It was a warm day on Selen. The summer was starting to kick in and the only thing keeping those in Estle City safe from the planet’s humidity was the mountains the city was built into. Deep in the city, the Citadel stood proud.
And round the back of it, so did a small Human as she awaited her Battleteam to arrive.
Zuza Lottson was in her combat gear, more for show than any real use but it was a training exercise and Qyeria had raised an eyebrow at her once already. She didn’t want to know what would happen if both eyebrows got raised at once. Ruka’s judgement was enough without the Consul starting too.
The area was a dedicated training zone for Arconans, guards and… well. Plenty of people all alike. Today it stood quietly, awaiting the trials soon to be set upon it. Getting a base line on capabilities of new recruits allowed expectations not only to be managed, but actually set in the first place. With so many backgrounds, ages and general variances between recruits getting a solid judgement on their abilities was the safest in the long run.
Zuza would usually prefer to do this one on one as she had with Sivall, but with a large group things were different.
The Battleteam leader was stood off to the side, holding a tablet and doing some last minute bits and bobs while the recruits and their masters arrived on the scene.
Said scene? The most prominent feature was the obstacle course, all wood with various nets to climb, beams to hop over, walk along, slide down and ropes to slither up. It was off to the left hand side of the space, with the right being split into two much smaller spaces. One with a series of battered looking training dummies, and one set up with fresh shooting targets although the metal beneath those bore the scorch marks of regular use. In the middle, a decent sized area with a few crates innocently existing within, one of which Zuza had dragged off to use as her seat. The grass was still flattened along where she dragged it.
Walking towards Zuza as he noticed her dragging along crates, Dash called out in a sarcastic yet playful tease her. His redden skin glistened under the skin as he felt the warmth on his forehead and scalp. His BB unit followed right behind him as the droid beeped in excitement.
Dash joked in Zuza’s direction about her possibly needing a extra arm to set up the obstacles for the training battle team members. He flexed his muscles with yank up of a create that had not been yet touched.
“Where would you like this one?”
The Kessurian figured he could assist the small human while he awaited the new recruit he would be evaluating and training.
“Whereever you want. With the others or you could nick it as a seat. Not bad honestly, though I wouldn’t recommend it as a seat long term.” Zuza grinned, crossing her legs under herself. She looked around, tapping her fingers on her knee as she realised there was a notable lack of people.
“It’s for any Force users to practise on, so they’re just there to hang out. No particular order or anythin’. Speaking of… the recruits should be here any minute now.”
A sound carried on the wind in the distance. Electronic music. As it got closer, everyone gathered could begin to hear the lyrics.
‘Déjà vu! I’ve just been in this place before! Higher on the street! And I know it’s my time to go!’
A blur of various shades of green cut to the side to reduce speed as a Mandalorian in matching armor hopped off.
“Wassuup, Zuza?”
A landing shuttle from the Somber Respite would draw closer, the Repulsorlift engines droning as the vessel hovered for a few brief moments as Alexandyr verified landing clearance before it touched down. The midsection ramp lowered and opened the shuttle to the world outside, freeing its occupants upon the training grounds.
One of several Mandalorians aboard looked over the field to Zuza and the green clad Mando, before removing his helmet.
“Alex, take care of them.” The Armis Patriarch said as he patted another man on the shoulder before he jumped down one side of the ramp and retrieved a dataslate from his pack.
Alexandyr, now charged with the care of Asani and Sagitta, sighed, and pushed the girls gently down the ramp.
As Jovian drew closer to the Citadel, he couldn’t help but feel an adrenaline rush at the sight of Alexandyr and his students disembarking from their mode of transportation. Though there were some concerns about potential recklessness when it came to exploring the Citadel’s wonders, Jovian was determined to make the most of his visit - particularly when it came to tackling the obstacle course at the heart of the Citadel. With stages designed for various skill levels, he knew that he would be able to test and improve his abilities in ways that he never thought possible. Taking a moment to observe his surroundings, Jovian mentally prepared himself for the upcoming challenge, bracing himself for the physical and mental exertion that lay ahead.
Before Alexandyr can even rest his hand on her shoulder or back to nudge her gently down the ramp, Sagitta was already long far gone. Nothing but dust trailed behind her. Her long legs sped her down to the end of the ramp as she took in a massive in inhale, her chest expanding. ‘Fresh air! Finally!’
Bright and brilliant smile adorned on her face as she gave a whoop, “Let’s go!” She said cheerily as she ran her way over. She runs every morning no matter where she was so this was easy and natural for her. Made her way over, her controlled breaths helped her from being too exhausted from the run. Her eyes gazed over quickly to analyze her surroundings. The more she picked up, the more vibrant she became. Excited and cannot contain her energy, her body bounced side to side with her knees as her hands were up in a fist.
Anyone who dared to approach near her can feel her vibrating with intense energy of pure exhilaration. It was enough to make an anxious or nervous being to vomit. Maybe.
What will today treasures behold for her and her comrades? Will she show her good skills or will she, as usual, flub about?
Shamiir watched the array of boisterous characters arrive from an out of the way nook, the closest they’d get to shadow up high at the Citadel in the day. None of this suited them, for a variety of reasons, and they worked to calm their nerves by absent-mindedly twirling a small vibroknife under their dark patterned canvas poncho.
A small human, a large Twi’lek, an even larger Kessurian. A whole gaggle of Mandos Shamiir very much intended to avoid on first impressions. And there were mostly likely more to come, more than had been revealed to their silver eyes yet at least. They’d taken the offer to show up out of curiosity; banking on the chance whatever was being cooked up in Arcona provided better than temp jobs as a ship grunt or spaceport pickpocketing. Now they wished they’d just stayed in their lane.
The weapon found a small pocket sewn into the inside of the poncho as the Mandolorians’ shuttle arrived. Plenty enough to distract from Shamiir’s approach, especially considering they were likely to be one of the rawest recruits here. Around this group the diminutive Echani was likely little more than background noise, at least in terms of the force. They knew the skills required to come out on top in a common brawl or lift some credits off a gormless traveler wouldn’t hold up against actual training. And their saber skills amounted to awkward flailing with a weapon as foreign to them as their current extended stay planetside. The less attention they drew the better.
Shamiir worked their way over just as the large Mirialan burst out of the transport, settling in behind the positively gargantuan Kessurian and his droid without so much as a word, a pale face examining the rest from just behind a massive arm. With any luck they’d be at least momentarily missed by most of the group as the fancy tin cans disembarked their craft. Hopefully the remaining arrivals would make more commotion, distracting from the fact that they’d approached at all.
Taking a deep breath Asani seemed less involved in taking any kind of time out of the ship. There was no cheerful look, her fur even turned a darker shade.
“Alex, take care of them.” she heard their patriarch say, earning a confused look from her. She turned to look at him but he had already jumped down the side of the ramp before her protests could begin. Hearing the whooping call from her sister, she knew she had a limited amount of time before the tall vibrant girl would dash away running like she usually did. “Gita wai-“ before the shortest of the trio could even finish, her sister ran off beaming with energy. At least one of them seemed to be ready to be outside with new company.
She’d feel Alex gently nudge her toward the training grounds ahead. If she couldn’t get one ride she’d settle for the other. Deciding then he would be her ride, she grabbed onto his arm and began to make her way up to his shoulders.
“Lets go get this over with.” she said to him, steadying herself. She tapped her foot to his right shoulder, as if to command him forward. The area looked promising enough at least. The obstacle course looking like the only fun thing she would have to entertain herself with. She could see there were others close by but she preferred keeping watch over her sister from her valiant steeds shoulders.
Alexandyr sighed as the younger Kushiban clambered her way onto his shoulders and reached up to flick her in the head. As she spurred his chest he chuckled and trotted down the ramp into the field with the rest of the gathered recruits. Once he carried his charge to the field he slapped her shin and shook his head.
“This is your stop.” He said with a laugh as he inspected the rest of the equipment on the field. It had been a long time since his own proving, though, his own life had been more of a trial by fire.
“Zuza.” Alex said with a curt nod before he turned to the others. “Everyone.”
Zuza smiled as everyone began to arrive, putting away the data-pad she had absolutely totally been using for the right professional reasons away, and shifting to stand up upon it.
“Alex.” She nodded back to him, looking over the recruits, “Have we got everyone? I’m counting.. 1, 2, 3.. 4? We are missing a couple but they called out already. Juuust… Rhylance and Doon. Doon said he’d be here by now… but we can start without. How are we all feeling? It’s gonna be a busy one, so make sure ya all have water and whatnot. Shouldn’t be gettin’ injured but we do have a medic just inside the backdoor there.”
The Human paused to take a breath, glancing around but missing the steadily appraoching black furred form comign from behind.
“Today is gonna be four rounds. Obstacle course, to see how you guys are physically doing. Melee and ranged targets as round 2 and 3, and then if any of ya’s have affinity for the Force, you’re gonna show off your control over it on these crates. If you don’t, you get to sit down sooner. Any questions?”
As Zuza spoke, the quiet air was broken by the sound of an engine. A shuttle transport flew into view, kicking.up wind and drowning out any voices likely to respond. As the vessel landed, and the hat h opened up with a ramp, a Chiss medical science officer descended from the shuttle, his lenses gleaming in the sunlight. With a wave of his hand the shuttle took off and the Chiss approached Zuza.
“I do apologize for my lateness. I was held up with some very important…surgery. As you are well aware, my time is very valuable.”
Rhylance assessed the area around, taking in the new members of the Clan.
“I will be most interested to see if any of you are worthy of my time. Statistics would show. That it will now be the case, so I am equally interested to see who will fail.”
The Chiss’s droid assistant set up a spot for the medic to sit, and he gladly took his position. He then waved for Zuza to commence.
The wind from the shuttle landing in the yard whipped Doon’s thick fur around wildly, ruining whatever care he took to straighten it out in the haste he made to get here on time. He raised an arm to block the majority of the warm blowing air, jaw clenching sharp teeth down onto an earthy green bone-shaped chewing stick. It gave his breath a minty tone, not that he could notice.
As the wind died down with the engine he continued his prowl across the yard, his towering shape soon looming behind the Human sitting on the crate. He stood there silently, eyeing the newcomers as he rolled the mint stick between his teeth with his tongue. He wished it was a cigar he was chewing on, but was content with the rushed last minute hygiene stick.
The black Shistavanen crossed his arms over his chest, fur and muscle straining against the grey sleeveless shirt he put on for the sake of decency. His single golden eye roamed from each new face to the next, recalling the files he looked over late last night. His lips curled slightly, his face a resting snarl of scarred snout and more. Despite the marred nose eye and ear, he retained a handsome scruff along his jaw and fluffy mane, which appears to be a bit messier than he’d like. Metal tipped claws tap at his bicep as he speaks, deep voice rimmed with a rumbling growl “These are the new ones?” He chewed the minty bone for a few moments, still appraising. “Well.. we’ll see how they do.”
Jovian was ready to embark on the challenge of impressing the imposing Chiss who had been observing him, after completing his pre-workout stretching routine. Despite being drawn to the man’s intense demeanor, Jovian remained confident as he approached the obstacle course. With a charming smile and a quick tuck of his head tails behind his ears, he sharpened his focus and surrendered to a rare state of being, where his flow and force guided him without fear. A surge of heat and excitement filled him with adrenaline, and he was prepared to tackle the course with all his might. However, a sudden interruption by an irritating human disrupted his intense concentration, causing him to roll his eyes and ask in an exasperated tone, “If I manage to complete this obstacle course (which I will), who will test me next?” His attention briefly shifted towards the Chiss standing beside her before returning to the human woman. Jovian’s excitement was clearly evident in the subtle movements of his pupils, which contracted and dilated in sync with his breath. The adrenaline-pumping challenge had him on the edge of his seat, and he was determined to give his best shot.
L'ara narrowed her eyes behind her helmet. This guy was cocky. She greatly enjoyed wrangling cocky frackers.
She took a deep breath and leaned over to Zuza to whisper.
“Please. Let me. Please? Please?”
Dash took a reserved and contemplative approach before jumping at the bit to volunteer himself or his fledgling. His eyes passed from person to person, noticing the different characteristics of differing species and how these may complicate the future combat phases. He sought a look down at the new person behind him though the Kessurian did find he had to move his torso in order to adequately study their form.
“Hello, small one”, Dash spoke with a slight laugh behind his words.
Zuza did her best to not roll her eyes at Rhylance’s entrance. Seriously, a shuttle drop in the middle of the field? Oh well, it was Rhylance.
She smiled up at Doon, nodding to his presence but having little time to respond as Jovian, she’d done her research for once, piped up. The Human gave L'ara a side glance, muttering a quick, “Later.”
Before addressing the Twi-Lek.
“Well after the obstacle course, as I said, you’ll also do some shooting and melee practise. And Force too, I believe for you. This is just a base line screening, to see where you’re at. Do your best still, but we’re just looking for what you can do, not who you can beat. That’ll come later, and you want to start sparring folk, you can once we’re done here ‘kay?”
Zuza looked around, seeing if the other three had comment.
Shamiir ignored the call for questions, finding there to be little worth inquiring about. Although, apparently not everyone else shared that sentiment. Instead, they busied themselves examining the rest of the group, trying to guess off first impressions what they’d be good at - an admittedly difficult task with everyone simply standing around. Some of it was a bit obvious, some could be picked up from context clues like Zuza’s comments, but all of it would need to be confirmed before Samiir acted on it.
Then their cover moved. And… called them small? Shamiir obviously bristled at the comment, pale brow furrowing into a silent glare. SMALL?! I’m not small, you’re just huge! When was the last time this guy even found a door he fit through? They thought to themselves. A momentary pause and deep breath refocused them, though. No reason to let themselves get distracted from all the useful information they could get from this when fighting wasn’t even allowed yet, and yelling wasn’t really an Echani form of expression.
“Don’t call me small.” They muttered.
Asani hadn’t been fast enough to avoid being flicked something she’d remember to prank Alexandyr over later. “No, my valiant steed!” She uttered in a dramatic tone loud enough for anyone who would be standing a bit close to hear. Chuckling she hopped off him after adjusting herself for a proper landing. She kept her footing steady, looking around at all of the trainees and what she could only guess were mentors.
She had been about to answer the proposed question when a shuttle transport interrupted any comment she could’ve made. Seeing the Chiss arrive and hearing them dismiss everyone’s capabilities didn’t sit well with her.
“If your time is of such high regard who are we to keep you from your important duties? After all we’re just lowly trainees. Surely you must be saving lives if you’re capabilities are in such high demands. You must have far more important things to do than entertain yourself with the likes of us.” she commented at the Chiss.
After her comment though she would observe the rest, the rather rambunctious Twi-lek, the incredibly large scarred fellow she was sure to avoid or at least keep out of view of him. Her attention was brought back hearing Zuza reply to the Twi-lek’s comment and expect any more responses from them.
“Considering my limited stature, will the melee practice be against each other? As for affinity with the Force, are the crates the only way we’ll be measured?” she was curious of any further testing.
Sagitta squinted her eyes at the female Twi'lek in armor… why does she look familiar.. ‘Hey isn’t that-’ She stopped mid thought as a shuttle landed in the middle of the field. Excited, her eyes watched as the Chiss arrived. Wow. He looks so cold and just so stern. Poor guy! He simply need a good ol’ laughter and maybe some smiles to help cheer him up a bit! Even the way he talked sounded so robotic. He definitely need some brightness in his life. Then another one appeared, a huggggeee furred scarred fellow showed up as she just randomly wave rather aggressively at them all. As if a 5 year old saying hi to everyone. She quickly nudged Asani, who was rather seemingly annoyed at the Chiss’ comments, “Oh come on sis! It’s just the way he talks! I’m sure if we weren’t important to him he wouldn’t be here!”
The male Twi'lek spoke as Sagitta tilted her head, “Yea! This is exciting! Wonder if there’s more to it than this obstacle course, hmm.” Sure enough, Zuza mentioned more things that may or may not happen but the more importance was the obstacle course to see where they’re at. Makes sense! Asani expressed her concerns about her limited stature as Sagitta cracked up laughing, her laugh soft and strong, “Really, Asani? Limited stature? Are you finally admitting that I can always kick your ass?” She smirked slightly, hoping to give her sister some confidence that she got this!
Zuza couldn’t help a short laugh at Asani speaking her mind. She couldn’t help but agree, but alas, professionalism. Qyeria and Ruka had done a good job of at least making her behave while on the job.
She looked to Asani, smiling, “Melee will be against the training dummies, I think they can be adjusted to be shorter if you like but this course isn’t going to be you guys fighting each other. For the Force stuff, I just want to see how well you guys can control what you do, so it’ll be with the crates for now. I don’t have the Force myself, but there’ll be other days with other tutors who can give you more guidance and training in that spot.”
She chuckled at Sagitta’s banter, “No kicking each others asses until this parts done, kay?”
Rhylance watched and listened as the new recruits awaited the start of the training. Down the line he took mental notes of his first impression of each of them.
Jovian, confident(perhaps overly so). Anxious to begin and a strong drive to prove himself. I will need to keep an eye on that one.
Shamiir, sizing up their competition, smart. Easily triggered about their size…pros and cons for sure. Able to maintain composure
Asani, easily angered with the use of prideful disdain and ego. Feisty, to be sure. She has a fire in her. I like this one.
Sagitta, energetic. Childlike. Oh dear, loud and boisterous. She will be alot to deal with.
With everyone seemingly ready to roll out, Zuza walked to the beginning of the obstacle course.
“This is your starting line, the end is marked with a red line so that’s when you know ya can stop!”
She looked between the four recruits, and stood off to the side. The Human wanted to take part too, but alas, maybe later.
“GO!”
This was, frankly, kind of a drag - at least as far as Shamiir was concerned. The promise of more challenging jobs and a better paycheck had drawn them here, but this was neither. They regarded their chosen first obstacle with a fair amount of consternation. It was one thing to scramble up the cargo nets of a freighter in no, or at least low, gravity aboard a cheap freighter. This floppy menace was different entirely. A fact they were reminded of as their weight wrenched their feet free of a purchase more than once. Perhaps not the best first choice for someone who had operated their whole life purely on feel in place of training.
The beams were a bit easier. In part because they were relatively large for Shamiir. Small feet and frame worked their way across, over, and under, without much of a hitch aside from a particularly tall option. The latter was cleared by a recalculated jump with similarly little issue as they picked up more speed.
For their final obstacle, Shamiir chose a freestanding rope, clearing nearly their own height in a confident jump to start the climb; now obviously more at grips with their environment and the movements they were making. Obviously powerful arms made short work of hauling them ever higher. As they reached top of the tower, however, Shamiir settled in to watch what they could of the others running the course from the superior vantagepoint. If they cared at all about the finish line, it didn’t show. The value proposition of studying the way the others tackled the course was significantly higher.
She heard the word Go.
Her body did not remove.
It didn’t click.
“OH KRIFF, SHE SAID GO!” Sagitta yelled in surprise at herself. Anyone could heard that. She froze for a moment, slight in panic as she looked over at… more than one obstacle courses!? Which one was she supposed to take?! ‘Just pick one and go!’ Right! The first one took, she ran to the wall and started to climb up. With each pull up, she was getting more confidence as she was focusing well. Her speed started to pick up despite that horrid start. Rock climbing? Easy peasy!
Made it to the top she saw the rope in front of her as she smirked, ‘Heck yes! Ropes! Love them!’ Jumped down, she landed gracefully as she started a running start towards the rope. Hurling her 195lbs ass and accidently had too much umph on the feet, the rope started to swing rather violently, sending her into the air as she yelled in surprised. It was too quick and she figure she didn’t have enough time to compose herself properly so she curled up into a ball, hoping to land on her side, her arms protecting her head and neck, not knowing that she wasn’t hurling upwards like she thought, instead, more like a cannoball, straight towards Doon.
“GO!” With that command and the knowledge she shouldn’t stop unless she saw a red line, she dashed. The lagomorph appearance wasn’t just for show, her legs carried her with ease as she ran on all fours, until she reached her chosen path and the cargo nets.
She struggled, her whole body fit through the nets holes, one false move and shed drop to the ground. It took Asani more time than she wanted it to, her body slipping down. She held on, having to use her tail to balance and re-adjust to being above the nets again. It seemed everyone had managed to get ahead of her and this was just the first obstacle. ‘I wont hear the end of this…’ Once clear of the net she was more confident in her ability to get through the askew platforms on the ground, the muddy water pit beneath them a strong deterrent.
She hopped from platform to platform taking her time when she slid gently on one, looking to the next one rather than at the other recruits. Once finished she saw a rope, looking up there were various other ropes or metal pipes and rings she could hop from. This was much easier than the nets.
A swift climb up the single rope, she swung a bit using the momentum to grab onto the metal rings. She used the same swinging technique, holding on to the next one. When she managed to find a platform to stand on she took a moment to look around from her vantage point. Hearing a yell she looked to see her sister hurling like a cannonball through the air.
Doon stood at the side of the course, arms crossed over his chest as he observed the first Trial. Though his right eye was missing, he still noticed the panic that rippled through to force as a green and purple streak hurtled through the air towards him. His leg moved back bracing his stance as his arms opened.
Sagitta was met with a warm, cushiony impact backed by a much more sudden stop as she met a wall of muscle. The landing knocked only a bit of air from the Shistavanen, which escaped in a breathy growl as he steadied himself. He tilted his head so his hood eye could stare down at the jumble of Mirialan he held. It took him a moment to shift her so she ended up in a more comfortable bridal style position.
“Are you… alright?” He rumbled, preparing to release
While prepared to get hurt or maybe even worse, hopefully not, she was met with an impact of a soft cushiony hard pillow. “E-eh?” She stammered, a bit surprised that her luck didn’t had her met with a painful day. “Oh!” Exclaimed the Mirialan as she realized that well, that big beast was holding her. “Sorry about that!” She laughed sheepishly and nervously, but the nerves wasn’t there for long, it rolled right off of her shoulders.
Her lips spread to a wide massive grin, “Name’s Sagitta!” She held out her hand, between them.. somehow, for him to shake, the dolt not yet realizing that his arms are rather full. “Vor entye!”
“Doon. Sulvir.” He spoke with a flat, blunt tone. He looked at the hand on offer and releases her legs, assisting her so she lands on the ground safely. He extends a large paw, ready to offer a quick shake.
“I think your attempt at this trial is over. You should prepare for the next one.” While he spoke, his eye wandered to the other fresh bloods, in case someone else took a slip and came tumbling ontop of him.
With a keen eye, Jovian observed the other participants as they tackled the challenging obstacle course. Some of them moved through the various barriers with remarkable grace and ease, while others stumbled and struggled to make progress. Despite his determination to perform well, Jovian felt a growing sense of unease as his turn approached. As he took a deep breath and charged towards the course with confident strides, he cleared the first set of bars with ease. However, as he landed on the other side, his balance faltered, and he fell hard on his backside, causing a sharp pain to shoot through his body. This unexpected setback left him feeling vulnerable and unsure of his abilities. Jovian had always considered himself athletic and in control, but seeing others excel and surpass his efforts had planted a seed of doubt and insecurity in his mind. He grew increasingly frustrated as the obstacles seemed to give him a hard time, mentally beating himself up with each difficulty. His skin flushed a deep crimson as he pushed through the course, determined to reach the end and distance himself from the rest of the students.
Shamiir’s perch offered a wealth of different information, though whether or not it would be particularly useful remained to be seen. No one really excelled at the obstacle course, though perhaps that was to be expected. The likelihood that they would make a mistake on a course they had no experience with was rather high. No one had mentioned a competition in all of this though, so Shamiir took their time, watching Doon and Sagitta goof off, Jovian take things far too seriously. As the latter crossed the finish line, they stepped off the back of the rope tower and slid to the bottom of the incline, breaking the plane of the objective shortly afterward. Enough of this, time for the next task.
“Right come on then! Get your breath, and smack those dummies!”
Zuza was walking along outside the obstacles, making notes in her head. They were all performing decently, and battlefields often weren’t jungle gyms. They’d have plenty of time to build further endurance along the way too.
She gestured the four towards where the dummies were.
Alexandyr sighed and placed his face in his palm as he watched the girls rush through the first charge of the course. Asani as graceful as ever, clambered through then nets then bounced through the rest of the course like it was a morning run. Sagitta… Maybe reading really was her strong suit. Froze on launch. Panicked on choosing a course, and then landed on Doon.
“Wulfram’s children alright.”
L'ara mumbled to herself from underneath the helmet in Twi'leki.
“Still think I should have been allowed to mine the course with dummy charges. Wouldn’t have hurt anyone, no worse than a flashbang.”
Rhylance watched the trainees with a veiled disinterest. His face betrayed none of his actual thoughts, maintaining his stoic demeanor. Physical prowess was rather uninteresting to the Doctor, but he knew that solidarity was often important when new arrivals were present. As he “watched” the trainees, the session being recorded and uploaded by M.O.R.S.E remotely, the Chiss began to envision and deduce how best to apply training techniques to his chosen trainee so that they would grow to be of superior calibur to the others.
Sagitta felt the relax of his muscles and slow movement of his arm under his legs, “Oh! Right!” She stood as she watches their handshake, pure joy seems to be buzzing around this woman as she was trying to contain herself. “Wow! You are so cool! Doon, I would-” Then she stopped, her face went from excitement to puzzled, “Huh? Trial? OH,” exclaimed the young Mirialan as she dashed off with a wave, “Ori'vor'e!”
‘Smack those dummies!’ - Zuza
Sagitta paused for a moment, blinked a few times. Did… she mean actual smacking or just beating them up? Yea. Had to be the latter. Hopefully. Took one good look at the dummies, she scratched her cheek as she was trying to figure out something. ‘No time to mull abo- Oh!’ Something had caught her eye, now this she could use!
Having had some training in Whiptree, the standing dummies wouldn’t do it for her but at least had those grappling dummies! Score! Ran over, she yelped as she tripped over a pebble and quickly regain her composure, “I’m okay!” With a clear of her throat, she exhaled softly. ‘Pay attention. Focus.’ With that, she took the grappling dummy’s arm over her shoulder and executed a throw so perfectly well. Everything was down to pat, the form, the throw, the land, the fluid movement of her body.
‘Aw yea! I got this one!’ She thought to herself as decided to do a different throw but… the tall woman miscalculated as she heard a rrrriiippp and the dummy arm was torn off. “Oh.” Maybe she shouldn’t used a really old and massively damaged dummy…
Now they were getting to where Shamiir felt more comfortable. Blades and brawls, the realm they’d cut their teeth in. A swift, smooth motion drew the blade they’d stowed beneath their poncho earlier, twirling it into the palm of their hand effortlessly. A quick strike at the dummy should have been enough to show their skills… only nothing happened. Or, more precisely, much less happened than was supposed to.
The blade stuck fast about a half inch deep in the surface of Shamiir’s training dummy, notably not the typical outcome for a vibroweapon. They scowled and wrenched the blade free, turning it over in their hand. Nimble fingers tinkered with the mechanism, in this case a shoddy looking copy of a much more expensive squeeze-based switch, but to no end. The weapon simply wouldn’t function, for whatever reason, leaving the diminutive Echani with a terrible quality normal knife.
“Cheap piece of junk.” They said, winding up and swinging the knife as hard as possible. This time the blade comically popped free of the hilt, suggesting that even a working version of the knife might not have held up anyways. “Shoulda figured they wouldn’t be sitting in an unattended stall if they were worth stealing.” They muttered under their breath, tossing the remaining piece of the weapon over their shoulder.
A frustrated roundhouse kick ended the Echani’s woeful display, producing the slightly better result of setting the dummy teetering at the edge of balance before it plopped back upright on its base, but nothing truly of note. Their people might have had a reputation for prowess in close combat, but Shamiir trudged away from the stupid training dummy without having done it even the slightest bit of justice.
A quick step out of the obstacle course Asani took a moment to situate herself, she had managed to finish the first of her trials with confidence. “Smack those dummies!” she heard Zuza command. Asani took this moment to asses the skill level for the other trainees. Sagitta being much too aggressive with the dummies was unexpected but welcome “Well well Gitta you’re finally starting to get into it!” She shouted, cheering her sister on. Once Gitta was done, the Echani was up next, granted upon observing them, their struggle with their blade was obvious. Just a normal knife, odd to have, but seeing their frustration and the knife pop free of its hilt, perhaps it was the weapon and not its user that was struggling.
Stepping up Asani noticed a training lightsaber, something she could perhaps manage. Taking it up she began going through some forms, moving about in order to display at least some competence with the blade. She could hold it well, her movements were deliberate and careful, controlled, yet leaving a lot of openings. She had the right idea, but needed more training. Perhaps she should save the striking for some other time.
Jovian was wholly immersed in his combat training, and his mind focused on the final challenge he had to face to prove his hand-to-hand combat skills. He confidently punched the dummy with a determined look, which swung back at him with equal force. He quickly defended himself by throwing expert jabs and bracing himself against each hit. As he gained momentum, Jovian’s movements grew faster and more fluid, a testament to the countless hours he had spent perfecting his technique.
He was utterly absorbed in the moment, his mind and body in perfect sync. Little did he know that someone was secretly watching him from the shadows, observing his every move with keen interest. In a moment of distraction, the dummy’s arm swung into his side, momentarily taking him off guard. However, Jovian quickly regained his composure and remained focused on the task.
He approached the dummy again with both hands free, assuming a fighting stance. Besides, he found himself in a state of flow, his adrenaline pumping as he became increasingly engrossed in the activity. He spun and sparred with the dummy for what felt like an eternity, each move executed with precision and finesse.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jovian stepped back, slightly winded but thoroughly satisfied. This newfound form of expression had given him the desired results, and he felt more confident. As he exited the training area, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had proven himself to his master and was ready for challenges.
“Yea!” Sagitta cheered everyone on. Her sister, the strangers, all of them. “We got this! Let’s goooo!” She hollered as she made her way over to the blasting range. ‘Now this one, I’m good at!’ With a smile, she took in a few deep breaths, drew her blaster, aimed and… nothing. Sagitta laughed sheepishly before frowning and checking on the blaster.
“Oh.” She mumbled as anyone nearby might hear a ‘click’. With an embarrassed clear of her throat, she aimed once again. Few blasts. She didn’t hit the bullseye but still hit within range. All good hits. “Now that’s how you guys do it!” She said as she positioned the blaster upwards with her free hand on her hip.
Suddenly, she sneezed
The blaster zapped into the air.
“Oh. Whoops…” She mumbled as she turned on the safety.
Eyes leveled over the data pad, checking on the series of bounties that had been placed when he saw a very curious case come up. Cosigned by Lillian and her Father, on charge of impersonation and attempted embezzlement of family fortune. The elder Mandalorian’s eyebrow quirked and he chuckled at his daughter as he accepted the bounty and slid his dataslate back into his pack.
“I taught you to shoot better than that, girl!” He heckled his middle child.
Alexandyr flinched as he heard Wulfram pipe up, and turned to look at the man, then back to Sagitta.
“Still, good shots. Pay attention to your weapon, check safeties and charge. Don’t get caught unaware in the field.” He called out, before turning to Wulfram and motioning at him in frustration.
Completely caught off guard as Sagitta yelped at hearing her dad’s voice. She puffed her cheeks at him, pink hues glaring right at him, teasing her at the ship or with her family was one thing, but here? Front of strangers? “Buir-” She shouted at him in Mando'a, and looked ready to be upset but then Alexandyr chimed up, praising her. Sagitta gave Wulfram a hurtful glare before looking at Alexandyr, “Vor entye, Ba'vodu Dyr.” Aggressively made sure the safety was on and double-checked, she smoothly set the blaster back onto the table as she waited for her fellow peers to finish with theirs. Shook the negativity off quickly as it arrived, “Let’s go, guys! You got this!” She cheered them on and her excitement had returned.
Zuza had waved the rookies onward, not bothering to shout again. They knew the routine by now, and smiled as Sagitta made an aggressively poor show of safe weapon handling.
Noted.
She chuckled, shaking her head and looking to the others as Wulfram and Alex called out to her.
Shamiir approached the training range with something… less than enthusiasm. They weren’t of the Echani culture writ large, no one had instructed them on how to behave or regard things, but they’d always found blasters an unfulfilling method of combat. The precision of a sharpshooter they could respect, there was skill in that for sure, but most people they’d encountered in a life of semi-legal under the table work had simply resorted to cowering behind cover while haphazardly flailing past it in the direction of their foe. And worse yet, some of them had succeeded in spite of that.
They turned the loaner weapon over in their hands for a moment, familiarizing themselves with the controls - what of them there were. It was a simple device, a rifle style weapon made to be handed to any fool with the ability to hold it upright and not enough sense to tell if they were cannon fodder or not. Bigger than Shamiir would have chosen, but good enough to complete a test they approached with barely contained disdane.
The first blaster bolt struck the target just outside of the center, prompting a slight adjustment from Shamiir. The next landed dead in the center of the target. Where was the challenge in this? Stand still and point a tube at something? The third shot zinged off the ground underneath as the Echani’s eyes glazed over from the monotony of the task and fired seemingly just to be done. If they cared about missing entirely it didn’t show as they flicked the safety back on and unceremoniously deposited the weapon back into the crate it’d come from.
It annoyed them that they’d had no chance to show their proficiency in close quarters, but succeeded here. Hopefully none of the various onlookers would insist on taking the ease with which they handled the blaster as a sign of any broader sense of aptitude or interest.
L'ara had been watching Sagitta silently behind her helmet. She hadn’t taken it off, not for any ideological reason, but because the modifications for her Lekku made it a bigger pain in the ass that it normally would be for humans and other species.
She did her best to stay unmoving, while tracking the girl’s progress on the course. But when it started, she was especially thankful. She cringed at some times, nodded slightly in approval at others, but truly did not want to betray any reaction.
It was when she heard the old human call out to Sagitta that some pieces fell into place and she felt inspired to break her silence. She removed her helmet and called out in Mando'a.
“Sagitta! I’ve seen you shoot better than that! Get out of your head and breathe!”
Hearing her sister be scolded did not inspire confidence. Whatever their father was upset about she hoped it was something unrelated to their performances. Their uncle being the gentler of the two men eased her worries a bit. At least if anything were to go poorly there wouldn’t be two people heckling. She was glad Gita also seemed to have a friend among the coaches near by.
“Thats okay Gita maybe its just an off day” she assisted in helping cheer her sister. The performance from the Echani only further dug her into a bout of anxious feelings. It seemed they were able to hit the targets with no effort. As if they’d been doing something as easy as walking.
Taking a deep breath Asani stepped up and assessed the targets. Drawing her blaster, checking the safety and posturing her form she was ready, she felt the constant need to shake her tail and ears while she aimed though. It was clear she was anxious about taking a poor shot.
She focused as best as she could, her first shot near perfect but the following barrage found itself to be poor in performance. She might as well have closed her eyes for the rest of the time she took any shots. It was clear her talents were more geared to a blade than a blaster.
Feeling defeated she walked toward her sibling awaiting the last of the trainees. This was not a good day for training she realized.
Zuza noted the put out expressions of Jovian and Asani, pausing step but stood closer to where they started and the crates stood.
“Hey guys, this isn’t determining your futures or anythin’. Its just progress tracking, so long as you do better or the same next time, youre fine. And… ill have ta check the weapons over better Jovian. From how ya managed to handle a broken blade, it shows your better than ya got to show.” She paused again, and then smiled, “Chins up. You’re doing great. But, any Force Users we got, if you wanna smash some crates round, its the final trial now. Anyone not, head over to where the others are stood and hopefully we’ll have no more cannonballs!” She laughed lightly, and went over in that direction herself.
She didn’t have the force, ain’t no way zuza was putting herself in the midst of this one.
The Echani was a bit lost in all this. Their training in the force amounted to little more than someone explaining to them what it even was, and how the unique talents that had gotten them recruited here manifest from its vast and unknowable depths. They operated entirely on instinct, making the prospect of suddenly summoning some power rather daunting.
More importantly, using them was typically quite draining, and they relied so much more on their physical abilities that the amount of things they were even capable of doing to these boxes was quite limited. They approached a larger one of their makeshift targets, placing a hand on it and pushing lightly to judge weight. It wasn’t outstandingly heavy, in fact they probably could have managed to move it around without assistance - albeit sliding slowly across the ground. Perhaps, though, if they were fast…
Shamiir’s eyes closed momentarily, and as they opened hands found points of purchase on the box’s surface. A deft shift of body weight set the object tilting, hands working under and continuing the motion. Like a lifter cleaning a bar the small Echani dipped into a squat, exploding upwards and sending the box airborne, significantly higher than even they expected.
The window was limited as they gathered their focus again, attempting to ward off the fatigue from amplifying their physical abilities. Thankfully this too came swiftly, much more so than it normally would have. Unfortunately for them the attempt was doomed to mediocrity, although that was farther than most untrained amateurs would get.
The fatigue from attempting to augment their abilities again set in immediately, as their lack of training prevented warding off the sensation. As with earlier a kick landed with a crunch on the side of the box, sending it darting sideways and skidding to a stop. They’d hoped to break it as it came back down, but the drain was evident as they hauled themselves up heaving heavy breaths through a frustrated expression.
Observing the echani put all their effort into moving the boxes was certainly something. For a moment she wondered if they’d realized they needed to use the force rather than their own strength but soon their own way of using the force would become more obvious. It was impressive that they were able to do so much with such an awkward start, but the final kick seemed to reveal some frustration.
Asani understood what the force was, in many ways she was always surrounded by it, her family having more than one person with the capabilities to use it. Yet she seemed hesitant, stepping up to the crates and checking their weight. They were heavier than she had anticipated, she hoped her performance here would make up for her earlier blunder.
Having inspected the boxes as best as possible she moved back a few paces, looking to her family members for some sort of sign or anything. Receiving nothing of obvious note she began to focus on the crates, her hands stretched out toward them.
With some concentration, she lifted the crates slowly. Moving them in a variety of directions before settling on stacking them all together into one neat tower. Once finalized she moved back to her spot beside her sister, she was satisfied with what she had accomplished when it came to showcasing her abilities. The encouraging words from Zuza helped her stay on task. “Thank you for the clarification on the purpose of the training ma’am” she replied, keeping a nearly formal stance.
Another shout of her name. But it wasn’t her dad or Uncle Dyr for that matter. She turned her head and was taken back for a bit, surprise evident on her face. She didn’t know L'ara was here! That’s what she gets for not paying attention. Sagitta’s smiled sheepishly as she gave her two thumbs up. Yea, no pressure. Get out of my head, right, okay. One of the really quiet short ones went first and obviously got extremely frustrated as she grimaced when the crate got kicked, “Aw, what did that crate do to you?” She murmured quietly enough for only her sister to catch it. She didn’t want to start any problems here. Asani went up and she did great, Sagitta’s jaw dropped as she watched Asani. Whoa. Okay! She got this! Asani went to stand by her as Sagitta leaned towards her, her hand balled up into a fist for them to fist bump. When they fist-bumped, Sagitta stepped forward.
Sagitta was a bit nervous, she haven’t really used the force at all, she’s been avoiding it. She did practice here and there in her room on the ship but not much. With a slow inhale and a soft exhale, her hand reached outwards towards the crate, fingers slightly relaxed but firm. The crate lifted up in the air, nice and smooth, but she already felt the exhaustion set in as it wavered for a moment. Sagitta regained her focus but it was obvious that it was a bit weaker than usual. She lowered her hand as the crate lowered but faster than she expected as it landed with a loud thud, kicking dust everywhere. “Aw yea! That wasn’t too bad! We got this you guys!” She cheered them on while walking back to stand by Asani.
Jovian felt a sense of pride as he kept up with the group’s physical activity. His determination to improve his hand-to-hand combat skills had paid off, and he was pleased to see that he could hold his own. As the group moved on, he felt a growing sense of excitement building up inside him. This was his chance to demonstrate his telekinetic powers, which he had eagerly awaited.
The group was eventually presented with a set of crates and asked to display their individual force powers. Jovian took a moment to observe the others and decided to play on their expectations. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on his connection to the force. He loved the feeling of extending his telekinesis, and with a sudden burst of energy, Jovian lifted one of the crates that Sagitta had struggled with into the air.
The crate suddenly stopped in front of Jovian, and he felt a surge of delight. This was his moment to shine, and he was determined to make the most of it. He concentrated and slowly lifted the crate into the air, attempting to spin it as it rose. While he had imagined doing this many times, it was much more complex. Jovian held his hand and slowly lifted the crate in sync with its ascending movement, determined to impress the group with his skills. He was thrilled to feel the crate’s weight in his telekinetic grasp and hoped he had made a lasting impression on the others.
Zuza cheered at the various displays.
Overall, they’d done a grand job. Her face was plastered with a broad grin. It was her first batch of recruits. Big batch anyway. And damn, they had a kriff tonne of potential.
Once Jovian allowed the crate to settle back on the ground she called out, “Great job everyone! That was everything. I’ll be hanging out for a while yet, so if you want to chat or just hang out you can.”
She cringed internally. While everyone got chatting, the paper work from today would be calling for completion. Zuza hated paperwork.
“And hey, masters and potential masters over there, meet your people while you’re at it.”
With a wink, Zuza reclaimed her crate from earlier to perch on.
L'ara tucked her helmet under her arm as she went down to meet the recruits. She specifically had her sights set on Sagitta, but would be happy to meet anyone else.
Jax had told her that the time was approaching to bring in her own foundling. She’d resisted, but was now confident of who she wanted to bring into the family.
“Sagitta! C'mere!”
Sagitta watched Jovian as she smiled. Everyone did great! She was going to ask the one that kicked the crate if they were okay, until-
‘Great job everyone!’ Sagitta listened with a smile as she leaned over to fist-bump with Asani, “I think we did great!” She smiled at her sister. And then she heard someone call out to her. With a smile and a wave, “Coming!” She shouted then looked down at Asani. “I’ll see you later! Go see Uncle Dyr!” With that, she ran over to L'ara. “Hi!” She said cheerily, smile beaming from ear to ear. She had fun today despite a few…mishaps.
Dash stepped up from the sidelines to greet and wave with a well-intended acknowledgement to the various apprentices. His eyes dances between the faces, cataloging their features along with the masters who came to finalize the training with them. The Kessurian had only caught a few of the assignments between the two parties but now this was a prime time to start mentally checking off the roster.
Dash flashed his smile at the apprentices and flashed his hand upwards to shift his braided hair behind his shoulder. With a humored tone, he spoke to the others with a flexing of his shoulders and biceps.
“Nice job all. Plenty of strength and definitely areas to grow.”
“You did well out there. You didn’t give up. You have guts. And you’re… a wizard, I guess?”
The Twi'lek crossed her arms as she looked up.
“Y'know, if you wanted, you could come hang out with me and mine for a bit? Maybe see how you like us Erinos?”
“Aw thanks! It was just training though.” Then she frowned at the wizard comment, “A wizard? Oh you mean— I hope that doesn’t trouble you?” Sagitta had little knowledge about the Force but she’s perfectly aware about some people feelings towards it.
It didn’t seem to bother L’ara as she offered to hang out. It brought a smile back to Sagitta’s face. “I would love to! Are we leaving right now? Do I need to stop by the ship and grab somethings? Maybe I should take a shower? Do I stink?”
Alexandyr beamed as he watched his nieces at the end of the course, then he heard the exchange between Sagitta and Asani, where she hurried her sister back to him before running off with another. He’d recognized them, but the name didn’t come to him immediately. He sighed, watching her run off, but what could he do, she was an adult in her own right, and he was just the uncle who was happy to see her getting her bearings with the STC. Soon she’d be getting an appointment somewhere in Dajorra’s branching military structure under the Clan’s overall mixed infrastructure.
He felt a hand palm his shoulder, then a dataslate was shoved under his face, showing two familiar faces, with a bounty placed on.
“Don’t say anything. I have a lot to tell you. Right now we’re here for them. Whose that Gitta is with?” Wulfram asked as he tucked the dataslate away again.
“I’m not sure, I swear we’ve met them before, but I’m drawing a blank at the moment. Especially now. You’ve got a lot to explain later.” The younger man exclaimed as he paced towards Asani, glancing towards Gitta and L'ara, still trying to put a proper name to the face himself.
It didnt take long for Zuza to decide the paper work could wait. She got the broad notes down, and then looked around as the groups gathered or splintered, as recruits and masters alike worked out what to do in the after math.
Easy enough for Zuza. The only people she didn’t know here were the Mandos. She waited until there was a pause, so she wasn’t interuppting before hopping off of her crate and toward the pair.
The small Human approached, stopping maybe a little further than one would expect, but considering the angle of her neck to really make eye contact it wasn’t difficult to determine why that was. The Arconan was mighty, but rather smol, as Zig called it.
“I don’t think we’ve met properly. Zuza Lottson.” She beamed up at the pair, “You two are why I’ve got a little horde entering the clan, yeah?”
Wulfram nodded as he loomed over his Clan Brother.
Alexandyr shrugged and shook his head as he motioned to Wulfram.
“You can thank tall, dark, and broody here. The girls likely would have joined service sooner if he wasn’t so protective over everyone. But, with what we’ve been through the last few years, I get it.” Alex chuckled, doing his best to be personable, as the lighter persona of the two.
“Alexandyr Douve-Armis and this is my Clan brother Wulfram Armis'te'ad. You’ve had the pleasure of Gitta and Asani. Arden and Erin will be in your next class.” He beamed.
“Well, we aren’t complaining about timing. It’s good to have ‘em.” Zuza shook her head ever so slightly, amused. “Can’t wait to meet the rest either. Are you all like a family, or is it a clan thing?” She asked curiously, before sticking on with a rush.
“Or both.”
“Both. They’re Wulfram’s foundlings, his children. We’re brothers, of sorts, not by blood, but circumstance.” Alexandyr answered before Wulfram could speak, which seemed to annoy the elder of the pair at first, but left him with a smirk.
“They’re great, strong, independent, talkative.” Wulfram interjected from behind. “One could ask for no better from their children after they’ve grown.”
Zuza smiled. “Both is good.”
She glanced out over where they had all gathered, “I’ll be doing my best to make sure they’re ready for the clan at large. I’m sure you remember much of what our wars can be like, I’d hate for any of them to face it like I did my first time.”
Her own first war hadn’t gone.. well. Admittedly she hadn’t fought alongside Arcona, but the Tenixir Revenants whom many of the clan sided against. It had left her stranded bar a small group of others. It was still something that no matter how many years of training and small missions you had done, she wasn’t sure if she really could prepare them for it. The worry showed in her face, creasing her brow.
Jovian allowed the crate to drop to the ground and casually walked towards Rhylance, though it was indeed his master; the idea of serving anyone was a buzz-kill. He posted next to Rylance and crossed his arms. “There wasn’t something monumentally more critical than this? I’m shocked. ” As Jovian cast his eyes upon the challenging obstacle course, his attention was immediately drawn to the participants, who all shared a profound connection with their leader. It was evident that they followed his guidance and instruction with utmost devotion. However, Jovian’s intense hunger for knowledge and an unrelenting desire to master the Force superseded any external influence. He was determined to achieve his goals, and nothing would hinder his quest for excellence at this juncture.
It is comprehensible that the remaining individuals did not achieve the same level of success on the force examination. The profound emotional connection and probable loss of an adored one can pose a vulnerability. However, in contrast, Jovian has consistently been acclimatized to solitary in obscurity. For many individuals, darkness triggers apprehension, but for Jovian, it elicits a sense of solace.
Rhylance looked over to the Twi'Lek who seemed…uninterested in this training the longer it went on. A sloght smirk crossed the Chiss’s face.
“If you are looking for something more akin to your sensibilities and interests, when we are finished here join me on my ship. I will show you where I will be overseeing your growth.”
The Chiss was not one with the Force, but years of studying body language and the psychology of sntient beings allowed him to pick up on slight ticks and nuances of others. Jovian wasn’t one who wanted to be “managed”. Rhylance also didn’t want to be a “manager”.
“I will ensure that you grow stronger, but I will not be your controller. I will offer you the power and knowledge you may seek, but I will not hold your hand. You will be puting in the work.”
Jovian nodded and looked at the cerulean chiss; there was something so distinct about his skin; most likely, the contrast to his own was the cause of the thought, “ You will teach me what I need to know. “ He thought about precisely what he needed, what he wanted. He heard his connection to the Force like a tiger locked within its cage, awaiting his prey. He was delighted to hear that Rhylance would teach him more “ All I want is more… “ He rubbed his hands together and bit his bottom lip “ There is strength in knowledge “ Jovian had always wanted more knowledge for himself; he thought about what it would look like to dive into his obsession with the Force.. more than he was at the moment. The possibilities with someone more experienced, no matter if he was not versed in the force “ If you are willing to teach me, I want to know everything. “Greed, Lust, and Passion always drove Jovian; it sustained him. Directing and knowing what he wanted always faired better than taking advice from others; this time, with Rhylance, this would be different. <@206692046424113152>
Rhylance kept a calm face as Jovian spoke. He listened and interpreted the words, ascertaining exactly what it was the Twi'Lek wanted. The Chiss turned from the training ground and began walking to his ship.
“I warn you, my expectations are high, and I will not be going easy on you. I may not be Force sensitive, but you’d be surprised how much one grasps when they’ve studied the biology and psychology of many Force Users.”
He continued to walk away and then spoke again, over his shoulder.
“Join me in my ship once you’ve been released from your training. ”
The shorter sibling smiled after fist bumping her sister. “You go have fun” she’d say pacing back toward her Uncle and Father who seemed to be singing praises to the girls. She seemed to walk taller after hearing their words. She would leap onto her fathers shoulders then. “Was that you saying you could ask for no better children?” she smiled wide. Shed hug her fathers head, staying perched on his shoulder. “You trained us, I would hope we’d live up to your expectations” shed say rubbing his hair a bit. It was obvious the smallest member of the family had no issue with using everyone as a personal perch or taxi service. “I hope we’ll be able to train more together Zuza, I quite enjoyed the course.” she commented smiling and moving her legs gently in a tapping motion.