~250 ABY. Tynna.
65 minutes later.
Nomi was poised and purposeful by the time she located Jaxon in the empty greenhouse. There were a few plants and empty pots on one side, but the open floor seemed to have been more recently used like some sort of a training room.
The woman clearly shared features and coloring with her brother, though not much else. She was about a decade older than Jaxon, at least five years older than Zhi. Her frame was more balanced than Zhi’s, and she’d made the most of it for years; if not for every day of her life. She’d braided her hair again and pinned it into a thick bun low on her neck. She was dressed more or less like Jaxon, in passable athletic clothing and plain boots, with the two starkly different lightsabers still balanced on either hip.
Whatever he was focused on in his mind or on the tile floor, Jaxon wasn’t looking her direction when she strode in. Nomi threw the younger Guardian's bag at him and found her mouth twitching into a smile at the way he caught it.
“Hey,” she said without leaving the doorway. “Jaxon, right? Nomi. I didn't open that or anything. I need to go somewhere. Zhi said he expects you’d want to come and I can borrow you. Also I haven’t touched a hyperdrive since I was twelve. I plan to presently but I'd rather go now. Do you want to fly?”
Some Things to Take Care Of
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Some Things to Take Care Of
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
A greenhouse? It seemed like a good idea when he had walked in. It was away from everyone else and he wasn't sure that's what he wanted because he had had that for the last several years, but his emotions were swirling. He had time to process everything else, Sam, Qareth, Kaini hunting Jedi...but this was just different. It was one more thing on top of it all and it seemed like it just wanted to take his breath from him.
He shook his head, as he had sat down and he closed his eyes. He tried to meditate, tried to find that calming center. He saw himself sitting in the greenhouse, everyone else was outside trying to get in. Clawing at the doors, Zhi, Julian, a bunch of other Jedi he didn't know, a lizard man for some reason. It was all so much. He tried to focus on his center scrunching his eyes tighter and tighter until in the darkness he saw them burst through the door and tear him limb from limb. As he saw himself lying there beaten and battered, he saw Julian standing over him he looked up and him pleadingly, but Julian looked on dismissively and stepped directly on his throat stifling his breath. He tried to move but his arms had been torn off...he tried to breathe but he couldn't....that's when...
"Hey"
He turned without even opening his eyes and snatched the bag out of the air that had been thrown at him. Then he opened his eyes and looked at her standing in the doorway. He didn't say anything at first, trying to digest that terrible attempt at meditation and separate it from reality. He listened to her speak for a moment and then stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. His sharp eyebrows seemed to raise for a moment and he shrugged.
"That sounds like an amazing idea, I can fly. Call me Jax by the way....and where's the ship?"
He shook his head, as he had sat down and he closed his eyes. He tried to meditate, tried to find that calming center. He saw himself sitting in the greenhouse, everyone else was outside trying to get in. Clawing at the doors, Zhi, Julian, a bunch of other Jedi he didn't know, a lizard man for some reason. It was all so much. He tried to focus on his center scrunching his eyes tighter and tighter until in the darkness he saw them burst through the door and tear him limb from limb. As he saw himself lying there beaten and battered, he saw Julian standing over him he looked up and him pleadingly, but Julian looked on dismissively and stepped directly on his throat stifling his breath. He tried to move but his arms had been torn off...he tried to breathe but he couldn't....that's when...
"Hey"
He turned without even opening his eyes and snatched the bag out of the air that had been thrown at him. Then he opened his eyes and looked at her standing in the doorway. He didn't say anything at first, trying to digest that terrible attempt at meditation and separate it from reality. He listened to her speak for a moment and then stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. His sharp eyebrows seemed to raise for a moment and he shrugged.
"That sounds like an amazing idea, I can fly. Call me Jax by the way....and where's the ship?"
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
The minor details in his tenseness and body language weren’t lost on her, but Jaxon’s mind was his own to do whatever he needed to with. Nomi scanned him over for a second, taking in his form, his clothing, his weapon, the way he carried himself. She glanced at his stare with half a nod before she shrugged her chin in the direction of the landing pads.
“Great. Arty said it’s the L-class. I hope it flies; I don’t want to deal with another breaking. It’s fine though. He said they got it running and we’ll deal either way.”
They’d fallen into step together until they arrived at the old, but sufficiently hyperdrive equipped, compact freighter in question and gotten on board. Nomi wasn’t carry anything besides whatever gear fit into her pockets and hip pouches so there wasn’t much for her to do or put away. She slid into the copilot seat and rolled her neck and shoulders, finally holding still and taking the time to actually meet his eyes.
“Let’s sort out the hyperspace heading after we’re out of this system. It’s nice to meet you, Jax.”
“Great. Arty said it’s the L-class. I hope it flies; I don’t want to deal with another breaking. It’s fine though. He said they got it running and we’ll deal either way.”
They’d fallen into step together until they arrived at the old, but sufficiently hyperdrive equipped, compact freighter in question and gotten on board. Nomi wasn’t carry anything besides whatever gear fit into her pockets and hip pouches so there wasn’t much for her to do or put away. She slid into the copilot seat and rolled her neck and shoulders, finally holding still and taking the time to actually meet his eyes.
“Let’s sort out the hyperspace heading after we’re out of this system. It’s nice to meet you, Jax.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
He nodded and before he really even gave himself more than a fraction of a second to think about it he was following her lead towards the ship. He stopped and took a brief look at the L-Class vessel. "This flies?" He thought silently to himself. He breathed in through his nose and shook his head silently. The young Jedi simply could not articulate the feelings this stirred up in him, it reminded him of his time with Sam, training to take down Kaini. He clinched the strap of his big tightly and grit his teeth silently, anywhere at all this galaxy was better than here, even if it was on a ship that brought up some regrettable memories.
"So it's nice to meet you too if I didn't say it a minute ago. A bit lost in the whole...whatever it doesn't matter. Arty said it flies?"
He dropped his bag on the ground and climbed into the left hand seat of the cockpit. He nodded as he found the right switches, flipping them methodically as if he knew the checklist by heart. He didn't, but he had flown enough ships to know the basics of what he needed by heart and anything that was quirky tended to stick out like a hairless bantha anyway. He scanned the gauges and took mental notes. Everything seemed to be in order. He rested his head against the head rest and slung the harness on over his shoulders and fastened it with a satisfying "click" just above his lap. He made a couple adjustments so that he was comfortable. He glanced Nomi with a slightly mischievous smirk.
"Might want to buckle up, I have to figure out what she can do...you know to verify Arty's claims..."
His sharp eyebrows narrowed a bit and he glanced back at the control panel and threw the switches to start the engines. She said she wanted to wait to get out of the system to figure out a heading, but he already had one in mind. The hiraeth he felt for his old home and the way things were when he was a kid was not something he could put into words and explain easily. Nor was that particular destination the safest place in the galaxy for them, but he had things there. His friends were there...presumably. It'd be fine...and he might even ask if she was fine with it...after he made the jump to hyperspace. The ship slowly into the air and he took the controls and turned slightly towards a heading of just a little bit south of due East. The ship sat there for a moment and he glanced at her out of the corner of his right eye.
"Ready?"
"So it's nice to meet you too if I didn't say it a minute ago. A bit lost in the whole...whatever it doesn't matter. Arty said it flies?"
He dropped his bag on the ground and climbed into the left hand seat of the cockpit. He nodded as he found the right switches, flipping them methodically as if he knew the checklist by heart. He didn't, but he had flown enough ships to know the basics of what he needed by heart and anything that was quirky tended to stick out like a hairless bantha anyway. He scanned the gauges and took mental notes. Everything seemed to be in order. He rested his head against the head rest and slung the harness on over his shoulders and fastened it with a satisfying "click" just above his lap. He made a couple adjustments so that he was comfortable. He glanced Nomi with a slightly mischievous smirk.
"Might want to buckle up, I have to figure out what she can do...you know to verify Arty's claims..."
His sharp eyebrows narrowed a bit and he glanced back at the control panel and threw the switches to start the engines. She said she wanted to wait to get out of the system to figure out a heading, but he already had one in mind. The hiraeth he felt for his old home and the way things were when he was a kid was not something he could put into words and explain easily. Nor was that particular destination the safest place in the galaxy for them, but he had things there. His friends were there...presumably. It'd be fine...and he might even ask if she was fine with it...after he made the jump to hyperspace. The ship slowly into the air and he took the controls and turned slightly towards a heading of just a little bit south of due East. The ship sat there for a moment and he glanced at her out of the corner of his right eye.
"Ready?"
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
They'd slid into their seats. Nomi was listening, but none of their chat had actually mattered much. She didn’t distract either of them with keeping it up once Jaxon was actually doing something.
The Guardian woman watched the younger Jedi’s attention and his hands on the controls with the sort of practiced interest that committed the actions to her memory right up until Jaxon and the shuttle paused and hovered in the thinning atmosphere. From the annoyed way his foot shifted in one of the plain boots he had on, she was satisfied he knew what they needed. He already had a heading in mind too, even if he didn't know if she'd want it. Whatever. It was good enough.
She felt his eyes shift over to check on her without Jaxon actually turning his head her direction. Nomi snorted a little and rolled her neck.
“You hit it or I will.”
She turned her eyes on the white flecked black horizon through the cockpit canopy while spoke, and grinned at the surge of forces that jolted their heads and spines into their backrests while they punched out of orbit and away from currently sharing a planet with Julian or her sister or anything except for the tortured murder weapon that she wasn't giving up anytime soon. They got a minimal distance from the cool forest planet, and then jolted back into their seats again. This time their organs jammed back toward their spines while a million stars exploded into white streaks around the dark tunnel that swallowed them whole.
There’d been a flash of memories in her vision too—of a different jolt that woke her from sleep just before the metal floor suddenly met her. The hull integrity alert went off before she was springing up, and then so much action and grief in less than four minutes— Her smirk at Jaxon died, but Nomi didn’t bother hiding or explaining the moment. It was what it was.
The tunnel dropped them dropped them into a smooth blue channel of kaleidoscope light. It was beautiful. Nomi watched it for a moment in relative stillness before she abandoned the view. She rolled any tension from her shoulders and her ankles and stood up. Eating something was a decent idea, and she figured that Jaxon would rather have decent freedom of motion in the cargo area than stay seated.
“I'm ready if you are. How much time we have? Also please tell me there will be actual boots.”
The Guardian woman watched the younger Jedi’s attention and his hands on the controls with the sort of practiced interest that committed the actions to her memory right up until Jaxon and the shuttle paused and hovered in the thinning atmosphere. From the annoyed way his foot shifted in one of the plain boots he had on, she was satisfied he knew what they needed. He already had a heading in mind too, even if he didn't know if she'd want it. Whatever. It was good enough.
She felt his eyes shift over to check on her without Jaxon actually turning his head her direction. Nomi snorted a little and rolled her neck.
“You hit it or I will.”
She turned her eyes on the white flecked black horizon through the cockpit canopy while spoke, and grinned at the surge of forces that jolted their heads and spines into their backrests while they punched out of orbit and away from currently sharing a planet with Julian or her sister or anything except for the tortured murder weapon that she wasn't giving up anytime soon. They got a minimal distance from the cool forest planet, and then jolted back into their seats again. This time their organs jammed back toward their spines while a million stars exploded into white streaks around the dark tunnel that swallowed them whole.
There’d been a flash of memories in her vision too—of a different jolt that woke her from sleep just before the metal floor suddenly met her. The hull integrity alert went off before she was springing up, and then so much action and grief in less than four minutes— Her smirk at Jaxon died, but Nomi didn’t bother hiding or explaining the moment. It was what it was.
The tunnel dropped them dropped them into a smooth blue channel of kaleidoscope light. It was beautiful. Nomi watched it for a moment in relative stillness before she abandoned the view. She rolled any tension from her shoulders and her ankles and stood up. Eating something was a decent idea, and she figured that Jaxon would rather have decent freedom of motion in the cargo area than stay seated.
“I'm ready if you are. How much time we have? Also please tell me there will be actual boots.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Jaxon glanced at Nomi and slid out of his seat. As she exited the cockpit he rolled his shoulder and winced to himself. He clearly strained something while attacking Julian who absolutely deserved it. Worth it.
He rolled his eyes as he followed her out into the lounge or whatever. His eyes were first to spy the ration box he glanced at it, his stomach rumbled slightly. He absolutely could eat right now and he was craving protein of some sort. The young Jedi grabbed the box and took two ration bars out. He read the label and rolled his eyes again, this was not exactly what his stomach was craving but it would do...he supposed. He tossed one of the bars to Nomi without hardly even looking. He then ripped his own bar open staring at it judgmentally. He took a bite, the dry cold, bland flavor did nothing to improve things but despite his outward appearance he was in a relatively good mood, but he'd still much rather have preferred a slightly rare Bantha steak, thinking about it against the backdrop of the lackluster ration bar made his stomach sigh....a salad would be nice too. With beets....and vinaigrette. He rolled his shoulders again mid chew, careful not to let his face betray the annoying pain he was feeling, he then let his back rest against the wall and slid down casually.
“I…haven….*chew* had a hot meauuuhl in mumths.”
He rolled his eyes as he followed her out into the lounge or whatever. His eyes were first to spy the ration box he glanced at it, his stomach rumbled slightly. He absolutely could eat right now and he was craving protein of some sort. The young Jedi grabbed the box and took two ration bars out. He read the label and rolled his eyes again, this was not exactly what his stomach was craving but it would do...he supposed. He tossed one of the bars to Nomi without hardly even looking. He then ripped his own bar open staring at it judgmentally. He took a bite, the dry cold, bland flavor did nothing to improve things but despite his outward appearance he was in a relatively good mood, but he'd still much rather have preferred a slightly rare Bantha steak, thinking about it against the backdrop of the lackluster ration bar made his stomach sigh....a salad would be nice too. With beets....and vinaigrette. He rolled his shoulders again mid chew, careful not to let his face betray the annoying pain he was feeling, he then let his back rest against the wall and slid down casually.
“I…haven….*chew* had a hot meauuuhl in mumths.”
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Nomi caught the ration bar and tore off the end of the foil, digging into the bar with her fingernail enough to check the hardness. She was satisfied that it didn't need any extra work or modification to be edible, so the woman bit off the top half of the bar and chewed on it while she promptly sat on the floor maybe six feet from the teen. She kept an interested eye on his posture while she started a new set of stretches.
"So is my brother not feeding you then?"
"So is my brother not feeding you then?"
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Jaxon exhaled and nearly choked on the ration bar that he was in the process of swallowing. Was that a joke? His eyes darted up back at her his sharp eyebrows dropped slightly with a mischievous smirk on his face as he brushed some remnants from his lips.
"Yeah about that. Your brother is an amazing healer, but he can't cook...someone should tell him the fire suppression system on a ship is not an oven timer, just saying."
He threw his shoulders back against the wall, carefully concealing any expression of pain. Thankfully...the sharp sting wasn't quite as sharp as he thought it would be and as a result he sprung to his feet fairly quickly. He exhaled and took a few steps forward closer to Nomi.
"I spent some time with a boy and his mother on some distant world. She actually taught me to cook and last I heard her son is a Padawan now. Aldo. Kaini's troops came to kill him when I just happened to be staying there after my Master was murdered..."
His expression sharpened even further, he took a deep breath and flipped backward onto his hands. He held himself up with a little wobble at first, he snickered...
"Stupid, but you look funny upside down, I needed that laugh."
He let his elbows bend and his whole body lowered and then he pushed himself back up. He felt the ration sitting heavy in his stomach. He should have done this before he ate...whatever. Down he went again, then back up.
"Yeah about that. Your brother is an amazing healer, but he can't cook...someone should tell him the fire suppression system on a ship is not an oven timer, just saying."
He threw his shoulders back against the wall, carefully concealing any expression of pain. Thankfully...the sharp sting wasn't quite as sharp as he thought it would be and as a result he sprung to his feet fairly quickly. He exhaled and took a few steps forward closer to Nomi.
"I spent some time with a boy and his mother on some distant world. She actually taught me to cook and last I heard her son is a Padawan now. Aldo. Kaini's troops came to kill him when I just happened to be staying there after my Master was murdered..."
His expression sharpened even further, he took a deep breath and flipped backward onto his hands. He held himself up with a little wobble at first, he snickered...
"Stupid, but you look funny upside down, I needed that laugh."
He let his elbows bend and his whole body lowered and then he pushed himself back up. He felt the ration sitting heavy in his stomach. He should have done this before he ate...whatever. Down he went again, then back up.
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
“What in the worlds have you done to Zhi?”
The maybe thirty year old shunted her laughter up the back of her throat, exhaling it in a slightly strangled snort and a sharp breath out through her nose instead of letting it interfere with the food still in her mouth. She swallowed and bit off another quarter of the ration bar, then chewed the food and the thoughts over while she stretched out her other leg and incorporated it into the warmup.
“Also his eyes. What happened there?”
Her mood sobered when Jaxon’s tone changed, but she knew better than to stop moving. She didn’t even want to slow down—this was her trip too. But besides that, the teen was letting himself open up. There was no sense doing anything that made him shut down. He’d be fine. Even if whichever ligaments he’d stressed in his shoulder paid the price for it, he looked like he could use the conversation. She wanted to have it anyway.
Her stomach tensed when Jaxon said something else about Julian killing younglings. The black murder weapon was a heavy hunk of desecrated metal on her right hip. She sighed and kept the reminder out of Jaxon’s view for just now. Not that either of them had forgotten, but it didn’t matter. Nomi rolled her neck.
“Qareth was our sister. She’s a year older than me but we were in a pack always. I love her so much. She was caring and going to be good teacher from the beginning. I'm so glad you had her and so jealous you knew her grown. Tell me something good about her.”
The maybe thirty year old shunted her laughter up the back of her throat, exhaling it in a slightly strangled snort and a sharp breath out through her nose instead of letting it interfere with the food still in her mouth. She swallowed and bit off another quarter of the ration bar, then chewed the food and the thoughts over while she stretched out her other leg and incorporated it into the warmup.
“Also his eyes. What happened there?”
Her mood sobered when Jaxon’s tone changed, but she knew better than to stop moving. She didn’t even want to slow down—this was her trip too. But besides that, the teen was letting himself open up. There was no sense doing anything that made him shut down. He’d be fine. Even if whichever ligaments he’d stressed in his shoulder paid the price for it, he looked like he could use the conversation. She wanted to have it anyway.
Her stomach tensed when Jaxon said something else about Julian killing younglings. The black murder weapon was a heavy hunk of desecrated metal on her right hip. She sighed and kept the reminder out of Jaxon’s view for just now. Not that either of them had forgotten, but it didn’t matter. Nomi rolled her neck.
“Qareth was our sister. She’s a year older than me but we were in a pack always. I love her so much. She was caring and going to be good teacher from the beginning. I'm so glad you had her and so jealous you knew her grown. Tell me something good about her.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
He dipped down and back up again several times. Sweat forming on his brow and dripping down off of his forehead, some landing in his dark hair, some hitting the floor. He felt the muscles in his chest tighten, not in an overly pained way but in a way that led him to believe that this next one was going to have to be his last. That was stupid. That was annoying. He grit his teeth and let his elbows bend one last time, going down he found the strength to push himself up once more. His breathing had increased and as he came up his braid hit him in the face. He blew it out of the way with a quick breath.
“I dunno....Carbonite....poisoning I think. Maybe that affected his cooking abilities.”
He flipped back over in a smooth effortless motion and spun around sitting crossed legged now facing her, careful not to let his limitations show. He wasn't allowed to be a human and he wasn't allowed to have limits. He had to ensure that he could self rescue again if it came to it like it always seemed to. His biceps and triceps were trembling, but that was normal for this kind of thing. The smirk faded a bit as he thought about Qaret.
“She was the best but she always said you were. I have lots of good stories about her. She comforted me when I made a very embarrassing mistake just days before her death.”
He took a breath trying to slow down his breathing again. Should he tell her the story? He scanned her eyes and nodded.
"Yeah well, I was sparring with a friend I hadn't seen in awhile and I....was sixteen, I should point that out. His blade caught my throat and we had it set on a high training setting and it hurt. Anyway, he immediately tended to me when I was on my back in pain, well I kind of looked into his eyes and my dumb brain said kiss him so I did...he wasn't into me that way and Qareth saw the whole thing. He left after we talked and I sat there sort of crying embarrassed to tears, she came in and comforted me....told me how she basically made the same exact mistake with Julian and he reacted the same way Chio' reacted to me. She suggested waiting until I was a Knight to date."
He sighed.
"Should have listened to her, my last boyfriend turned out to be a Sith...he used me and set the trap with Kaini..."
“I dunno....Carbonite....poisoning I think. Maybe that affected his cooking abilities.”
He flipped back over in a smooth effortless motion and spun around sitting crossed legged now facing her, careful not to let his limitations show. He wasn't allowed to be a human and he wasn't allowed to have limits. He had to ensure that he could self rescue again if it came to it like it always seemed to. His biceps and triceps were trembling, but that was normal for this kind of thing. The smirk faded a bit as he thought about Qaret.
“She was the best but she always said you were. I have lots of good stories about her. She comforted me when I made a very embarrassing mistake just days before her death.”
He took a breath trying to slow down his breathing again. Should he tell her the story? He scanned her eyes and nodded.
"Yeah well, I was sparring with a friend I hadn't seen in awhile and I....was sixteen, I should point that out. His blade caught my throat and we had it set on a high training setting and it hurt. Anyway, he immediately tended to me when I was on my back in pain, well I kind of looked into his eyes and my dumb brain said kiss him so I did...he wasn't into me that way and Qareth saw the whole thing. He left after we talked and I sat there sort of crying embarrassed to tears, she came in and comforted me....told me how she basically made the same exact mistake with Julian and he reacted the same way Chio' reacted to me. She suggested waiting until I was a Knight to date."
He sighed.
"Should have listened to her, my last boyfriend turned out to be a Sith...he used me and set the trap with Kaini..."
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
It didn’t make sense to Nomi that hibernation poisoning would hit Zhi harder than Ashlin or Erril, but she couldn’t do anything about it anyway. Nomi listened and continually looked back to the younger man as she worked, sometimes glancing at his face, and more often looking over his state of exertion.
She didn’t stop moving herself because it wasn’t the time. There was a healthy color in her face and a little grief, but she wasn’t pushing herself anything like the younger man was. Her excercise was just motion for both of their sakes.
Jaxon’s story about the training blade burn to the throat made her smirk in sympathy. Even if the training situation sounded questionable, she bit back any comment about what the two youths’ saber settings were doing that high in the first place…. they’d both been sixteen. There was no changing it now. And he’d been Qareth’s. And Qareth had been there. She would have had that in hand if she wanted to do anything about it.
Breathing calmly, the Guardian woman continued giving him her full attention while she stretched and actually listened. The younger man mentioning his master’s story about Julian struck Nomi’s core for a moment while the emotions they must have felt hit her—Not just some day when they were young, but then after— Nomi shifted positions. Standing up, she arched her body into a deep backbend that took far more focus than it looked. She closed her eyes. Moved back into her own handstand. The familiar heaviness of her own hilt and the murder weapon over her both of her hips thudded comfortably back against her sides as she changed positions. She breathed out, then stood up and sat back on the floor. Nomi rolled her neck and looked back at Jaxon.
“They would have been good together. I was always hoping they would be. It's…. not even speakable what happened. I doubt we're there yet, so I'm not trying. I’m so angry for every single of you. From every side of it. When did she die?”
She didn’t stop moving herself because it wasn’t the time. There was a healthy color in her face and a little grief, but she wasn’t pushing herself anything like the younger man was. Her excercise was just motion for both of their sakes.
Jaxon’s story about the training blade burn to the throat made her smirk in sympathy. Even if the training situation sounded questionable, she bit back any comment about what the two youths’ saber settings were doing that high in the first place…. they’d both been sixteen. There was no changing it now. And he’d been Qareth’s. And Qareth had been there. She would have had that in hand if she wanted to do anything about it.
Breathing calmly, the Guardian woman continued giving him her full attention while she stretched and actually listened. The younger man mentioning his master’s story about Julian struck Nomi’s core for a moment while the emotions they must have felt hit her—Not just some day when they were young, but then after— Nomi shifted positions. Standing up, she arched her body into a deep backbend that took far more focus than it looked. She closed her eyes. Moved back into her own handstand. The familiar heaviness of her own hilt and the murder weapon over her both of her hips thudded comfortably back against her sides as she changed positions. She breathed out, then stood up and sat back on the floor. Nomi rolled her neck and looked back at Jaxon.
“They would have been good together. I was always hoping they would be. It's…. not even speakable what happened. I doubt we're there yet, so I'm not trying. I’m so angry for every single of you. From every side of it. When did she die?”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
He blinked quietly as she finished her exercises as well. How did he feel? He had range of motion, his chest was a little tight but nothing that couldn't be worked out or through if need be. It wasn't that level of tight that was indicative of an upcoming injury if you kept pushing forward, it was that level of tight that he knew could just be scar tissue that needed to be broken up and the muscle retrained to do what it was supposed to. He was fine, he could make up for shortcomings with the force, that's where a Jedi's power truly was anyway. He needed to compensate in his fighting style though, there was no telling who they were going to run into and he imagined Sam was still out there somewhere.
He exhaled as she spoke and he nodded quietly at the first thought.
"Yeah, they absolutely would have been good together. They were a pair, you should have seen them at the temple. Julian was practically in charge of the students and was a pretty big part of temple defenses too. She and two others were always at his side, we were just kids but we all saw her and him as a couple. It would have been nice...but he...nevermind."
He stood up, for a moment he had ignored the question about when Qareth died but he finally processed it, perhaps mid sentence. His brown eyes widened and his sharp eyebrows raised as he stared directly into her eyes.
"Three years, two weeks, six days, and twelve hours ago. It was raining..."
He blinked rapidly and held back tears by sheer will power. He then quickly turned away from her for a moment to gain his composure. He took a couple breaths in and out. His sharp eyebrows lowered and his expression hardened as his narrow eyes found hers again.
"I can accept that Julian killed her, I can maybe even forgive it, but what I can't forgive is WHAT he did to her. The blatant disrespect he showed to her body. Left out in the rain to rot, her face...." He clenched his jaw and grit his teeth. "Kicked in either as she was dying or right after she died, then the younglings riddled with blaster fire."
He swallowed hard.
"It would have been better had he died that night when he disappeared, like we all thought he did. We mourned our hero, our leader, and our friend. Now he's alive, good for him...but what he's done...."
He shook his head quickly and took several slow breaths in and out to calm himself.
"I..."
He cleared his throat.
"I think we should spar, take our minds of this heavy stuff...I need to clear my head, and I want to see how good the legendary Nomi really is."
He exhaled as she spoke and he nodded quietly at the first thought.
"Yeah, they absolutely would have been good together. They were a pair, you should have seen them at the temple. Julian was practically in charge of the students and was a pretty big part of temple defenses too. She and two others were always at his side, we were just kids but we all saw her and him as a couple. It would have been nice...but he...nevermind."
He stood up, for a moment he had ignored the question about when Qareth died but he finally processed it, perhaps mid sentence. His brown eyes widened and his sharp eyebrows raised as he stared directly into her eyes.
"Three years, two weeks, six days, and twelve hours ago. It was raining..."
He blinked rapidly and held back tears by sheer will power. He then quickly turned away from her for a moment to gain his composure. He took a couple breaths in and out. His sharp eyebrows lowered and his expression hardened as his narrow eyes found hers again.
"I can accept that Julian killed her, I can maybe even forgive it, but what I can't forgive is WHAT he did to her. The blatant disrespect he showed to her body. Left out in the rain to rot, her face...." He clenched his jaw and grit his teeth. "Kicked in either as she was dying or right after she died, then the younglings riddled with blaster fire."
He swallowed hard.
"It would have been better had he died that night when he disappeared, like we all thought he did. We mourned our hero, our leader, and our friend. Now he's alive, good for him...but what he's done...."
He shook his head quickly and took several slow breaths in and out to calm himself.
"I..."
He cleared his throat.
"I think we should spar, take our minds of this heavy stuff...I need to clear my head, and I want to see how good the legendary Nomi really is."
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
“My Master also died three years ago.”
Her second Master, but that didn’t matter. Master Hirius had given his life away three years ago. Force, she missed him still.
“It was better than that. There was damage to the ship and an explosion. He beat me to saving them. It was the best any of us could ask to do.”
Jaxon’s words were still hitting her like a series of bright or awful pieces that stabbed through to her gut and coiled into something heavy that she didn’t have a name for. Her sister-friend’s face. Qareth younger and still loving him that much. It’d been the worst kept secret since they were kids. They all laughed so hard that day she’d headbutted him and accidentally stabbed him in the chest and knocked him out of the tournament when they were padawans. Then Qareth at Jaxon’s age when they were the last two left, kissing Julian. Julian…. what? Kissing her back, Nomi hoped, but he had to have pulled away. Qareth carrying that all with her when she was the very last one, raising her student and keeping on……. And gods, the psychos had ripped Julian to shreds and destroyed him.
The rain, Qareth’s body, her face, her horns, her kicked-in teeth. From Julian. That awful wooden stiffness and grief in Julian’s face when he’d pulled that defiled black thing off his belt and thrown it to her in like it burned his hand. Even his palms had those nail scars.
Nomi put a hand over the thing on her hip and it burned her too, but she gripped her palm around the hilt anyway as if she could crush barehanded through the casing and hold the ruined crystal until it stopped shrieking blood at her and she could fix it. Nomi was going to do something about the thing soon enough; there were no excuses whether Julian was touchy about it or not. It wasn’t hers though. So she was waiting…. maybe for Julian; maybe until she trusted herself with the ugliness enough to not smash it when she got her hands on it. It deserved better than to be the thing that murdered their best friend and had left her dying in the mud with a bunch of children she couldn’t keep safe. From their best friend who had been stolen and desecrated into the worst thing.
Nomi glanced at her wrist where the nonexistent saber scars would have been from that day on Tynna when she lost. Julian had looked angry with the same clenched jaw and disgusted look that Jaxon had now while he talked about it. Then Julian had just looked sick.
’Can we do it later maybe? I'm really tired….’
…And so defeated…
She couldn’t get away from the scars on him. On his skin. In his expressions, in his movements, under his clothes. In Ashlin's face and her hovering about it. In this conversation when he wasn't even here. ... There were those pits and lines under his freaking hair, vivid in her muscle memory.
The older Guardian woman kept her eyes on Jaxon and rolled her neck to keep the tension away from her jaw. Then she gave up on it and her lips pressed together into a terse line anyway. She moved her arms to her sides. Nomi swiped her hand on the leg of her pants to force the scarred feeling away from her palm and fingers, but she but didn't get up.
“No. No sparring yet and don’t clear your head. It wasn’t that simple Jaxon.”
Her second Master, but that didn’t matter. Master Hirius had given his life away three years ago. Force, she missed him still.
“It was better than that. There was damage to the ship and an explosion. He beat me to saving them. It was the best any of us could ask to do.”
Jaxon’s words were still hitting her like a series of bright or awful pieces that stabbed through to her gut and coiled into something heavy that she didn’t have a name for. Her sister-friend’s face. Qareth younger and still loving him that much. It’d been the worst kept secret since they were kids. They all laughed so hard that day she’d headbutted him and accidentally stabbed him in the chest and knocked him out of the tournament when they were padawans. Then Qareth at Jaxon’s age when they were the last two left, kissing Julian. Julian…. what? Kissing her back, Nomi hoped, but he had to have pulled away. Qareth carrying that all with her when she was the very last one, raising her student and keeping on……. And gods, the psychos had ripped Julian to shreds and destroyed him.
The rain, Qareth’s body, her face, her horns, her kicked-in teeth. From Julian. That awful wooden stiffness and grief in Julian’s face when he’d pulled that defiled black thing off his belt and thrown it to her in like it burned his hand. Even his palms had those nail scars.
Nomi put a hand over the thing on her hip and it burned her too, but she gripped her palm around the hilt anyway as if she could crush barehanded through the casing and hold the ruined crystal until it stopped shrieking blood at her and she could fix it. Nomi was going to do something about the thing soon enough; there were no excuses whether Julian was touchy about it or not. It wasn’t hers though. So she was waiting…. maybe for Julian; maybe until she trusted herself with the ugliness enough to not smash it when she got her hands on it. It deserved better than to be the thing that murdered their best friend and had left her dying in the mud with a bunch of children she couldn’t keep safe. From their best friend who had been stolen and desecrated into the worst thing.
Nomi glanced at her wrist where the nonexistent saber scars would have been from that day on Tynna when she lost. Julian had looked angry with the same clenched jaw and disgusted look that Jaxon had now while he talked about it. Then Julian had just looked sick.
’Can we do it later maybe? I'm really tired….’
…And so defeated…
She couldn’t get away from the scars on him. On his skin. In his expressions, in his movements, under his clothes. In Ashlin's face and her hovering about it. In this conversation when he wasn't even here. ... There were those pits and lines under his freaking hair, vivid in her muscle memory.
The older Guardian woman kept her eyes on Jaxon and rolled her neck to keep the tension away from her jaw. Then she gave up on it and her lips pressed together into a terse line anyway. She moved her arms to her sides. Nomi swiped her hand on the leg of her pants to force the scarred feeling away from her palm and fingers, but she but didn't get up.
“No. No sparring yet and don’t clear your head. It wasn’t that simple Jaxon.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
He watched her quietly, studying her moves and her expressions almost as much as he listened to the few words that escaped her lips. His breathing increased a little bit as he thought back on it all, the dark man standing over him the sound of his dark and wicked voice from behind his mask. The burning sensation in his chest and arm as the acrid scent of charred flesh and burnt linen stuck out so poignantly in his mind. He'd never forget that smell, nor that moment. He had lost to the monster and there he was like Qareth going to die by his hand. Chio' and his Master had been right, he hadn't been ready for all that, but he had done so much good that it was a good death for a Guardian....just like Nomi had said of her Master.
Half in the present and half in the past his brown eyes were windows into his soul, they were knowing and unknowing all at once and they were blind to the sympathy that Nomi felt for Julian. How could she? How could she sympathize with that monster? How could it not be simple. It seemed all rather black and white to him.
He took a deep breath in and tried to find the inner peace to not take his grief out on her.
“Look. I processed ALL of this already, I was as whole and at peace with it as I could be. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about your master too, but I am grateful that he died doing what we do. I am upset because the monster I spent the last three years of my life trying to stop turned out to be my childhood hero and he killed my Master who was also my hero, friend, and big sister."
He sniffled and wiped his eyes on his forearm.
"I AM better than this, but it’s like it’s happening all over again. You say it’s complicated or not that simple, but I lived it. He kneeled over me and tried to turn me after he carved a piece out of me…he wanted to make me like him...Julian Orspach, hero of the Jedi order abandoned us to join the Sith, he then killed I don't know how many of us and tried to take me as his apprentice."
He groaned, his sharp eyebrows dropped and his eyes narrowed.
"That seems pretty damn black and white to me Nomi, and I'd need one hell of an explanation as to why it's not simple."
Half in the present and half in the past his brown eyes were windows into his soul, they were knowing and unknowing all at once and they were blind to the sympathy that Nomi felt for Julian. How could she? How could she sympathize with that monster? How could it not be simple. It seemed all rather black and white to him.
He took a deep breath in and tried to find the inner peace to not take his grief out on her.
“Look. I processed ALL of this already, I was as whole and at peace with it as I could be. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about your master too, but I am grateful that he died doing what we do. I am upset because the monster I spent the last three years of my life trying to stop turned out to be my childhood hero and he killed my Master who was also my hero, friend, and big sister."
He sniffled and wiped his eyes on his forearm.
"I AM better than this, but it’s like it’s happening all over again. You say it’s complicated or not that simple, but I lived it. He kneeled over me and tried to turn me after he carved a piece out of me…he wanted to make me like him...Julian Orspach, hero of the Jedi order abandoned us to join the Sith, he then killed I don't know how many of us and tried to take me as his apprentice."
He groaned, his sharp eyebrows dropped and his eyes narrowed.
"That seems pretty damn black and white to me Nomi, and I'd need one hell of an explanation as to why it's not simple."
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
“It is happening again.”
It took all Nomi’s control to sit with her deepening grief and anger hostage in her body without moving. Jaxon’s eyes had narrowed at her. Nomi would have shrugged or at least brushed the angry tears away from her eyes before they spilled out, but she didn’t. The woman just watched the younger man with an implicit acknowledgement of his pain and for whatever bluntness he needed. She wasn’t soft or apologetic; just still. They weren’t going to break anything.
“You’re right I guess. It was simple enough. None of you were safe. Julian made it until he was almost your age, but exhaustion catches up eventually. He was targeted and trapped by Sith with a family tie obsession with him. It was personal. They drugged him and stole him. They stole him to a Sith pit you don’t get to leave where he was alone. They cut his braid. They locked him to a sick lab table and tubed chemicals into him while they kept him alive and present while they destroyed every inch of him for who knows how long. He tried all the tricks he had until he didn’t know who he was anymore. He tried dying. He tried to kill them. They let him break off the damn table shaking a few times and kill some until he was too damaged for that. Sith are evil like that. Then back on the table…. again. Worse and again. Sith are evil like that. Look closer after you punch him next time. You can see some of it. I hate trying to think about the rest.”
Her bare wrist still rested over the awful black thing on her hip. The bloody gem at the heart of it had been a clear blue crystal shining with three others on a flat stone in front of her once. Julian had murdered their sister. Nomi had a thousand feelings. Not one of them changed it enough to make any difference.
“They did some sick mind thing that kept frying him if he ever tried to remember before. They told him the torture and memory damage was all Jedi. He was younger than you with no one. We can feel as sick and bitter as we want thinking one of us could have done better. I doubt it. Julian didn’t exist for ten years. They named him Kaini. They kept him in that mask and used him to hunt and murder his Jedi family while he hated everything he thought he knew about you. Sending him for Qareth was on purpose. The hate he killed her especially with was on purpose. And whatever he did to you. Then Erril and my sister managed to fix his memory. Ashlin is good with that. That and the stubbornness kept him alive through the hell when he realized. He remembers all of it. Now he lives with it. He has to watch us live with it too.”
Nomi finally shifted her shoulders.
“Your turn.”
It took all Nomi’s control to sit with her deepening grief and anger hostage in her body without moving. Jaxon’s eyes had narrowed at her. Nomi would have shrugged or at least brushed the angry tears away from her eyes before they spilled out, but she didn’t. The woman just watched the younger man with an implicit acknowledgement of his pain and for whatever bluntness he needed. She wasn’t soft or apologetic; just still. They weren’t going to break anything.
“You’re right I guess. It was simple enough. None of you were safe. Julian made it until he was almost your age, but exhaustion catches up eventually. He was targeted and trapped by Sith with a family tie obsession with him. It was personal. They drugged him and stole him. They stole him to a Sith pit you don’t get to leave where he was alone. They cut his braid. They locked him to a sick lab table and tubed chemicals into him while they kept him alive and present while they destroyed every inch of him for who knows how long. He tried all the tricks he had until he didn’t know who he was anymore. He tried dying. He tried to kill them. They let him break off the damn table shaking a few times and kill some until he was too damaged for that. Sith are evil like that. Then back on the table…. again. Worse and again. Sith are evil like that. Look closer after you punch him next time. You can see some of it. I hate trying to think about the rest.”
Her bare wrist still rested over the awful black thing on her hip. The bloody gem at the heart of it had been a clear blue crystal shining with three others on a flat stone in front of her once. Julian had murdered their sister. Nomi had a thousand feelings. Not one of them changed it enough to make any difference.
“They did some sick mind thing that kept frying him if he ever tried to remember before. They told him the torture and memory damage was all Jedi. He was younger than you with no one. We can feel as sick and bitter as we want thinking one of us could have done better. I doubt it. Julian didn’t exist for ten years. They named him Kaini. They kept him in that mask and used him to hunt and murder his Jedi family while he hated everything he thought he knew about you. Sending him for Qareth was on purpose. The hate he killed her especially with was on purpose. And whatever he did to you. Then Erril and my sister managed to fix his memory. Ashlin is good with that. That and the stubbornness kept him alive through the hell when he realized. He remembers all of it. Now he lives with it. He has to watch us live with it too.”
Nomi finally shifted her shoulders.
“Your turn.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Jaxon’s eyes narrowed until they were slits as she spoke. His face contorted slightly and his left upper lip twitched. He glanced over at his braid on his left shoulder and clutched it.
They cut his braid.
He turned his head away from Nomi, had their been a table between them he’d have flipped it.
He let a long and annoyed sigh.
“Fuck”
He shook his head and looked back at her.
“That’s not fair. I just have the Sith as a whole to despise? I already don’t like them…"
His lip started twitching more noticeably. He jumped to his feet and punched the wall with all of his might. He closed his eyes and winced in pain as he clenched his fist, blood oozing out of his knuckles and running down his fingers only to drip nearly silently on the floor.
He chuckled quietly and turned away from Nomi shaking his head.
"I've spent my whole life fighting for others so that they might live. I have dedicated the entirety of my existence to destroying the Sith and protecting the galaxy from them."
He lowered his head and shook it while flexing his bloodied hand, he was surprised nothing was broken, not that he cared in the moment.
"Now what?"
He swallowed hard and turned towards her, his already fierce eyes taking on an ominous tone.
"My childhood hero was one, he murdered my master and innocent children, plus hundreds more and you a Jedi are apologizing for him..."
He closed his eyes, and grimaced, his upper lip curling back showing his top row of teeth.
"I trained, fell in love, and had sex with one."
He laughed and breathed out his nose as tears started to run down his cheeks. A knot in his stomach began to tighten as he seemed to come to only one conclusion.
"Maybe I should be a Sith. It's less complicated. It's less frustrating."
His voice grew somber and he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling.
"Is that what I'm supposed to be? I'm surrounded by them, I fell in love with one of them. Maybe it's who I am supposed to be Nomi."
He shook his head, not quite meaning or believing the words coming out of his mouth. He clenched his blooded fist once more despite the throbbing pain that he barely noticed. He reached down to the left side of his belt and retrieved his lightsaber. Once in his hand the familiar cold metal sent a chill down his spine. He grew up with sword in his hand and it only felt natural for it to be there. He felt naked with out absolutely naked, cold, and afraid. Once there though, there was a calming familiarity that perhaps only he could understand. Everything was simple with his weapon in his hand, everything became black and white. On one side of the blade was good and the other side evil.
Jaxon ignited his lightsaber and his blue blade sprang from it's housing. He wrapped his left hand around the bottom of the hilt and his right hand it's rightful place closer to the emitter. He raised the blade parallel to his upright body, just so that the blade in front of his face was directly aligned with his nose between his eyes. He stared at Nomi, now a blue hue surrounding her.
"Duel me."
His voice was calm and cold, but there was a serious and deadly undertone to it.
They cut his braid.
He turned his head away from Nomi, had their been a table between them he’d have flipped it.
He let a long and annoyed sigh.
“Fuck”
He shook his head and looked back at her.
“That’s not fair. I just have the Sith as a whole to despise? I already don’t like them…"
His lip started twitching more noticeably. He jumped to his feet and punched the wall with all of his might. He closed his eyes and winced in pain as he clenched his fist, blood oozing out of his knuckles and running down his fingers only to drip nearly silently on the floor.
He chuckled quietly and turned away from Nomi shaking his head.
"I've spent my whole life fighting for others so that they might live. I have dedicated the entirety of my existence to destroying the Sith and protecting the galaxy from them."
He lowered his head and shook it while flexing his bloodied hand, he was surprised nothing was broken, not that he cared in the moment.
"Now what?"
He swallowed hard and turned towards her, his already fierce eyes taking on an ominous tone.
"My childhood hero was one, he murdered my master and innocent children, plus hundreds more and you a Jedi are apologizing for him..."
He closed his eyes, and grimaced, his upper lip curling back showing his top row of teeth.
"I trained, fell in love, and had sex with one."
He laughed and breathed out his nose as tears started to run down his cheeks. A knot in his stomach began to tighten as he seemed to come to only one conclusion.
"Maybe I should be a Sith. It's less complicated. It's less frustrating."
His voice grew somber and he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling.
"Is that what I'm supposed to be? I'm surrounded by them, I fell in love with one of them. Maybe it's who I am supposed to be Nomi."
He shook his head, not quite meaning or believing the words coming out of his mouth. He clenched his blooded fist once more despite the throbbing pain that he barely noticed. He reached down to the left side of his belt and retrieved his lightsaber. Once in his hand the familiar cold metal sent a chill down his spine. He grew up with sword in his hand and it only felt natural for it to be there. He felt naked with out absolutely naked, cold, and afraid. Once there though, there was a calming familiarity that perhaps only he could understand. Everything was simple with his weapon in his hand, everything became black and white. On one side of the blade was good and the other side evil.
Jaxon ignited his lightsaber and his blue blade sprang from it's housing. He wrapped his left hand around the bottom of the hilt and his right hand it's rightful place closer to the emitter. He raised the blade parallel to his upright body, just so that the blade in front of his face was directly aligned with his nose between his eyes. He stared at Nomi, now a blue hue surrounding her.
"Duel me."
His voice was calm and cold, but there was a serious and deadly undertone to it.
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Nomi rolled her neck, thinking back to the day on the cliff when she’d pushed at Julian until he put the blasted hilt in his hand and fought with her again. There were enough reasons that time had been different. They’d known each other longer. They’d always trained. They were healthy. There’d been no reasons outside Julian’s head that they shouldn’t have fought. She’d been stubborn, not insubordinate. The pitch of his blade wasn’t lost on her either.
Almost none of it mattered. Nomi watched the young swordsman center himself, and the way his bleeding hand settled around the weapon. The steadiness had already snapped back to him. She saw him. She got it. The air hummed while the metal cargo hold around them shone back Guardian blue. Nomi looked Jaxon over with narrowed eyes and a twitch of a smile. The steel grey hilt on her left hip had been tweaked and altered since they’d been students training at every hour in the Temple, but there would always still be a little of Qareth in it. The dark-haired woman picked the weapon from her hip, habitually resetting it in the same motion. She gripped her hilt comfortably for a second and threw it to Jaxon.
“Trade and let’s go.”
Almost none of it mattered. Nomi watched the young swordsman center himself, and the way his bleeding hand settled around the weapon. The steadiness had already snapped back to him. She saw him. She got it. The air hummed while the metal cargo hold around them shone back Guardian blue. Nomi looked Jaxon over with narrowed eyes and a twitch of a smile. The steel grey hilt on her left hip had been tweaked and altered since they’d been students training at every hour in the Temple, but there would always still be a little of Qareth in it. The dark-haired woman picked the weapon from her hip, habitually resetting it in the same motion. She gripped her hilt comfortably for a second and threw it to Jaxon.
“Trade and let’s go.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
He scrunched his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly to one side as he instinctively reached out with his bloodied hand and caught the weapon. He eyed it and her curiously for a second before doing anything.
It wasn’t that he was trying to deceive her, he was just genuinely confused. He clicked his weapon off, the blade snapping back into the hilt. He felt his stomach tighten as he tossed it to her.
“Right. So, the ignition is sensitive and it’s snappy in general. Slightly off balance towards the emitter, it gives it…you’ll figure it out.”
He saw his hilt in her hand and he couldn’t help but feel vulnerable even though he was holding a weapon. He hit the ignition and watched the purple blade come to life.
He let himself half laugh and roll his eyes.
“Just because I’m….nevermind.”
He took in a few deep breaths, he was feeling better already. This all felt right, everything about it was soothing. He closed his eyes and took a rather unique stance. His dominant leg was perched slightly back, both knees bent, one hand on the weapon.
He felt the hilt a bit to see if he had the length to do what he needed to. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he flipped it around and took a reverse grip on the weapon, he held it to his right side, the tip of the blade barely off the ground.
He moved his left arm back and down behind his back.
“Ready?”
It wasn’t that he was trying to deceive her, he was just genuinely confused. He clicked his weapon off, the blade snapping back into the hilt. He felt his stomach tighten as he tossed it to her.
“Right. So, the ignition is sensitive and it’s snappy in general. Slightly off balance towards the emitter, it gives it…you’ll figure it out.”
He saw his hilt in her hand and he couldn’t help but feel vulnerable even though he was holding a weapon. He hit the ignition and watched the purple blade come to life.
He let himself half laugh and roll his eyes.
“Just because I’m….nevermind.”
He took in a few deep breaths, he was feeling better already. This all felt right, everything about it was soothing. He closed his eyes and took a rather unique stance. His dominant leg was perched slightly back, both knees bent, one hand on the weapon.
He felt the hilt a bit to see if he had the length to do what he needed to. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he flipped it around and took a reverse grip on the weapon, he held it to his right side, the tip of the blade barely off the ground.
He moved his left arm back and down behind his back.
“Ready?”
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Good. The change in mood was what she’d been hoping for.
The woman caught the thrown lightsaber hilt and dropped her arm to her side without glancing at it. She rolled her wrist and dropped the hilt into a comfortably solid grasp nearer to the emitter than the pommel.
Nomi kept her eyes on Jaxon with a flicker of a grin while the younger Guardian did his best to quickly share the details of his current life weapon. Her thumb brushed the power settings and the weapon sprang to life beside her, blade angled down and to her right. Satisfied with her obligatory power adjustments, she deactivated the blade. The blue reflections vanished from the durasteel floor, instantly replaced by the purple blade springing to life and lighting Jaxon’s features.
When Jaxon commented on her color, she smirked.
“Yes that's right,” Nomi replied in a dust-dry tone with a spark of warmth in her eyes. Guardian blue tones shot back across the floor plates at the corner of her vision. The blade at her side hand snapped off and back on again.
“I bonded that crystal twenty years ago and carried it ever since for teasing punch lines just like this one. Perfect, right?”
Her jaw twitched a little while the nineteen year old crouched into an absurd Dun Möch of an opening stance that left his healing shoulder baldly exposed and his weapon behind him in a reverse grip while he waited for her. Well that was some kind of a trap.
’Ready?’
She’d been ready since she was three years old. Jumping at the ridiculous vulnerability he’d left for her was completely unnecessary. She could have dove at him with a stab and forced him to react to the unpredictable contact mark. Her battle reflexes were fast but only once they were in motion. Nomi was a sucker for a good trap, though.
She brought her lightsaber up to her head in something close to a two-handed Djem So stance with her right hand still dominant on the hilt. Giving Jaxon what he obviously wanted, she blurred forward and surged her blade down in a crashing attack at his shoulder.
The woman caught the thrown lightsaber hilt and dropped her arm to her side without glancing at it. She rolled her wrist and dropped the hilt into a comfortably solid grasp nearer to the emitter than the pommel.
Nomi kept her eyes on Jaxon with a flicker of a grin while the younger Guardian did his best to quickly share the details of his current life weapon. Her thumb brushed the power settings and the weapon sprang to life beside her, blade angled down and to her right. Satisfied with her obligatory power adjustments, she deactivated the blade. The blue reflections vanished from the durasteel floor, instantly replaced by the purple blade springing to life and lighting Jaxon’s features.
When Jaxon commented on her color, she smirked.
“Yes that's right,” Nomi replied in a dust-dry tone with a spark of warmth in her eyes. Guardian blue tones shot back across the floor plates at the corner of her vision. The blade at her side hand snapped off and back on again.
“I bonded that crystal twenty years ago and carried it ever since for teasing punch lines just like this one. Perfect, right?”
Her jaw twitched a little while the nineteen year old crouched into an absurd Dun Möch of an opening stance that left his healing shoulder baldly exposed and his weapon behind him in a reverse grip while he waited for her. Well that was some kind of a trap.
’Ready?’
She’d been ready since she was three years old. Jumping at the ridiculous vulnerability he’d left for her was completely unnecessary. She could have dove at him with a stab and forced him to react to the unpredictable contact mark. Her battle reflexes were fast but only once they were in motion. Nomi was a sucker for a good trap, though.
She brought her lightsaber up to her head in something close to a two-handed Djem So stance with her right hand still dominant on the hilt. Giving Jaxon what he obviously wanted, she blurred forward and surged her blade down in a crashing attack at his shoulder.
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
His shoulder exposed an obvious trap and he knew she'd fall for it, even if she knew it was a trap. He had barely even known her a day and he already knew the kind of Jedi she was. Here's the big shiny red button, I wonder what it does. The smirk was internal because she was fast In all likelihood faster than him and that did not happen often even with his friend at the temple.
His lightsaber deactivated as flew at break neck speed from one hand to the other before activating and coming down on Nomi's blue blade parrying it away, as his wounded arm found the hilt in the motion. Muscles expanded and contracted and searing pain shot through his shoulder and chest and then there was a flash in his mind the blue blade and the purple one linked together their clash audible. His mind flashed back a year as he tried to outmuscle her blade.
The Sith's wicked red blade clashed with his guardian blue and the purple light illuminated the room against the flames. He felt the heat of the flames around him and his face contorted as he tried to out muscle the dark lord. Was he to die here?
He struggled against Nomi's blade sweat forming on his brow as the pain was becoming ever present at the forefront of his mind, he could not let her win. He had to bounce back here and now he had to return to what he was prior to....
His blue blade clashed against the orange the flash brilliant against the Sephi's naturally red eyes, a smirk on the other young man's face drew Jaxon in until their blades fell silent and Samael pulled him to the ground on top of him their lips meeting in a kiss...
Not even a full second had elapsed, the intensity in his face grew, his brown eyes taking in the light of the two blades and his focus becoming honed in on the task at hand.
Rain poured down on him in the alley, dead youngling all round him. He came to her motionless body and knelt down beside her. Pain filled his soul as he looked down at her bloodied and broken face. He reached out to smooth her features as tears formed in his eyes and rolled down the sixteen year old's face.
Then he was back in the moment, maybe a second after all this began.
"AHHHHH!"
He extinguished his blade and pivoted quickly kicking her in the stomach and raising his hand to let out a mighty force push, hilt back in his other hand once more and springing to life. This all felt right.
Or did it....??
His lightsaber deactivated as flew at break neck speed from one hand to the other before activating and coming down on Nomi's blue blade parrying it away, as his wounded arm found the hilt in the motion. Muscles expanded and contracted and searing pain shot through his shoulder and chest and then there was a flash in his mind the blue blade and the purple one linked together their clash audible. His mind flashed back a year as he tried to outmuscle her blade.
The Sith's wicked red blade clashed with his guardian blue and the purple light illuminated the room against the flames. He felt the heat of the flames around him and his face contorted as he tried to out muscle the dark lord. Was he to die here?
He struggled against Nomi's blade sweat forming on his brow as the pain was becoming ever present at the forefront of his mind, he could not let her win. He had to bounce back here and now he had to return to what he was prior to....
His blue blade clashed against the orange the flash brilliant against the Sephi's naturally red eyes, a smirk on the other young man's face drew Jaxon in until their blades fell silent and Samael pulled him to the ground on top of him their lips meeting in a kiss...
Not even a full second had elapsed, the intensity in his face grew, his brown eyes taking in the light of the two blades and his focus becoming honed in on the task at hand.
Rain poured down on him in the alley, dead youngling all round him. He came to her motionless body and knelt down beside her. Pain filled his soul as he looked down at her bloodied and broken face. He reached out to smooth her features as tears formed in his eyes and rolled down the sixteen year old's face.
Then he was back in the moment, maybe a second after all this began.
"AHHHHH!"
He extinguished his blade and pivoted quickly kicking her in the stomach and raising his hand to let out a mighty force push, hilt back in his other hand once more and springing to life. This all felt right.
Or did it....??
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."
-
Nomi Jonan
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 6:33 pm
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
Force; Nomi loved how much freer and faster she could think with a decent hilt in her palm. It was more of a default than an advantage; she knew Jaxon’s would be the same.
She lunged, he flipped hands and sprang—strike—parry—blades slamming back together. Even in a too-small durasteel box to keep things novel, Nomi knew their movements were blatantly Guardian-predictable. Yes; they both knew she’d go for the obvious trap. Just like they both knew he’d hyperflex his core to spring it. She didn’t love that and definitely didn’t envy it, but here they were. Better to get it done.
Blades crackled and fought to shift for the third time, and then they were really locked up—Jaxon stifling a grunt—Nomi eyed him from the cooler side of their crackling plasma match, not making a fuss or pretending to ignore the sheen of blue and purple reflections beading out across his face.
The shoving endurance match came with a dozen barely detectable shifts in pressure while they felt out each other’s reactions. It was the kind of proudly stubbornly exchange that would've had her brother sighing and shaking his head. Keep up this way and she knew they’d have weeded out half of the non-healer Consulars, maybe a third of the Sentinels, before they even got to do anything interesting — So? If someone wanted quick and uncultivated theatrics, they could check at another training circle. Theirs wasn’t for the uncommitted.
The mounting pressure of two pristinely-tuned beams crackled into each other. If life had been kinder and they could have had an audience, like… well, Julian and Qareth... But—Syler, Silme, Aero… That would have been different. They didn’t need it though.
Subtle Force-flickers around them snapped into motion. Good! Nomi blinked back something between grief and pride just in time for Jaxon to slam screaming out of his own headspace with the most angsty Qareth kick she’d seen in—
She'd braced her core, but Jaxon actually landed that harder than she expected. Dang. Kicks happened, though. The tanned woman hissed a practiced exhale and let his Push sweep her five feet back into the bulkhead while she prioritized avoiding diaphragm spasm. Pity about it being a cargo-rated wall with no sympathy for humans throwing each other into it, but oh well. Walls happened, too.
Jaxon’s hilt snapped in her hand; blade flicked off. She Pulled on the equally solid bulkhead behind him at the last instant, keeping her busy hand forward while she relaxed tension and threw out the rest of her limbs to catch the wall impact across more of her surface area. Her head had been tucked just forward enough that she let it naturally rebound— and, low on her head, the coiled bun of her thick, braided, hair executed another fantastically satisfying demonstration of why she kept the long Li-women braid that her mother and sister did. Nomi hated concussions.
She dropped properly back on her feet, lungs working. She’d bruise, but nothing broken. It wasn't time for talking, but Nomi let a slight grin of respect flicker into her expression. Feel better yet? She did.
Jaxon struck.
Nomi twisted and deflected.
Blades locked.
He sprang.
She deflected. Soresu was infuriating right now and she knew it, but if there was any time — this box was the place.
Jaxon twisted and—she didn’t let him get far—
He tried three times to break into something—almost dark.
What was that about? She quirked an eyebrow at him. Their eyes met and she let it go.
The borrowed hilt in her grip wasn’t Qareth’s — she knew now for sure. But it had the Zabrak in every bit of it. The familiarity felt like hundreds of glorious exhausting hours half a lifetime ago.
They were still locked up again.
His thumb had to be itching to try the Trakata opening they both saw, but... split-second precognition was a funny thing when you both recognized most of the steps.
Nomi felt a flicker of satisfaction every time she foiled him before he could finish trying anything. What did she teach you to do about it?
She snorted when Jaxon finally broke free with an obnoxious Echani trick Qareth had stole from Jachai.
Ugh. Nomi missed the years when Jachai had still fought like that!
Jaxon pulled it off and deserved every bit of the smirk in his eyes.
The cargo hold that wasn't nearly big enough for this to be especially safe, escalated into vortex of blue against purple-pink energy clashes and tight thunderclap flares of white plasma cores.
The woman caught him flicking a glance at the right side of her face for the second time and wondered what he was getting at—then Nomi realized her hair had come a little loose after the wall. The thin braid behind her ear would have slipped out from the rest a little. She leveled a proud stare back at him. And?
It went longer than it would have if they weren’t both purposefully throwing familiar actions and reactions at each other — but seeing the nineteen year old react to Julian’s twist with Qareth’s favorite parry was the most perfect thing.
Her friend had done a good job with this boy. He’d kept putting the work into it even after everything went that much worse.
It wasn't going to matter. Nomi had at least a decade on him. Her core wasn't about to mutiny on her, and—sorry Zhi,—but with the way this situation turned out, there was absolutely no way Nomi was about to live with giving Qareth's ghost that level of satisfaction...
They were a flow of tight strikes, twists, counters until her eyes glinted at a traitorous little hitch of pain in the younger man’s breathing. Ouch…. They could joke about anything, but that searing tightness and unreliability from your own muscles and connective tissue was a nightmare. Such is life.
She whirled around his tight side, reversing grip mid-twist to jab toward his back.
Breathing sharp—she didn’t like to think how his ribs were feeling—but he rolled beneath the blow and took her down to the floor with him; two blades snapping off, hilts kept secure in their grasps for the grapple flurry of strikes and rolls on the floor.
She elbowed his torso at the next opportunity and kept his saber hand forced away from them.
He tried to headbutt her! She shoved him back, but snorted laughing even when it cost her an empty-hand punch to the side of her head that made her braid slip further again. She kept his saber arm pinned away anyway.
Nomi grinned a glare while her right hand shifted his emitter into line with his carotid. “On.”
She lunged, he flipped hands and sprang—strike—parry—blades slamming back together. Even in a too-small durasteel box to keep things novel, Nomi knew their movements were blatantly Guardian-predictable. Yes; they both knew she’d go for the obvious trap. Just like they both knew he’d hyperflex his core to spring it. She didn’t love that and definitely didn’t envy it, but here they were. Better to get it done.
Blades crackled and fought to shift for the third time, and then they were really locked up—Jaxon stifling a grunt—Nomi eyed him from the cooler side of their crackling plasma match, not making a fuss or pretending to ignore the sheen of blue and purple reflections beading out across his face.
The shoving endurance match came with a dozen barely detectable shifts in pressure while they felt out each other’s reactions. It was the kind of proudly stubbornly exchange that would've had her brother sighing and shaking his head. Keep up this way and she knew they’d have weeded out half of the non-healer Consulars, maybe a third of the Sentinels, before they even got to do anything interesting — So? If someone wanted quick and uncultivated theatrics, they could check at another training circle. Theirs wasn’t for the uncommitted.
The mounting pressure of two pristinely-tuned beams crackled into each other. If life had been kinder and they could have had an audience, like… well, Julian and Qareth... But—Syler, Silme, Aero… That would have been different. They didn’t need it though.
Subtle Force-flickers around them snapped into motion. Good! Nomi blinked back something between grief and pride just in time for Jaxon to slam screaming out of his own headspace with the most angsty Qareth kick she’d seen in—
She'd braced her core, but Jaxon actually landed that harder than she expected. Dang. Kicks happened, though. The tanned woman hissed a practiced exhale and let his Push sweep her five feet back into the bulkhead while she prioritized avoiding diaphragm spasm. Pity about it being a cargo-rated wall with no sympathy for humans throwing each other into it, but oh well. Walls happened, too.
Jaxon’s hilt snapped in her hand; blade flicked off. She Pulled on the equally solid bulkhead behind him at the last instant, keeping her busy hand forward while she relaxed tension and threw out the rest of her limbs to catch the wall impact across more of her surface area. Her head had been tucked just forward enough that she let it naturally rebound— and, low on her head, the coiled bun of her thick, braided, hair executed another fantastically satisfying demonstration of why she kept the long Li-women braid that her mother and sister did. Nomi hated concussions.
She dropped properly back on her feet, lungs working. She’d bruise, but nothing broken. It wasn't time for talking, but Nomi let a slight grin of respect flicker into her expression. Feel better yet? She did.
Jaxon struck.
Nomi twisted and deflected.
Blades locked.
He sprang.
She deflected. Soresu was infuriating right now and she knew it, but if there was any time — this box was the place.
Jaxon twisted and—she didn’t let him get far—
He tried three times to break into something—almost dark.
What was that about? She quirked an eyebrow at him. Their eyes met and she let it go.
The borrowed hilt in her grip wasn’t Qareth’s — she knew now for sure. But it had the Zabrak in every bit of it. The familiarity felt like hundreds of glorious exhausting hours half a lifetime ago.
They were still locked up again.
His thumb had to be itching to try the Trakata opening they both saw, but... split-second precognition was a funny thing when you both recognized most of the steps.
Nomi felt a flicker of satisfaction every time she foiled him before he could finish trying anything. What did she teach you to do about it?
She snorted when Jaxon finally broke free with an obnoxious Echani trick Qareth had stole from Jachai.
Ugh. Nomi missed the years when Jachai had still fought like that!
Jaxon pulled it off and deserved every bit of the smirk in his eyes.
The cargo hold that wasn't nearly big enough for this to be especially safe, escalated into vortex of blue against purple-pink energy clashes and tight thunderclap flares of white plasma cores.
The woman caught him flicking a glance at the right side of her face for the second time and wondered what he was getting at—then Nomi realized her hair had come a little loose after the wall. The thin braid behind her ear would have slipped out from the rest a little. She leveled a proud stare back at him. And?
It went longer than it would have if they weren’t both purposefully throwing familiar actions and reactions at each other — but seeing the nineteen year old react to Julian’s twist with Qareth’s favorite parry was the most perfect thing.
Her friend had done a good job with this boy. He’d kept putting the work into it even after everything went that much worse.
It wasn't going to matter. Nomi had at least a decade on him. Her core wasn't about to mutiny on her, and—sorry Zhi,—but with the way this situation turned out, there was absolutely no way Nomi was about to live with giving Qareth's ghost that level of satisfaction...
They were a flow of tight strikes, twists, counters until her eyes glinted at a traitorous little hitch of pain in the younger man’s breathing. Ouch…. They could joke about anything, but that searing tightness and unreliability from your own muscles and connective tissue was a nightmare. Such is life.
She whirled around his tight side, reversing grip mid-twist to jab toward his back.
Breathing sharp—she didn’t like to think how his ribs were feeling—but he rolled beneath the blow and took her down to the floor with him; two blades snapping off, hilts kept secure in their grasps for the grapple flurry of strikes and rolls on the floor.
She elbowed his torso at the next opportunity and kept his saber hand forced away from them.
He tried to headbutt her! She shoved him back, but snorted laughing even when it cost her an empty-hand punch to the side of her head that made her braid slip further again. She kept his saber arm pinned away anyway.
Nomi grinned a glare while her right hand shifted his emitter into line with his carotid. “On.”
It's a new world. It's a new start. It's alive with the beating of young hearts.
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
It's a new day. It's a new plan.
It's waiting for me—
— Here I am!
Re: Some Things to Take Care Of
"On"
He glanced down at the emitter and saw the angle of it in relationship to his neck. He flashed back three years ago when Chio's blade caught him in the throat and the amount of pain it caused. Yep...that was a kill shot and there was no arguing that, there is no chance that he wanted her to flick that blade on...screw that to the depths of hell. He little out a giggle at the situation as a smile formed on his face. This was all perfect, this was the best medicine he could have asked for.
Sweat rolled of his face and onto the floor, in fact he was soaked to the core in sweat. The pain he was feeling was not even remotely insignificant but it wasn't severe but it was definitely there, though he would never admit it to anyone least of all know me. Damn she was good, and he was satisfied with his performance against her. He could have done better at his peak, but he would have still lost unless he got a lucky shot in.
He hopped up to his feet and offered is hand and pulled her to her feet.
"That was fun! Good job, you really had me there! One time Chio' got me across the throat with his blade and it hurt like hell! So, no arguing your kill shot from me, nope not one bit of argument from me."
He rolled his head and cracked his neck, a since of peace and euphoria washed over him, this was the medicine he desperately needed.
"You're my first Jedi sparring partner in years, despite being a total piece of shit Sameal was good and he even taught me a few things...that I tried to use on you three times and you effortlessly blocked so they might be worthless."
He smirked.
"You're pretty good, for a Padawan."
His sharp eyebrows dropped a bit as the smirk turned into a grin with the playful jab acknowledging her braid, which he had plenty of questions about.
It was then that an alarm in the cockpit rang out and he felt the ship drop from hyperspace. He glanced at the chronograph in the cargo hold after a near adrenaline dump. They were there already?! Time seemed to have entered hyperspace as well. How long had they been talking? How long had they been dueling?
Whatever.
"Come on! We're home!"
Butterflies stirred in his stomach as he said the words as he darted up to the cockpit as if he was in virtually no pain at all. He brushed the sweat from his forehead and radioed the temple who was a bit skeptical as to his story. Had his voice changed enough in three years to throw off their voice recognition system? He didn't know. Does one even notice their own voice? Not to mention that the shuttle was not known to the temple, this all made his story dubious at best.
As they entered the atmosphere four Jedi Starfighters formed up on them, two at the front and two at the rear. Jax helpfully waved at them but he wan't sure how much good that did. The fighters escorted them into the main hangar bay where the fighters landed beside them. They had been given instructions on what to do next but Jaxon merely just rolled his eyes. He was home and if they wanted to kill him, well...they could try. He smiled at Nomi and activated the controls for the boarding ramp which lowered onto the hangar floor.
"Lets get off this ship so I can kiss the ground once we get out."
He smirked once more, he felt genuinely happy, between the sparring and being home for the first time in years he was in a really good emotional spot right now for the first time in what felt like forever.
He grabbed his bag from the cargo hold and slowly made his way down the ramp, lightsaber hanging at his side. He may have ignored their instructions to wait on the ship but he wasn't about to be stupid and make a ton of sudden movements. Clones trained their weapons on the both of them, he wasn't sure he recognized any aura among them, so there was no way they recognized him. Two Jedi emerged in front of them and made their way to the ship, Jaxon cocked his head to the side and without warning he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"CHIO'!!!!!!!"
He glanced down at the emitter and saw the angle of it in relationship to his neck. He flashed back three years ago when Chio's blade caught him in the throat and the amount of pain it caused. Yep...that was a kill shot and there was no arguing that, there is no chance that he wanted her to flick that blade on...screw that to the depths of hell. He little out a giggle at the situation as a smile formed on his face. This was all perfect, this was the best medicine he could have asked for.
Sweat rolled of his face and onto the floor, in fact he was soaked to the core in sweat. The pain he was feeling was not even remotely insignificant but it wasn't severe but it was definitely there, though he would never admit it to anyone least of all know me. Damn she was good, and he was satisfied with his performance against her. He could have done better at his peak, but he would have still lost unless he got a lucky shot in.
He hopped up to his feet and offered is hand and pulled her to her feet.
"That was fun! Good job, you really had me there! One time Chio' got me across the throat with his blade and it hurt like hell! So, no arguing your kill shot from me, nope not one bit of argument from me."
He rolled his head and cracked his neck, a since of peace and euphoria washed over him, this was the medicine he desperately needed.
"You're my first Jedi sparring partner in years, despite being a total piece of shit Sameal was good and he even taught me a few things...that I tried to use on you three times and you effortlessly blocked so they might be worthless."
He smirked.
"You're pretty good, for a Padawan."
His sharp eyebrows dropped a bit as the smirk turned into a grin with the playful jab acknowledging her braid, which he had plenty of questions about.
It was then that an alarm in the cockpit rang out and he felt the ship drop from hyperspace. He glanced at the chronograph in the cargo hold after a near adrenaline dump. They were there already?! Time seemed to have entered hyperspace as well. How long had they been talking? How long had they been dueling?
Whatever.
"Come on! We're home!"
Butterflies stirred in his stomach as he said the words as he darted up to the cockpit as if he was in virtually no pain at all. He brushed the sweat from his forehead and radioed the temple who was a bit skeptical as to his story. Had his voice changed enough in three years to throw off their voice recognition system? He didn't know. Does one even notice their own voice? Not to mention that the shuttle was not known to the temple, this all made his story dubious at best.
As they entered the atmosphere four Jedi Starfighters formed up on them, two at the front and two at the rear. Jax helpfully waved at them but he wan't sure how much good that did. The fighters escorted them into the main hangar bay where the fighters landed beside them. They had been given instructions on what to do next but Jaxon merely just rolled his eyes. He was home and if they wanted to kill him, well...they could try. He smiled at Nomi and activated the controls for the boarding ramp which lowered onto the hangar floor.
"Lets get off this ship so I can kiss the ground once we get out."
He smirked once more, he felt genuinely happy, between the sparring and being home for the first time in years he was in a really good emotional spot right now for the first time in what felt like forever.
He grabbed his bag from the cargo hold and slowly made his way down the ramp, lightsaber hanging at his side. He may have ignored their instructions to wait on the ship but he wasn't about to be stupid and make a ton of sudden movements. Clones trained their weapons on the both of them, he wasn't sure he recognized any aura among them, so there was no way they recognized him. Two Jedi emerged in front of them and made their way to the ship, Jaxon cocked his head to the side and without warning he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"CHIO'!!!!!!!"
"No one is coming. I expect to self rescue."