating the position Jayna currently held. One invisible saber extended toward where an opponent's chest would have been while the second naturally lingered behind, ready to support.

"This..." she said, gesturing toward the forward blade. "...is where Makashi has something to teach you."

Moving carefully so Jayna could follow every motion, Iandre mirrored her position. One hand remained extended while the other stayed relaxed, her shoulders loose rather than square.

"Right now your instinct is to continue the combination." she explained. "That's Ataru. Momentum. Keep moving before your opponent can recover."

She smiled.

"Makashi asks a different question."

Without changing her footing, she made only the smallest movement with her forward hand, a precise redirection that would have carried an incoming blade harmlessly past her body before leaving the point already aligned with an opponent's center.

"What if they move first?"

The motion was almost disappointingly small.

"You don't always have to win the race." she continued. "Sometimes you simply let them arrive exactly where you expected them to."

She relaxed her posture and stepped back.

"Don't replace your transition." she said with an encouraging smile. "Just remember this moment exists." Her finger traced the line of Jayna's extended saber. "Whenever one blade naturally takes the lead, ask yourself whether you need to continue attacking...or whether patience might let your opponent make the next mistake for you."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


A small smile found its way onto Jayna's lips. It wasn't pride exactly. It was satisfaction. The kind that came from hearing a correction had already begun to take root. She didn't allow herself to dwell on it, though. Ian had told her not to think about her feet anymore, so she obeyed. She simply let them do what they now wanted to do.

The wider base remained. Not because Jayna consciously held it there, but because she could already feel the improvement. Every landing flowed naturally into the next movement. There was no temptation to narrow her stance again. Her body had found something that worked better, and years of repetition simply accepted the change.

The kata continued. Fluid. Measured. Comfortable. Then—"Stop there."

Jayna froze almost instantly. Years of drills made the response automatic. Every part of her remained exactly where it had been in the sequence. Only her head turned toward Ian, eyes attentive and eager. She listened without interrupting.

As Ian described her instinct, Jayna gave a small nod. "Momentum," she repeated quietly. That sounded right. It wasn't something she'd chosen consciously. It was simply... how she fought.

Keep moving. Keep changing angles. Keep the opponent reacting. The description of Ataru fit so naturally she couldn't help but smile. "It really does encourage you to stay in constant motion." There was affection in her voice. She loved the form. Even knowing it wasn't perfect.

When Ian asked Makashi's question instead, Jayna's expression became thoughtful. What if they move first? Her eyes followed the tiny motion of Ian's hand. It was almost absurdly economical. No flourish. No speed. Just enough.

Jayna's brow furrowed. The movement itself wasn't difficult. The thinking behind it was. Waiting. Expecting. Trusting that the opponent would create the opening instead of forcing one. That...

That ran against every instinct Ataru had reinforced inside her. Which was exactly why it fascinated her. A slow nod followed. "I think..."

She considered the thought before finishing it. "...that's the part I'd have to teach myself." Not the technique. The patience.

She looked back to the invisible line of her own extended blade, imagining the choice Ian had just described. Attack. Or wait. Until this afternoon, she wouldn't even have realized there was a choice. Now she couldn't unsee it.

A smile slowly returned. "If I can make that instinctive..." Her eyes lifted to Ian. "...I think it'd make my form a lot more dangerous." Not because it would make her faster. Because it would make her less predictable.

Jayna relaxed out of the frozen position and walked back to where she'd begun the kata. Her breathing remained calm as she settled once more into her opening guard, invisible lightsabers finding their familiar places.

She glanced toward Ian with an eager smile. "So..." She rolled one shoulder loose. "Should I start again?"

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre couldn't help but smile as Jayna asked the question.

"Well..." she said with the faintest hint of amusement. "Yes. You already reset yourself."

She took a few steps until she stood beside rather than opposite Jayna, leaving enough room that neither would interfere with the other's movements.

"Though..." Her eyes wandered briefly toward the distant tree line and the mountains beyond. The Vaerix had long since disappeared from view, but she found herself looking that way anyway. "...would you mind if I joined you in mine?"

A small smile returned as she motioned with a subtle tilt of her head toward the wilderness.

"They are watching." she said simply.

Whether she truly believed the great creatures still lingered nearby or merely enjoyed the thought scarcely mattered. Slowly, Iandre settled into her own opening stance. It was unmistakably Makashi. Elegant. Relaxed. Every line economical, every movement waiting rather than demanding. There was no flourish to it, no unnecessary tension. Just quiet confidence.

"This time..." she said as she looked toward Jayna. "Don't watch my hands. Watch how long I do nothing."

A knowing smile crossed her face.

"Sometimes that's the hardest part of Form Two."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea


Jayna's eyes lit up. "They're still watching?" Her gaze instinctively flicked toward the distant treeline, searching for another glimpse of broad wings between the branches. She couldn't see anything now, but somehow that made the idea even more exciting.

A smile spread across her face. "I hope they are." She wasn't entirely sure why it mattered so much. Maybe because earning the attention of a Vaerix somehow felt different than impressing another Jedi. It couldn't be faked. Then again...

Getting another lesson from Ian was doing a remarkably good job of keeping her mind exactly where it belonged. Here. Now. Learning. When Ian stepped beside her instead of opposite her, Jayna nodded eagerly. "I'd like that."

She settled back into her stance, invisible lightsabers once again finding their places in her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Ian adopt her own opening posture. It was...

Different. Not merely in shape, but in feeling. Jayna had spent years around accomplished duelists. She knew confidence when she saw it. This wasn't confidence born from speed or strength. It looked...

Patient. Comfortable. As though Ian wasn't waiting for the fight to begin. She was waiting for the right moment. Don't watch my hands. Watch how long I do nothing.

Jayna smiled. "That..." She shook her head with an amused breath. "...is going to be the hard part."

She began her kata once more. The wider stance had already become natural, each landing secure without demanding conscious thought. She moved with familiar Ataru fluidity, but this time every transition ended with an exaggerated pause. Not frozen. Ready.

Her imagined blades held their lines while she resisted every instinct urging her to continue immediately into the next movement. One heartbeat. She could hear Ian's lesson in her mind. One heartbeat. Out of the corner of her eye, Jayna watched.

Not Ian's hands. Not her blade. The spaces between. The moments where nothing seemed to happen. Except...

They weren't really empty at all. Ian wasn't inactive. She was choosing not to move. That realization struck Jayna harder than she expected. She continued through another sequence, deliberately allowing another pause before the next cut. It felt almost comically long to her Ataru instincts, as though she were inviting an attack. But watching Ian...

The stillness didn't look vulnerable. It looked...Certain. Jayna found herself slowing again, her attention split between her own movements and Ian's measured restraint.

"I think..." She said quietly without stopping. "...I've always thought standing still meant giving something up." Another careful pause. "But you're not giving anything up."

Her eyes remained mostly on her own imaginary opponent, though Ian stayed in her peripheral vision. "You're making a decision." A small smile tugged at her lips. "I never realized there was such a big difference."

She settled into another guarded pause, letting the silence between movements exist just a little longer this time. Not because it felt natural. Not yet. Because she was beginning to understand why it might one day become so.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre heard Jayna's realization without breaking the measured rhythm of her own kata. There was a temptation to answer immediately, to explain the distinction further while it was fresh in the younger woman's mind, but that would have rather undermined the lesson she was trying to demonstrate. Instead, she remained exactly where she was.

One heartbeat. Then another.

Only when she chose to move did her body come alive again. One foot carried her smoothly forward, the imagined blade extending with the same economy she'd demonstrated earlier before she settled once more into stillness. There was no urgency to continue merely because she'd begun. Every motion existed for a reason, and when that reason ended, so did the movement.

"Exactly."

A pleased smile touched Iandre's lips as she continued alongside Jayna. "Standing still and doing nothing aren't the same thing. Right now, you know where your feet are. You know where your blades are. You know what options you have available to you." She allowed another deliberate pause to settle between movements. "The moment you move, you give some of those options up in favor of others."

It was something Makashi had taught her long before she had possessed enough experience to truly appreciate it. As a Padawan, she'd understood patience as something her instructors demanded because it was proper. Now she understood it as something far more practical. A duelist who was always moving was always revealing something. Direction. Intention. Commitment. Sometimes the most useful thing one could do was simply refuse to provide the answer.

"Ataru asks you to create opportunities through movement. Makashi often asks whether you need to create one at all." Iandre shifted smoothly into another position, then stopped. "Your opponent may be perfectly willing to create one for you."

This time she remained still long enough for the difference to become unmistakable. Her posture wasn't relaxed in the sense of being careless. She was ready to move in any direction, but committed to none of them.

"Now stop trying to make your pauses longer." There was a touch of amusement in her voice, because she'd noticed exactly what Jayna was doing. "You're turning patience into another technique you have to perform."

Iandre glanced toward her with a small smile.

"Don't count the heartbeat this time. Reach the next guard in your kata and stay there until you see a reason to leave it." She returned her attention to the imaginary opponent before her. "It might feel horribly wrong at first."

Her smile grew just slightly.

"That's probably how you'll know you're learning something."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea

Jayna listened as much with her eyes as with her ears. She watched Ian become still. Not stiff. Not frozen. Simply...Ready.

When Ian finally moved again, the motion seemed almost inevitable, as though it had been waiting for precisely the right moment to exist. Jayna nodded slowly. "I think I understand."

Her own kata continued beside Ian's, slower than it had ever been before. Every guard now felt less like a waypoint between attacks and more like a place where choices still existed. At Ian's explanation, Jayna found herself quietly repeating it in her own mind. Every time I move... I choose.

That was different from how she'd always thought about Ataru. She'd always seen movement as freedom. Now Ian was teaching her that movement also meant commitment. That realization lingered as she settled into the next guard. "...I never thought about every attack closing as many doors as it opened."

Her voice was thoughtful, almost absent as she continued working through the idea. "It makes every step more... expensive." She wasn't sure that was exactly the right word, but it felt close enough.

Then Ian caught her. Jayna's ears reddened almost instantly. "I've been caught." A sheepish grin spread across her face. "I was absolutely counting." She laughed softly at herself. "I turned waiting into another drill."

Of course she had. It was exactly the sort of thing she would do. At Ian's new instruction, however, Jayna's expression settled once more. Reach the next guard... and stay there until you see a reason to leave it.

"...Okay." She inhaled once. Then let the breath out naturally. The kata resumed. A cut. A pivot. The slightly wider landing Ian had taught her. Then the next guard. Jayna arrived there and...

Stopped.

Immediately every instinct she possessed wanted to continue. The next strike was already mapped inside her muscles. Her body knew precisely where to go. It almost felt uncomfortable not to obey that impulse. She resisted it. Not by forcing herself to wait. Simply by remaining where she was.

Invisible blades held their lines. Her weight stayed balanced. For a moment she almost laughed. This feels awful. Not painful. Just...

Incomplete. Like holding the first word of a sentence without finishing it. She understood exactly what Ian had meant. Rather than counting heartbeats this time, Jayna imagined the opponent before her. Not what she wanted to do. What they might do. Would they rush? Circle? Attack high? Step away?

For the first time, she wasn't filling the silence with her own intentions. She was listening to it. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. When she finally moved again, it wasn't because the kata demanded it. It was because, in her mind, her opponent had finally made a choice.

The next motion came smoothly, almost effortlessly. Jayna blinked. "...That..." She looked over toward Ian with genuine surprise. "...felt different." She searched for the words.

"I wasn't waiting because I was supposed to." Her smile grew. "I was waiting because I wanted to know what happened next."

She looked back toward the invisible opponent before settling naturally into another guard. "I don't think I've ever practiced against someone's possibilities before." A soft laugh escaped her. "I've always practiced against mine."

She remained there comfortably this time. Not counting. Simply waiting to see what the invisible opponent might do next.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre didn't answer immediately. Instead, she watched. Not the kata itself, but Jayna.

The younger woman's movements had changed in a way that could not be measured by speed or precision. The technique itself was nearly identical, yet the intent behind it was unmistakably different. She was no longer moving because a sequence demanded it. She was responding to another presence, even if that opponent existed only within her imagination.

A quiet smile found Iandre's lips. "You felt the difference."

It wasn't phrased as a question. There was a quiet satisfaction in her voice, the kind that came not from proving a point but from watching someone discover it for themselves.

She stepped beside Jayna once more, allowing her own invisible blade to settle into guard.

"That is the lesson."

For a few moments she remained exactly where she was, comfortable within the silence that had become part of the exercise.

"Makashi isn't about making fewer decisions." she continued. "It's about refusing to make them before you have to."

Her posture remained relaxed, though every part of it was prepared to move.

"The longer you preserve your possibilities, the more opportunities you give your opponent to surrender theirs."

Only then did she glide forward into the next movement of her kata.

"Most forms teach you how to impose your will." The blade traced a clean, economical line before returning to guard. "Makashi teaches you how to recognize the moment another person has already committed to theirs."

She glanced toward Jayna, a warmth in her grey eyes that reflected both pride and encouragement.

"Did you notice what changed?" she asked. "You weren't imagining your next attack anymore."

A small smile touched the corner of her mouth.

"You were imagining another person."

The distinction hung gently between them.

"A duel stops being a performance the moment you become more interested in understanding your opponent than expressing yourself."

Her blade lowered to her side.

"Everything else you've learned in Makashi rests on that."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea

Jayna remained in her guard for another quiet moment before letting the invisible blades lower to her sides. She wasn't in any hurry to move. That realization alone almost made her laugh. Just an hour ago, standing still had felt like wasting time. Now...

Now it felt like she was still part of the duel. She turned toward Ian, an excited smile already finding its way across her face. "I did." There was no hesitation in her answer. "I really did."

She looked back toward the imaginary opponent she'd been facing. "It wasn't about waiting." Her brow furrowed as she searched for the words. "It was like..."

She held one hand out uncertainly. "...I stopped talking long enough to listen." The analogy made her smile. "I've always been trying to tell my opponent what was going to happen next."

She gave a small shrug. "But if I'm always talking..." Her eyes lifted back to Ian. "...I never hear what they're saying." The lesson settled comfortably inside her. It wasn't replacing Ataru. It was giving it another question to ask.

As Ian continued, Jayna listened intently, her full attention fixed on every word. "Refusing to make decisions before you have to." She repeated the phrase silently. It sounded so simple. Yet she knew it would take countless hours before it became instinct.

She nodded slowly. "So... Ataru wants me to ask, 'What can I do?'" A thoughtful pause. "And Makashi asks..." Her smile returned. "'What are they about to do?'" The distinction felt obvious now that Ian had said it aloud. She wondered how she'd never seen it before.

When Ian spoke about preserving possibilities, Jayna unconsciously glanced down at her feet. Only a few centimeters wider. Such a small adjustment. Yet it had given her so many more options. Maybe Makashi wasn't just about footwork after all. Maybe it was a way of thinking.

She smiled when Ian pointed out that she'd stopped imagining her own attack. "I didn't even notice." Her expression brightened with quiet amazement. "I really was watching someone else."

She let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "I've practiced forms for years." Her gaze drifted across the practice field. "I've imagined winning. Landing the next strike. Getting behind someone. Escaping. Pressing an advantage."

She shook her head. "But I don't think I've ever imagined..." Her brown eyes met Ian's again. "...understanding them." The thought lingered between them. It felt strangely... compassionate. Even in combat.

After a few moments, another question surfaced. One that had been quietly building as Ian described the philosophy of Form Two. "Ian..." She tilted her head slightly. "Can I ask something?" Her tone remained genuinely curious. "I can see why Makashi is incredible in a duel."

She gestured between the two of them. "One opponent. One blade. Time to read them." Then her expression became more thoughtful. "But..."

She glanced toward the wider training grounds, imagining a battlefield instead of a dueling circle. "...what happens when there are several opponents?" A brief pause. "Especially if some of them have blasters."

She frowned slightly, not critically but analytically. "It seems like that would put a Makashi practitioner at a disadvantage." Her curiosity outweighed any concern. "If you're trying to preserve possibilities with one opponent..." She spread her hands. "...someone else could just decide to shoot you."

A sheepish smile followed. "I have a feeling the answer isn't 'don't let them,' but I can't quite see how Form Two deals with that." She looked at Ian expectantly. "Or... is that simply when another form becomes the better choice?"

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled as she listened to Jayna describe what she had experienced. There was no need to correct her or reshape her words. She had reached the conclusion herself, and that was always the stronger lesson. A teacher could explain philosophy for hours, but there was a world of difference between hearing an idea and feeling it become your own.

Jayna's question, however, gave her pause.

She looked back over the training grounds for a moment, her thoughts turning inward. Makashi had never claimed to be the answer to every problem. It was a duelist's form, refined over centuries for opponents carrying lightsabers. Economy of motion. Precision. Reading intention. Preserving options. Against a single skilled adversary, there were few forms she would rather carry into battle. But battlefields were rarely so considerate. Blaster bolts did not wait their turn. Multiple opponents did not care about elegant footwork, and a duelist who became so absorbed in one exchange that they forgot the world around them often did not survive long enough to win it.

Her grey eyes returned to Jayna.

"You're right." she answered without hesitation. "Form Two is at its strongest against a single opponent. It was developed during a time when lightsaber duels became increasingly common, and it reflects that purpose. Put a Makashi duelist in the middle of a battlefield with blaster fire coming from every direction, and the form begins to show its weaknesses."

She lifted one hand, tracing a small circle through the air.

"Every form has strengths and weaknesses. Ataru gives you mobility and unpredictability, but it demands energy. Soresu can weather incredible pressure, but it may surrender the initiative. Makashi offers control, precision, and patience, but it was never meant to solve every tactical problem." A small smile touched her lips. "The mistake is believing any one form can."

She took a few slow steps across the field before turning back toward Jayna.

"If I found myself surrounded by blaster fire and several opponents, I wouldn't stubbornly insist on fighting the battle as though it were a duel." There was no pride in the admission, only practicality. "I'd use the Force. I'd seek cover. I'd reposition. If another form served the moment better, I'd borrow from it. The purpose of learning a form is not to become its servant. It's to understand what it teaches you well enough that you know when its lessons apply... and when they don't."

She smiled again, warmer this time.

"That's why I told you not to make your kata into Form Two." She gestured toward Jayna's stance. "Your Ataru already has its own strengths. Makashi isn't here to replace them. It's here to ask questions your instincts weren't asking before."

A thoughtful silence settled between them before Iandre added one final observation.

"The greatest duelists I've ever known weren't the ones who fought every battle the same way." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the distant trees before returning to Jayna. "They were the ones who understood what kind of battle they were actually standing in."

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Distract and be distracted
Location: Veradune
Outfit: -X-
Tags: Iandre Athlea

Jayna listened without interrupting, her attention never wavering. As Ian spoke through the strengths and weaknesses of each form, she found herself nodding almost instinctively. It all fit together in a way she hadn't appreciated before. She'd always thought of lightsaber forms as separate disciplines—almost separate languages. Now they felt more like conversations. Different ways of approaching the same problem.

When Ian explained that even she would abandon the assumptions of Makashi on a battlefield filled with blaster fire, Jayna smiled. "I think I get it." She glanced down at her feet, noticing the slightly wider stance she'd unconsciously settled back into. "I don't have to stop being an Ataru practitioner just because I learn something from Makashi."

Her smile broadened. "Adding Makashi to..." She caught herself with a small laugh. "...to the 'Form of Jayna' doesn't mean abandoning everything I've learned before." She looked back at Ian. "It just makes what I already do... better." The words came with growing confidence as she continued piecing the lesson together.

"I don't have to ask one question." She held up a finger. "I can ask several." A second finger joined the first. "What can I do?" A third. "What are they about to do?" She smiled. "And then experience tells me which question matters most."

The realization sat comfortably in her chest. Not because she'd mastered it. Because she'd finally seen the path. She let out a contented breath and looked around the training field. Students continued their exercises beneath the afternoon sun, instructors offered corrections, and somewhere beyond the trees a Vaerix was hopefully still gliding above Veradune's forests. It all felt... Peaceful.

Her thoughts hadn't wandered to frantic searches or impossible questions for what felt like hours. She noticed that now. The ache for her mother remained. She knew it would be waiting for her when this conversation ended. But it no longer occupied every corner of her mind. She understood, at last, what Ian had been trying to show her. Purpose didn't erase pain. It simply reminded you that there was still life beyond it.

Jayna turned back to Ian, her expression warm with both gratitude and admiration. "I think this was exactly the distraction I needed." She laughed softly. "Although I'm not sure 'distraction' is the right word anymore." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the distant treeline.

"I came here hoping to stop thinking about everything that was hurting." A small smile touched her lips. "But I think I'm leaving with something that will help when I start thinking about it again." She stepped forward and, after the briefest hesitation, wrapped Ian in another hug. Not because either of them needed rescuing. Just because it felt right.

"Thank you." The words were quiet against Ian's shoulder. "For today." She stepped back, hands slipping comfortably into the pockets of her jacket. "And..."

A mischievous grin returned. "You still owe me more lessons." There was just enough teasing in her voice to lighten the moment. "I'm going to become a terrible critic of everyone's footwork." She gave an exaggeratedly thoughtful nod. "I'll make you proud."

With a final glance toward the woods, Jayna smiled. "And maybe..." Her eyes searched the treeline one last time. "...if the Vaerix really were watching, they'll remember me the next time I come by." It was a hopeful thought. One she found herself believing.