thepurpleone | Cyberformed [] Inbox

She makes a face. It's not the first time she's heard the phrase.

"I guess..." she says. "You don't have to say it like that though."

He could at least try to sound a little impressed.

There is nothing particularly impressive that he's heard regarding monks, save for maybe their illuminating abilities, and he doubts that anyone does that anymore.

"What, how else am I supposed to say it??"

[Right, of course he would have all the info he needed from Cal.]

Of course. Maybe I'll test some things next time I'm off ship. I'll report back if I find anything. Cal probably knows more than me though.

[Blessedly, they finally make it to the training room and Anila takes it as an opportune moment to change the subject, adding a little bit energy back into her voice and grinning at the teen.]

Hope you're ready!

[It's been an effective enough distraction, and even if Donnie's still bottled things up, he seems more...normal than he'd been.

He looks around, mostly to see if any damage from the time he and Leo decided to test out Shockwave's cannon remained. That thought draws a flicker of...something across his face before he turns, nodding at Anila.

He holds his hand out to the side, purple lines of neon tracing out to form the intricate parts housed in the eventually shaped shaft of the tech-bō he uses. Spinning it with ease, he twists it the way he would to activate the naginata blade, the slim thing sprouting forth with its delicate curve as he slides into an at-ready position.]

Whenever you are.

[Anila grins and unhooks the handle of her lightsaber and activates it with it's distinctive buzzing whir.

She spreads her feet and holds onto it with both hands, the blade at an angle, ready to swing.]

I'll go easy on your for now. Don't want anyone to get hurt.

[As serious as the statement is, there's a bit of teasing there.]

"Well you don't have to make it sound so lame. We can move things with our mind, my guy," she says, giving him a playful nudge.

[That finally manages to pull something of a faint smirk from him.]

If you say so.

[As much as he's a fan of plans, when it comes to battle, he actually isn't much of a strategist so much as a reactive fighter. Truthfully he can be pretty reckless- and as it turns out, he's not afraid to try and strike first.

Donnie moves in, glowing staff twirling as he brings it around for a broad swipe to get things started out.]

"Not like that's a class-specific trick," he counters. "I guess calling yourselves Jedi instead of space monks does help make it sound cooler though." He has yet to be really impressed though.

She sticks her tongue out at him like the older and more mature woman she is.

Anile stops herself from saying she'll prove it, show him something impressive. That wouldn't be very Jedi of her. Best to stay humble.

Back on topic.

"The plants back on your planet. What were they like?" she asks, returning to observing the flora Donnie has around his room.

[Anila grin. It's natural that she isn't exactly a fan of violence, per say, but she was always a fan of a good spar. It just felt so nice to let her body move and react, to clear her mind and focus only on the moment. Exhaust her body, quiet the mind.

She circles him a moment, before making the first move. Impatience? Upper hand? It's hard to tell when a rod of burning laser light comes flying at you with an expert swiftness.]

Donnie's brow quirks at that, an amused look on his face. He's almost disappointed that she switches the subject back.

"Like...plants?" he replies uncertainly, unsure how to really explain something so broad and yet likely similar to other worlds. "Organic, naturally..."

[He's not a Jedi, but he's been trained just as young as Anila has, and a staff is practically an extension of his own arms.

Donnie shifts his footing, staff spinning tightly parallel to him as he brings the bladed end up to meet Anila's lightsaber. Not to completely block it, but to help it slide past him before he gives a light tip of the opposite end, the way he'd follow up with a smack to the ribs, but since this is a spar and he's not aiming to hurt the Jedi, he's trying to be mindful of the force behind it.]

[Anila isn't surprised by Donnie's ability. She hadn't seen much of him in a fight, but she was aware enough of his upbringing to expect some sort of training, even if it was so different from her own.

She bends like a gymnast, agile and quick, careful of her own weapon and the damage it can cause if she isn't paying attention. Even an unintentional touch can leave severe scarring.

Moving out of the way of Donnie's attack, she turns on her right foot, crouching down a little as tentacles swing behind her and she darts in for her own attack, making sure to deactivate the lightsaber before it can actually make any sort of contact.]

She hums. She supposed, given the circumstances, that did narrow it down a little.

"What colors did you have? Anything like what you have here?" She motions around the room, to the collection on display.

[There's a brief spark of something almost akin to panic, but then Donnie's always been all too aware of his personal weakness that any sort of attempted attack from behind is always cause for double concern. More so when he's only wearing his hoodie, and while inwardly he knows Anila would never hurt him intentionally, the fear there is reflexive and very real.

So too is the response as he twists around sharply, letting his grasp loosen on the staff enough to let it slide towards the end to give him more length and reach as he swings the shaft up in preparation for deflecting a lightsaber blade.

What he doesn't anticipate is there to be no blade, and likewise nothing stopping his staff's arc.]

"It depends on the location," Donnie starts, now that he has a proper heading. "That's the nice thing about Earth; there's so many different climates all contained on one planet. Deep jungles with enough humidity and heat that it constantly builds up storms that keep everything lush and green. Dry deserts with resilient species that can subsist on minimal water, long enough until a good storm comes up and drenches things. There's forests and farms, parks and gardens."

He sighs. How he misses home.

"Where I live, it's all city, but go north enough and you'll hit some woods. They have a great botanical garden though, and that's the only place I've been able to see so many different flowers and plants. They even have rare ones from other parts of the world, like the Corpse Flower! It only blooms ever seven to ten years!"

She listens with genuine interest. She can get a bit lost on the technical bits, but he keeps things simple enough for now.

That last bit catches her. "A corpse flower?" She makes a face. "Do I want to know why it's called that? They couldn't come up with a better name?

[There is a ripple in the Force, a spark in her gut as she finishes her attack, knowing well it will do nothing to hurt him. She shifts back again giving him some space.

He was scared. That feeling was all too recognizable. Anila doesn't think it's of her, they were doing fine just seconds ago, having fun even, if she wanted to push it that far. This fear was panic, sudden and sharp.

Anila lowers her guard, letting the hilt of her lightsaber hang loose in her hand at her side. She's all for a good spar, but both parties have to be on the same level. Nothing about this is going to be enjoyable if she is going to end up frightening. Sparring takes trust, with ourself and with your opponent. It's her fault for not making sure that was as established as it should have been.]

Donnie? Are you okay?

Donnie laughs. "The titan arum is infamous for the unique aroma that it produces when it does bloom, which is comparable to the scent of a decaying body, apparently -which attracts pollinators."

[Donnie swallows, his weapon vanishing in a flurry of pixelated light. He winces at the question, bringing a hand to his chest as he tries to calm himself down.]

Yeah, I.... S-sorry. I didn't think you would, but I don't have my battle shell and...

[He shakes his head.]

Maybe this was a bad idea.

[Anila just as soon holsters her own weapon and holds out a hand.]

Hey, it's alright. I didn't know either. We were just trying to have fun.

[He's probably right, this was not her best idea and she feels guilty for suggesting it.]

I can help calm you down, if that's okay. Would it help if we got your battle shell? I didn't realize you didn't have it.

[If she's being honest, she didn't quite realize it came off at all, but she was known to be a bit ignorant about obvious matters at times.]

No more fighting.

She wrinkles her nose. "Somehow that is only barely better than anything I was thinking of. And you like this flower?" She'll admit it's... interesting. It's not uncommon for rotting meat to attract scavengers. So why not a flower that smells like such?

Maybe. I don't know. That circles back to the 'lightsabers versus Cybertronian metals' topic.

[Donnie doesn't look too disappointed about stopping their sparring session, even if he feels bad that he'd spoiled the mood. He'd looked forward to it, a bit.]

...my shell isn't hard like my brothers'. That's why I built all my battle shells and weapons, so my brothers wouldn't have to worry about me getting hurt.

[He breathes out a laugh.]

Guess I haven't really fixed that problem here, have I?

"Well, it's not really a top favorite but it was pretty cool to see blooming in person!"

And then it got smashed but hey, he got pictures at least.

"Dared my older brother to smell it and he went all in."

Anila snorts in a stifled laugh. Honestly, from what she knows of Donnie's brothers, she could totally believe it.

"And you? Did you smell it?"

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