Training Rooms

*When Arvis went on to the training rooms, Jade quickly dropped her pack in the floor of her room. She had hoped if there was to be so mildly serious training she would have been able to change. But she kept the thought to herself. She was as capable of training in a skirt as well as pants. Right now was more of testing anyway than actual training, so she thought. She'd just have to remember to where her pants from now on.

Following Arvis, she paid less attention to the area around her. Her focus, instead, lay on him and what he would ask her. There would be time for touring and amazement later. She stopped a few feet behind him as he opened and pulled a lightsaber from the locker. She thought on her training with her father. It wasn't difficult to remember what she had learned to use. She had seen and held her father's lightsaber. It was elegant, yet simple in design, bearing a blue blade, the color, he had told her, representing his place as a Jedi Guardian. But she had never trained with it. Perhaps he had sought to give her more of a handle on weapons she more likely encounter in the universe on a normal level.*

"I've seen and handled a lightsaber, though I've never trained with one. My father taught me, instead, the use of knives and small swords. I guess though he trained me lightly in the Force, he didn't want to dwell too deep into the Jedi ways, so the training was on weapons I'd more likely run into. I handled the saber just enough though to understand there is a fair difference between the two though I'm not fully sure other than weight, weight dispersion, and blade form."

*Jade reached up, grabbing the saber with one hand. While a different saber entirely, it felt familiar. She remembered when her father had shown her his. It was so light, barely much of anything. She looked at it letting the hilt roll around in her hand, letting the weight register to her. After a moment, she brought it in front of her and gripped it with both hands. She held it firmly felling how it sat there. Much different than a regular sword. This hilt was a cylinder in shape while a standard sword's hilt was more ovalish and smaller, allowing for a far tighter grip than the lightsaber. As of now, she felt it was far better to keep it in a two handed grip until she progressed in her skill.

She let her hand move to the ignition switch and turned it on. The blade emerged in a brilliant show of light and sound. They were elegant and beautiful, training saber or real. She moved the lightsaber back and forth in front of her, her eyes on the blade. She took in the dispersion of weight, not feeling any extra weight from the blade. She spun it to her right side, letting the blade fall, then spin around to the top until it came back to its starting spot, then reversed the motion until it sat in front of her again. While she spun, her right hand stayed on the hilt, her left hand stayed close, moving opened handed to the pommel, letting it guide and assist the spin. It also allowed for her to grasp the saber with both hands again quickly should she need to hold for defense.

She looked to the helmet, then to the remote as it hovered to life between them. As Arvis spoke, she took in his words, letting the meaning of what she was going to be doing sink in. Visualization, her father called it. Though the method was different, the practice was the same. When in combat, her father wanted her to let go, open up to the Force. Trusting her eyes, she said, could lead to defeat. He'd have her close her eyes and respond to his attacks, while seeking and opening. She imaged that once things began flowing, the bolts would become faster.

Bring the saber up in front of her, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow steady breath. Slowly opening her eyes, she focused on the remote.* "I'm ready."

*Jade took the helmet and looked at it for a moment before nodding and putting it on. Everything fell dark before her. But it was expected. But she closed her eyes underneath the blast shield. It didn't matter because she couldn't see, but it was something she had learned; when the eyes are blocked from seeing what was in front of them, it was best to close them. To her, it seemed to register more focus to her other senses. Once again she took a deep breath, letting herself go. While she couldn't see, she could visualize, the image of the remote appearing before her based on the sound of its movements.*

"Let's do it."

*As she spoke, the remote began to move again. At first, it moved as before, making its passes, judging weak points. Her body began to sway as it moved, moving along with it. Her breaths were steady as she listened. She could "feel" the remote as it began its assault. As with the attacks before, it came with a single shot, then two, its pace and amount of shots quickening its pace. As it quickened, her moves began to become more rigid and seemed to slow, making it just in in time to block the shots. Finally, it unleashed its barrage of seven shots. All came at her front this time, the first at her waist, the second at her left shoulder, and the third to her right rib. She could feel the remote, the shots, but the speed began to play at her, blurring her "sight." She deflected the three shots, but when the fourth came to her left leg she felt the shot a bit too late. She couldn't move the saber fast enough and began to move to her right side instinctively. The bolt nicked the side of her leg, causing her to turn and fall on her butt, the last three shots firing passed her to the ground.

She rubbed her leg from the sting it gave her before pulling herself up to a seated position. Removing the helmet, her face was one of a slight confusion. She could sense the remote, feel its movements. It had become harder to track as it got faster, easy enough to understand. What confused her was that she sensed the bolt too late, and knew she couldn't bring her saber up in time. But despite her time in that thought, she was able to move and avoid a direct hit on her. She was sure she would have been hit dead on, but the truth was the opposite.*

*Jade kept her gaze down, her mind running, trying to figure out what happened. When it was too late, how could she dodge just slightly when she couldn't even move her blade. But as she thought about it, she remembered that day. It had always been a blur and it still was, but something snapped in her that day. It was like her skills seemed to sharpen, her abilities more adept in battle than her training suggested.

Her mind was in these thoughts deep enough that when Arvis came to help her up, she was slightly surprised to see him right there. She reached out her hand with a smile, letting the thoughts fade from her mind. Once on her feet, she handed him the helmet. Overall, she thought she had done well. She knew she didn't have the focus the Jedi had. By what she understood from her father, by her age, many where fairly experienced Knights already. But Arvis said she had a good solid base to work with. That was good to hear. She dusted herself off. Standing back up, she let her left hand play with her hair slightly, her right hand running over the blasters hilt. It was a habit she had formed over the past few months.*

"What's next?"

Arvis moved to put the helmet away, pondering the next item of business. There were probably one or two other little tests he could administer, but they would probably just serve to confirm what he now already knew.

He was about to answer her when his datapad chimed, reminding him that he actually needed to be meeting with the administrator. That was fortuitous, as he could make sure that Jade was registered at the academy."Whatever's next will have to wait for a bit, I'm afraid. I've got a meeting with the administrator."

Arivs smiled and nodded."All right then. I suppose we'll have to catch up tomorrow then. I'll try to have some kind of lesson or something for you."He escorted Jade outside the training room and pointed down the hallway."Dining room's that way, follow the signs. I'll see you later, Jade."With that, Arvis started walking the opposite direction, heading for the administrator's office.