Atlas Gym, Friday mid-morning

[solo_sword]

The whole mercenary convention wasn't really sitting right with Jaina, so she ended up heading to the gym early to meet Anakin. After the events on Duro- specifically, her twin brother knocking the Yuuzhan Vong warmaster out a window- a bounty had been put on all the Jedi by the Vong. She was still pretty sure she was safe, and it certainly wasn't going to stop her from doing anything, it just meant she was being a little more cautious, and had a little more nervous energy to burn off.

She left the door open, doing some stretches to warm up while she waited.

Comments

[sith_happened]

Anakin walked into the gym a few moments later.

"Good morning."

[solo_sword]

"I beat you this time," she greeted him, sticking a leg out in front of her on the floor to stretch.

[sith_happened]

"Vladdie wanted to play," Anakin replied sheepishly.

[solo_sword]

"Uh huh," she said, not hiding her amusement as she pulled her leg in so she could get into a standing position.

[sith_happened]

Anakin shrugged melodramatically out of his robe and tossed it onto a bench. "Please. Like you could resist puppy whining, either. I didn't want him to wake up the rest of the house."

That totally wasn't why he did it.

[solo_sword]

"I'm just trying really hard to imagine you playing with a puppy," she said thoughtfully. She wasn't trying to imagine it too hard, though, just in case she started giggling.

[sith_happened]

Anakin wrinkled his nose at her. "I do. Sometimes I even laugh."

[solo_sword]

"Well now my mental image of you is completely shot," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Ready to try and restore it?"

[sith_happened]

"There is no try," Anakin replied, pulling his lightsaber out and trotting to the center of the mat.

[solo_sword]

Jaina sighed. "Brought that on myself," she muttered, unclipping her lightsaber and meeting him on the mat, igniting her weapon when she was ready.

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled at her. "We just got out of the habit of using the word at all," he said, then lunged his lit blade at hers with something close to blinding speed.

[solo_sword]

She almost wasn't fast enough, so when she met his blade, she had to step forward to compensate for her unpreparedness. Not her best start.

[sith_happened]

Anakin filed it away and slowed down a notch. "How do the Vong fight?" he asked, half because he was curious and half to see how she was at dividing her attention.

[solo_sword]

"Living weapons," she said, better now that she was concentrating. "Staffs that shoot venom and concussive insects."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "Can you feel those in the Force at all?" he asked, swiping at her neck.

[solo_sword]

She brought her lightsaber up quickly to deflect the shot. "Hey, I need that," she told him. "And I think it all depends on whether you're bonded to a masquer or about to be fired on by something. I've been missing a lot of experience."

[sith_happened]

"Masquer?" Anakin asked, reaching into the Force and tossing an exercise ball towards her head.

Anakin cheated.

[solo_sword]

She ducked the ball just in time, glaring, only faltering on her swordwork a bit. "They're creatures that sort of... conform to you," she explained. "They're like suits, or masks."

[sith_happened]

Anakin didn't look the least bit abashed. "They're not going to stand in a straight line and fight like holodramas," he said, sweeping at her legs. "It doesn't have to be pretty. And those masquers sound--" horrifying, "--uncomfortable."

[solo_sword]

Rather than trying to catch his blade this time, Jaina jumped over it, using a little push from the Force to turn it into a backwards flip. "Jacen described it as creepy," she said when she'd landed, stepping closer again. "The Vong can use them to disguise their identity, they're that good."

[sith_happened]

"Very smart," Anakin said wryly, beginning to move faster. "Infiltration, I assume?"

[solo_sword]

Careful to keep up with his speed, she answered, "It's how they got Duro."

[sith_happened]

Anakin hissed in a breath. "Any way to spot the masquers yet?" he asked. "Have they managed to imitate all aliens, or just ones with limited range of motion?"

[solo_sword]

"Not sure yet. The person underneath still won't give off any presence in the Force, though," Jaina said. "Then you just have to unmask them without them noticing."

[sith_happened]

"Lightsaber to the back of the head?" Anakin suggested.

He didn't do subtle.