The Misadventures of Pokere Nacht, Chapter 2

[Pokere Nacht]

Pokere's yellow blades flashed and spat, moving fast as they sought their target but yielding gently before the hissing blade of her opponent. She drove forward, her weapons moving in a delicate yet viciously fast dance assisted by the footwork she'd been working on non-stop since she'd been taken on as an apprentice. In, out, up and down. Always fixated on the body of her opponent rather than the weapons. Makashi was precision and grace, designed to win through accuracy and the natural qualities of the lightsaber. If used correctly, it was nigh unstoppable. Or so she'd been led to believe...

That theory went untested as her left hand weapon was neatly clipped out of her hand. After that it was an exercise in holding off the inevitable as she reverted instantly to Shii-Cho in an attempt to defend herself from a Form V practitioner with decades of experience on the Jedi Apprentice. Jedi Nuhok's mother put on a clinic in wearing your opponent's defenses down before finishing the job. Pokere felt she did well enough, her dancing steps extended that effort out much longer than she would have lasted just two weeks before by allowing her to avoid the full brunt of the driving attacks, but it was inevitable. The elder Togruta's blade flashed just an inch or two short of her shoulder and Pokere sighed as she deactivated her own blade to signal her realization of defeat.

"You win, Lady Nuhok. I thought... I was doing so well." She sighed.
"You did do well. I've been doing this a long time and you had me on the retreat this last round until you over-extended on a bad angle. You are an excellent student."
"But I barely lasted thirty seconds..."
"You have been his apprentice for how long now? A week? You already implement his lessons, reflect the training he has put you in, and, however briefly, managed to put a much more experienced opponent on the defensive. That takes a great pupil."
"Or maybe he's just a truly great teacher."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Even the greatest teacher merely provides the best lessons, but the learning relies purely on the student." Kaz said as he strolled onto the scene.

"You took the words out of my mouth, Knight Halcyon."
"High praise, Lady Nuhok."
"Incidentally, I was hoping to speak to you privately about a certain matter." She gestured aside, pointing to the clear area beyond her home and on the grassy plain.
"Of course, Lady Nuhok. Pokere, you have the rest of the day. Don't forget your lightsaber, we'll work on your weapon retention later."

The two of them moved away, Kaz raising the hood of his robe to indicate a desire for privacy.

[Pokere Nacht]

Pokere bowed to her master when he arrived, then again when he told her he was leaving. She wondered at what he had in mind for teaching her to retain her weapons. She would have taken that phrasing as a disapproving reprimand from any of the teachers back on Ossus but she was starting to get the idea that Knight Halcyon never used training as a punishment. When he said they were going to work on something that seemed to be exactly what he meant, the improvement of her skill in that something.

Then she found herself alone in that little hard packed circle of yard, an unofficial saber training space that had been trampled so many times in the pursuit of that training that it had become visibly official. Pokere found herself feeling somewhat sad as she trudged over to her fallen weapon and picked it up. That was another rule of training that Knight Halcyon had instituted. If there was no need to use the Force to accomplish a task, then she wasn't to use it unless instructed to do so. It had come with a short lesson on not becoming too reliant on the Force, which had boiled down to a very fatherly sounding "don't get lazy on me kid."

She picked up her weapon and found herself staring at it contemplatively before she heard her name being called in the distance and she turned to look. There, several houses down was her friend, Sarai, waiving at her. She appeared to be on her way somewhere and was just taking a chance spotting to greet Pokere. Pokere waived back, happily so, with an energy that she found surprising in herself. She very much liked the other girl and was a little sorry to see her go on her way, catching up to an older Togruta who could very well have been anything from her mother to merely an older cousin.

Pokere sighed again, feeling a bit listless. She glanced around and headed into the house to see if Kura was about. She needed to talk to someone, but to do so more freely than she thought she could with her master.

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura had been spending time with the eldest of her three nieces, who was also strong in the Force. Her niece, though, had little control, and showed no interest, at least at present, in training as a Jedi. Wayward, even though she was only four years old, it was her mother's fear that little Aheka might be all too easily swayed towards the Dark Side. Kura had been tasked with showing her the benefits of joining the Jedi Order. She wasn't sure that she was doing a very good job.

A rare moment of solitude had found her when little Aheka ran off to find her mother, the eldest of Kura's younger sisters, and Kura was taking the time to just breathe in the grasslands behind her family home, her eyes closed as she savoured the scent of the red grasses waving in the breeze.

Being at home always brought a sense of peace that she didn't seem to be able to sink into elsewhere, no matter how hard she tried. Then again, maybe that was the problem. Maybe she was just trying too hard.

Sometimes, Kura felt that she was trying too hard at everything.

Her eyes flickered open as she heard footsteps approaching, and, without turning, a small smile on her lips, Kura spoke.

"Hello, Pokere."

[Pokere Nacht]

Pokere approached respectfully, moving in a small circle so that she approached from the side instead of from behind the older Jedi. "Knight Nuhok, I apologize if I'm interrupting your meditations." She bowed deeply to the higher ranked woman, having taken her master's instructions in appropriate behavior to heart. Anyone he respected was according two more measures of respect from her than what was normally expected. And, despite the banter between them, Pokere got the distinct feeling her master respected the Torgruta immensely. "If you had some time, I was hoping to speak to you."

"Master... er, Knight Halcyon... he leads me along twisting paths of what he calls self-realization whenever I really try to ask him a question. It's enlightening but not very... reassuring? Comforting? I don't know..." She felt silly for seeking comfort from her lessons as she realized that was what she was doing but shown the next question just didn't feel the same as being guided to a resolute answer. And that concerned her.

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura watched Pokere intently as the young woman approached, mentally shaking herself from the almost slumbering sensation she had experienced. Settling her soul back into Shili took time, but it always happened, sooner or later. It was something she could place on hold for a while. "There is no need for apology, Pokere," she replied, her voice firm but gentle. "You are welcome to come to me at any time." She did wonder, just for a moment, what it was that the girl wanted to discuss that she didn't feel able to talk about with Kaz.

Pokere's discomfort was evident, and Kura gestured to a small grove of trees, away from the main compound, slowly starting to walk, while listening to the girl's concerns. A small smile of understanding slipped into place as Pokere explained why she wished to talk to her. That sounded perfectly like Kaz, with his roundabout ways of thinking: all questions, no answers. It was exactly what she would expect.

"Please, sit," she said, indicating a stone bench that faced out onto grasslands, but was shielded from Kura's family home by a thicket of spiky trees. "Tell me, Pokere... why did you choose to become a Jedi?" Another question, but one that may lead to answers for the young woman.

[Pokere Nacht]

"Yes, ma'am." Pokere followed Knight Nuhok to the little grove, briefly hoped it wasn't to kill her without witnesses, and sat when directed to. She briefly considered the question at hand before shrugging. "I didn't join, ma'am. I was given to the order as an infant by my parents. The Master who found me assures me that they loved me very much but could not truly afford to raise me, so when they found out I was Force sensitive they were overjoyed that it solved both their problem and gave me a real chance at a good life. Not that I've ever seen anything else I want to do." She was quick to reassure, she liked being a Jedi.

"I just... I encountered something that Knight Halcyon said was inherent to being a Jedi and... it sounds... off. That we can be selfishly selfless. And that that's ok. Ok, according to Master."

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura took a seat herself, her eyes cast out over the grasslands, but her full attention in the Force was turned on Pokere. The young woman was confused, and, seemingly confused about something that she didn't feel that she could discuss with Kaz. Given how Kaz encouraged openness, Kura was a little surprised. Listening intently as Pokere explained she had been raised in the Order, and it hadn't been a choice, that resonated with her. She hadn't really had a choice herself, but she was proud to honour the family tradition.

Her lips curved into a light smile as Pokere explained what was troubling her. "That sounds exactly like the kind of phrase that Knight Halcyon would use," she said, a fond note in her voice. "He lives to confound and surprise, and likes to believe that he is taking you on a journey of self-discovery." She paused for a moment, turning to the young Apprentice. "Have you asked Knight Halcyon what he meant by it?" Kura thought that she knew, but she didn't know whether it was her place to explain it, in case she might be wrong.

[Pokere Nacht]

"Actually... I came up with it. In my head. And then he did that thing where he makes your thoughts part of the conversation." She blushed hard at that, knowing she should definitely work harder on her mental defenses and figuring that was exactly the admonishment she'd be getting in a moment now that she'd admitted as much out loud. "I agree with your assessment."

Pokere nodded at the question. "He said it's a contradiction that Jedi usually don't realize until they're older, when the enthusiasm begins to wane. That while it seems 'illogical', it's just the result of... I don't know if I'm explaining this right. He said we reflect what we encounter in the galaxy. That if we encounter violence we reflect it back at those who do violence, that if we encounter generosity we reflect it back at the generous. And so on. And that sometimes that requires illogical behavior. I'm not quoting him, exactly, but that's what I recall of it."