Devil's Swing

[StandbyRanger]

‘...105, 106, 107,’ between labored breaths, Rouslyn swung her phrik sword vertically, ‘108, 109…’ She had been at this exercise for the better part of the morning; the sun at this time had fully crested the horizon, enveloping Cartann, the main city of the Church of Mortis.

Rouslyn resided in her liege lord’s estate within the city; the estate, a sizable yet unassuming area, housed everything a noble could ask for including an armory, as well as an outdoor training area. She occupied a practice ring towards the middle of the training area, and was using it to her fullest extent.

‘...110, 111, 112,’ her arms began to quiver, but she ignored the impulse to drop her sword, ‘113, 114, 115!’ She blasted through the last three of her set; digging the point of her sword into the soft earth, she pushed it down and caused it to stand up. Rouslyn let out a long, exaggerated sigh before laying down on the ground. She began cloud-gazing, allowing her arms a brief respite before Lord Leonatas arrived so the real training could begin.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

It had admittedly been some time since Leo had actually spent any significant amount of time at his estate. Between discussions with the Jedi, his duties as Marshal, and a certain side project, he hadn't really had the time to enjoy the property fully. Thankfully, things had become less chaotic as of late, and he was finally able to relax a bit.

Leaning against the frame of his manor's back door, Leo watched as Rouslyn finished her exercise and flopping to the ground to cloud gaze a bit. He couldn't help but grin a little bit at her antics. For those who didn't know her, such childish behavior coming from a 19 year old would seem strange, but for Leo, who knew of the hardships she'd been through, he was just happy she was still able to enjoy herself however she saw fit. Walking over, he sat down next to her and looked up at the sky with a smirk. Reaching out through the Force, he "spoke" to her.

"See anything interesting up there?"

 

[StandbyRanger]

Rouslyn stayed silent as Leonatas approached; she continued to study the sky, and despite her natural blindness, her Force Sight still allowed her to make out the assorted shapes of the clouds.

“Hmm, that one,” Rouslyn attempted to point out a particular cloud but could only groan audibly when she failed to raise her fatigued arm, “ah, I might’ve over done it this time, my Lord.” Rouslyn let out a childish snicker as she “talked.”

“Never mind, I just wanted to point out a cloud that looked like a Bantha.” She looked at Leonatas; she had to agree with those who found him beautiful, but not because of his actual features. She could only discern vague details about his face; such as the shape of his jaw, how high his cheekbones were, where his brow was. None of these factored into why Rouslyn found Leonatas striking. It was the light that Rouslyn found within Leonatas that drew her to him; in this way, she had more of an admiration of her lord than an attraction.

“I had to fight a Bantha before,” her brow furrowed, “well, it was more like three Bantha; Kataarin was there too. The Banthas had to have been hopped up on stims or something; ‘cause they hit like repulser-trucks.” She frowned, then looked back towards the sky.

“It was sad, really; watching them thrashing around, not knowing where they were, out of their minds on drugs. Kataarin and I made sure when we took them down it was quick.” She sighed as she shook her head, “I'm sorry, my Lord. That was a rather depressing thing to mention, wasn't it? Anyhow, you called me out here for a training session, no?”

 

[Chask274]

As Rouslyn vainly tried to lift her arm to point out a cloud, Leo couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle. 'I endorse training just as much as the next swordsman, but I'd agree you may have overdone it.' When the story of the fight with the Bantha was told, Leo frowned, glancing over at Rouslyn with concern before thoughtfully looking off into the distance. His squire's attempt to apologise for sharing the memory was quickly met with a placating Pat on the arm. His telepathy took on a slightly scolding but sympathetic tone. 'No need to be sorry, Rouslyn. I've told you before and I'll say it again, I will never have a problem with you sharing anything from your time in captivity. Now, as for my intentions, yes, I wanted to train with you a bit.'

Hopping to his feet, Leo held out a hand and hauled Rouslyn to her feet then gestured towards the marked sparring ring. 'Leave your blade, it won't be necessary for today's session. Now, what do you know of using the Force in a fight?'

 

[StandbyRanger]

Leonatas’s words soothed Rouslyn’s troubled mind; despite sharing the stories with her lord openly, every time she did it hurt to do so. She smiled and nodded in thanks; the dirt beneath her head was rubbed into her already mussy hair, and she frowned. She’d have to give her hair a thorough scrub tonight.

Suddenly, while dreading the fact that she’d have to tackle the catastrophe that was her hair, Leonatas yanked her off the ground and back onto her feet. Rouslyn’s arms were sore, but she was finally able to move them. Instinctively, she reached for her sword, still stabbed into the dirt, but Leonatas’s Order stopped her mid-grab. Her fingers twitched; she never really left her sword anywhere, not even for a few feet. It would be uncomfortable for a moment, but Rouslyn trusted Leonatas.

“I don't know much about it,” she said, answering Leonatas’s question honestly, “I think you've seen the extent of my talents with the Force; Speed and telekinesis are all I really ever needed… Are you going to show me some new powers?”

The tone in her “voice” perked up at the prospect of Force training. She only ever needed the two aforementioned powers, but that was only because she never had a proper tutor to show her what the power of the Force could really do, “Do you think you could teach me how to shoot lightning from my hands? Oh! Or maybe you could show me how to rip a ship out of space!”

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Leo watched as Rouslyn froze part way through grabbing her weapon, and gave her a curt nod and an approving smile when she did as asked without protest. He'd seen her use the blade as both a literal and figurative crutch many times, and he hoped that today's training would serve to help teach her how to fight without its support.

As Rouslyn gave her response to her question, Leo couldn't help but chuckle at her childlike enthusiasm. Leo was always glad to see that side of her, many who'd gone through the hardships she had wouldn't have as much positivity left. However, the Marshal's upbeat demeanor came to a grinding halt at the mention of lightning. Frowning, Leo shook his head. "While I do intend to teach you some new abilities with the Force today, I will never teach you how to conjure lightning. It is a cruel, dark, and barbaric application of the Force whose only purpose is to torture it's target and inflict agonizing pain. The Blackguard used it quite often in the war, and I will not pass such blasphemy of the Holy Force on to anyone!" As he "spoke", Leo's words conveyed a cold anger, and slowly became more forceful until he was nearly shouting his final sentence.

There was a few moments of silence as Leo calmed down, his expression shifting to regret and shame as he realized what he said. Bowing his head, he spoke to Rouslyn in a more subdued and apologetic tone. "I-I am truly sorry for snapping like I did, I didn't mean to be so harsh. I guess we both have past memories we'd rather are kept hidden..."

 

[StandbyRanger]

Rouslyn felt the joy that she had towards training slowly leak away as Leonatas scolded her. At first, she gained a look akin to fear before she lowered her head in hopes of making herself feel smaller and less vulnerable. Rouslyn didn't need to see the exact details of Leonatas’s face to tell he was beyond angry at her mention of Lightning; she could feel it through the Force and feel it in her mind. She gave him a meek bow after he apologized for the justified outburst.

“No, I'm the one who’s sorry, my Lord. I… I apologize for bringing up such painful memories,” Rouslyn couldn't help but imagine what Leonatas saw and experienced during the war that drove him and his people from their homes. Just like how the loss of her family left a spiritual wound that could never heal, the Blackguard war must have left a deep scar within Leonatas.

Rouslyn didn't want for the mood to sour further, so she looked Leonatas square in the face and “said”, “Whenever the past rears its ugly face, sneer and put it back in its place.” She let a moment of silence pass before continuing, “That’s what Kataarin told me whenever I'd begin, well…. remembering that day on Kashyyyk. He'd then go intimidate a few guards into escorting us to the arena where we could practice. We may have been slaves, but even an enslaved Wookiee isn't something you want to have to deal with. Especially when it had a robot arm.”

Rouslyn gave Leonatas a goofy smile, hoping to wash away his bad memories, in spite of her own which still lingered.

 

[Chask274]

Leonatas remained silent, a small grin spreading across his features as his Squire spoke. Here the two of them were, with him supposedly the mentor, and yet she manages to help him. Straightening up, he looked her in the eyes and gave a warm smile to match her goofy one. 'Thank you, Rouslyn. Your friend had the right idea, just can be easier said than done some days.' Leonatas silently scolded himself for letting his control slip in front of her. He knew he should talk to someone about the war, but it seemed like the only people he trusted enough to talk about it with were either fellow survivors of the war with their own struggles coping with it, or had their own demons to deal with. He made a mental note to give it proper consideration later, and returned to the task at hand.

'Now, back to what we came out here to do. When you fight with your blade against an opponent, do you just sit there between your own attacks waiting for theirs to begin? No, you watch for clues to help predict their next move. A shift of weight from one leg to the other, adjusting how their body faces you, even a change in their breathing rate can tip you off to what they might do next. Fighting using the Force is much the same, only the signs and tells are given and received through the Force. Most Force users must rely on a combination of what they can sense through the Force and their enhanced reflexes to react. But you are a special case, as you can actually see the ebb and flow of the Force, and with practice, it will be very easy to detect an imminent attack.'

He paused, closing his eyes briefly as he gathered the Force to him, focusing the energy around his right hand. 'What do you see right now when you look at me? And can you guess what I might be preparing to do?'

 

[StandbyRanger]

“You're concentrating the Force in your hand.” Rouslyn cocked her head as she studied Leonatas’s increasing energy, “It’s very bright.”

Despite Rouslyn’s lifelong use of Force Sight, it remained unrefined. She could detect obvious changes in someone’s energy, such as Leonatas's aforementioned state, but it felt next to impossible to tell how much energy was being drawn on; the details escaped her.

“Are you going to send out a shockwave,” she guessed with a scratch of her temple, “or some sorta Force-charged haymaker punch?”