She blinked in confusion, but said nothing more. Another protest would lead to questions, and she could answer none of them. Ndonsa forced a laugh, as if she'd been telling a joke, and then sat quietly in thought until the other padawans entered. The zabrak, a horned boy, sat next to her in the circle, smiling at her before giving Master Hicchoru his attention.
It took a minute longer than usual, but she was able to calm her confusion and enter into the deepness of meditation.
His students at last arrived, and in defiance to Ndonsa's worries, they were all on time today. Pleased, Anbira began his lesson, bringing each padawan to a state of peace and clarity necessary to achieve fruitful meditations.
"Don't slouch, Kennua."
Anbira paced around the group of a dozen padawans, gently correcting the posture of the Zabrak boy in front of him with a hand at his shoulder. The horn-headed padawan kept his eyes closed, back straightening as he sat cross-legged.
"This is meditation, not just a time to rest. You restore not only your body, but your mind and your spirit. Careful attunement of all three will ensure you are receptive to the mysteries of the force."
Satisfied for now that his students had a proper posture, Anbira took his own place at the head of the circle, sitting in the manner he had instructed the students to do. His back straight, head looking forward, the Jedi hermit placed his hands at his crossed knees and allowed his eyes to drift closed.
"Next comes breathing. It isn't just taking in air and letting it out. You don't simply breathe with your lungs. You breathe with your all. Deep through the nose, and let your breath ebb gently from the mouth. Feel yourself let go of what holds you back."
He felt, however, a change. Something unseen clouded the minds of one of his students, and again Anbira found his attention drawn to the Nehantite.
"Ndonsa."
He wouldn't ask what troubled her. She needed to confront her obstacle.
She drew in a deep breath through her nostrils and slowly blew it out between her lips, Master Anbira's voice managing to sharpen her focus. Clear the mind. She pictured drawing thick fabric curtains all around herself, enclosing her in a dark cocoon of peace. The only thing here was the breathing...the Force...and Master Hicchoru's voice.
An hour later, mind sufficiently cleared and energy cleansed, she thanked Master Hicchoru and jogged toward where some older padawans were helping clear brush. After the work of yesterday there was only a little left to - Ndonsa stopped so suddenly that someone ran into her backside, and she was too confused to even apologize. The field was overcome with brush again. In fact, she could see a particularly stubborn one she distinctly remembered uprooting herself the day before. She looked around, and no one seemed upset about this revelation. Unsettled, she thumped the butt of her spear into the hard red dirt of the path, and then turned and jogged toward the greenhouses.
No one called for her, but she could hear the friendly chatter among the padawans as they bent to their task. She hesitated outside the greenhouse, spying the big four armed alien inside that had confronted her yesterday. Or whatever yesterday had been.
"I'll be sure that you get those files sent to you. Until next time. Doctor." Dr. Arlan Solborne turned out to be a talkative fellow, once you found some common ground. Dr. Theo tipped his hat to his counterpart as he emerged from the greenhouse, backing out of the open door.
But now it was back to work. He had to find whoever was in charge here and see about getting some proper lodging. The tiny one-room apartment where he had found B1 unloading his gear was simply unacceptable. As he started back towards the center of the camp, he noticed a red-furred individual peeking in through the windows of the greenhouse.
"If you are waiting to speak with Dr. Solborne, he should be free now."
-- Dr. Theo Phastus --
Advanced degrees in Zoology and Geology
She started, embarrassed at being surprised, her inner ears tinged pink. "I - I do not wish to speak to him, Doctor...Fastest." That was his name, wasn't it? He took a step toward her, and she took one back.
"Phastus. Dr. Theo Phastus. I see my reputation has preceded me. This must be quite a thrill for you."
He eyed the creature up and down as she stepped back, unable to place her face or, indeed, her species.
"If you would like a signed copy of my latest book, feel free to find me later. At the moment, however, I need find the leader or whoever heads the zoning board and give them a firm talking to about the accommodations provided for me?"
Ndonsa stared wide eyed at him, and shook her head mutely. At the last second she managed to eke out "Perhaps the Jedi Council?" She pointed down the road, and then ran off in the other direction, leaving the large four armed alien behind. It was not time for lunch, she was traveling aimlessly, and found herself on the road toward the great Library. A familiar presence ahead made her pause, finally, and Ndonsa skulked into the forest to let the other Nehantite pass. She had no interest in running into Hal right now, and put as much distance between them as she could, looping through the forest and ending, finally, back at the mess tent just as the midday meal was being served.
It was loaf of meat again. Ndonsa nearly walked right out and back to her room, but her stomach growled and she sighed, taking her tray and finding a seat.
Last edited by Ndonsa; Oct 16th, 2014 at 01:58:13 PM. Reason: ttt DRAIYA
A breeze passed Ndonsa by as she queued up in line at the mess tent. It seemed to be amiss until the source was revealed. At a table inside the tent, one of the padawans, Chen Duaar, fell out of his seat, his plate of meatloaf going flying along with his fork. In place of his meal on the table, the menacing figure of Draiya Naaianeye appeared from thin air, the business end of her fist appearing like a battering ram where Chen's face used to be a moment before.
"I got you!"
Chen fell ass over teacup, holding a reddening side of his face as hot tears threatened to come out. Draiya was not moved.
"Too complacent!" she scolded, "Your senses should always be on guarrd!"
A stunned hush fell over the lunchroom crowd, and then a strong, booming voice pierced the silence:
"Miss Naaianeya!"
Solomon came swiftly down the aisle between the cafeteria tables, and before Draiya could extricate herself, he'd laid his large, three-fingered hand firmly on her shoulder make sure she couldn't ghost and bolt. Then he looked down at the boy clutching the side of his face on the floor.
"Padawans Shan and Drax, will you please take Mr. Duarr to the medical tent?"
As a Togruta and Rodian wordlessly got up from their lunches to help Chen to his feet, Solomon guided Draiya off the table and marched her toward the exit.
Ndonsa nearly choked on her mouthful as the scene played out in front of her. Her ears flattened as she looked around, but no one else seemed to notice anything was wrong. Suddenly not hungry, she pushed back from the table and stood, knocking over her chair. A padawan tripped over it, tray and meal splattering on the ground. Ndonsa jumped clear, and then ran out of the tent, leaving the mess behind.
The sparring rings would be a welcome sight, her limbs trembling with energy that needed release. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but had slowed to it's regular pace by the time she arrived. Ndonsa frowned, looking down and realizing she'd forgotten to bring a canteen, and then looked up to see Akasha walking towards her, brushing green feathers from her muzzle.
Akasha strolled through the hot midday air with her tail high and swaying as if she hadn't a care in the worlds. She held her lightstaff un-ignited in her paw, but seeing Ndonsna, the Orryxian hooked it back onto her belt.
"Oh, hello there," she said pleasantly enough. "I was just looking to get some early practice in. Wouldn't mind some staff sparring if you're up for it."
One of the feathers she had been brushing away still clung doggedly to her chin.
Ndonsa ran her paw over her face, and then nodded. "Yes. A spar." She put out her hand and a staff flew off the rack and smacked solidly into it. Akasha raised her brows and drew her white staff as the Kufu stalked into the training circle.
She was feeling off center and aggressive, and it showed in her fighting style. Leaving herself open in order to score a hard blow, and receiving one in return for her efforts. Akasha seemed to be enjoying herself, a final green feather flying off of her as she twirled around to block Ndonsa's staff.
Before she realized it, Ndonsa was saying the give-strength-to-the-fighter chant, her words mostly subvocal but rising to a shout when the staffs connected.
Yanked from the Padawan's paws, the staves took flight, and clapped into Loki's hands. And, just as swiftly, they were sent rolling in the dust.
"There will be no foolish staff-twirling or silly incantations in this class."
He stalked the periphery of the sparring circle and snatched a couple of training sabers from the neat row on his footlocker. The Padawans, now separated, underwent ferocious inspection, with Ndonsa bearing the brunt of his scrutiny.
"Padawan, there are wampas that fight with more sophistication than you. Is it not enough that my eyes suffer every time you swing a stick? Now you must also assault my ears? Cease your braying."
In place of their staves, he tossed them the training sabers. Then he addressed the class at large.
"Today, you are going to revisit the basics. That means no flourishes, no acrobatics, and absolutely no rule-breaking. I want you to prove to me that there is more than sawdust and air between your ears and that you have the capacity to follow simple instructions." Here, he gestured to Ndonsa and Akasha, "And since you two are so eager to fight, you can show the rest of the class how its done."
"Form two, Makashi," said Ndonsa, almost interrupting him. Her ears flattened when he stared at her, and she added, "To show skill in the basics, I think?" She ran a paw through her headfur, making it stick up more than usual.
"My staff!"
Bad enough to be disarmed like a cub who had found her mother's ceremonial assassination dagger; Akasha was fully tempted to give Loki a piece of her mind for his rough treatment of a priceless heirloom that was a fair sight rarer than the novelty sparklers he handed out. But by the time Ndonsa had spoken up, she found a new target for her ire.
"Makashi?" she erupted. "You want to practice Makashi? That's the way of the geriatric orchestra conductor."
The display of intuition from Ndonsa had left Loki stumped. That was until he heard Akasha's slight against Makashi, and he bristled: it was akin to telling a mother she had an ugly baby. Not that he considered a lightsaber form his baby, of course, or himself a mother. He doused his temper with a teacher's resolve and arched an eyebrow, ready to give the Orryxian a good verbal swatting.
"Then perhaps one day you will scrape together the skill to master it, Padawan Khan." He afforded the presumptuous Nehantite a last look of annoyance before proceding, "I want to see an emphasis on technique. I want to see patience and I want to see skill. I want precision, efficiency, and the path of least resistance. I want-"
A deep hollow growling sound betrayed his lack of lunch and brought his speech to a premature end. Loki scowled - hunger was the fuel that turned a simmering bad mood into an inferno.
"Well, get on with it!"
Ndonsa held the lightsaber a little more familiarly than she had the previous day (?), settling into a defensive stance. She staggered her footpaws and shifted her weight from front to back, ready to counter Akasha's first strike. Like a cobra, she thought, and then the wild sense of all this has already happened overtook her, and she was nearly caught unawares by the other padawan's first attack, sending her into a very awkward defense.
Akasha pressed her advantage as far as she could take it and was rewarded with the satisfying sizzle of her practice saber against Ndonsa's paw. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Loki was satisfied, but he merely stared back, as implacable as a quasar.
With a low growl, she turned back to Ndonsa and repeated her duelist's salute, but this time she froze with her saber held down and behind her, as if contemptuous of any assault the Kufu mongoose could offer.
Ndonsa sucked in a breath at the sting of the saber against her paw, nearly dropping her own training saber. As Akasha returned to a beginning stance Ndonsa swept in to attack quickly, falling out of the proper and unnatural Makashi stance to do so. This time she was the cobra.
The suddenness of the attack almost caught Akasha off-guard - almost. But instead of rising to meet it, she waved the claws of her off-paw and, with the Force, pressed the activation plate on Ndonsa's practice saber. Ndonsa's blade blinked out of existence and swung clean through its target, and Akasha merely sidestepped and nudged Ndonsa off-balance with her shoulder.
Then the Orryxian turned toward Loki and bowed. "The path of least resistance, Master Loki."
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