Chinatown Throwdown

[Xyrael]

Saia sat there in the room, smiling softly, her legs crossed and a lightsaber hovered over her exposed right palm which rested on her knee. Her mind was, once again, lost deep in meditation. She found it relaxing and freeing, letting her thoughts get washed away by a tide of peace. Her crystal blue eyes were hidden beneath her eyelids, her eyelashes laying flat against her golden toned skin. Black hair framed her face which seemed to glow in relation to it, and she wore her tan tunic and familiar black boot wraps.

She was excited today, the very emotion she was meditating to suppress. Her two closest friends were to meet her today, in this room, to test her and each other. She would need all of her focus with her today, lest she be burned again by a saber.

The thought broke her meditation for a moment, her senses grasping to rationalize her place in the room. It was somewhat cold, for her at least, the room temperature aboard spaceships never quite sat well with her. The manufactured air and sustained temperature just wasn't natural. The feel of the artificial gravity was different. She peaked out with her eyes and noticed the floor beneath her, small tiles. She smiled, an idea coming to her head, before closing her eyes again. Her smile was mischievous, and she was beginning to worry Akacen may be becoming used to it. Maybe he'd be able to predict her mischief. Maybe, but maybe not today. Her smile widened, and she waited calmly.

[[post order is the way it is first round, xyrael, ___, ___; unless a change is agreed on between us, participants know who they are :P]]

 

[Syn]

Matsu slowly walked in the halls, she had been invited by Saia to duel and well she wasn't going to turn down a chance to..... tie on another wager with Saia. She might even get that kiss she wanted so long ago. With a smile creeping on her lips Matsu entered the room and gave a grin seeing Saia. She was meditating and Matsu walked carefully taking her coat off and stood there feeling the air in her tunic. She slowly knelt down and slowly crept across the floor on all four like a cat until she was close enough to hear Saia's breathing. Slowly and with a wicked smile Matsu reached out and felt for that invisible cord that linked her to Saia and whispered to her. "Saia." Slowly Matsu sat back on her feet and looked at Saia's saber. She still hadn't built one and Matsu held up hers with a smile. She didn't know if Akacen had one built either. If he didn't then she might have to switch her saber for a training saber to be fair... Matsu turned around to wait and leaned back until she was laying down with her head a little ways away. She could meditate until Akacen arrived and she would fall on her head if she began floating...

 

[Master Maverick]

Back aboard The Will was familiar, yet still a bit foreign to him at the same time.

Walking down the halls and corridors of the flagship, he made his way towards the training room Saia had to him, along with her friend Matsu, to meet her at. He was excited to get the duels started. He had been reading up on Soresu techniques, and need to practice them, and wanted to work on them with a real person, rather than repeating the same moves and stances over and over again. He wanted to learn techniques by improving, rather than doing expected attacks and maneuvers over and over again.

He reached the training room soon enough and found Saia sitting on the floor in a deep meditation with Matsu alongside her. Instead of interrupting them, he sat beside them silently and took the same position Saia was in, unlatching his training saber and making it levitate above his hand. He had to exert minimal energy and focus in doing so, as his constant meditations allowed his connection to the force to grow. Tasks were becoming a bit easier than they were before.

Closing his eyes, he, at first, blocked out all noise, and practiced muffling his force presence. Every time he meditated, that was what he did first for about 30 minutes. Then, after, he would reach out as far and accurately as he could for hours on end.

He knew that their practice session would start soon, he would just try to hide his presence for about a minute, infusing himself with everything around him and trying to make himself "invisible". After that, he reached out. He had enough control to avoid reading Saia's mind, thoughts and memories. He didn't want to spy on her most sacred of places.

He felt the ship around him. The constant ticking and humming of the electronics around him created a sort of song. He didn't know much about mechanics and whatnot, so he just took in the sounds for what they were.

As well as that, he felt the Jedi and crew scurrying about the ship on their way to their daily tasks. Some rushing, others walking their own pace. He tried as he could not to read any other them. However, the occasional exclamation or intense thought would be a bit too hard to ignore.

He sat there for a few minutes before breaking his meditation and speaking up.

"So, how have we been?"

 

[Xyrael]

"You guys are warm," Saia smiled as Akacen politely broke her concentration. "And, I've been good," she opened her pretty blue eyes and looked at Akacen deeply, the lightsaber floating over her right hand beginning to spin faster and faster. "Are you guys ready? I'm thinking sky's the limit on what you can do, just, I'd prefer to walk out of here in one piece, and let's try not to break anything too expensive."

She slowly stood up, brushing herself off and bending over a bit before Akacen to brush off her legs, or so he might think. Machiavellian minds thinking alike, she looked at Matsu with a grin before walking away from the two to her 'corner'. "No teams, either, okay!? Unless," she coughed jokingly, looking up at the ceiling and twirling her foot, "one of us is too good for the other two."

She smiled, hopefully they knew she wasn't serious. She didn't want to win, she really just wanted to practice, and test Akacen. Matsu, however, had insisted on meeting Akacen, essentially inviting herself. She thought of Matsu's strong-headedness and Akacen's caution, and a smile grew on her face. She looked to the wall and point at a training saber, "Matsu, get that. I don't want you chopping off my arm this time." Saia ignited her own blue training saber, it didn't really matter how strong the weapon was, it was the skill of the wielder that mattered. She closed her eyes and her mind reached out to feel the Force within her two friends. Akacen's presence had grown smaller, but she had been around it enough to recognize it, her mind wanting to touch it with her hand. Matsu's, on the other hand, was bursting and recognizable, and for some reason it still held some strange sense of familiarity.

"I'm ready when you guys are," she said, holding her blade with both hands before her at a thirty degree angle from her face, dominant foot back, eyes burning past the shaft of plasma, first at Matsu, then at Akacen, her gaze fixating upon the boy she knew she had feelings for, and though her heart quickened she was quick to suppress any sign of such emotion. She knew that these two were searching her feelings, and instead she replaced such a thought with her own serenity.

 

[Syn]

Matsu looked up at Saia from the floor as she smiled and rolled onto her stomach getting up slowly. When she heard to get the training saber Matsu complied going to the wall and grabbing it. Slowly she spun it around and held it out feeling the heft as her eyes drifted to the man and then to Saia. With a deep smile Matsu stood in her "corner" and took a stance as she backed up to the wall and activated the blade. Saia would know what she was doing as she focused and in her head a chant that was rhetoric had been boiled down to a single word and mere seconds. She still didn't have full control but Ateru favored acrobatics and both Saia and herself were just that. Slowly Matsu let her smile slip away as her eyes focused on Akacen. He wasn't a bad guy she knew it but he also wasn't mice making Saia upset so she would have to teach him a lesson this way.... or she could always sweep Saia off her feet and get out of there back to her room. Both would show him but only one would really make Saia happy.... and it wasn't the one Matsu wanted. So she breathed in and out as her saber was held in one hand and the other up palm out and focusing on Akacen with the force. She was going after his body to make him sick and give them an advantage over his strength advantage. The move was strong only with a master but a novice could still get the unexpected and only I person in this room knew Matsu could use Malacia.

 

[Master Maverick]

Watching the other two back into corners, he decided to stay in his spot, backing up only to have keep them in his peripheral(s?). He activated his yellow lightsaber and stood with his right leg forward, his right hand atop his left, and slightly facing to his left, away from Matsu, but still keeping her in sight.

He was going to practice what he had tried to learn in Soresu, and that, unfortunately, would require him to be in the center of the fight. He certainly wasn't going to do something stuck in a corner... where he would usually be.

At this point, he spread his mind outward, sensing Saia and Matsu's thoughts and feelings, though mostly the latter.

While Saia was emanating peace, Matsu was forcing some sickening feeling towards him. He was initially caught off guard by it, and felt a bit nauseous. With his minimal training in the ability, though greater knowledge of it, he attempted to block her trick and even force it back upon her. He could at least block her use of... Malacia?

He remembered reading about it, somewhere, but wasn't *that* quick of a thinker. He was even more surprised that she could use such a technique.

His eyes darted more to her direction, and he noticed her concentration on him. She was definitely going to go after him. He was initially a bit upset by this, but she could also be doing it to catch Saia off guard.

He took a small double step back, keeping his right leg in front, to get a better view of both of them, and waited the start of the training duel.

 

[Xyrael]

Saia looked at Akacen take a step back in his typical defensive stance, his eyes fixated on Matsu for some reason. Saia's eyes turned over to her friend, and she could feel Matsu sending out some strange feelings towards Akacen, her eyes were burning down on him. She frowned, knowing Matsu was going to go after him hard. He's mine, she thought to herself, glaring at Matsu.

Akacen was to her left, Matsu to her right, standing in a bizarre triangle. Her eyes turned back to the boy, and her mind began to enter a new state of calm as she looked into his eyes, even from a distance. "Alright then, let's go!" She twirled her saber in her hand once, then charged at him, slow enough to not reach him in an instant, but fast enough to elicit a response from Matsu. She readied the muscles in her legs, anticipating an fast attack by air or ground from her female counterpart.

 

[Syn]

Matsu looked at Akacen and when he was feeling the effects she had a slight grin.... Then he fought it. She wasn't a master and knew he could block it but at least he had an idea of what could happen if he let her get distance. When she felt him try to send the effects back at her she stopped and heard Saia's thought.... kind of it was garbled and disconnected, but Matsu knew she was thinking of something directed towards her. She would have to talk with Saia alone later and see if they can figure something out.

Slowly her eyes shifted as Saia made an attack and Matsu crouched low slamming her hand to the ground as in her head she shouted "Rhombus" Quickly her feet and body floated as she kicked off the wall and into the air using speed and levitate to move fast in an arc and she spun her blade in a falling leaf as she threw a small force push and tucked her legs in to present a small target while her blade came down where Saia would be as Matsu felt it. Just like in the snow on Tython she thought to herself.

 

[Master Maverick]

When Saia started, his eyes darted a touch to his left so he could get a better look at her. Her attack wasn't fast, but with quite a bit of potential power.

The moment Saia began her advance, Matsu jumped high into the air, and caused Akacen to dart his eyes towards that direction. At the speed they were going, Matsu would reach him before Saia did, however, the angle at which Matsu was traveling, it seemed as though she was going after Saia.

Analyzing this, he took a step forward and to his right, moving towards Matsu. He wanted to get in between them. Using the force to sense the movement of the padawans in the room, he turned towards Matsu, but keeping Saia in his mind's eye.

As Matsu threw a force push, Akacen attempted to throw one back to at least lessen or negate it. He was a bit disconcerted that he had moved directly in the path of an attack against Saia, but he didn't have time to dwell on such things.

After this, he focused for a moment, and with the power he could muster from that, shot his arm abruptly behind him to push Saia away from him in an attempt to buy more time to defend against Matsu/ protect Saia from her, in a way at least.

With his arm still behind him, he took 2 small steps forward, towards Matsu, and grabbing his hilt with both hands, tentatively, but with a fair bit of power, swung his blade across the path she was traveling to try and disrupt her fall and hopefully throw her off balance.

Even though Soresu was primarily defensive, there were times when aggressive defense was warranted, such as the defense of a friend... even if that friend was trying to attack him...

Technicalities.

 

[Xyrael]

Saia had predicted Matsu's moves, but Akacen, his force presence reduced and his actions more aggressive than she had imagined, caught her off guard. She felt his hand press against her, pushing her out of the way of Matsu's attack, knocking her off balance. She stumbled and rolled past Akacen in time to look back and see her two friends striking for each other, briefly admiring Akacen for his nobility with a subtle smile to herself.

Then, she saw the attacks intended for her aiming towards Akacen. She recovered in time to propel her body forwards with the Force in a quick leap. She was bent on returning the favor, blade held out to her right as she launched herself towards the tiles behind the soon to be grounded Matsu.

Quickly she twirled about counter-clockwise on the ball of her right foot, throwing her momentum from the jump into the spin, twisting her hip and torso and following through with her blade with as much force as she could project in the space available to her. She aimed for a horizontal Sai Tok that would be difficult to simply deflect for someone as strong as Matsu or Akacen,

 

[Syn]

Matsu felt Saia come around behind her as she locked blades with Akacen and came down in a crouch. Saia was getting a little help but that was to be expected as she also remarked how their bond was working. While Matsu could feel Saia the girl could predict Matsu. That would make this a challenge and Matsu focused the force into her body to enhance her reflexes. She would have to be quick and accurate as her hands were held above her heads locked with Akacens blade from his upwards slash.

Then she felt Saia behind her, not with a bond just her force signature all contained and strong and then her legs tingled as she pushed off of them from her crouch for more power and brought her saber under in a flowing water cut. Her legs went for a run up Akacens body, if she succeeded she would run up and behind his inner ring sending herself up in a flip behind Saia and throw a force push. If she failed it was possible he could have her in an upside down bear hug and she and he would both feel Saia's attack.

 

[Master Maverick]

Akacen expected his attack to be blocked. However, he was a bit disappointed when it didn't throw her off balance. However, she was a bit more experienced than himself, so it wouldn't have surprised him if he thought about it, which at this point was quite difficult to do.

When Matsu locked blades with Akacen when she was on the ground again, he moved to his left, guiding her blade harmlessly past the right side of his body, and away from him. At the end of that, flicking his blade to get hers unattached from his. At this point, he used the force flowing through him to augment his speed and step quickly to his left, farther away from Matsu, and with a clear path to Saia.

He noticed Saia attempting to slice at Matsu's neck, in her crouched position. Akacen reached his left hand out, and through the force, grabbed and pulled Saia's right foot with a decent amount of 'strength', hoping to make her stop her spin, and if she didn't, she would probably end up falling on the floor completely.

At this point he stayed, gathering his wits about him and analyzing the events around him and figuring what to do next.

 

[Xyrael]

Saia's right foot was pulled forward towards Akacen, whom she glared at. She continued with her horizontal cut towards Matsu, but was distracted by Akacen who was attempting to throw her off balance. She knew that Matsu would avoid her cut, and that it's power had diminished anyways because of Akacen's intervention. Instead, she pushed forward with her left foot and charged at Akacen, aiming to get within his inner circle of defense for a duel of speed and skill instead of power. Now she was going to give him something fun.

She came down with a fast, somewhat powerful downward cut from her upper left to lower right, stopping the downward movement when her hilt was held before her waist, snapping the hilt and blade to finish the cut before pulling the blade back to parallel her. She moved in for a second strike by flashing her saber to clockwise forty five degrees before flicking the hilt, launching the tip of the saber in for a quick snap, preparing herself mentally to continue the onslaught of fast saber strike, but recognizing that Matsu was still a wild card. Would she join Saia and double team the boy she had a crush on, or would she force Saia on the defensive against the two, a scenario she was almost excited to face.

 

[Syn]

Matsu moved as her blade was flicked back and she brought it too Saia's. They hit but Saia had lost speed as Akacen went after her. Quickly Matsu spun around and watched Saia go after Akacen as she prepared for an attack. She could go after Saia which would be the obvious move. She was closer and Matsu had the advantage or she could double team Akacen with Saia and then go after the girl. Matsu's mind slowed down as she thought about each possibility and moved using the force to propel herself into a slide on her knees. In one fluid motion Matsu held her arm out close to the ground and came at Saia's ankle with a chop block she thought about as she went past smacking her butt in the tight pants but this was serious, she could do that later when they were alone. Her right hand held her saber as she thrust it forward in an upward stab geared towards Akacens thigh and crotch while Saia attacked near his torso.

 

[Master Maverick]

With Saia's attention now focused more on Akacen, he knew his trick worked.

She approached a bit faster than before, and Akacen was distracted from Matsu's movements. He concentrated on her speed, and with decent enough timing, moved to his right with his hilt above his head, the saber pointing at an angle towards the ground, making it a glancing blow against his saber, compensating for his lack of strength.

He barely noticed Matsu sliding on her knees. With his senses heightened, he felt the attack coming swiftly towards his left leg, across his body. With Saia's blade in the process of preparing for another attack, he simple pushed his blade down towards the ground, and with both hands on the hilt of his saber, deviated the path of Matsu's saber up and around his legs, lifting the blade to face the ceiling and lowering his hands down to his stomach, maneuvering her hand up, and perhaps behind her body.

He took 2 steps farther right, slightly increasing the distance between himself and Saia, but more moving around her left side.

 

[Xyrael]

She sensed Matsu's cheap strike at her right ankle as a glimmer within the Force that propelled her to take a more dynamic attack on Akacen. She used a Sai to overleap Matsu's strike, launching herself into an overextended Jung ma, twirling counter clockwise to plant her feet, twist her hips, and flick her wrist all for a powerful strike at Akacen's left side. She predicted he'd once again move backwards, imagining he'd sidestep now to his left, because now Matsu was to his right.

Once her strike was complete, she'd push forward with her left foot and launch a Shiak thrust for his thigh, hoping to keep him busy long enough to engage him even closer.

Still she couldn't help but see him fighting her, this time it was much more intense than their last bout. With or without Matsu, this fight was interesting, and she once again had a chance to see Akacen's face transform into a state of heightened concentration, something she had come to adore in him. Still, she maintained her focus on the force, concentrating to anticipate his next move and, more so, Matsu's. She was the wild card, and Saia had an unnatural connection with her she couldn't explain. She knew Matsu felt it too, she could anticipate Matsu, and she could feel the trepidation and wonder from Matsu when she did. Worse, Matsu could anticipate her as well. If she were to turn and strike Matsu, she would need to become the waves of a turbulent, stormy sea; chaos incarnate and utterly unpredictable.

 

[Syn]

Matsu felt her blade go off to the side as she came up and saw Akacen go to the side. Then Saia who had felt her intention was leaping. Matsu had to be more careful, Saia had more connection to her intentions and that could work to her advantage. With a look Matsu spun around away from Akacen and Saia as she focused and held the saber with both hands. She had a thought and let Saia feel that she was going to jump and slam the ground with her blade. Slowly she let the images of her using levitate and jump to suspend herself before dive bombing down and landing in a large overhead strike while throwing out a force push in a small sphere around her. She let it come out loud and spun around looking like it was going to be another Falling leaf and stayed planted. Matsu threw the blade with a focused force push towards Akacens legs while the saber rode the top of the push towards his head. The saber wasn't being thrown with the force and was more of a discus throw as she let the force push move it. Slowly Matsu began to breathe a little heavy she was getting tired but was at the advantage with them away. She could catch her breathe.

She didn't know what had happened but this was for Saia, she would make sure Saia and Akacen got to work out their issues and then step in when the moment presented itself and sweep Saia off her feet. Matsu hadn't thought it through she couldn't Saia was reading her too well now and that would mean she was at the disadvantage unless they really did develop and sync up to attack Akacen with Saia going low and Matsu going low. Slowly Matsu breathed in and out as she looked to try and find the training saber. She didn't feel strong enough to pull it to her hand but she could still avoid a strike and get to it.

 

[Master Maverick]

The force surging through Akacen now was... euphoric. He was in a different state of mind; detached from his physical body, but in tune with it more than ever before. He felt the moves going on around him, the pace seemingly slowed.

He was recovering from Matsu's attack and was relieved when he spun away. It was then that he could defend against Saia. With Matsu out of the way, he stepped to his right, hoping to surprise her. With his hands still above his head, he angled the blade down again quickly to redirect her attack up and over his head, a bit like he had with Matsu. With her blade cleared of him, he spun while gathering the force energy in abundance around him, forming presence in his hands. When he faced Matsu, he unleashed as powerful and enveloping push at Matsu as he could with both hands, sensing the blade leave her hand for his head, and a push towards his feet. He had no doubt it was powerful enough to negate her push, and redirect her lightsaber.

Continuing with his spin, he felt the saber point stabbing at his thigh. He swept it away with both hands on the hilt, trying to perform a sun djem against her. He twirled his saber to try to loosen her grip and rip the hilt out of her hand. He tried this maneuver with as much speed and strength as he could muster. Which, for him, was pretty decent at the moment.

 

[Xyrael]

Akacen's sudden burst of power, and decision to not step back as Saia had anticipated, surprised her. She had been concentrating on the Force throughout the fight, unlike the other two who had been exerting themselves through telekinetics, no doubt the effects of which were wearing down on them. But her own concentration finally paid off, a vision flowing through her mind that showed her the near future. She quickly stepped forward with her right foot, deep within Akacen's inner circle of defense, a mere two feet from his body.

She braced herself to receive Akacen's attack, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop the strike until he completely landed, and planned her next move. If he locked blades, she would step in and grab his wrist, holding his saber steady just long enough to redirect her saber and stab in towards his shoulder. If he stepped back, she would advance to keep him close and, blade held before her waist at a 30 degree angle from her body, launch an onslaught of saber blows, flashing her blade at every feasible point on his body in a flurry of attacks designed to test his speed and determination.

 

[Syn]

Matsu looked as the force pushes canceled each other out and she ducked under the saber letting her back hit the ground with a thud. Slowly she breathed in as the blade swished overhead and she kipt-up catching the blade and used the momentum to propel herself forward to join in the attack with Saia. Quickly Matsu closed the distance and felt her chest burn, she was tired the force powers straining her body but she could endure. She would endure she always did and so she ran and pushed what force she could muster into her legs as she jumped tucking the knees up while Saia engaged her attack to distract him. Her knees came up and aimed for Akacens jaw while her elbows came down to slam into his head. She was going to eliminate the x factor and just face Saia by herself.

Matsu thought to herself as she moved, the battle had been touch and go but Akacen hadn't counted on this. She didn't know if he had expected Saia and Matsu to team up more often or that she was better at the force. Hell he seemed good for someone so young but she had an advantage in age and training. She thrived at pushing herself to dangerous levels so as the fight raged she expected fatigue to set in. She expected Saia's muscles to burn same as hers but she was used to it she knew how to fight through the pain and fatigue. She also knew Saia's mind or at least what she wanted. Saia wanted Akacen to feel for her hell maybe more but she couldn't hold him up and make him do something. Maybe her blows would knock some sense into him. Maybe her blows would knock him out and make him realize what was plain as day. Matsu could also use this fight for another reason she could use it to show Saia her own feelings, maybe even in the end when they were both tired. They could just bunk down and rub the tension away from each other.