The beach- Tuesday morning

[thatwaslucky]

The beach had maybe become Rey's favorite place for training, just because of the scenery. She'd woken up early and decided to go out with her staff for a while, trying to remember the steps she'd run through with Kanan the other week. Her memorization maybe wasn't the greatest, and it was a little different with a staff versus a lightsaber anyway, but the spirit of it was there, even if things like the leaps didn't make sense to her yet. It didn't hurt anything to skip those for now.

And then when she wanted a break, she was happy enough to sit on the sand and look out at the water for a while while she cooled down. There really were worse ways to spend a morning.


[Open!]

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[betterthanaplan]

It seemed like wherever Duke went for a walk on this island, he ran into someone swinging around a weapon. At least this person didn't look eerily like him.

"Nice moves," he called, when she sat down to take a break. "I definitely wouldn't want to run into you in a dark alley."

[thatwaslucky]

"That's definitely the point," she said, looking over at him. "Morning."

[betterthanaplan]

“Morning,” Duke said, and sat down next to her. “Let me guess: waking up with a little bit of space!tai chi?” He grinned to soften the snark in the question. “I’m more of a yoga guy myself, but it did look fun.”

[thatwaslucky]

"I was up, thought I'd try what Kanan showed me. Or, adapt it, more than try, I guess," Rey amended. "Yoga's that calm one, right?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke tilted his head and nodded. “Yeah, sort of. I’d say it’s more the stretchy one. Both yoga and tai chi can be calming. They’re about self-control. Mastering your breath and your body.”

[thatwaslucky]

"Like meditation?" she asked.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke clicked his tongue and pointed at her. “Exactly. Like meditation in motion.”

[thatwaslucky]

"Hmm. Maybe I should try it sometime," Rey mused. Sibce that was a thing she did now sometimes.

[betterthanaplan]

"You totally should." Duke was of the opinion that everyone should at least try yoga. "I could show you a few things sometime, maybe."

[thatwaslucky]

"Sure, if you don't mind."

One day Rey would get used to people offering to help her with things. One day.

...Maybe.

[betterthanaplan]

The trick was working out what, if anything, they were expecting in return. (In Duke's case, he was just looking to hang out with someone who seemed cool, and a chance to show off a little.)

"Nah. I'm supposed to be a teacher now, right? Might as well get some practice in where I can."

[thatwaslucky]

"Well... thanks," Rey said, smiling. "I'd offer to show you this, but I'm still learning myself."

[betterthanaplan]

"That's alright. I'm not much of a staff fighter anyway." More of a 'whatever he could grab, usually a crowbar or a gun' fighter. "You're studying with that Kanan guy, right?"

[thatwaslucky]

"I am," she nodded. "For a few weeks now."

That was still a matter of days back home.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded, wondering if that meant she'd be doing the leaps and flips eventually, too. In which case, she could definitely benefit from some yoga practice.

"He let you try that fancy sword of his at all?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Lightsaber," she corrected. "Yeah, I've tried it. I have one, but it's not usable right now, so I have to borrow."

[betterthanaplan]

"Right. Lightsaber." Still just meant 'sword of light', but sure. "And where does one acquire one of these lightsabers?"

[thatwaslucky]

"I found mine," Rey said, and it was still a little weird calling it here. "It was passed down a few times. Mostly, they're built by the user. With at least one part not available on this planet."

One reason here was still broken.

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah." Duke shook his head. Because of course the space sword required parts gathered in space. "Must make it a pain in the ass to find replacement parts. You pick it up while scavenging?"

[thatwaslucky]

"No... I was helping that rebellion and it was in the basement of a castle," Rey said, perfectly aware this had to sound strange. It called me to it."

[betterthanaplan]

. . . The space swords could talk. Okay then.

"I get the feeling there is a much longer story in there somewhere."

[thatwaslucky]

"There really is," Rey said, almost applogetically. "I'm still figuring out how to tell it."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "Some stories take awhile to wrap your head around. And figure out the best way around the bits you don't want to tell anyone anyway."

[thatwaslucky]

"And I'm sure it must sound insane~/i> to someone from here."

It sounded insane to her, sometimes.

[betterthanaplan]

"I've been in Fandom for a week," Duke pointed out. "Literally everything sounds insane to me right now."

And after hanging out with Delirium this weekend, he was just fine with that. Pretty much everything that wasn't a creepy dude with teeth for eyes was currently alright in his book.