You Saw Nothing

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald listened and nodded. He didn't feel like she was treating like some simpleton, and in fact, she had found the perfect example for him to relate to. When he hunted he just did. It was instinct, but it was also skill, calculation, manipulation, and follow through. He looked at the stick before the knives distracted him. As they turned in a lazy circle, everything made sense. Gerwald had to figure out how to make it happen.

He wasn't the type to ask questions, or repeat what he heard to clarify. Gerwald just did, and if it worked it worked, if not he adjusted, and he did this until he got it right. That was how he learned to fight with a sword, and it would be how he learned with the force. The man had a stubborn determination.

His eyes closed as he thought about the stick. He imagined it floating into his hand. His mind watched it happen through the force, and as his eyes opened the stick was almost in his hand. It fell, but he had done it. The concept was his, and he would simply practice. A smile tugged at his lips as he imagined one of the knives from the girls back flying into his hand handle first. It happened so fast, but he caught it, almost cutting his finger in the process, and returned her gesture from the day before as moved to place it under her throat as he spoke.

"Tell me more... what else can I do..."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"That was faster than I had anticipated," Scherezade said with a proud grin, pulling the knife back from his hand by use of the Force and bringing both knives back into their hiding spot beneath her shirt. "I still expect you to practice this new ability. First with a single object, then with more and more, and eventually, at least a dozen objects and have each of them do something else. This is going to be mentally draining at first, so make sure you're somewhere safe when you work on it. Or let me know when you wanna work on it and I'll come guard the perimeter."

The last sentence may have been too much, but she knew firsthand of the dangers of getting so lost in practice that you didn't know what else was happening round you. But now he'd seen that he could actually do it, so there really wasn't much to add except - "and when you use this ability, the weight of the object doesn't really matter. Bigger masses require more energy and focus because there's more that you need to move, but if you work right you'll eventually be able to lift ships just by using your mind. Or that's the theory, anyway. I haven't been able to do that yet."

But her mother had. She had a very vivid memory suddenly flashing in front of her eyes; her maternal grandparents standing atop the Coruscant Penthouse, her own parents, not much older thans he was now, standing next to them. It felt like a fight was going on between the four, but suddenly the Sith Inflitrator was moving, and her mother dropped the fight in order to pull it back. It had taken almost everything out of her to do that while- was she still keeping an eye on her dad? And just as quickly, the memory vanished into nothing. Scherezde gasped and shook her head, willing the last remains of it to vanish.

She looked at Gerwald again, forcing a little smile to her lips. It was time for another ability. For that one though, she knew exactly what to do without stumbling on her words.

Scherezade looked around until she found a tree to her liking. It was about fifty feet away, and there was a branch about twenty feet up. Tall tree. But still.

Turning around, she counted until three inside her head, and made the jump. It was perfect. She landed on the branch, balanced just as she was supposed to be, and turned around. She wasn't in the mood to scream, and instead opted to just use Telepathy.

Just as mass doesn't matter, neither do your physical limitations, she said directly into [member="Gerwald Lechner"] 'd mind, We still work on our physical limitations because there are ways to block our access to the Force. But under normal circumstances, we can use the Force to enhance our abilities. The jump I just performed is inhuman. I did it by focusing the Force into the muscles of my core and lower body, adjusting what was needed for the jump to be possible. I also use the Force in the same manner to run fast, jump down safely, and sidestep dangerous blows in battle.

Without waiting for an answer, the Sithing jumped down from the tree, rolled forward to gain control of her vertical acceleration, and then disappeared from where she'd landed.

A second later she appeared behind Gerwald and tapped his shoulder. "That was quick movement," she explained, "those who notice it see a blur, but it's the same concept as the jump I showed you. I want you to make the same jump towards the branch. And don't worry if it takes a few tries. Just make sure not to hit your head on the branch, it can split your forehead open."

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

When Scherezade jumped, Gerwald took a step back.

”That was cool,” he said out loud even though she was too far away to hear him.

That was when her words formed in his mind. Okay... that was a bit freaky. Her voice was in his mind as though it were falling on his ear. His eyes searched for her on the tree, still locked on where she stood. She hadn’t left, or had she. There was a blur and then she stood in front of him.

”Now you’re just showing off,” he said with grin.

Gerwalds instinct took over with the jump. He looked at the tree, and jumped, all of five feet. Right, he was supposed to channel the force into his muscles. He closed his eyes and focused on his legs first. Pushing the force into them, he opened his eyes and focused on the limb. This time when he jumped, Gerwald went flying.

”YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!”

This was fun. He wondered about the mind thing, but he was going to ask about that in a minute. With the force in his legs, Gerwald ran to her, right past her, and into a tree. He fell on his buttocks.

”You forgot to warn me about the stop...”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

He had done it again! Scherezade beamed, deciding in her mind to overlook the fact that these were basic, simple abilities, and took full credit for herself instead. It was good to feel awesome in the morning, especially when it was the first time you thought anyone ever.

She was smiling when he made his way towards her, relying on the Force to follow his motion rather than her eyes, and she thought he would stop near her and ask for more powers, but he just kept going and-

She was next to him the next moment. She wouldn't mock him by asking if he was okay, but she came close to it.

"Oh right," she said, "remember to stop," and stuck her tongue out.

The list of the things she already knew how to do ran through her mind. The Sithling would've loved to have more to give him, but she supposed Mandragora related things were highly irrelevant, and there was a lot more to the physical aspect of Force training that she simply didn't know yet. Essentially, there was-

"When you're in battle," she asked, offering a hand to help him up, "how do you know where you're about to be hit before your enemy strikes?"

There was a purpose to this, though she wasn't sure how well she would be able to teach that one. The Farsight ability was one she had, and yet... Well, she wasn't great at utilizing it, as the countless of scars beneath her clothes were witness to. But maybe, just maybe, she could give him the basics of it and he could take it further.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald shook his head as she teased him. His butt was going to be bruised, but not as much as his ego. If he hadn’t been trying to prove he could pick up the skills easily, he would likely have not collided with the tree, or he would have. Either way, he took the offered hand and got up on his feet.

They were close again, but she was talking and in teacher mode. Gerwald has to listen.

”A bit of instinct, a bit of watching their movements and projecting a picture of where the strike is headed. Sometimes I can actually see it. When the battle is really tough and I think I’m beaten... I’ve seen the next strike.”

Ger shrugged.

”I have always thought that was the wolf...”

It had been the force, Gerwald knew that now. It made him wonder how much of him was the wolf and what was the force. They were all one person, Gerwald, and neither started where the other ended. They were all simply one. He smirked.

”Alright, I’ll bite... where is this headed?”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"To the next ability, of course," she answered with another smile. This one was going to be trickier though, "the Force gives you a way to see into the future. Seers make that ability their forte. For us warriors and fighters, the advanced versions of it are harder to master, but the basic version of it is essentially what saves our lives... Or lets us get injured in battle."

Scherezade crouched, grabbing some mud from the ground. The morning dew was enough to give her a small amount.

"You're going to cover your ears and nose with this," she explained, now grabbing a knife to remove the bottom few inches of her shirt. It was still more than long enough to cover all the bits Gerwald might have been interested in seeing uncovered, "and this will cover your eyes. Then when we've blocked three of your main senses, I'm going to hit you, whack you, and if you learn quickly enough, try to stab you. Your job is to reach out with the Force and try to understand where the attack is coming from, how it's coming, and block it. Ready?"


[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald did as he was told. The mud was repulsive to his sense of smell, but he grinned anyway. She was going to make him figure out her attacks and this was the only way to do that he supposed. It wasn’t, but it was the way she would enjoy the most. The blindfold went on next and when he was ready he replied...

”Ready.”

He stretched out with the force, finding her, and hoping he would see what she was about to do.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She could feel him reaching out with the Force. And she knew that she wasn't going to take it easy on him just because he was a quick learner or because of the events of the precious night. Scherezade began to move quickly, shifting into the fourth gear almost off the bat; at first she merely ran around him, then umped, then moved quickly, being in one corner of the area and in the next. She wondered if he could follow her movements through the Force and made a mental note to ask him about it.

Next came flings of dirt ad soil, all tossed in his general direction. Some were shaped as a ball, others as a mass of powder. Sticks, stones, everything the field offered was sent flinging his way, with no patter, and she continued her quick movements all through out it.

And then the knives left her body. Swinging at him first with the hilt, then on the non-sharp side. Head, legs, arms, she left nothing out. She wanted his entire body on alert, ready to react. And then...

Now the blades were angled with the pointy end towards his flesh. If he missed any, they would merely scratch him, for she had no actual desire to harm the man. And then the pointy ends were joined by sharper sticks, bigger rocks, and more earth flown his way. It was a dance of Nature and Knives.

And while it had taken time to build up properly, it all came to an abrupt stop as Scherezade fell to her knees, out of breath, sweat rolling off her forehead, and for the first time, she actually looked at [member="Gerwald Lechner"], to see what remained of this gentle exercise.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

She had started. He could hear her, and see her through the force, but it wasn’t a clear picture. His mind was so focused on trying to get it that her volley of mud and dust succeeded in making him dirty. Each time it came he realized he was focusing on the wrong thing. Instead on focusing on her he needed to expand his view. He needed the full picture.

His mind opened to the eh and flow of the force just as the first knife came. He moved, but not fast enough. It cut his arm.

Gerwald winced.

The next three or four had the same result, but each motion had been quicker, faster. As he relied on the force to speed his action he realized he could both sense and move. Though it was tiring. He was cut again as the the exhaustion and mental fatigue took him. Mud and dirt pummeled him again.

Gerwald dug in. Gritting his teeth the man pressed deeper and began to move, flowingin and out of the path of the weapons and sticks. They were finally dancing again, and when Scherezade finally stopped, Ger dropped to a knee, dirty, bloody, but alive.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She was tired, exhausted, and she needed a break. But she still had enough energy left to remember to take a look at [member="Gerwald Lechner"] and check how he was doing. She was a few feet away, but it was enough to require to make the effort. Her knives were on the ground, all around them. She'd pick them up later. Scherezade forced herself to stand up, and drew on whatever shreds she had left to make herself walk towards him. He had fallen onto the ground as well, and she could smell the blood seconds before her eyes registered it.

Falling down in front of him onto her knees, the Sithlin smiled as she removed his blindfold, and figured that he would want to remove the mud from his ears and nose on his own.

"I was working very hard not to let the knives totally stab you in any essential organs," she laughed as she touched his arms, trying to wipe some of the dirt off, and then noticed she'd managed to hit his hair as well. Her fingers didn't need any official invitation before they started gliding against the strands as well, trying to remove some of the debris, "you did better than I expected," she admitted, "I thought someone as old as you who was still untrained would need much more time than a single morning to grasp the technical aspect of the basics."

Of course, she also had to tease him: "I did it in less than half that time," Scherezade added with a giggle and a wink, and hoped he'd take it as the joke it was meant to be.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

”I was highly motivated,” he said with a small tease, ”I still have to rotate the meat...”

Gerwald smirked then closed the gap between them and stole another kiss. The previous two had been initiated by Scherezade, but he had to show her it was something that didn’t bother him in the slightest. Yes, they were training, and no, nothing romantic had been defined between them. Things appeared as though it were a possibility, but neither had said anything, and Gerwald was definitely testing potential boundaries.

He winced as he pulled back. His body was in pain and ached. The knives had done their damage, even if Scherezade had tried to avoid organs, she had still used knives. Was anything else to be expected at this point? No. The girl loved her blades, and Gerwald had figured that out the moment they had started dancing.

”I need another shower, and then you need to help me dress the wounds I cannot reach,” he said as he found the strength to push up onto his feet. He may have been tired, but the wolf man had always been able to push himself. His hand reached for Scherezade to help her up off her knees. She knew they needed to deal with his cuts before they could get infected. The parts of her body he had seen were full of scars. She knew this intimately.

”C’mon... we can relax on the ship... or wherever you want to do this...”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She'd been in the middle of remembering about the meat when Gerwald suddenly kissed her, causing her fingers to freeze mid-motion in his hair. She hadn't expected it. It made her smile. Right up until she saw him wince. He wanted another shower and wound dressing. At first she nodded, letting him help her up to her knees. Her exhaustion had lessened by then, her face shiny from the dried sweat.

"I have a better idea," Scherezade grinned.

Without warning, one hand reached down to to Gerwald's thigh, her back moved, and within a instant, she was carrying him on the shoulders. Naturally, she was using the Force to achieve this wonderful display of strength. But it had only taken a kernel, and a kernel was exactly what she had left. She could rest later.

Her legs moved swiftly beneath them, closing the distance towards her ship, and the last shreds of energy she had left were spent on making that jump up the elevator shaft, Gerwald still on her shoulders. Once they were upstairs, a burst of uncontrollable giggles came out of her.

She pushed towards the main area, kicking a door open. He hadn't been shown this room yet - and for good reason. Scherezade had a knack for getting injured, wounded, stabbed, shot, and almost killed, on almost any sort of field. One of the reasons she was constantly broke was because she spent most of what little income she could create... On bacta tanks.

Without a word, she put a breathing mask on [member="Gerwald Lechner"] 's face, and dunked him in the vat. Once he was there, she pressed her face against the glass, and starting making faces.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Before Gerwald could ask what she had in mind his large frame was hoisted onto [member="Scherezade deWinter"]’s shoulders as she carried him off toward her ship. He had been capable enough to walk there, but the looks the sight drew from those that were keen enough to see what happened made it worth while. He chuckled at the mental picture in his mind of what it must have looked like, and there was a small part of him that enjoyed it. After all, it wasn’t everyday someone lifted him, let alone someone who likely weighed half of what he did.

The bacta tank came next. A breather mask was put on and he was tossed right in. Now the pants he had been in were wet. Didn’t she realize he was going to need something to wear once he got out. She made faces at him. Some were funny, some were ugly, some were sad, happy, almost every face imagineable was created to while her face was pressed against the glass.

Her closed his eyes after a bit and let himself float. The feeling of being weightless took over and a wave of relaxation fell over him. The large man could have slept had it not been for the pain, which was dying down. What had once been a sharp sting hadn’t become a dull ache, and soon began to itch. He could feel his skin putting itself back together, most of the cuts would be gone without a trace of scar tissue with how fast he’d been treated.

The tanks were for her, he knew it. It was not a happy realization. He was going to spend a good portion of whatever came from this relationship keeping her safe.

Suddenly he was out. His pants were soaked, but there was a towel. Once again he was set from head to toe, and once again he was naked in front of her briefly, save for the towel now wrapped around his waist.

”How many times is this now,” he teased as he ran a hand through the wet mane on the top of his head.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Once he closed his eyes, Scherezade tiptoed out of the room and out the ship. She was back soon enough, bringing all her knives with her, and set to cleaning them. Each of them had a story, and with a pang of slight nostalgia pain, she knew that soon each story would come to an end. It was time to upgrade to vibroswords, or at least something that was sharp on both sides of the blade. But she was going to keep the first one. The first one was the most special one, and she had made near-kills with her that were much more important than faceless locals who were trying to ruin her day.

She heard the bacta sploshing and walked back to the room, just in time to see Gerwald naked once again.

"Three," she replied instantly, "Dragonlower, last night, and now." But this time, she was eying the towel and not hiding it. At least, not for that moment.

She hit a few buttons on the tank to have it cleaned and took Gerwald's wet clothes so she could hang them in front of the part of the ventilation ducts where the air blew out, to speed their drying.

For herself, there was no need for bacta, though she did want a moment to splash her face with water. She had not been hurt during this part of the training, just drained of most of her energies. And it was still morning.

"I think you ended up training me somewhat too," she said with a little smile as they left the room with the tank, "I don't remember ever working all those abilities together and at such a high gear. I shouldn't have gotten tired from it that fast though." Then again, had she not told him just a little ago that if they could imagine it, it was a matter of practice until they could achieve it? The speed it had happened at seemed to somewhat bother her though. A fighter could never get tired that fast. It meant a battle ending before they were ready to finish it.


[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

”Seems I’m over it,” he said with a smirk.

Whether that had been a goal or not, it was what had happened. Letting his wolf free was the best thing he had done. Most times he had done it when no one was looking. Dragonflower had been the first time he’d let go entirely, and the night before had been the first time he’d done it without another Lupine present. She had wanted Gerwald though, whoever that was. It turned out he was man and wolf. Ger was truly Lupine.

”You did a lot at once, and like you said, you’re still training yourself. Keep practicing.”

It was a simple encouragement from one fighter to another. Gerwald has seen it many times with young fighters wanting to test their skill. They pushed themselves, this is all [member="Scherezade deWinter"] had done. They had both pushed each other. Gerwald was a bit more himself because of it.

”Thank you... not just for this, but last night... everything really,” he said with a small shrug as he walked over to her, the towel wrapped around his waist.

Gerwald places his massive hand on her cheek again. His eyes locked onto hers for a brief moment before he pulled his hand away. He was still wrestling with how intimate things had been so quickly. Ger didn’t want to really put the breaks on it, but he didn’t want to dive into anything either.

”I’d say i owe you, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t accept it really...”

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She was going to reply to his thanking her again, words already forming at the tip of her tongue, and suddenly Gerwald was standing in front of her again, his hand on her cheek. The blush was quick to rise as it seemed to so often do with him so closeby, and she reveled in the warmth of his calloused skin against hers. She so rarely let anyone touch her unless it was to patch her up, choosing to protect her personal space from those around her. Yet with him it was different. She didn't understand it. But she didn't want to understand it either.

The warmth on her cheek lingered when he pulled his hand back, only emphasizing how not-warm she felt everywhere else. They had kissed three times now; once by the fire, once before (separate) bed(s), and once while training. Each time, there had been no warning. It had come quickly, and aside for that first time, left just as quickly. And she was sure, she was certain, that she was not the only one who enjoyed it, and perhaps wanted more of it.

He was talking now, but the blood was in her ears, and she wasn't listening. She would've told him that he's right, of course, if she'd been.

Instead, Scherezade pulled Gerwald to her. She wanted him closer. She didn't want us the lips touching, she wanted more. Not everything, no. But more. This time her arms wrapped around him as she kissed him, her body pressing against his. There were no knives beneath her shirt to serve as a sharp barrier, no blood to make it smell like delicious death. She wanted to feel the heat of his body against hers as she stood like that there, wanted to feel his neck, an the skin of his torso against her hands. Perhaps without realizing it, he had opened a barrier within her, and she did not want him outside of her personal space just right at that second.

She made a tiny mental note to stab him again later to even things out though.


[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

She kissed him, again, and he kissed her. This one was different. There was a hunger to it that Gerwald certainly didn’t understand, but didn’t want to deny either. As she pressed against him, he wrapped his arms around her. There was a counter in the room with cabinets below where other medical supplies were stored. He found himself lifting her onto it as continued to kiss her.

It broke, but only for air as Gerwald didn’t want it to stop. It was passion in its purest sense, and he wasn’t about to squash it. Naturally he could hear his mother’s voice warning him about where things like this could lead, but he ignored it. It wasn’t long before he pushed the voice out of his mind entirely and it was [member="Scherezade deWinter"] and Gerwald Lechner.

He could here her heart beat. His nose could smell her, not the blood that had covered them the night before. This kiss, and the ones that followed were much different. He couldn’t put his thumb on it, but his appetite for them was only increasing.

Gerwalds hands rest on her waist though he kept her close to him. She felt different without all the knives under her shirt like a plate of armor to shield her from the real world. It was as naked as he’d seen her, without he knives, but they were her defense as much as they were her weapons. Their guards were down, and whatever connection they had shared the night before was only getting stinger now, or simply carried over to now.

Gerwald didn’t care which it was, he just knew he wasn’t going to be the one to stop, not now...

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

More. She wanted more. He was kissing her back now, and all thoughts shut themselves down. Both of them worked on their pure animalistic needs and her hands roamed over his bare torso, her legs wrapping around him the moment she was atop of that counter. It wasn't just her cheeks blushing now; she could feel warmth spreading, from his body as well as from hers.

She kissed him with the raw hunger of need, and she could feel his heart beating too, madly against hers, as hers threatened to explode. She didn't have to guess; her body knew what it was doing, her arms and hands knew where to go as she kept pulling Gerwald closer to her.

Only once did she break, pushing him away a few inches. If she could feel this heat with merely her hands and face, she wanted more. Her shirt was off, and she was instantly pressed against him again, no fabric separating the two bodies. But where as earlier they had also kissed passionately, not... She did not.

Instead she put her face just where Gerwald's neck met his shoulder, pressed it, and inhaled deeply. If he wanted to return to kissing, he would have to initiate it himself. For now... She merely wanted to touch, and feel, and get lost in the sensations of something happening for the first time.



**PG13 warning; if there is a camera capturing all of this, please have it be above shoulder level at all times. There is no adult stuff going on here. Nada.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Hunger, heat, closeness, intimacy, all things which fit the moment.

They kissing broke only long enough for [member="Scherezade deWinter"] to remove her shirt. The mood changed in that moment. They were separated by nothing, but instead of rush forward they just held each other. It was contact in its purest form, and another moment of shared intimacy which Gerwald was loathe to taint with something as base as lust.

There was plenty of it to be had, but he wanted to share this... whatever it was... that kept happening between them. Words couldn’t express it, and honestly words would only ruin it. He held for what seemed like an eternity, and no time at all. The warm skin against his made him feel like an innocent child all over again.

He finally lifted her chin and pressed a soft, less eager kiss to her lips. It was kind, gentle, intimate. Gerwald didn’t hold it long, because it felt like that wouldn’t have been right. He just let her nuzzls into the crook of his neck once more as he carried her out of the room toward her own. Gerwald was certain he could find it, and he knew that he wasn’t going to keep standing like this forever. He was still tired from the training and the drain from the rapid healing in the bacta was still there. He needed to lie down, and so did she.

Gerwald sighed, it was full of relief. His hands wanted to explore, but for now he simply held her. He laid her on the bed when he found the room, and laid with her. For the briefest of moment he closed his eyes and allowed the peace of the moment to envelope him. His fingers lazily traced along her bare shoulders, and he still said nothing. What was there to say?

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She gave a small yelp as he suddenly was carrying her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that this was the first time she was carried without needing to be hauled off to medical facilities. It was nice. It was more than nice. She trusted him not to drop her, but she clung anyway, her thighs never once relaxing enough to even threaten with dropping. She did not want to stop this, she wanted to keep grabbing and returning this new and unfamiliar heat that she felt.

And suddenly they were in the bed, and he was touching her shoulder, and she found herself smiling as her own hand ran along the muscles of his abdomen. The blankets were somewhere beneath them, but she was not about to make a move to get them. They didn't need them. They needed this.

Do not let the warmth of physical contact fool you, child. It is merely a neurological response to rise oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin levels. A mammalistic need to ensure the mother would not leave the potential father of her offspring. But you are not an animal.

Scherezade suddenly tensed, her eyes frozen. All sense of pure relaxation and comfort left her body in one swift instant.

Never trust your first. Your mother was lucky. The rest of the women in your line, not as much. The first is when you lack experience, when you make yourself openly vulnerable. You are worth more than giving your heart and emotions to the first one. The galaxy is big. You can do better.

"What..." she mumbled, shutting her eyes. "No... What... No... No..."


[member="Gerwald Lechner"]