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| - A few hours of rest has actually done Zorin Pol a great deal of good. The Kel Dor padawan is seated comfortably on his knees in one of the gymnasiums. His synthetic weave cloak is hung carefully from one of many posts and the orange creature seems to be lost in meditation. A smooth feeling of relaxation rolls off of the padawan as his mind wanders aimlessly. Truthfully he is more on the verge of falling asleep than focusing, though he is gently aware of the flow of the empty room. To summon his thoughts back, Zorin begins to reflect on the past few days which seemed to pass by like rapid fire. Within the next day he would likely be heading back to Yavin IV to prepare with Noval. Then after that, Zorin is uncertain. His thoughts are suddenly pulled to the here and now and he glances towards the entrance with an upstretched brow. Through that entrance stride a pair of Horansi, the Knight Badiri and his single Padawan Snal'Fashtalli. It would seem the Force has presaged their arrival to Zorin in particular, but if Badiri notices, he doesn't return the Kel Dor's gaze. Rather, he leads Snarl toward an empty portion of the room not far from where Zorin is seated. "Take a moment to stretch, Snal'Fashtalli," he's saying, "Combat situations won't always give you that opportunity, and with time, you will learn how to guide the Force through your body so that stretching isn't as necessary. But for now, go ahead." Although aware of the presence of someone as of yet unfamiliar, Snarl does not let it distract her unduly. Nodding to Badiri, the tall Kasa obediently runs through a few basic stretches, limbering her limbs and back as she warms her muscles up a bit. Her movements are fairly fluid even from the beginning, but an astute observer will be able to detect an improvement in quickness and flexibility as she completes her kata. The Kel Dor smiles beneath his facemask at the entrance of the Horansi. Zorin Pol has known Badiri for more than half of his life, first meeting him when he was eight years old under the tutelage of Master Kai. He watches curiously as he now trains his own padawan. With all the travel the Kel Dor has been doing, he hasn't much time for socializing within the order, and has tended to keep to himself or training with either Ver-tek Kai or Noval. Though these days it has been more Noval, and now that he is heading into Imperial space with the Knight it is likely he will take over Zorin's training entirely. While Snarl goes about getting herself loosened up, Badiri looks about the room and finally seems to spy the young Kel Dor. "Zorin," he rumbles, whiskers dancing amiably. He lifts a black paw to wave before gesturing him over, nothing more than an invitation, "Would you like to join us? Snal'Fashtalli, I have someone I think you should meet." The Mashi and his student had been spending a fair amount of time away from Ord Mantell themselves, lately, and it was good to see an old friend. As Snarl finishes a long lunging motion and pauses to let the muscles stretch fully in that position, she glances over toward Badiri and then Zorin. Stepping back into a normal stance, she resumes her full nine feet in height before bowing her head slightly to acknowledge Zorin. Folding her paws behind her back, she awaits her master's further instruction. Zorin leans forward and puts a hand on the ground to aid in lifting himself back to his feet. There is a moment in which is recalculates his balance and regains control and feeling in his legs. He certainly meditating for quite some time, though it hadn't hit him until just now. His hands rest comfortably behind his back and he strides over to the duo. The orange padawan bows his head in respect, "Of course." his voice reverberates through the breath mask, "It is a pleasure to meet you -- I am Zorin Pol." Badiri observes Zorin and looks to Snarl upon his introduction. "Zorin is a Kel Dor, Snal'Fashtalli," he explains, "from the world Dorin. I will show it to you sometime in the archives. Its atmosphere is very different from what you and I are used to breathing." The Mashi finds himself with a number of questions for Zorin, but that will come later. He steps back to let Snarl introduce herself. Although Snarl has obviously noticed the other's mask, she hadn't asked about it -- yet. Badiri's explanation serves to sate her curiosity on that particular point so that she doesn't have to ask. "Greetings," she rumbles evenly, "I am Snal'Fashtalli, although most seem to prefer to call me Snarl." Yes, it's a nickname that she's gradually coming to accept. Reluctantly. "The pleasure is all mine, Snal'Fashtalli." He pronounces it correctly, perhaps because he hasn't a 'mouth' like most other species. His mask not only acts as a filter to prevent oxygen poisoning, but it also serves as an amplifier. Without the helium rich environment the Kel Dor essentially has to shout to speak, though it translates through the mask at an acceptable volume for more other species. It actually explains why the padawan prefers to remain silent until he absolutely is needed to speak. "Zorin came to the Jedi Order around the same time I did, Snal'Fashtalli," Badiri recounts to his Padawan, "Both he and I were assigned to Master Kai. I began my physical training sooner because of my age, but Zorin is a wealth of knowledge regarding Jedi history and philosophy. He is a great resource for good conversation." Favoring the young Kel Dor with a chuckle, Badiri reaches to his belt, "Snal'Fashtalli and I were about to do a bit of work with the lightsaber. I thought we'd start with a few velocities, then proceed on to some sparring. Would you care to join us?" Having never met Zorin's race before, Snarl can get no reliable clue as to his mood or intentions though scent or body language. She must merely accept his words to mean what they seem to mean for now. Badiri's apparent acquaintance with him is at least a point in his favor. She glances at the Mashi as he informs her that the other has been around for quite a while now. It seems to her that she really is the newest and least learned member of the Temple's inhabitants at the moment. A chuckle emanates from the Kel Dor as he spreads his hands. He is one of the few Jedi who have been trained since before they were toddlers, due in part to the service of Ver-tak Kai. "But of course, my friend. I always thoroughly enjoy a thrashing from Master Kai, it's been several days since I have had the opportunity to set aside time to practice my forms. Always on the move, and that. You know how it can be at times." Badiri laughs quietly as he unhooks his lightsaber and indicates for Snarl to do the same. "We just returned from Coruscant, ourselves," he tells Zorin, "Debriefed with the Council earlier this evening." Outside, it is already night in New Alderaan, the stars glittering like rose amethyst through the pink atmospher. Badiri steps forward and takes a position where there is room for the Padawans at either side of him, "We will work with Form I today, as I haven't yet introduced Snal'Fashtalli to the Way of the Ysalamiri." With the snap-hiss of his igniting blade, Badiri steps back with his right foot and raises his weapon to his ear, the blade pointed straight up. Taking up the position on Badiri's left side, Snarl steps back on her left leg and unclips her own training saber lifting it up near her own ear; careful to keep the blade pointed toward the ceiling. She won't make the same painful mistake twice of letting it tilt toward her ear. Despite being quite accomplished with several different melee weapons, the tall Kasa has accepted that she must begin at the beginning with the lightsaber. And so she is patience itself as she slowly learns the various forms. Zorin reaches for the cylindrical lightsaber at his belt meanwhile back pedaling to grant more space. The Kel Dor ignites a green blade and offers a salute often given by Makashi practitioners; he's always preferred the more refined style. When he brings the weapon to his face there is something odd about the weapon, it looks old and worn. The metal is worn down as though the weapon has been rigorously handled giving it a clear and obvious aged look. Zorin Pol completes the flourish of the salute and then immediately steps back with his left foot lifting the blade to its proper location. Opening stances were no problem, Zorin could hardly explain how often Master Kai had run such drills. "Clear your minds, now," Badiri instructs, doing the same himself as he observes that Pol is evidently left-handed. He'd somehow never noticed it before. "Let the Force flow through you and guide your movements. You will both recall the lessons of the sarlaac: patience, simplicity, and determination. These are the hallmarks of Form I, Shii Cho." As he speaks, Badiri begins to move. His stance is neutral, his weight distributed evenly between his feet, his spine comfortable, his crouch moderate. One by one, he moves his blade easily, almost gently, through six accepted zones of attack and defense. Beginning at the head, the weapon sings its song downward to pause at the Mashi's right side, its tip directed still upward. It moves to the left, blade kept raised, then pivots with his arms until the weapon is aligned with his backbone, now aimed downward. The arms continue to move, bringing the lightsaber to his right leg, and then to his left. "As you move, be aware of your blade. Know its proximity to you, and know the positions of those around you. The Force can give you foresight into their actions, how they will affect you, and how you may best defend. The master of his blade is a master of listening and obeying." Perhaps just a bit shy of her own blade after the mishap with their last practice session, Snarl does her best to relax and allow the Force to help her be aware of both her own weapon and the actions of those around her. Her previous training and battles help the Kasa to get over her concern with being badly bruised again. It won't kill her, after all. Letting her movements flow smoothly in sync with Badiri's, she half-lids her eyes as she pays attention to two different realities. With his /left/ foot back, Zorin follows the precise movements that Badiri does. The Kel Dor's focus is entirely on the moment as he allows the blade to become an extension of his arm. However brief, the weapon and the wielder combine into one entity. The Kel Dor starts at the top and works the way down as he quietly remembers some of the lessons of old. Before he had even become a padawan he had practiced extensively with this simple yet powerful form. While Snarl's weapon may not be fatal, the antique that Zorin wields is more than a little letahl. It speaks to the young man's talent as he is trusted with the weapon at all. Suddenly the Kel Dor is the weapon and he counts through the exercise, almost trusting the saber itself more than himself. His familiarity is further compounded by Zorin Pol's practice of Makashi which seeks to render the djem so of the first form useless. His eyes closed, Badiri nods at both of the students. His posture shifts now. The blade begins to flow through defensive variations of the same zones -- one, two, three, four, five, six. Head, right arm, left arm, back, right leg, left leg. He moves slowly and purposefully, encouraging focus and discipline on behalf of the Padawans. The posture shifts again. He had begin with a neutral set, proceeded to defensive, and now goes to aggressive variations of the same six. "Yes," he murmurs, regarding each of them through the Force as they sink themselves into it, "The Unifying Force can give us clues to the future, to destiny. But the Living Force guides us in the here and now. The Jedi must always be mindful of the future, but never at the expense of /this/ moment. Do you see?" Her own golden eyes nearly closed, Snarl moves smoothly through the exercise with Badiri and Zorin. As they progress through the sets, she seems to gain a bit of confidence and her presence in the Force is a bit more steady. "Yes, Master," the Kasa replies to his question, her saber humming softly as she sifts her stance. As one who essentially idolizes Qui-Gon Jinn of the Old Order, Zorin Pol is familiar with the guiding principles of the Living Force and even has a few theories of his own. But right now they haven't got much to do with the exercises now. One, two, three, four, five, six, he moves aggressively and then defensively. In between each set he adopts a horizontal parry stance before continuing on. The practice now is actually incredibly handy. Zorin doesn't know it yet, but this time tomorrow he would be fighting off foes on the surface of Nak Shimor. The activity progresses. "Faster now," Badiri instructs softly. He steps up the pace, though just marginally. Six steps neutral, six steps defensive, six steps aggressive. "Faster again." Over the course of the next half-hour, the three of them run simply through these eighteen paces, again and again, familiarizing themselves, almost programming their bodies. It becomes something of a dance, known as a Dulon, as time moves forward and the Mashi continues to instruct.
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