Master and Apprentice

Master and Apprentice
Date of Scene:	05 December 2023
Location:	Temple Training Grounds - Jedi Temple - Coruscant
Synopsis:	Seraphina takes Cayde on as a Padawan.
Cast of Characters:	213, Cayde Alexis

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Seraphina (213) has posed:
It is several days since Seraphina first met Cayde and they spent some time getting to know one another. SEraphina has never taken a padawan before, and she isn;t precisely sure what to look for, but what she does know is that any padawan she does take is going to need at least some talent with their lightsaber. So it is that after some time spent meditating on the matter, Seraphina has invited Cayde to meet her at the training grounds so she can put him through his paces.

Seraphina has picked a time of day when she knows the area is likely to be unusually quiet and, true enough, there are only a few other Padawans and Knights working through their kata or sparring with one another around the edges of the area. Seraphina waits near the centre, sat beneath the ancient tree - a rarity on the ecumenopolis of Coruscant. Meditating with her eyes closed and her legs folded beneath her, she awaits the arrival of her prospective padawan.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde arrives perfectly on time to their meeting, not a moment late and not a moment early. She can likely feel his presence approaching, but he doesn't try to get her attention yet; instead he waits for her to finish her meditation session, so as not to interrupt anything important.

    Seraphina might also be able to sense that he's rather nervous about this test. He is eager to continue his training, and fears not being good enough...

Seraphina (213) has posed:
ure enough, Seraphina senses the arrival of the young Padawan and her eyes open, finding him immediately in the sparsely populated training grounds. Brown eyes settle curiously on the young man as she senses his anxiety about the coming test, and she remains quiet for a moment, simply observing Cayse curiously, before rising to her own feet and crossing over towards where the boy is stood nearby. "Cayde, good morning," she greets, reaching over to briefly set a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Take a breath and clear your mind, I can sense your apprehension," she offers reassuringly. Glancing around, she spots a clear patch of ground nearby and gestures to it, starting to walk Cayde in that direction.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods, taking a deep breath and trying to calm his nerves. He manages enough to focus, taking out the training saber he'd acquired from one of the equipment rooms earlier and following Seraphina over to the open spot she'd designated.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
Seraphina doesn't hurry anywhere, it seems, but she moves with a sense of graceful purpose that seems to eat up ground more quickly than her sedate appearance would duggest. Leading Cade out to an empty patch of ground in the training area, Seraphina tunrs to look at him, and there is a glimmer of a smile given, along with an approving nod as she feels his mind clear and his focus begin to crystallise. "That;s better," she states simply, with a slight nod of her chin as she does. Noticing the training saber in Cayde's hand, Seraphina gestures towards it. "Good. Don't be worried, I am not expecting perfection," she offers reassuringly. "Why don't you show me something you worked on with Master Rykard, to begin?" she suggests, taking a backward step to give Cayde a little space as she does.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods and pulls out a spherical training droid, powering it up and tossing it into the air set to a reasonably high difficulty level. He moves with a grace and finesse that seems to belie his apparent age, easily dodging or deflecting every bolt fired his way.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
Seraphina takes a step back and out of the way, giving Cayde plenty of space to demonstrate his training. She folds her own arms across her chest and watches with a critical eye as Cayde activates the training drone and seems to easily dodge or deflect the wave of bolts it sends in his direction. Seraphina purses her lips slightly and nods in quiet approval, continuing to watch Cayde, to see if there is anything else he might like to demonstrate.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde eventually brings out a second droid. And a third, and a fourth. Although after the third one, she can tell he is getting a bit worn out, as his movements become slightly more sluggish. It was a fallacy many padawans fell to--not pacing themselves efficiently by working themselves too hard at the start, and therefore tiring out too early.

    At some point, one of the bolts gets a desperate last-second defense, which sends it off in an errant direction that nearly singes the tips of her hair.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
Seraphina watches Cayde intensely, eyes narrowed as she studies his form and movement with a critical eye. She nods approvingly every now and then, and can't help but smile a little when the second, third and then eventually fourth training droids are deployed to up the difficulty. She lifts her right hand, tapping her index finger thoughtfully against her lips as she watches what is undoubtedly an impressive performance, even if Cayde manages to tire himself out more quickly than he might have like to. Eventually, a clumsy strike sends a blaster bolt flying in Seraphina's direction, though she seems to be ready for it. Without so much as moving, the bolt is redirected away from her neatly arranged hair and into the floor through the manipulation of the force. "Enough," she concludes, though her tone hints at barely concealed laughter as she steps forward.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Right on cue, the droids shut off and Cayde withdraws the training blade, putting them away. He turns toward Seraphina, eagerly searching for her approval, or if she wishes to see something else...

Seraphina (213) has posed:
"Very good," Seraphina remarks approvingly, once she gets close enough that she can speak without having to raise her voice at all. She stands quietly and watches as Cayde gathers up the training blade and the droids, remarking "You must have very deep pockets. I wondered where all of those droids were coming from," with an amused quirk of a smile. She doesn't linger on that though, and is quick to add "Master Rykard has taught you well, it seems." with a nod of approval towards Cayde. "A very defensive style, but that has proven very effective over time, especially now that the galaxy is dominated by blaster fire." she remarks, almost a touch regretfully. "In any case, your skills certainly seem to be sufficient for your age," she smiles encouragingly.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    There is a sense of relief that comes from him when she seems to give her approval of his skills.

    He projects gratitude for her encouraging words. <Thank you, Master Voss>

Seraphina (213) has posed:
Seraphina smile gently, already finding herself warming up to the young man, and she reaches over to lay a reassuring hand upon his shoulder when she senses that near palapble flood of relief washing off of him. "Do not be nervous Cayde. Anxiety is the cousin of fear," she points out, with an inclination of her head towards the young man. "In any case, you have done very well," she offers, and then gestures in the direction of the walk back out of the room, starting off at a gentle pace, and assuming Cayde will fall into step with her as she does.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Some of his anxiety melts away when she puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Cayde follows her as she starts to leave the training grounds, and she can feel his former nervousness turning into excitement and curiosity. What would come next? Would they travel? Would they stay here?

Seraphina (213) has posed:
"Well," Seraphina begins, once Cayde falls into step with her. She can feel the new swing in emotion from the boy, which produces another slight smile as they walk in the direction of the room of a thousand fountains, though truly Seraphina has no fixed destination in mind. "I've spent a long time meditating on the question," she adds, before breaking into a quiet laugh. "Can you tell I'm not really sure how these conversations are supposed to go?" she remarks, offering a smile in the direction of the younger man, before continuing "I am happy to complete your training, Cayde, if you are likewise happy to have me as your new master," Seraphina offers. "In truth, Master Rykard has already taught you most of the skills you will require, so our work will be a little different. Broadening your experiences, teaching you to use your skills with wisdom, and..." she smiles over at him, "building your confidence in your communication," she explains.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods eagerly when she formally agrees to train him. She can tell he's already thinking about that 'broadening experiences' part and where that might take them. Although the communication part is where he'd always struggled. For much of his life, he'd been around other Force Sensitives or other telepaths, but at some point he'll need to learn to effectively relate to, well, most other beings in the galaxy.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
There is a knowing smile and a nod from Seraphina when she feels that nect flood of incoming thoughts from her young apprentice. "Exactly," she agrees, with a nod of her head. "Much of what you need to learn, you cannot learn cloistered in a temple on Coruscant" she explains, her gaze shifting briefly upward toward the sky, even though they're inside. "We need to take you out into the galaxy, to see and learn things you would never encounter here," she smiles. "I will inform the council that I've taken over your care and training, and then enquire about where there might be need of us."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods again, quite excited at the prospect of going to other places in the galaxy. His thoughts wander over to Chandrila, where Seraphina had said she'd been born.

    <Master, have you gone back to your home city before?> He asks, the words projected through the Force.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
"No, never," Seraphina responds easily as they continue to walk. "It's not far, or even difficult to get to. But my duties have never taken me there," she explains. "Apparently it's a very beautiful world. Mostly agricultural. It's where a lot of the food for worlds like Coruscant comes from." she explains easily, before adding "I don;t have any real memories of it myself, so it means no more to me than any other world, really," with a glance across at Cade.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Yes, he'd heard Chandrila was full of natural beauty, and very prolific agriculturally...

    <I don't know where I'm from.>

Seraphina (213) has posed:
"Where you're from doesn't matter," Seraphina states confidently. "I was born in a place, but I have no attachment to it. I could point it out on a map, but it means no more to me than any other place," she explains. "Far more important is who you are, and that has nothing to do with where you came into being," she offers reassuringly.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde arches a brow at her. <You've never been curious?> She can tell he is genuinely wondering. Yes, he agrees that it doesn't really matter. But, he can't deny having wondered about it before.

Seraphina (213) has posed:
Seraphina pauses briefly before responding, eventually conceding "...sometimes, more often when I was younger." Seraphina explains. "I think that is part of the reason my master ensured our travels never took us to Chandrila," she continues. "These days, it's just a passing curiosity I feel from time to time, nothing more than that," she concludes.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As they arrive in the living quarters of the Temple again, Cayde stops in front of his room. <Thank you again> he projects, bowing respectfully toward her. She'll feel his gratitude toward her once more for agreeing to take him on. And how much he's looking forward to their travels together.