HOME | DD

Description
Summary: Padawan Jooniper Brown has been assigned a new Master. Master Sebal Clive seeks out Joon at a waterfall not far from the Temple of Tython. After introductions are made, Master Sebal Clive leads Padawan Jooniper Brown into a glade in order to begin his first assessment test with his new student.

RP

It was in the middle of the afternoon on Tython and Jooniper was done with classes for the remainder of the day. Jooniper was a relatively new resident at the Temple on Tython and, aside from a mishap involving a huge mess in the archive, she was adjusting well to her new life. Jooniper Brown had believed that it was going to take her forever to clean up the mess she made in the archive until a couple of other Padawans had shown up to help her clean things up without the Oracle's knowledge. Now, Joon was much relieved that she could spend her free time doing something else. After her classes, Joon had changed out of her uniform and back into her blue paint stained overalls and a green striped shirt. She went outside and fed Dragonflower, her nerf, before saddling him up and taking a ride out to a nearby waterfall. Listening to the water and feeling the cooling mist helped her to relax. After securing Dragonflower's reins, Jooniper climbed onto the rocks in search of a good place to meditate.

It was a pleasant day on Tython, the sun was high in the sky and shining brightly, the clouds' path only crossing to block the warm rays of light on rare occasions. Sebal Clive walked out of the halls of the temple with a datapad in one hand and a fruit in the other. Lunch time with the younglings had just passed, so he had spent the time there with his son. The infant jedi seemed to be fitting in just fine, though he still made a fuss when his father had to leave. It was tough just being a father to the boy, but the council was strict on not allowing the Knight to train his son in the jedi arts. As karma would have it, they decided on another that could use his teaching skills.

Jooniper Brown was the name of the padawan that the council had assigned Sebal to train, though he already had to juggle his other padawan as well as his son. He skimmed through the contents of the Hapan's files as he made his way towards the outskirts of the temple to find his new Padawan. After asking several persons he had passed about Jooniper's whereabouts, he would eventually come towards the Nerf that was fastened near one of the planet's waterfalls and looked up towards its peak; as the force told him that's where he would find the girl. "Jooniper Brown?" he called out, then waited silently for a response.

Jooniper looked around for who had called her and when her eyes came to rest on the Jedi Knight, a broad smile spread across her face. Jooniper called out, "Hello! That would be me!" She waved at the Jedi from her position and began to make her way towards him. As she made her progress, Dragonflower decided that Sebal's piece of fruit looked especially tasty and he made his way over to the Jedi as well. Dragonflower began to nuzzle Sebal and nip at the Jedi's robe, staring at the knight with hourglass pupiled brown eyes. While chewing his cud, Dragonflower waited expectant like a dog begging for a treat.

Once Jooniper crossed the distance between them, She looked up at him and extended her hand, "Hello, I'm Jooniper Brown. What is your name?" She was maybe a foot taller than the ancient Master Yoda had been. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed what Dragonflower was doing and she said, "I'm sorry about Dragonflower. I must not have secured his reins as well as I thought I did. I think he's after your fruit."

Sebal watched as the small female made her way down towards him, taking note of her natural movements for later use in the upcoming training. He had placed the datapad under his waistband just before the nerf approached him and began to nudge and nip at him. The knight eyed the creature and noticed the look in its eyes and the feeling of desire that eminated from it. "Oh? you want this?" he asked the nerf before cracking it into two pieces and handing one out to it. He turned his attenton back to the small jedi when his business with her pet was finished "Sebal Clive, Its a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure you are curious as to why im here looking for you. Well....the Council has, how should I say, urged me to take the role of a teacher once again and train you as my Padawan for the time being." he told her, not being the type to mince words.

Jooniper noticed her new Master's choice of words and maintained her smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Master Clive. If you will give me a moment to secure Dragonflower...otherwise, he will be begging you for your other half of fruit. He shouldn't eat anymore for today." Jooniper took the time to lead dragonflower away and insure that his reins were tied properly. When she walked back to Sebal she said, "more than one piece of fruit like that in a day would be dangerous for him...it could kill him. That doesn't stop him from begging for more. It is good to have a Master again. I look forward to training with you, Master Clive. When did you want to begin?"

"Oh, im really sorry. i didn't know this fruit was bad for nerf's," he spoke, before he lit the half he still held ablaze and watched as it turned to ash in his palm. He was going to toss it into the wilds anyway, where it could eventually decompose into the soil but this was also a viable course of action. "Before we begin," he replied, as he let the ashes of the fruit be taken by a stray breeze, "I would like to know a little more about you." He jumped onto a nearby rock and crossed his legs, letting his arms rest on his thighs "Tell me. What role do you wish to take as a member of the Order? What drives you to follow the road you wish to take?"

Jooniper continued to smile and said, "Don't worry about it. There was no harm done." Joon watched Master Clive ignite the fruit and turn it into ash in his hand. She sneezed. When Sebal jumped up onto a rock, Joon climbed up onto one nearby and crossed her legs. "Well, I've looked at many of the opportunities available and becoming an investigator interests me. This is more than just something that I believe that I would enjoy doing, I think that it would be a good use of some of my talents."

"An investigator eh? I see," he replied and thought on her words. What was the council thinking asking him to teach this one? They knew he was more of the combative type rather than the studious kind. Perhaps they thought that her skills would rub off on him? Or do they just not have enough manpower to appoint an appropriate knight to this girl? "How do you feel about the current state of affairs between us and the empire...or the sith to be more precise? Are you willing to fight on the frontlines if asked to?"

"Well, my former Master made a valid point when he encouraged me to join the Jedi order. He told me that If I did not, then Sith would most certainly find me because of my Force Sensitivity and occasional involuntary fluctuations in the Force. Staying could have placed more than just myself in danger but also the people that I had come to see as family. I chose to leave them so that they will be safer and I will get used to not being able to ever see them again in time. I just remind myself that I am protecting them by cutting ties with them." Jooniper changed positions to where she pulled a leg in close and let the other leg dangle. Resting her chin on her knee, she continued, "As for the question, 'will I fight?' Well, I figure that there are plenty of people out there like me who do not want to join the Sith and the Jedi may be the only thing that stands between them being forced into being something that they do not want to be or being killed. Not to mention, our gifts can allow us to do some pretty amazing things but they can also be used to do some rather terrible things to those who have no way to defend themselves against their use. If not the Jedi, then who stands between those who would misuse their gifts against those with little if any defense?"

"That is very long way to say 'yes'" he replied after litsening to her speak of her former master and her own thoughts on his question. She seemed to know of the responsibility that she put on herself upon joining the order and didnt seem to like the kind to hesitate. They were kindred spirits in that regard, as he had experienced the failures that come with hesitation. "Very well. I will do my best to balance your training so that your desires are not overshadowed by the needs of the time we find ourselves in. However, please to take into consideration that i am a very busy man. Besides your training, i also instruct another padawan as well as take care of my infant son when the permitted. Alot of our time together may be short, but dont let that discourage you, i will do my best to balance my time accordingly. Is that alright with you?"

"That is fine with me, Master Clive. I am not adverse to training with other students if that would be an option." Jooniper said. "Is there a particular time and place that you would like me to meet with you for training?"

"Now is a good time" he replied as he rose to his feet "Ori has not returned from her assignment yet and my son is still in with the rest of the younglings. I can spare some time for you.I assume you have your lightsaber with you?" he asked as he jumpedfrom the rock and moved towards a nearby clearing.

Getting down off her rock, Jooniper unhooked a cylinder shaped object from a utility belt worn on her hips. "Yes, I do." said Joon. She followed Sebal into the clearing and waited for him to tell her what he wanted her to do next.

Sebal nodded when Joon pulled her lightsaber out and pulled his own out as well. He ignited the orange blade and begane to draw a circle on the ground, roughly 3 meters in diameter. "Your objective is to knock me out of this circle" he spoke as he deactivated his saber and placed it back on his hip "Use all the skills that are at your disposal, as well as any items around us as well. This will help me determine just which direction i should take your training as well as create a concrete profile of your characteristics."

Jooniper Brown stepped inside the circle and got a confused look on her face. "I am not one for coming at someone with my lightsaber when they do not also have a weapon drawn...I'm not sure how to proceed here," she said; this time the smile on her face was out of nervousness. Joon had either expected facing an armed opponent or a more static excercise. She activated her shoto and a bright white blade emanated from the hilt. Joon stood in a defensive stance with her blade up to block Sebal from rushing her. Joon did not seem to have a fighting spirit to read, just an almost perpetual sanguine manner, so that when she did spring upwards and towards Sebal, she moved like a striking Preying Mantis. Joon attempted to bring her blade down in a diagonal swipe at Sebal, planning to land on her feet in the space he was occupying at present.

The knight's brow rose out of curiosity when the the smaller jedi stepped into the circle. He had not told her to enter it, only that she had to force him out of it. Perhaps, she thought that the less of a gap between them would hinder his reaction time to her attacks? If so, then she would soon know her mistake. When she leapt at him from what was an idle stance, the force allowed him to easily anticipate her motions and he simply stepped out of the way of the strike. "Nice try," he responded, as he opened his hand and projected a powerful wave of force energy towards her, in an attempt to knock her away from him, as soon as her feet touched the ground. "First lesson. Always consider your opponent armed, regardless of what is or is not currently in their hands. Especially when your opponents are the Sith. The force is a weapon that is always drawn, as we can call upon it at anytime. Now, try again."

Sebal had more than two feet on Jooniper and a little woman like Joon wasn't much more than thirty one pounds soaking wet. Therefore, it took far less effort to throw her. His powerful wave of force energy launched her sideways into a tree some feet away and one could hear her body connect with the trunk before she bounced off onto the ground. Joon pushed herself back up and tried to recover from having the breath knocked out of her. She could taste blood in her mouth, where she had bitten her tongue. Choosing to ignore what she was sure was blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth, she reignited her lightsaber. Next, she held her guard up with her blade to prevent Sebal from rushing her and considered what her next move might be. Joon knew that most her concentration tended to be dedicated to not losing control of her telekinesis or preventing surges of lightning. She was pretty sure that she could launch something inanimate back at her Master just as hard as he had thrown her. Joon caught sight of a small smooth stone that might have spent part of its life in a river at some point. Suddenly, that stone's life got far more interesting as it launched across the glade right at her Master's head. Jooniper clamped her free hand over her mouth, as she realized that she aimed it a bit high and she hoped she did not break his nose or take out an eye.

Sebal's eyes widened when the force push he had directed at Joon worked a little too well. He thought he put a fair amount of power into it, but the fact that she hit the tree with as much force as she did only meant that he didn't accurately take into account her smaller build. Although he felt bad for the severity of the injuries she took due to his lack of judgement, he would not apologize for it. This was combat training and it's better to learn how to deal with such pain now as opposed to later. When he saw her rise and reignite her saber, he assumed she knew this fact as well and waited for her next move. He noticed the shift in her gaze and looked towards where it shifted just in time to see the small rock come flying at him. Its speed took him by surprise and he had to twist his body to avoid losing an eye, but he did not escape unscathed, as the stone had cut the area just above his eye; blood trickling down the side of his face and hindering his eyesight slightly.

"mmmmmfff..." Joon said, before removing her hand from over her mouth. For a moment, she winced, then smiled again. Joon raised one of her hands like she might be getting ready to ask a question but when she dropped her hand forward, nuts and cones from the trees went flying towards her Master's torso and head. Her intent was to pelt him until he was forced to back out of the circle. The objects started out not being thrown as hard as the stone had been but the more he chose to hold his ground, the greater the force she used.

Then, Joon felt herself get hit. She said, "Ow!" Joon ducked, as the cones and nuts started flying into the clearing from every direction and pelting her. With the occassional yelp, Jooniper tried to focus on just getting her telekinesis back under control, as nuts and cones ricocheted off tree trunks and rocks. Finally, after hunching down into a little ball, things stopped flying around. She looked around and then at her Master. Joon tried to smile. "Sorry!" Then she closed her eyes and groaned.

Sebal was a little disappointed in the fact that she did not try to rush at him, while his attention was focused on the stone that had cut his head open; the slight hindrance to his sight would have been the best thing to take advantage of here. Her expression showed that she was concerned for his safety in that moment, and that she forgot the role into which she was placed. He lifted a hand to the still bleeding cut over his eye and used pyrokinesis to produce a small flame to cauterize the cut, as he slid his fingers across it, though the blood that had found its way into his eye socket still hindered his sight. When he felt the shift in the force and saw the barrage of items coming at him, he knew that he alone couldn't dodge them all.

He pulled his saber from his waist and began to intercept the flying objects with the hot orange blade. As the speed of the items increased to match the stone from earlier, Sebal changed tactics. He knelt down to the ground and ran his hand across the inner rim of the circle he made earlier, a trail of fire following behind his hand. When the circle was complete, a huge pillar of fire rose up around him that generated enough heat to incinerate any of the objects that came into contact with it; completely nullifying them. The wall of flame would die down when he sensed that there was no longer anything being tossed at him by the padawan. "Why are you sorry?" he asked, as he walked out of the circle and approached her.

Joon got up off the ground and tried to brush herself off. she winced when she touched the arm and her side that had hit the tree earlier. "I lost control of it...not the first time...saying sorry...is kind of a habit because...it used to happen...more...often..." said Joon, wincing. She continued, "So often, I've lost count...and sometimes...at the most inopportune moments. Habit....mainly...habit...for me to apologize. I'm rambling...but hey, at least I didn't fry anything." said Joon as she nodded and smiled, then she stopped. Joon reignited her lightsaber and held her saber in a one-handed en garde position. With the palm of her other hand she pushed forward, attempting to throw Sebal backwards with her Telekinesis.

"Hm, i see." he responded, when she began to ramble on about her inability to control the force in stressed situations.....as he presumed with the given evidence. "I suppose we should stop he....re?" he began to speak before he saw her reactivate her saber. She was a stubborn one to want to continue the training, especially given the amount of damage she had taken. When the force push came, he held his ground as he was pushed back and held his saber out infront of his horizontally. "You really need to work on your follow up's. Twice now you missed a chance to strike while my attention was taken from you"

After she managed to push him backwards, Joon darted towards a nearby tree before launching herself off the trunk and doing an aerial cartwheel. As she performed this acrobatic feat, Joon attempted to take a swipe at Sebal with her blade before landing. When she nailed her landing, Joon's breaths were coming in short gasps and she looked a ilttle on the pale side. "What...was...that you said...about...stopping...Master?" There was that same smile on her face.

Sebal kept his blade steady when she came at him with an aerial strike, showing some prowess in the Ataru fighting style, which was good given her stature. He blocked the strike and held the blades together in a clash, before pushing her back. "Oh? I thought you just ignored me earlier. We can stop anytime you wish." He turned back to point at the circle he had walked out of not long ago. "I'm no longer in the circle and ,though I left it of my own accord, that still means I lost. However, since i wasn't forced out of it, you didn't win either." He took a good look at her and saw the pale expression that was on her face before deactivating his saber and placing it back on his waist. The knight made his way towards her, while reaching into the pouch that hung opposite his saber and pulled out a bacta injector. "This will help," he spoke, as he stabbed her arm with the needle and began injecting her with the healing solution.

Jooniper sucked in air between her teeth, when Sebal jabbed her in the arm with a needle. She exhaled slowly and started to look a better color than earlier. "Thank you, Master Clive." Jooniper began moving her fingers and then her arm. Her first touches to her ribs and hip were tender until she found she could apply more pressure without feeling dizzy or like she might sick up. "I don't have to win in order to learn something new. What did you mean about missing opportunities to strike when your attention was not on me?"

Sebal smiled, when she grasped one of the basic concepts of life from the exercise. "That's a good way to look at things," he replied, as he took a few steps back and took a seat on the ground across from her. He took a small bottle of water from his pouch and proceded to wash the blood from his eye. "I meant exactly what I said," he replied again, as he wiped the mixture of water and blood off with his sleeve. "You failed to continue your assault both times when i was hindered. Most importantly was when my face was cut open. That would have been the best time to rush me and knock me from the circle, as my vision and concentration was taken away from you."

As she walked over to Sebal, Joon's smile faltered for a moment. "I was more worried that I might have broken your nose or taken out an eye with that rock." Jooniper reached with tentative fingers towards the cut on Sebal's face. She said, "Just a little lower and you might not have had an eye there anymore. We are suppose to be learning right now and not killing each other. I don't think I noticed when the second time was that I should have continued my assault. Do you have any bandages in that kit of yours?"

Sebal smiled when she showed concern for his safety. "You don't need to worry about me. I have been through Muuuch worse than anything you could do to me," he chuckled, as a faint image of the deceased sith assassin Veikas flashed in his mind momentarily. "Next time, don't be afraid to fight back or be aggresive in our training. It will only help you last longer when it comes to real combat." His gaze shifted towards her hand as it moved towards the cut on his head "I closed the wound already, all that's left is to let it heal naturally."

Jooniper withdrew her hand and held her hands in front of her. "Alright, Master Clive." When she sat down on the grass in front of Sebal, Joon looked so much smaller. "My former Master used to caution me against telegraphing...and...well...before I came to the order...the only combat that I had any experience with was stage combat. That doesn't exactly follow the same rules because it is all choreographed. You know when and how the other person will strike and who comes out the winner in the end beforehand. There isn't much room for improv."

"Hmm, I see. Well, that will be something we will have to work on together. Dont worry, I learned combat from two of the best that the Jedi had. You'll be in good hands." He was already going over in his head the lessons he wold have her run to help her master Ataru, a style he too majored in. "So, what shall we do next?" he asked, with a curious tone, "Do you want to take the rest of today to reflect on the lesson? Or should we move onto the next one?"

END