Private Which way was I meant to go again?

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Lily had been studying the different meditation methods that her Master had assigned her, at times she had found them dull or repetitive since there was a lot of sitting around and getting in tune with herself. Something that she hadn't really been interested in, she found training and practicing her Echani combat was something more therapeutic than honing in on the way her body felt in that moment. However, this was the first step, and she couldn't rush these things. First step had to be taken so that she could get to the point of where she felt should be at, Lily knew better than to rush things. It was just dealing with all the internal feelings and frustrations that she felt at going at such a slow pace.

Perhaps that's why she was made to do this. A lesson in understanding her emotions and finding the balance.

It was definitely a lot of what she had been thinking about since she begun her training in full as a Jedi. Lily was also still very aware that she had not been the most emotionally calm person since she had left home. There was a lot of new things, a lot of new stresses and being around people that were not familiar with her customs had been a tricky adjustment. Lily was just glad to not have any more emotional outbursts and figured these meditation exercises will eventually help swayed any doubts she had about being able to control.

Today's morning routine had been completed for the day and Lily was attempting to figure her around the temple. Lily had her hair tied in a bun as she looked around at a cross path in the hallway. Her lips pursed as she was deep in thought as she tried to remember if the way to the training room was left or right. She couldn't tell the difference between the two hallways and everything was looking the same. Her arms crossed over her chest as her heel clicked on the ground as Lily kept thinking about which direction it was.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

Jalen plucked at the strings on his hallikset, perched atop one of the many statues that lined the halls of the Jedi Temple. Meditation. Soothing of the soul. The cords from a long passed time, quelling the flames of uncertainty within him. It had been a good while now since he had arrived at the temple. He liked to think that he was coming to terms with his past.

Maybe that was just nice thinking.

He paused, taking note of the space around him. Pattering movements that had come to a halt, emanating from the visage of a younger individual. Teenage... humanoid... staring idly from the feeling of her aura. She was lost. A pang of sympathy ran through the blind padawan. He had been there before.

"Hey," he called down to the girl, stowing his hallikset before joining her on the ground. "Need directions? Most people don't stand at crossroads longer than a moment unless they're new..."

His voice was semi-monotone, but had a faint empathetic sound to it. Even making the first step of communication couldn't dispel that he was a quiet individual by nature.

But he was still concerned. Helping people was his calling, after all. It's why he had become a healer.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Being deep in her own thoughts, Lily hadn't noticed the other Padawan approach and then jumped slightly when the voice spoke up.

"Oh!" Lily's soft voice of surprise gave her a brief moment to compose herself, her hands going behind her as she noticed that while the other Padawan seemed blinded, he did not move like it impaired him. It was curious and there was a slight sadness in Lily since she thought about the fact that those blind could never admire the beauty of a person fighting but at the same time, most who could see truly were able to admire it. "I am lost, yes. I was coming from the meditation chambers but trying to figure how to get to the training room from here."

She pointed in one direction then paused and then realised her error. "The left corridor I think was the way I took but the right looks just as familiar to me. I am trying to remember and build a mental map to understand my way around here." Lily explained as she then crossed her arms once again. "Did it take you long to learn your way around?" Lily asked curious how long others struggled with figuring the layout of the temple.

"I'm Lily Decoria, a really new Padawan if you couldn't guess." Lily gave a small grin and soft giggle.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

​

"It didn't take me too long," Jalen shrugged. "You get used to it. It's a lot of... similar seeming corridors-" Jalen, of course, couldn't see them, but he had a general idea of what they were like, "-but you start to recognize smaller details after a while."

She was heading to the training halls? Her problem was that she had gone in the complete opposite direction. That wasn't too surprising, however. It only took one wrong turn to send someone on a wild goose chase in search of phantom rooms.

"Uh, Jalen," he introduced. "Kai'el. You're headed the wrong way if you're looking for the training wing. I can show you where that's at."

Jalen had a guide, of course. The building itself had webs of auras, each distinct from each other. Lifelines that pulled individuals in one direction or another, making up a secret map that the naked eye couldn't perceive. Jalen, of course, had no eyes, at least not ones that functioned. Perhaps it had played a role in how well he had adjusted to the Temple. He gestured for Lily to follow, setting off towards the training rooms.

Meanwhile, he had begin to assess the teen in the force. Humanoid... her heartrate seemed to suggest that she was in fairly good shape. No present wounds, but the lingering aura of standard wear and tear from physical activity was present. The general accumulation of these more so towards her limbs seemed to suggest martial arts training. Given all that, it was very likely that she was Echani. He'd keep that in mind. There was a possibility that training wounds could make her a regular patient.

"I should probably get some training in myself," he added after his momentary pause, "I've been slacking today..."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

"Makes sense, I tend to get a little eager in building a mental map to ensure that I know fastest routes and most efficient ways around places to avoid ever having a risk of being late." Lily was always adamant to never be late to a meeting, she would always arrive either early or on time. Being late was rude and she could not stand the idea of being rude in such a manner.

Looking at the corridors again when Jalen mentioned that she was heading in the opposite direction that she was meant to. "Really? Hm..." Lily paused as she tried to figure out where she could have possibly gotten turned around so much to end up here. Was it when she took a left there? Or when she went right, was she meant to go left or did she go left instead of going left..... The more she thought on it, the more her brain hurt from the stresses of the unknown and uncertainty of her situation.

Just needed to breath and follow Jalen, this stranger seemed to know at least where he was heading which was something at least.

Walking quietly, Lily could feel like she was being observed but she knew that Jalen could not see her physically with his eyes. Looking around, she was curious if it was someone, or something, else that was giving her mind the idea that was being observed without her knowing. However, when she looked around, she could not see anyone around, they were definitely alone from what she could tell. Then memory of her encounter with Master Noble flickered in her mind, that there was Force Sense, a skill in the Force that triggered like a secret addition sense. Was it the Force that was informing her that she was being observed, in that case, was it possible for Jalen to be observing her through the Force.

Once again, a lot of unknown and it caused her mind to buzz a little in frustration.

"Ahem.." Lily coughed delicately to clear her throat, "were you observing me through the Force, Jalen?" Lily wasn't framing the question in an accusatory manner, more genuine curiosity since she couldn't be certain it was him.

When he mentioned the need to train, an idea came to mind but before she could suggest that, she needed to figure out if she was being observed by the Padawan, if it was creepy observing or if it was an outside force that they might need to inform a Jedi Master about in case it was an attack.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

​

"were you observing me through the Force, Jalen?"

"Huh?" Jalen reacted, cocking his head a little. "Oh, yeah. I guess. I can't really 'observe' with my eyes."

A frown formed on his face, but not one out of anger.

"Sorry," he apologized. "That probably sounded rude."

Jalen's shoulders slouched a little. He wasn't very good at conversating, at least in a manner that was good. Maybe he really wasn't as bad as he thought, but he knew he certainly wasn't winning any awards. The padawan figured he should at least explain what he 'saw.'

"It's hard to talk to people without facial expressions to read," the teen admitted. "So I read auras. The things people feel leave traces in the Force. Y'know, basic stuff like joy or anger. Uh, that's how I knew you were lost."

He stuck his hands in his pockets, slouching a little.

"But that also means I can feel everyone's emotions..." Jalen sighed, "And I can't figure out how to turn it off."

And that meant that he could never enjoy a truly silent mind. There was always some kind of stimulation jabbing at the back of his head.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

"I was merely asking because I could feel someone watching me through the Force... I guess... and couldn't tell who it was so didn't want to panic and think that a Sith or creep was stalking me before I had crossed off the most obvious of it simply being you." Lily stated, she wasn't offended by his words, they did not mean much bar stating the obvious.

When he explained how it worked, Lily understand in a roundabout why of what he meant. "My aunt is a Jedi Healer here, she is Echani like myself, however she was born with legs that were severely underdeveloped, she has had to use robotic legs most of her life. Echani communicate through combat, through the expressions of our bodies, to have limbs that cannot express or limit the ways one can communicate through combat, it is a blindness that few would understand." While Kat was not physically blind, Lily knew there was a time where her legs saw her an outcast and perceived as a blind toddler stumbling through conversations.

"While I will likely never understand your troubles, I can offer sympathies in your troubles." Lily knew how it felt to be overwhelmed by things, emotions and social interactions were all very draining for her but she was pushing herself through all that to ensure that she was able to become a Jedi.

Looking around the training area, "well, if you are happy to wait while I go change into something more appropriate. I can offer something combat training with you?" Lily extended the offer, she was definitely not in an outfit that one should fight in but she knew she kept her training gear around here somewhere.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

​

"I was merely asking because I could feel someone watching me through the Force... I guess... and couldn't tell who it was so didn't want to panic and think that a Sith or creep was stalking me before I had crossed off the most obvious of it simply being you."

"Oh," he frowned, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Guess that's fair..."

People could feel force sight? That wasn't something he was aware of. Maybe that was something he would need to work on himself in case he ever had trouble...

Lily went on to talk about her culture, and her Aunt. It was a plight he understood, at least to some extent. He didn't have a culture of his own, but he fully understood being disconnected from something because of a disability. He couldn't really comment on it, however. Jalen couldn't really think of anything insightful to say.

"well, if you are happy to wait while I go change into something more appropriate. I can offer something combat training with you?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

Again, no further words. He wasn't really a talker, but training he could do.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Lily vanished for several moments to change. Returning in her usual training gear, she checked out which rooms were available to train in with Jalen and spotted one that seemed perfect. "Jalen, over here, this one seems free."

By the time Jalen would enter, Lily was stretching her limbs, getting herself warmed up for the exercises. Lily never wanted to risk cramping in the middle of a fight, that was poor form in terms of fighting but also dangerous for her body since it could be risking death in a real battle. Instead Lily kept herself limber and flexible to the best of her ability.

"Is there a preference you have when training?" Lily asked politely, not knowing how the Jedi liked to train with others so she had no idea if there were rules or traditions that she must be accustomed to when doing this. "This will be the first time I am sparring a Jedi, I do not wish to do this wrong or improper."

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

​

"I don't really have any preferences," Jalen shrugged. "I usually train alone... sparing droid drills get repetitive though, so it's probably for the best I start sparring actual people..."

Even if he wasn't very social. Talking meant inevitably giving backstory, and Jalen was still hesitant to talk about his past, even after coming to terms with it. To make training against droids harder, he kept ramping up the difficulty. His body was taxed greatly for it, but he didn't show it. After all, a healer like himself could easily mend all the welts and bruises that he received running drills.

Jalen drew his lightsaber with a gentle hand, making sure it's setting was the lowest power. He took a moment to spin it in his hand before he raised it above his head, assuming the standard Soresu opening.

"I'm ready," he assured. "Start whenever."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

While Jalen did not have a preference in fighting, his instincts to ignite the Lightsaber and take a defensive position demonstrated that he was expecting this to be a sparring match where one uses either a Lightsaber or in her case, a training saber. It was not a bad thing or something she was frustrated by, it made sense that a Jedi would default to Lightsaber based combat and not the hand to hand combat that she is typically use to. Lily took a training saber from the side and then took a position opposite Jalen.

While her knowledge in the traditional Jedi Lightsaber forms were not advanced as her knowledge in other forms of combat, she could recognise the starting position of Soresu. A more defensive form if she remembered what she was told before. It was not overly surprising for one to start that way, especially with an opponent of unknown skill.

Lily gave the weight of the training saber a feel, it still felt odd to hold a weapon like this in her hands, not quite similar to the Echani swords that she was much more familiar with in her training. Lily then approached Jalen, her body settled and a calmness spread across her. It was the first sparring match with someone who wasn't her aunt since she came to Coruscant. She was curious the expressions, emotions and such that Jalen would communicate in their fight.

For now, she tested the defence. Her body was sliding gracefully, a calm and almost meditative motion that most thought was dancer-like in grace. Lily however knew that what she was communicating was the beginning of a conversation, a reserved touch that only expressed slight curiosity and mild intrigue in understanding how another spoke to her.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Lily Decoria

​

Jalen stood awkwardly for a moment. Usually he liked to start off defensive, but it seemed that Lily had a similar starting strategy. He's have to shake up his opening, at least to move the sparring session along. He changed his form, assuming a posture much more similar to that of a fencing stance. A Makashi opening, one which he had learned from training with his older brother. Jasper used Makashi as his preferred form, so Jalen had a bit of comfort with the form, though not to the level of Soresu.

He'd start with a basic jab, sliding one foot forward and extending out his arm with a graceful motion. Jalen was no dancer, but he could feel the movement of the force around him. He let that flow carry the weight of his strike, focused on the center of Lily's aura.

It was a bit more aggressive than he liked in an opening, but he hoped that it could get the duel started in proper, rather than just the two of them standing around idly.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Outfit: Link
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

There was a switch in stance from Jalen before Lily could get the first jab of her attack in. It was clear that his movements and striking that these were explorative tests of her defence. It was similar to the approach that she was going to take and Lily was curious to see what he would express. There seemed to be a lack of confidence in his movements. He was not one to attack first in general, which was not overly surprising, Lily assumed that plenty of Jedi were more defensive than offensive.

Especially since they had the whole peaceful protectors, not violent warriors stance.

Lily blocked the attacks, shifting around, she ducked under their blades. Twisting her body around, she pushed blade arm away from her, flowing around like water as she gave her confidence in fighting and comfort stance in combat. Her blade slashed downwards in a feint before twisting for a blow to the head. Curious to see how Jalen would react to feints and deception. It was a tactic that was underhanded and her body language spoke of the discomfort in deceiving and lying to others, especially those that she knew were nice.

However, she was also wanting to understand more of Jalen in this fight, to read him in a way that words would never explain.