Outside of the Temple: The Gardens of the Awakened Being

At last, Vesten came upon the day's perfect spot in the Garden. There was a grassy patch under a small tree, with enough room for his lightsaber sequences. Only a few paces away ran one of the many small streams in the Garden of the Awakened Being. The Jedi kicked off his boots and removed his heavy cloak. He stood ever so still, held his staff close to the right side of his body, closed his eyes, and took in a long, deep breath. His senses reached out, taking note of the cool grass on his feet and the moisture in the air. The slight trickle of the steam pleased his ears, playing a rhythm to the melodic tunes of whisper birds in the distance. Lost in the serenity of his surroundings, releasing all thoughts, the Jedi Master was calmed in an almost perfect manner.

When his thoughts were clear and he could feel that the time was right, he hoisted the staff with his right hand and brought it to a horizontal position at his waist. Slowly, he pushed outward with both arms, lifting the staff to shoulder height. His head turned to his left, eyes still closed, and he imagined an opponent coming forth. With a soft release of his breath, Ves stepped out with his left foot to widen his stance, simultaneously thrusting his staff forward to begin his choreographed duel.

For whatever reason, the fluid movement of sequences always seemed to allow Vesten a greater focus for meditation. His feet slid evenly on the grass as he shifted his position and battled a non-existent opponent at mildly increasing speeds. He lunged forward and dropped back, dipped and dodged, parried, slashed and stabbed. As his speed increased, his actions became much more mobile.  First, successive Jung twists. Then more parries and a quick thrust forward. A Sai leap followed by a Flowing Water cut with yet more speed.

The Jedi had neglected his physical training for quite some time, and it would show. His breathing was less controlled than it should have been, and sweat lightly coated his brow and the palms of his hands. Still, he continued the sequences for quite some time, decreasing and then increasing his pace of motion as he felt the need or inclination.

Upon hearing Rutil Iorek address him, Vesten allowed his momentum to wane. The Zabrak Jedi Knight was a figure that the human Jedi respected greatly. Rutil had strength of both body and resolve which rivaled those of any other being that Vesten had met in his relatively short lifetime.

And so the Jedi Master spun to a halt on the semi-slick grass, pausing to take a slow, deep breath. He turned to face Rutil with a smile, waving him forward with a nod in response.

"Good day, Rutil," Ves started, but chuckled upon considering the Zabrak's initial statement. "I needed some fresh air, and the training rooms can be too... busy."

He looked around, particularly toward the Wroshyr tree that was the towering centerpiece of the Garden and then toward the small stream.

"I may not focus much on my combat skills, but sequences seem to help me achieve a proper balance when my thoughts are most cluttered."

Vesten simply nodded in agreement with Rutil. He knew, and had little doubt that the elder Zabrak was far more familiar with the fact, that many individuals could struggle with properly releasing their thoughts to reach that higher awareness of the Force. It was one of the most difficult concepts to teach young Jedi. How does one think about nothing?

"Neglect," was his succinct reply, a solemn tone on his voice. He'd required no pause. His smile faded a bit. "Neglect of work and people as of late. It's unbecoming of someone in my position."

His gaze shifted upward, catching sight of a small flock of whisper birds soaring above the canopy.

"So I figured I'd come out here and clear my mind for a time," he said, confidence returning to his voice, "and resolve to correct the shortcoming."

Ves stepped over to the small tree, just feet away, and propped his staff against it. As the human Jedi turned back to his Zabrak counterpart, he unclasped his lightsaber from its place at his left hip. For a moment he shifted his grip to feel the metal. The Adegan crystal within sung of the Light side, encouraging a smile.

*Paden and kaz leave the gardens, leaving the to jedi to duel in peace. They head into the temple there was much to do*

"I figured I'd actually try meditating the way most of us do."

Rutil executed every step and every strike with pinpoint precision.  He had to; the Zabrak had pushed himself too hard for too long to accept anything else, and it was a Master of the Praxeum he was "meditating" with.  Even on their lowest setting, weapons such as theirs left nasty stings in the wake of contact.

In any case, Rutil did not meditate in the traditional sense.  Try as he might, he simply could not quiet his mind the way his peers could.  The only sense of peace the Zabrak had ever found was with the chaos and emotional intensity of combat.  It lent itself well to his position as a Guardian, to be sure.  It also ensured that his presence in the more tranquil areas of the Praxeum - such as the Gardens the pair found themselves in - was a rarity that some Jedi had gone their entire apprenticeship without witnessing.

"Should've figured it wouldn't happen."