Open Ajan Kloss Jedi Arts

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori let out a sigh of relief. Bri and Izel seeem to have salvaged the situation had been salvaged . The Knights were eager to demonstrate their prowess and offer advice. And the Zeltron didn't have to ask twice for the trainees to calm down and watch the show. All she had to do now was demonstrate her own competence a little bit, so as not to lose respect of her students. After all, she had done her homework on lightsaber forms and had some of her own suggestions to share. "Knight Lanaamer opened the duel with a jump. A typical Ataru move to close the distance and force the battle."

Izel did the explaining of her Makashi moves herself. Besides, that wasn't Nykoria's preferred form. Although, given that the Sith had reemerged recently, the Zeltron would do well to reconsider and put more emphasis on a form designed specifically for duels against lightsaber-wielding opponents.

"And now we see a few more brilliant Ataru moves!" Even the Zeltron was audibly impressed by the show Bri was putting on. And the crowd... The rooting and cheering got louder and louder with every jump and somersault. Bri's showcase of acrobatics was definitely more spectacular than Izel's retreat and jabs. But what was more effective?

"One of the problems of Ataru..." The Zeltron had to raise her voice to be heard by her students. Even then, her voice drowned in the crowd. Kori sighed, then decided to wait and see what would happen next. It'd be foolish to hope that any student would pay any attention to her. Still, she continued the phrase in her mind as she watched: "...is that it drains heavily on one's stamina. If you keep at it, but take too long to overcome your opponent, you might end up exhausted soon enough."

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[Izel Thral]

Izel was quickly pushed back onto the defensive as Bri became more aggressive in her application of Form IV. Ataru was certainly a beautiful technique to behold, and difficult to keep track of. The Vratix managed to parry and evade the first few strikes, but as the human Knight gained momentum she finally managed to score a glancing blow against Izel's front left leg.

The mark stung, and Izel was disappointed that she failed to score the first blow in front of the gathered Jedi. It seemed she still had a long way to go before becoming a fully capable warrior. However she wasn't about to let this opening go to waste. Using her three other legs to maintain her balance the insectoid held her ground rather than retreating again, and pressed her palm forward to release a Force push. The hope was to knock Bri back. Ideally it would throw her to the ground, but simply unbalancing her opponent would be sufficient enough.

Once Bri had been pushed backwards Izel would immediately spring on to the offensive once more, ignoring the pain in her leg as she pressed forward and made several more quick jabs at her opponent. Kori was correct, Ataru was an exhausting form that could quickly diminish the user's stamina. But Izel wasn't sure if a protracted battle would favor her, considering Bri seemed to be more versed in her chosen form. Ending the bout quickly seemed the better option.

Now that she had become solely focused on the battle at hand Izel refrained from speaking up about what she was doing. Her competitive side was starting to kick in, and she was becoming more interested in winning than putting on a good display for their audience.

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri's saber spun quickly, as the Knight felt one of her downward facing slices connect a glancing strike on Izel's leg. All Jedi were properly trained in practice saber dueling, so as to not accidentally dismember a colleague, or worse. Nevertheless, Bri knew how bothersome and painful a sting from a saber could be and ensured her strikes stayed in the 'safe' zone. Just as the teacher, Kori, was right to point out to the students, Ataru, like all saber forms, had its drawbacks. The primary was how quickly it depleted one's stamina. Only true Masters of the form could maintain such vigorous attacks for a lengthy period of time. While Bri's skills were adequate, a Master she was not.

No doubt, Izel was well aware of the pros and cons of the Ataru form, with Bri recognizing how studious the Vratix was. Just as the Knight was about to launch another flurry of attacks from Izel's left flank, the Vratix stood ground and using the balance of her additional legs, flung a palm out towards Bri. The power of the Force hit like an invisible thump square on her chest and flung her backwards, rather ungracefully, sliding on her side and back. The Knight managed to disengage her saber and use the momentum of the push, combined with her own utilization of the Force, to eventually land on her feet. The light sand and dirt on the field smoked up under her boots as she came to a stop.

Bri had little time to re-center herself as Izel took the opportunity to take her turn on the offensive. Quickly reigniting her saber, Bri shifted her footwork to the more defensive Soresu, just managing to block and parry the Vratix's quick strikes. The Knight hoped her change in stance would allow a quick chance to catch her breath, before returning to the attack once more. Hopefully.

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[Izel Thral]

Izel clicked in satisfaction as Bri switched to Soresu, a form she herself was much more versed with. Which meant she knew all it's weaknesses as well. She halted her advance and stepped back, continuing to make her attacks from the limit of her pike's range. While an excellent defensive form Soresu had very limited offensive capabilities, creating a war of attrition and seeking to exploit mistakes made out of exhaustion or frustration. Since Izel had been applying the more reserved Makashi while Bri had opened with an aggressive Ataru exchange she knew she had more energy to spare. And she wasn't about to lose her cool either. So long as she attacked from outside Bri's range there was nothing the human could do to defeat her while using Soresu.

But Izel wasn't about to just hang back and wait for Bri to figure out her mistake either. She had been developing a strategy to use against Soresu and intended to employ it here. "In case you're having trouble keeping up, the reason I just reeled back on my attack is because Knight Lanaamer has changed forms. Do any of you know what it is?" She asked their young audience.

"Soresu!" One of the younglings shouted. Izel nodded.

"Right. The Way of the Mynock. Or the Resilience Form. It's called that because Soresu is the most defensively focused of all the lightsaber forms, and the purpose of using it is to outlast your opponent. However, there are ways to get through that defense..." She looked back at Bri. "I'll show you now..." Izel knew Soresu, much like Makashi, focused on economy of motion. The practitioner would use constant blade movement to create a stable rhythm where they could let the Force flow through them and deflect and counter all incoming attacks. They key then to overcoming the form was to not allow your opponent to get into a steady rhythm. Izel had learned this the hard way when dueling with Fiach. Upping the tempo or ferocity of her attacks would not help her here. Instead she launched into a completely disorganized and disjointed attack pattern, jabbing in random spots, changing her tempo constantly, making feint on top of feint, all in an effort to make it impossible for Bri to build up any momentum in her movements. To the onlooker it would appear the Vratix had never held a lightsaber before. In reality every attack had purpose behind it. Hopefully the strategy would work.

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri smiled at hearing some of the students identify her new lightsaber form so quickly. To be fair, it was rather distinctive. In order to be most effective, Soresu required a small area to defend with a saber blade. The smaller the area, the easier to maintain a constant defense with continuous saber motions. Or so the books in the library had prescribed. Learning as a Padawan Jedi, Bri's Master had repeatedly stressed the importance of being flexible and not falling into more comfortable, rigid, limiting practices. This lesson applied to the art of saber combat as well. It was fair and indeed necessary to understand the basics of the varying saber forms, but more important, was the ability to study one's opponent, and adjust accordingly.

Izel dutifully described the Soresu form, indicating her in depth knowledge of its uses and practices to the students. What the Vratix might not have been aware of, was that Soresu was Bri's preferred saber style, and was the first Form that she had first picked up as a Padawan learner. The Knight knew all about its weaknesses and had creatively employed a few 'changes' to overcome them. Taking her turn to address the students, Bri responded, "Knight Thral is right, Soresu is designed to be more defensive, using continuous saber motions to block." As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes in concentration, reacting, with the use of the Force, to respond to Izel's unpredictable jabs and slices. A few made contact to lightly singe her pants and tank-top.

"However, just as important as learning your saber basics, is reading and understanding your opponent," Bri added, shifting her feet slightly. With Izel's height advantage, and saber pike offering additional reach, the Knight was defending attacks from all angles, almost as if fighting multiple opponents. Bri adjusted to mix in the 5th form of saber combat, specifically Shien, to respond. Instead of merely blocking the attacks with Soresu, Shien allowed more of an offensive response, parrying strikes for counter attack opportunities. The Knight hoped that her own unpredictable response was just as challenging for Izel to defend.

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[Izel Thral]

Bri's words rung true for Izel. While at first she seemed to be gaining the upper hand with her unorthodox assault, the longer she exchanged with her opponent the more she realized that she was a Soresu specialist as well. And it seemed her own training outpaced Izel's.

Bri matched the Vratix blow for blow, slowly regaining her footing, and then mixing in some unexpected Shien combinations. This Izel wasn't expecting at all, as the Shien variant of Form V was typically used against multiple ranged opponents, not a single lightsaber duelist. What was worse, her random assault had left her out of form, and she had to struggle to get up her defense, allowing Bri to score another singing blow as she retreated.

Abandoning Makashi, Izel quickly fell back on the more familiar Soresu, a indication of her desperation. She tried to gain momentum as Bri launched onto the offensive, but her injuries were making it difficult. It was becoming clear that she was falling into one of the traps of someone who relies too heavily upon Form III, only delaying an inevitable defeat.

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[Nykoria Tallis]

The audience were mesmerized. Even Nykoria caught herself watching the two Knights fight, rather than explaining the nuances of their lightsaber forms. It could wait; but for the moment, it would just detract from the viewing experience. As she watched, the Zeltron couldn't help but wonder how well she would do against any of these two Knights. With all the Sith roaming around the galaxy, lightsaber techniques became all the more important.

So far the fight seemed like a back and forth: one Jedi going all out pressing the advance, and the other going defensive. Then the tide would turn. Izel had taken a glancing blow to the leg that way; yet Bri's tank-top and pants also had a few marks of the Vratix's lightsaber pike. For the moment, Izel seemed to be on the defensive. But in the end, it would come down to one thing: whoever gets exhausted first and makes a mistake.

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri could feel, both figuratively and literally, the duel shifting to her favor. Her incorporation of Shien had been successful, leaving Izel off balance. The Knight's saber seemed to be reaching contact first, pushing back the Vratix's parries as she began to step forwards in assault. Quick strike followed quick strike, Bri's eyes alert to each move, planning the next before the previous had finished. As Izel shifted back into the defensive Soresu, the duel had entered its final stanza.

Despite Ajan Kloss being a jungle planet, the training fields somehow managed to sit in an area with a distinct lack of shade from the tall trees that were otherwise omnipresent around the temple. Bri felt the heat of exertion, combined with the warm weather, weighing upon her; breaths heavy, perspiration on her brow

Following Izel stepping back into Soresu, Bri judged the final time to exert what remained of her energy into one last Ataru attack. The Knight rushed forward, prepared to strike on the Vratix's left flank, before jumping backwards, and following up with a downward directed slash from the right. Depending on Izel's reaction, Bri was prepared to halt her attack before contact, preventing any injury to her Jedi colleague.

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[Izel Thral]

Izel tried valiantly to regain control of the duel, but it was clear Bri had the upper hand. And the more her opponent pushed her back the more the Vratix started to lose her nerve and leave cracks in her defense. Bri succeeded in scoring a few more glancing blows, continuing to push Izel back. Then she set herself up for her finishing move.

As Bri made her initial feint Izel fell right for it, making a desperate lunge with her pike to attempt to catch the human unawares. But Bri leapt back and altered her attack, coming in from the right instead. Having overextended herself Izel had no time to react, and gasped in surprise as her opponent's blade stopped just shy of striking her long neck. A fatal blow.

Izel extinguished her blade and slowly backed away from Bri before bowing to her respectfully. "Artfully done Knight Lanaamer." She said politely, although privately she felt the smallest tick of frustration over her loss. She was quick to suppress those feelings. "I concede." The audience of Padawans and Younglings clapped vigorously for the both of them, clearly having enjoyed the match. Izel turned to them next and bowed, glancing in Bri's direction to see if she did the same.

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

As soon as it was clear that Izel would be unable to block Bri's saber strike, the Knight paused her slash, preventing any injury. Bri's colleague was still practicing her saber skills, yes, but her unorthodox saber pike and non-humanoid size gave her an advantage that would only grow as Izel grew stronger in the force. A formidable opponent for any duelist to face, and one not to be taken lightly.

Bri's lightsaber extinguished with a hiss and she reattached the handle to her belt, feeling pleased with her success. Looking over towards Izel, she replied with a, "Thanks" and a bow back, adding, "you're pretty good, yourself," complimenting a friendly smile. "I hope I didn't nick you too badly," she added, looking down at some of the scorch marks on her clothes. The Jedi breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to cool off (both literally and mentally) after the fairly strenuous exertion. She rubbed her brow with her forearm, eliminating some of the excess perspiration.

Glancing back around at the gathered students, Bri was glad to see that it appeared most had enjoyed the saber display. When she herself was a Padawan learner, visual aides were always the best way to pick up new saber skills and moves. Books were great, but rather lacking in a real-world experience. Walking back over to Kori, Bri figured to stick around in case she might be of any further use to the lesson, or if any had questions.

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[Nykoria Tallis]

And just like that, the duel was over. A single mistake ended up with a blade to the Vratix's neck. After the exchange of niceties between the two Jedi, Kori stood up and walked towards them. "Thank you very much for the demonstration," the Zeltron announced loudly, enthusiastically, and with a wide smile. That reflective of how the Padawans and younglings around her felt. A part of Kori even wondered how well she'd do against Bri or Izel... Or was it a passing ambition of one of the onlookers that had slipped into Kori's mind? She wasn't certain.

Either way, both Jedi deserved some rest after the training session. Although Kori wasn't opposed to having a sparring herself at some point, she'd much rather it be a fair fight. Both Izel and Bri must've been at least a little exhausted after displaying their prowess with the lightsaer. So instead the Zeltron turned to the crowd and announced to her proteges: "Alright everyone, back to the exercises! You still have a long way to go. Especially if you ever want to get to their level!" Kori pointed at the two Knights.

That command did diminish from the cheerful mood of the trainees. But at least they had something to strive for. Perhaps that'd stop them from slacking, at least for the rest of the day. Satisfied, the purple-skinned Jedi looked at her peers again, her voice quieter and tone more sincere: "Thanks again. The guys needed that."

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[Izel Thral]

"I'll live." Izel replied amusedly to Bri's remarks. "We'll have to do this again some time." If she was going to be a proper Jedi Knight Izel would certainly need to expand and improve upon her dueling repertoire. That much had been made clear. Unfortunately she had a bit of training herself to get to.

"It's no trouble at all." She responded to Kori's thanks with another respectful bow. "Always glad to help. Perhaps next time you and I could spar?" That seemed to draw some of the initiates' attention once again, but Izel was quick to wave them off, bidding them return to their practice. "I'd like to stay and chat but I've kept my Padawan waiting long enough." She explained as she looked back to Kori. "Good luck with your lesson. Hopefully we'll run into each other again soon."

After that Izel would be quick to pay her respects to the assembled Jedi before departing back on her path to the library. She knew theoretical study wasn't one of Isen's strong suits, and she didn't want to reinforce his disinterest by failing to show up on time herself. After all, dueling practice was all well and good, but skill with a lightsaber still paled in comparison to mastery of the Force.

/Exit Thread

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri nodded with a friendly grin at Izel's offer of a future installment of their duel. "I'll be looking forward to it." The Vratix was a challenging opponent, and it served well to practice against a variety of opponents. The Knight always resolved to plan for as many eventualities as she could, despite it being a somewhat unattainable goal. As Izel departed, Bri offered a wave.

The students had returned to their exercises, repeating the stances and practice saber strikes that provided the foundation for lightsaber combat. Bri chuckled somewhat as Kori pointed to her and Izel as examples of where dedicated training could get you. Turning somewhat introspective, it didn't seem that long ago that she was out here in the training fields, exhausted and tired, undergoing her own lessons. The thought made Bri feel older than she wanted to.

"Happy to help," she responded with a nod to Kori, staring out at the practicing students. Most seemed to be getting the basics down, with a few obviously excelling and others lagging behind. The Order needed all kinds of Jedi, not just master duelists. The thought made the Knight smile, again remembering her own training.

As she watched the Padawans, her thoughts shifted once more, back to her own hesitance to take on students to teach. Bri didn't know much about Zeltron physiology, but she judged Kori to be around the same age as herself, and she was doing a very able job. Perhaps it was a subject for future conversation between the two. "They seem to be getting it down pretty well," Bri added, with a slight laugh as one of the Padawans dropped their saber.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori replied to Izel's idea of a future sparring with a nod. They'd have to do it... But later. When Izel is at her best, and not after a tiring duel with another Jedi. "Sure thing," was the only thing the Zeltron said to Izel, before continuing her own work. It felt strange; a few weeks ago Izel had been a Padawan herself, and Kori wouldn't have imagined training anyone else. Now look at us.

Everyone else seemed to be preoccupied with their own affairs, leaving only Bri and Kori to watch the training. "Yeah, they look..." Kori's cringe was almost palpable as she saw a lightsaber dropped on the ground. For a moment, a chastising remark was about to go off, but the Zeltron controlled herself; there was no need to humiliate a student and draw attention to her own failures. So, she finished the phrase quietly through her teeth: "Promising." Obviously, she meant something else entirely.

The Zeltron could sense that something was still troubling Bri. As if there was a question left unanswered. Kori had to attend to the students, but she had a little more spare time. "Is there anything else, Bri?" She didn't say "You seem troubled", because it'd be intrusive; nor did she say that she had students to train. If Brienna had anything on her mind, the Zeltron was ready and willing to talk. Otherwise, she'd just continue training the initiates.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri chuckled at Kori's response to the dropped lightsaber by the Padawan, with the word 'promising' sounding anything but. Notwithstanding the brief moment of brevity, it was apparent that most were making good progress with the mistake of one certainly not being indicative of the overall skill level of the class. The Padawan had seemingly not noticed that the two Knights had witnessed the error, and instead was attempting to get back in the rhythm of the movements, their face in obvious deep concentration.

After a short pause of quiet between the two, Kori asked, "Is there anything else, Bri?" Bri, in turn, looked down at the ground with a wry smile. Either she wasn't as good at concealing her emotions as she thought, or Kori was good at reading people. Probably a combination of both. That's what you get for joining an Order of telepathic empaths. She looked back up and over to her colleague, folding her arms and sighing.

"Oh, just my own issues with teaching students and taking on a Padawan." Bri replied, trying to sound somewhat nonchalant. She was appreciative of Kori being respectful, yet still willing to help. However, the Knight was also aware of taking up too much of her time when she was teaching a class. "I think I'm just afraid of failing anyone," came a quieter reply, eyes focused straight out at the training students. Bri wasn't sure what compelled her to be so open with the Zeltron, but she was. Perhaps bottling up internal struggles without speaking to anyone wasn't the best way to handle problems?

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[Nykoria Tallis]

It is with relief that Kori observed the training. Without her interruption, the Padawan had corrected his own mistake, and kept at it. After all, that's what mattered, right? Not our mistakes, but what we did about them. As long as those mistakes hadn't cost a life, that is.

Bri's remark about issues with taking a Padawan hit right home. "I think I can relate to that." For years after being Knighted, she hadn't taken a Padawan. She hadn't even considered it. Even Mnoc's assignment to her wasn't Kori's own choice, but rather the will of the Force... or a whim of the Jedi Council. Did it change Kori's mind on the matter? Definitely not. But she'd be lying if she said that it hadn't been a learning experience both for her and the young Jawa.

"Teaching someone wouldn't have been my choice either," the Zeltron shrugged, observing the students above. "Especially a Padawan. It's a tremendous responsibility and requires a lot of commitment," the Zeltron admitted, in a somewhat exhausted manner. It wasn't something she was trying to tell Bri to show off; rather, it was something she learned from experience. "The whole Padawan thing has its ups and downs," she shrugged, before turning to her fellow Knight. "After all, Padawan can fail her Master just as the Master can fail a Padawan."

The mention evoked a brief sad smirk on Kori's lips, before she continued, somewhat on a different topic. "You could start with the classes like these. You'd be one of the many people teaching them. That way, there're fewer chances of messing anything up. In fact, you've already done something in that direction by demonstrating your skills with the lightsaber to them."

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri looked over with a raised eyebrow as Kori expressed how she had felt similar before taking a Padawan and teaching some of the classes to younger Jedi. It was of some comfort to hear that her fellow Knight shared some of the same hesitations that she had, and yet emerged unscathed on the other end. The human Jedi nodded sagely, as if understanding what Kori meant when explaining how teaching wouldn't have been her own choice. The will of the Force. Guiding destinies through actions both seen and unseen. Perhaps that was the best course of action. Bri believed in the Force guiding her through the Galaxy, if figuratively, not quite literally. Didn't she? "I suppose we all have our own paths guided by the Force" Bri added, a droll smile appearing.

Kori explained that the relationship between the Padawan and its Master was a journey, with accompanying highs and lows. Bri flashed back into her own memories as a student, learning from her Master and appreciated the relationship from a different perspective. The point on a Padawan failing its Master rung quite true. The Jedi caught a hint of something left unsaid by the Zeltron, a sad smile appearing on her face for a brief instance. Bri decided not to pursue.

Perhaps, as Kori mentioned, the best entry was a larger class, like the one practicing before them. More students, more limited time spent teaching, yet still ample opportunity to get one's feet wet. "That's a good point" Bri nodded with a smile, truly appreciating Kori's willingness to talk through some of her own problems. Bri wasn't exactly sure what made her feel so comfortable around the Zeltron to open up emotionally, but nevertheless felt better after their short conversation. "Thanks for the advice," she added, a genuine smile appearing with a short nod.

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[Nykoria Tallis]

It felt... strange. Advising a fellow Jedi on something? Sure, Kori had done counseling before; but only to initiates and Padawans, not to Knights who were her equals. And apparently, it was working out quite well. Who would've thought! A year ago, Nykoria wouldn't have been talking too much to other Jedi, let alone showing up in the temple. Perhaps a few missions and encounters were to blame for that.

Bri's mention of the Force and how it guided everyone in the galaxy evoked a faint smile on Kori's purple lips. "You're welcome. As for the 'guided by the Force' thing..." she turned her face from away from the training initiates and stared at the temple building dominating the surroundings. "I'm no Master, so I can't say that I have it all figured out," a brief chuckle escaped her mouth. It was nice to have a casual conversation with someone, without the hassles thrown at you by the galaxy.

"I mean, it's either the will of the Force guiding our every action... Or a bunch of unlikely coincidences and excuses to justify our actions... or inaction." Kori turned her face to her fellow Knight, with a wry, somewhat challenging smirk. For a Jedi, the Zeltron's statement must have been rather unorthodox... Maybe simplistic, nihilistic, or whatever nasty words a Master could pick. But Kori was genuinely curious how Bri would respond. Some food for future thought perhaps?

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[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri laughed and nodded with a smile at Kori's comments. She looked around and then back to the Zeltron, replying somewhat quieter, "between you and me, I think some of the Master's haven't figured it out yet either." The Knight obviously meant no offense by the comment to any of the Jedi Masters, as her own understanding and appreciation of the Force strived for the continuous pursuit of knowledge; a marathon with no set finish line. If a Jedi was capable of 'figuring it all out,' Bri would be one of the first to congratulate them.

"I think I like the Will of the Force more than unlikely coincidences and excuses," she replied with a slight chuckle. Pausing for a brief moment, "I think I would generally say that the Galaxy is rarely so lazy as to permit coincidences." Despite her beliefs, Bri still believed strongly in the ability to choose one's own path, the freedom of self determination. There was, of course, room for the Force to be involved in that equation as well.

Still feeling hot and fatigued from the duel, Bri added with a joke and a laugh, "though I think that philosophy is probably done better when not sweating profusely,"

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[Nykoria Tallis]

"Yeah, the truth must be somewhere inbetween, and offset a little bit to the side," Kori commented on Bri's expressed outlook with a shrug. "There're too many coincidences for it simply to be... a coincidence," the purple alien chuckled again. "But I also like to think I have control over my decisions and future, and there aren't preordained." She shrugged. "Otherwise, this whole ride would consist of just 'living through the experiences of Kori Tallis as they're meant to happen', which is... Well, less than it could have been."

The human's mention of circumstances for discussing philosophy reminded Kori that Bri had just gone through a rather tiring duel. "Oh, right, sorry. You probably need some time to cool down and change, and I need to tend to the students. Talk later? Maybe even spar next time?" As much as the Zeltron enjoyed the company, there were other things she needed to attend to, for the time being at least. But it definitely felt nice making more friends instead of going it alone.

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