First Day's a B...rash one?

[Flamjetxx]

Zhen aimlessly wanders around a temporary, and undisclosed hide out that includes several higher ranking Jedi watching over some Padawan. The location is largely kept a huge secret, though he seems to see more and more Jedi coming in. This is meant to be a temporary hideout until another Temple can be found. For now, we have the bare minimum. Even running water is a short hike away from their camp...

It is incredibly boring for Zhen to just sit and wait. He's tried to partake in missions to keep him busy until this new temple location can be found, but time seems to move in slow motion while he waits. But things look like they're finally turning around. Zhen can see, yet another Jedi arriving. It makes him wonder just how much of a secret this base really is if Jedi are finding it, though there are few enough numbers of them, that any sign of danger will quickly send them all scattering in every direction. This, for now, is safe.

The new Jedi is another Togruta, and though Zhen knows he isn't completely Torgruta, he is incredibly shocked to see another one of his own kind. He hasn't seen many, if not any that he can recall since joining up with the Jedi. He has actually missed his fellow Togruta. He has missed his family and his village. He has moved onto a bigger plight since then, but it's very nice to see another friendly face.

Zhen quickly approaches the woman, but as he approaches, he realizes just how attractive she is. Perhaps it's just that he hasn't seen another female Togruta in so long, but if blushing would be visible on his face, he would be more embarrassed at this. Feelings from living in his village are now coming back to him. He wants desperately to turn back and cover his horns from her, but he guesses that his quick approach on her makes it too late to turn away.

He hasn't filed his horns down since meeting his father, and they've since grown to a decent length. At one point, ZHen had thought his horns were brutish, and truly an embarrassment to him, though since joining the Order, he has grown to accept them for who he is. This is somehow different. A freak? Is that what she will think of him and his unkempt horns? Maybe she will see past them?

Zhen speaks to the woman with sincerity in his eyes, "Can I help you with anything? you're new here and I can show you where everything is. If you need any help just ask me..."

Zhen realizes that he may be overwhelming her or even annoying her with his onslaught of words, but he feels that he needs to make a good impression on her for her to be able to see him as someone she can approach and trust. He would like to think he's trustworthy and loyal.

The weirdest part about meeting her is the similarity in coloring. In his village, he was the only red Togruta, and were told it was quite uncommon. The fact that the only Togruta he's met since leaving is red as well seems beyond chance, but he accepts it none the less. Zhen smiles and holds out his hand as either an offering to help her carry something or as an offer of friendship in the form of shaking her hand.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine got off the transport, a pack on her back and her saber staff on her belt. This place was strange, and from she could tell, full of Jedi. She rolled her eyes at this, so much for hiding from the Sith. One starship with cannons, and they're all dead.

As she walked, her head was beginning to spin. How did this happen? She went from a Force Sensitive child, to a badass smuggler, to basically a kid with a lack of education. Part of her wanted to say, shove it, and leave, but she knew she couldn't. If the Sith found her, then she'd either die or become a monster, and she didn't like the idea of either.

Someone was walking towards her, her montrals gave her the heads up immediately. Her gaze shot towards the person walking up to her, and she saw the flesh across his cheeks turn darker in color. Wow, did Jedi have their own dating site on the Holonet? This was the first she'd heard of a Jedi blushing.

Sabine's eyes gave him the once-over, and she noticed something. He had horns, but he was Togruta. Huh... must be a hybrid, she thought. Either that or a mutant.

When he approached and asked if she needed anything, she politely declined. "I think I'll be fine, uh... what is your name?" When his hand extended, she smiled and handed him her pack, which was full of her spare outfit, collapsable sniper rifle, ammo packs, and nexu treats.

Oh no, she forgot!

Turning around, she looked towards the ship and saw someone unloading a small cage, with her black Nexu cub inside of it. Sabine raced off towards the cage, forgetting her pack, and fell to her knees before it as a few people stopped and watch her fiddle with the lock. Once it was opened, the cub jumped up into her lap and she hugged him closely, a smile across her face, before she seemed to realize where she was and her scowl returned. Holding the cub in her arms, she walked towards the man who had her pack.

 

[Flamjetxx]

"I think I'll be fine, uh... what is your name?" Was her reply, yet she welcomed his help.

"Zhen. Zhendar Indomi..." is what he could get out before she dashed away with her pack in his arms. He could feel that it wasn't just cloths and he bare essentials in there. There was most certainly some heavy ammunition for some sort of a large gun, but he wasn't about to confront her on that subject... just yet. The fact that there is a gun in here, for a Jedi, makes for a good story. It will be up to him to figure what that story is, but for now, he must befriend the ONLY other Togruta he's ever met outside of his village.

He noticed she was carrying a smaller animal under her arm, as she reproached him with a scowl. The scowl, however, didn't fool him. If she was willing to dash off with her weapon in someone else's hands, then this animal must be very important to her.

"You must really care for that creature," Zhen mentions to her before trying to satisfy his own curiosities about her, "What is your name?

He dangerously continues his prodding, "So, where did you come from? What did you do before coming here? How long have you been a Jedi? Is there anything else I can help you with? Can I do anything to make you feel more comfortable here?"

He tried to stop himself from overwhelming her. He leads her with her bag to a bunk designated for the Padawan that were occupying the makeshift base.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine cuddled her Nexu close as she snatched her bag from the fellow Togruta's hands.

"If I have known you'd be so annoying, I'd have not opened my damn mouth!

Sighing, she looked him over once more, "You're cute, but that mouth is a real turn off. If you ask me one more question, I'm going to kick your ass, got it?"

She began to rummage through her pack for a second, making sure he hadn't take anything, before beginning to walk away, her Nexu climbing up her chest to peek at Zhen with curious, but hungry, eyes.

 

[Flamjetxx]

"Kick my *ss?" Zhen asks without thinking in a confused tone.

It came to Zhen as a surprise that she would come to violence as the solution to any, despite noting to call himself such, problem. It certainly isn't the Jedi way.

"You haven't been a Jedi long have you?" Zhen says, reveling in the thought that she said he was cute.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine stopped mid step and turned on her heel to face the Togruta again, a look of irritation on her face.

"What does it matter how long I've been a Jedi? Come with me, let's find someplace private. After all, you asked another question."

Sabine crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the Togruta. She never had patience, it was true, and right now her emotions were bubbling in a way she disliked. Sabine would never admit it to anyone, but she enjoyed being here. However, it was barely a month ago that her most trusted friend had betrayed her, nearly killing her, and that wound had yet to heal. That, and coupled with her lack of patience, was making her very, very aggressive.

Maybe a good sparring match was what she needed. After all, she believed that combat was a good way to reveal feelings and intentions to another, a way of expression, and it had helped her blow off steam in the past.

Sabine, Nexu on her shoulder, grabbed Zhen by the hand and tried to pull him away from the camp, towards an open area nearby. It was green and away so they wouldn't break anything as they fought, and large enough for a sparring match.

The Togruta placed her pack on the edge of the clearing and her Nexu on top of it, petting it once and handing it a treat. It sat on the pack and snacked, not following her as she walked on. Taking a basic Vaapad stance and igniting her saber staff, Sabine's eyes reflected back the orange blade's light. "Are you ready, Zhen?

 

[Flamjetxx]

"What does it matter how long I've been a Jedi? Come with me, let's find someplace private. After all, you asked another question," said the Togruta.

Zhen was certainly getting some mixed signals from her, and he hadn't a clue what was going on. Perhaps it was his infatuation that was taking hold with her, but things seemed to be moving a little fast for him to comprehend. He was trying to play catch up as she grabbed his hand and hauled him off to a field on the outskirts of the base. She had just arrived, and she was already looking for a little skirmish.

He guesses, judging by her reaction, that she hasn't been a Jedi for very long, and he didn't want to confront her about it. He rather wanted to make a good impression on her, and since he couldn't make out whether or not he's actually making a good impression on her or not, he decides not to take the risk of further angering her. For all Zhen knows, this could be the only Togruta he'll meet in the New Jedi Order. He was certainly Not going to mess it up.

By the time Zhen finally caught up with himself, he found himself half way across the small field facing her with her lightsaber drawn. It, being a non Jedi-traditional color, confirmed his suspicions of her not having been a Jedi for too long, and his urge to find out more of how she got here was at the tip of his tongue, but he refrained and instead drew his own lightsaber, "Yeah. I'm ready."

Zhen was certainly hesitant as to what the heck he was doing in this situation, but he gathers she certainly doesn't intend to do him any more harm more than a little beating. Some part of him wanted to impress her with everything he knows, but the other half conflicted with that, telling him he shouldn't do anything to hurt her. Though if she was anything like the Togrutas he used to know, she'd be able to take, and maybe even yearn for the duel. The biggest thing that stood out of her, was the fact that she lacked was an Akul-toothed headdress, as was customary of those who had completed their Rites of Initiation to wear.

Zhen himself, wore an Akul-toothed necklace, though it was often underneath his shirt. He didn't see any signs of one, and he couldn't resist to ask her about it, "You weren't raised in a traditional Togruta tribe, were you? I can tell because you lack any Akul teeth," he pulls the tooth necklace from under his shirt to show here what he means.

This means that she lacks the experience of hunting in a tribal setting, though this doesn't meant that she lacks in hunting skills altogether. In fact, it's quite doubtful that she doesn't have any skills in hunting, because all Togruta have a naturally bestowed gift for hunting. The fact that she wields a lightsaber more toward a Sith color, is more of a topic he'd like to touch on, considering it may lead to some commonalities between them, after all, Zhen's own father was a Sith.

Zhen's blue blade hangs over his head in the classic, falling avalanche pose that is reveals his practice of the D'jem So style. Her own pose was one that his unfamiliar to him, though it strongly resembled a stance from the Juyo style. This would only further strengthen a past affiliation in some way with Sith training, as Zhen has had when he was just 13 years of age. It bothered Zhen a little bit that she hadn't given him a name, but he gathers that must be due to her higher levels of agitation.

She has clearly wanted to duel since she had come to the base, and Zhen gathers that it must be her own method of stress release. This is actually common among many individuals whether they are Jedi or Sith. Practicing of an art form is particularly relieving to the Togruta as a species, and lightsaber forms are no different from any other form of art. Her dedication to the form would likely be in depth, even if she hasn't trained with any Jedi as of yet.

She is clearly going to be more aggressive than Zhen, since she was the one who dragged him out there. Zhen on the other hand was conflicted on how aggressive he should be in order to impress, but not injure her. Zhen felt quite confident he wouldn't need to worry about aggression though. For now, she looked like she wants to go all out.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine's eyes were narrow, and she charged, as she answered, "No, I was not, I was raised by my mother in seclusion for most of my life!" Sabine had no idea of the strength of this Jedi, but she did not care. She was irritated, angry, and wanted to fight, and it blinded her to the hows and whys.

She spun her saber staff in her hands, creating a slight defense infront of her, to her left, and right, leaving her flank exposed. With his stance, she assumed a frontal assault, or a jump attack of some kind. She would not be able to stop her spins by herself easily, due to the momentum, but should she connect with his saber, she wouldn't have to.

The Togruta, despite her irritation at Zhen's questions, was pleased she met another of her kind, even if he was partially something else. She'd never met another Togruta in her life, other than her mother. Also, she did not plan to cause Zhen too much damage, maybe a few bruises and such, but no dismemberment. That, at least, she could get through the fog of emotion in her mind.

"Show me what you're made of, Zhen!"

 

[Flamjetxx]

Zhen's guess regarding her upbringing was correct, that she was not raised in a tribe. Though, many would see that as her being more civilized than what many would consider a tribal Togruta like himself. He didn't quite know what to make of that lightsaber. Did her lightsaber, and unchecked emotions mean that she was trained as a Sith or by a Sith? The coin incidence would be uncanny if she wasn't trained as a Sith, but by a Sith. What would the chances be that they were trained in the same manner, and both be Togruta?

"Show me what you're made of, Zhen," she beckoned him. His feelings were turning and grinding in the chances to impress her, though the tugging at the back of his mind told him not to be too cocky in his abilities in attempts to impress her. Dueling without training sabers could be dangerous, and he knows full well that they could each be hurt if he didn't have his mind in the spar.

Her initial attack was a bit flashy for his taste, and didn't leave too many options for attack, but he would have to get in there soon enough, no matter how passive he was feeling. Ark charged in and dashed at a slight angle to her right, and his left. He sings down and a bit toward her with a rather stronger avalanche swing. To stop the spinning, but as he moved, he rotated outward, and toward her back. This would cause her to follow him in order to continue to face him.

Zhen, being more passive than he would normally be, is keeping his wits about him while facing her. Any form of Juyo is dangerous, and he is making a special note to take every advantage to not directly confront her, because of the properties of the emotion driven style. He can feel that she is dealing with a rather unstable concoction of emotions, and he hasn't the slightest idea what to expect from her. Should he attempt to imagine what she's thinking, his head might spin, and that's certainly not what he needs right now.

Zhen hasn't seen a saber staff before, and he isn't entirely sure what to make of it just yet. He can tell though that it has a greater surface area to allow for attacks. After, he throws his sword into her spinning, he prepares for the other side to make a hasty counter, and his immediate defensive pose prepares for her staff to make a quick retaliation on his left side, seeing that his lightsaber hit her right side. Hopefully his constant rotations around her would slow the response time in her retaliation, considering the fact that he was walking away from that direction, though he doesn't think it will make much of a difference in speed judging by the speed she spun her saber staff at previously.

Zhen prepares for the defense against her retaliation, and immediately prepares for a quick counter of his own to get around her centered weapon. Zhen is used to getting indie others' guards with a block and some sort of Teras Kasi kick or jab with his open hand, but since her weapon is centered, it will prove rather difficult to manage this. He will just let the adrenaline of the duel guide him, and feel out her style instead of rushing into anything, but he make a conscious effort to ratite around her, not always in the same direction, and to keep his ground with his now more defensive approach. If anyone is moving, it will either be forward for himself, but more likely, around in a circle.

If anything, she may not have ever encountered a dueling strategy like his own, and she might be just as confused as how to approach himself as he is confused as how to approach her, but he's not willing to leave that up to chance, he will remain just a vigilant in her own approach to his style of fighting.

"So I gather your mother probably taught you how to fight then? She must have been a Sith," Zhen tries to word this more carefully as to not evoke more anger form her, though the subject was likely touchy, and no matter how he approaches, he is likely to draw out an emotional response, "If, that's so, then why did you find yourself here? I only ask because it's highly unusual for a Jedi to use a lightsaber of that color. That and no Jedi could have taught you what you are doing."

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine did as predicted and turned to face him, never letting her back to Zhen as she kept up a tight defense, spinning it until Zhen sends his lightsaber into the fray. Sabine retaliated at his left to push his saber back and up just before she gets low and spins, bringing her leg out to catch Zhen at the knee and take his legs out from under him.

Afterwards, Sabine would bring her lightsaber straight down, forcing him to block the blow aimed for his chest. She would then bring her foot around and kick him in the side before using a Force Jump to put some distance between them.

"I have long wondered where my father has been, and how my mother knew the Force, but before you say another word, I have no idea if she was Sith or not. I was never told how she knew, and this lightsaber is hers."

Sabine held it up, the light the color of flames. "But that does not matter to me, what matters to me is survival. I despise the Sith, and while I may have done some terrible things, I will not become a monster like them. Smuggling arms and Spice is nothing compared to cold blooded murder."

 

[Flamjetxx]

Though she faced him head on, Zhen didn't hesitate to continue rotating around her to his left, which is coincidentally where she decided to throw his blade up toward. Zhen's movement effortlessly continued with his blade, and despite the strength of the blow, she must have underestimated the power of his avalanche starter, and she must have found it tougher to throw his blade than she may have predicted.

Zhen takes the retaliation with both hands on his blade. Zhen's experience with D'jem So allows him to be quite skilled into turning the momentum of every block into the power for a counter attack, and vice versa. What little momentum that was left of her swing, Zhen quickly spins the blade back into a forward placement, but this time in a reversed grip common to Shien. This, he would use for a pending defense.

At the same time of his lightsaber's return, Zhen decides to hasten his rotation around her for not only a better angle, but also to avoid any counter which he guesses is bound to come. His saber returns to a defensive position as he skips around to realize she has dropped down for a leg sweep at knee height. This however, leaves her less immobile than she may have liked. Zhen's experience with Teras Kasi allowed him to have a vast knowledge base on unarmed combat, and thus a he knows just how to counter such physical attacks. The question is whether or not to use it against her.

Perhaps Zhen is being too passive? Maybe it would better impress her to show his true skill? Zhen decides to follow through with the blow. The realm of physical attacks are more than within his specialty, and Zhen's next move is a left-handed lower block to an attack from her lightsaber which is currently in use. Thankfully, his attack will have a height advantage which would make it rather difficult for her to stab upward at him, and thus a block horizontal to the ground is his choice to literally cover his *ss.

Both feet leave the ground, in conjunction to his skip, for his lightsaber to enact upon its defense. At the same time, he leads a flying sidekick down at her while she's in mid sweep. Though, he could easily knock her to the ground with such proximity, he rather aims to tap her a decent thump to tell her that he could have done some damage with the kick, but chose to only give her some light bruising.

Zhen's kick falls out of the jump into a landing nearly a third of a turn from his original leaping position. His left hand leads the lightsaber from a horizontal position to a vertical position keeping her lightsaber away from his landing zone to ensure a safer landing zone. Zhen, then takes a step back to create a defensive distance from her, should his leap fail, but also to allow her to recover should his kick land.

Zhen keeps his lightsaber in the reverse grip of his left hand until he knows whether or not he had a safe opportunity to return it to his more common two handed normal grip.

During her attack, her words told her story of her parents and Zhen realizes that she didn't know her father, but knew her mother. The lightsaber's color is a rather goo indication that her mother was a Sith, but that's merely speculation at this loin, and he would rather not prod her about something she doesn't actually know, or claims not to know. Despite her parent's likely back ground, she had a long way to where she is now. Telling Zhen that she was part of a smuggler's crew, revealed the purpose of the gun in her back that he had previously noticed.

She certainly had the mentality of the Jedi, which explains why she is here in the first place, "You will certainly make a great Jedi," Zhen comments in response.

"You should know that I didn't know my father until just before I came to the Jedi. I found out that he was Sith, and he taught me all that I needed to learn before I came to the Jedi. You and I have a bit more in common than I had originally thought. Unfortunately my father died shortly after teaching me how to use his lightsaber. In fact, this is his lightsaber. I only exchanged the red crystal for my own crystal," he glances at his blue blade.

Zhen hopes that his words will bring the similarities between them to a bond. He would hate to fall away from the only Togruta he's ever met outside of his tribe.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine, after barely leaning over just enough as she did her kick to just feel Zhen's toes touch her, she began to rise just as he touched down and began to move his saber to a defensive position. Right after the sweep, she deactivated one blade on her lightsaber to grant her mobility for that side, and stood with her side facing him. As she stood, her activated her saber again, and the blade shot out, but he had jumped back in time to miss the extending blade, though it would have only been about an inch and a half from his cheek.

She took her stance again, and looked into his eyes. Zhen was right, they were the same. Though she did not know, truly, what her mother was, she had been taught by her until her death. Not only that, but her mother had loved her, like a true mother, not like the blood-thirsty Sith she's heard of.

She wondered if Zhen had had that same luck, or if the Force had never given him that chance.

"My mother died when I was still fairly young... I still use her crystal, however, I've never found another nor have I cared to. This lightsaber is all I have left of her..." Sabine blushed momentarily as she realized she had just spilled that little piece of herself, quickly barring her teeth in anger at herself for letting that slip. "Zhen, don't let anyone judge you for your birth or how you were raised, child of a Sith or not. We all have a choice, and we all are unique. Whether you're from a tribe, or a city, you can become anything you wish to be."

Her emotions slowed to a simmer a bit as she winked at him and cracked a small smile before moving forward and going for a diagonal slash, hoping to draw his lightsaber into a block. Should he block it, Sabine would go for a quick knee jab to the left of his groin using the leg opposite of her attack, just to scare him.

 

[Flamjetxx]

"My mother died when I was still fairly young... I still use her crystal, however, I've never found another nor have I cared to. This lightsaber is all I have left of her..." Zhen noticed her blush. Perhaps she isn't so open with others and she's surprised that she's shared even as much with him. This is, for Zhen, a good sign that she's opening up to him.

"Zhen, don't let anyone judge you for your birth or how you were raised, child of a Sith or not. We all have a choice, and we all are unique. Whether you're from a tribe, or a city, you can become anything you wish to be."

At that, Zhen contemplated switching out the red crystal in his pocket for the remainder of the duel, but she didn't give a whole lot of time to do so. Zhen did exactly what was anticipated of him and blocked her diagonal swipe from a center, vertical position, but noticed her classical foot work for a push or even a strike, which it happened to be a strike. Zhen immediately pushed their lightsabers outwards.

He stepped in to avoid the knee to the groinal area and pushed his own knee in a rotational pattern under her own knee and pulled back as to hook her own leg orotund his. With this, he reached out his open hand and pulled her into his own body closely as to mimic a Tango dance position. Though it resembles a dance position, the circumstances of the position were a bit complicated. Zhen had purposely pulled her in so close and wanted the interaction of body heat, just to test his luck. The truth be told he was slowly becoming more and more infatuated with her. In an ideal world he would attempt to kiss her, but the heat of the duel might cause her to do something a bit more on the opposite side of the spectrum as he would prefer.

Though, it would in some circumstances be quite a romantic positioning for the two of them, Zhen doesn't exactly expect her to go along with it so much, and prepares for a jab in his gut or some sort of other strike While the moment lasts, he tries to enjoy it as much as possible while responding to her in a very hushed and soft tone, as to not ruin the moment, "I guess I've always been self conscious of who i was and how people saw me, but since I've been with you I felt more like my self than I've ever felt before. Do you feel anything similar since you've met me?"

View attachment 1672 [<LIKE THIS: EXCEPT WITH MORE LIGHTSABERS]

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine's face, though it was, grew redder and redder the longer they stayed close. Her eye involuntarily twitched as she felt his breath on her skin and she gritted her teeth in frustration. How did they even end up like this?

Suddenly, she reared her head back and cracked it against Zhen's nose, while screaming, "Let go of me!"

Pushing away from him, she was panting and her heart was racing as she glared daggers at her fellow Togruta, "Do that again without my permission, Zhen, and let's see how many scars you get!" Honestly, Sabine kind of liked being close to him, but the heat of the duel, the moment, and the fact that she still felt the sting of betrayal, made her act in that manner. If he had tried anything... The Force help him.

Sabine's emotions were on fire, and she jumped forward, lightsaber at the ready, delivering a very reckless, very strong power swing for Zhen's torso. If he dodged, she'd end up falling, but if he blocked... she had all her strength behind this one, so it would not be easy. However, if he blocked, she planned on bringing the opposite end of the saber around in a spin, much like a dancer, and bringing it to his opposite side. She'd keep up this flurry of blows until he left an opening... and then strike. Her goal was to disarm him at somepoint, but she didn't have the heart to destroy his lightsaber, after he stated he had a similar connection to his that she did to her own, and so would simply try to knock it out of his hands with brute force.

 

[Flamjetxx]

Zhen knew something was going to hurt, and he was vastly afraid that it would be between his legs since by the positioning, her knee was aimed directly there, but thankfully... maybe not so thankfully, he got a crack in the nose. He had expected something from her, as he guessed it was her nature to be so violent in a response. Though he could feel some blood drip down his upper lip, he knew that she actually liked it on some level or another. Her heart was beating fast and she hesitated before actin upon it.

That reaction was all Zhen needed to know, but there was something stopping her. Perhaps this is something she'd work through with him in time, but Zhen knows how impatient he is and this is likely not to occur. Either way she was charging him once again, but this time with a more reckless approach. At this point, Zhen could see that this recklessness could actually get her hurt. It might have been easy to duck out of the way, or use a rotating defense as he has so passively been doing earlier in the duel, but that might just land her in the dirt in an emotional frustration.

Something about being close to her triggered some sort of memory... and not a good one either. Zhen's nature was to ask what it was, despite it not being his business, but this time, he needed to be particularly cautious as to how he approaches this subject as it was bound to be quite touchy. First thing though is that he needs to protect himself from her, while simultaneously protecting her from her self. The only way he saw this happening is to place himself directly in the front line, and for once in the duel he would have to come off as aggressive.

His walk around techniques would no longer be effective against her obvious emotional craze. Zhen prepares himself for the impact of her charging swipe across him. He lets the force coarse through his body in order to power him up for the full utilization of his style. Though Zhen found himself to already be strong, he knows that he would be at a disadvantage while she was in such a mental state. He would have to calm her down until he can return to his normal levels of strength.

Just before she gets within striking range, Zhen dashes forward with an obviously powerful counter strike to her already powerful strike. With both hands gripped tightly on his blade, he uses his back to arch as he plants his feet while he counter swipes to meet her initial contact. Zhen's stance was rather awkward in this case though, because he was going to use his rights aide as his defending side as he steps forward with his left and consequently attacking immediately after on his left side. The rotation in his torso should assist greatly in his counters and offenses.

With each step taken forward, he would kick in an outwardly rotating manner in order to knick her own foot just enough to slide it outwards just enough to get her off be lance or widen her stance. With a widened stance, she would become less mobile, but that would be after several attempts to widen it enough for her mobility to be so much less, but he guesses that she may not even notice this through the haze of her obvious rage.

While attempting to push her back with every strike, he uses his blade as more of a whiled while he blocks her swings to his right side, he pushes hard on those while making a step with whatever ground she gives up on that. The first of her strikes, however doesn't look like it gave any ground, but rather halted her advance on him. His offensive swings on his left side and her right side would be much of an attempt to catch her off guard, preoccupy her, keep her counter swings busy on that side, but also to give him enough time to utilize his stepping forward. Zhen in this instance was making full use of the domineering aspects of his form. All of his strike would be rotational in order to meet her blade at a 90 degree angle, this would ensure maximum defensive capabilities.

He doesn't feel very good about being so aggressive, but it is one of the ways to get around someone else so aggressive. Simultaneously, it might help to impress her when she looks back on the situation. He really needs to impress her after what he had just previously done to her, even if he suspects she enjoyed it more than she leads on to him.

Zhen tries to talk her down between the flurries of clashing blacks and swipes, "Why don't you want to let anyone in? You should know that while you're here," Zhen passes a moment to deliver a particularly aggressive swipe to her left in an attempt to off balance her a bit, but also reconsiders his wording of his next few words, "You can trust me. I realize something happened to you, and you don't have to tell me, but just know that I won't hurt you."

Of 'course he hopes that the manner of the situation they are in should obviously let her know that the contents of what started off as a friendly duel is exempt to his words. He doesn't yet have any way to prove his dedication to her except with his obvious infatuation with her and him being the only individual of the same species currently around her, but he waits for her response. He thinks of ways to prove his loyalties to her. They have too much in common to not become more than just a random acquaintance to her.

 

[Xivilli]

Sabine noticed what Zhen was trying to do, and began to take step a few steps backwards to help keep her footing in it's most optimal state, and though it gave ground, she had to keep her footing well placed lest she lose the battle. She blocked his strike to her left, and the force of it caused her to skid a little, but thankfully she had kept her footing well placed, if just barely.

"You're a Jedi, not a therapist, so get off it!" She yelled as she brought her hand around just under her staff and delivered a Force Push aimed for his stomach, which was simply to get Zhen to stumble, not truly hurt him. If he did stumble, she'd deliver a swift kick to his solar plexus and then plant her foot firmly back into the ground before sending another power swing his way, aimed for his blade, not him.

"Besides, Zhen, trust is something you earn, not deserve, and while you may seem kind and honest, for my sake I simply cannot take that chance right now. So, drop it, lover boy. If you win, I'll tell you my name. How about that?"

 

[Flamjetxx]

"You're a Jedi, not a therapist, so get off it!" Her words rang true in his ears, but to what extent is what she says right?

"You're right. I am a Jedi, but now you are too. That means you don't have to push everyone away. All us Jedi have is each other, and we cannot afford to shut each other out. You need to be able to trust someone to some extent. You are no longer alone. If you cannot trust the group that you belong to, then do you truly belong to that group? You need to have a little bit of faith now. I understand that you were hurt, and badly enough, but you need to rely on the fact that we... I won't let you get hurt again if I can help it. You are acting as if you are alone in a sea of enemies, but you have at least one life raft available," Zhen tries to reason with her, but even if she doesn't hear him now, she will later. His words aren't for her now, but when she really needs them.

After a force push, she is able to respond to him, "Besides, Zhen, trust is something you earn, not deserve, and while you may seem kind and honest, for my sake I simply cannot take that chance right now. So, drop it, lover boy. If you win, I'll tell you my name. How about that?"

Zhen now realizes that even if he is infatuated, that she is in crisis over who she can trust, and even if she does't believe she can trust him, Zhen doesn't need her verbal confirmation to be able to deem him trustworthy. Zhen's view is narrow and he knows it, and he finds it hard to see the world outside of that ideal, but what he does know is what people truly need, even if it isn't obvious to themselves. For now his pleas with her will go unheard, and that is fine with him, but she will remember his words, and he will be available for her.

For now, her name, even if it is hardly necessary, will be constellation enough for him. For now, his mind will be returned to the ongoing test of skill. It seems that she's since cooled off a bit more than she was before, but still her recklessness could hurt her if Zhen isn't careful. Though his approach was halted by the force push, he was still determined to not let her get any sort of advantage over him while he was forced to deal with the force push. Unfortunately, his necessary course of action was to take the push in full, but allow it to carry him back a safer distance like a gust of wind.

He didn't fight the push, but rather embraced it and his landing zone was far enough to avoid any counters that would catch him off guard while he regained himself, but it was also close enough to reengage the battle almost immediately after he returns to a normal D'jem So stance. If he had more time, he would have preferred to use the falling avalanche stance in order to enforce his previous aggressiveness, but the timing was rather difficult to continue that and instead he found himself re-approached by her quite quickly. He could tell that she wanted to kick him, but she knew the distance was too great for any kick to actually be worth the trouble and instead decided to skip it and lead right into another power swing. He knows that the intention of her push was more to off balance him in order to land that kick, but Zhen's practice in Teras Kasi may have given him more insight than she knows about foot placements.

Instead of using the falling avalanche position, Zhen was forced to bring his blade from a downward position to a block that was based in a reinforced landing position. Much like you would leap from one spot without taking any steps, he rocked from his back, right foot, onto his front right foot while extending his legs to reinforce his upward blocking swing which would actually carry her saber off to her left and his right side. The force of the swing was designed to match, but not overwhelm her own power, and with his legs helping out, he was almost certain to do just that. The reason behind the holding off on his power is that he wants her to have no momentum to work with in order to swing her saber into a counter attack nearly as quickly as she would need to do in order to halt him. At least not until he has finished what he was doing.

When knowing that his blade is securely under her, his back haunches over while his back foot raises for a little kick. Though similar, it was hardly a sweep. He doesn't like the over flashiness of a sweep, and also has a distaste for the maneuverability the sweep lacks, but the kick was more of a test and something to take her by surprise. The foot was low and aimed for her knee. It would be swift, but delivered in order to off balance her left knee. When delivering the kick, her knee should buckle and make the side carrying her lightsaber less powered, and it would lower her entire stance to an angle.

While she would almost certainly be working on a counter attack, Zhen's main concern would be planting his foot as soon as it lands in order to prepare for whatever counter she has in mind, and as soon is his foot lands, his lightsaber would move to counter. His elbow would follow, but if she is going to use an alternating attacking pattern as her lightsaber would strongly suggest, his block would have to move closer to her face, where his elbow would meet her along with a block from his lightsaber. Though whether or not she decides to counter anything, Zhen's move, bound to occur at the same time as his elbow (use it or not), he would lift his -now back left foot- into a knee aimed for her right side.

If all works well, his badgering physical attacks will force her off balanced and nearly stumbling to her left and his right, where his lightsaber will be prominently be prepared for any defense looking to force her closer to the ground than she will already be after taking any physical hit. her stumbling to her left will call for Zhen to rotate his left outwards in order to face more to his current right side in order to face her. As he turns to face her he is kneeing her, and had already rotated his blade from an upward blocking position to a vertical position. By the time he's rotating, and as she falls farther downward, he will soon be pressing down on his blade with his counter or simply with a continued press on her single swing.

Even as Zhen runs the movements in his mind, he is already performing them. Block her blade up and to her left where his simultaneous kick for her left knee will off balance her and prevent her from placing any power into her swings, which will be forced to come from her left. Any more swings from her will be adjusted here, and Zhen's blade will meet her in a block which will prevent her from returning her blade to a centered position. While blocking a counter attack, should she choose to, he will elbow her face with his left elbow, and simultaneously knee her and rotate with the knee. The knee will force her to her already weakened left side where his rotation and altered blade positions will push her downward. From there, Zhen will have a leverage-based advantage.

Zhen is proud of the thoroughness of his plan, but the consequences may seem harsh compared to his previously passive approach. It almost feels like he is hustling her in his shaky strategy of switching from passive to aggressive. He has his Teras Kasi training to thank for his aggressive capabilities, but regardless of his now aggressive attack, he will have to keep his mind in the present as to adjust his attack to any changes she may make on her part.