Log Date:
	5/31/99

Log Cast:
	Jairen, Morganna, Shenner, Tracer, Kaley

Log Intro:
	It's the middle of one of the rainiest seasons on Caspar, and this 
particular round of this season has been even rainier than usual. But with
the way Shenner's life has been going as of late, this is actually quite
fine. The Sandbar is rebuilt and flourishing; she has her friends around
her; progress is being made on the reopening of the University of Caspar
for the upcoming fall term. And she's been occupying her free time with
swordplay study with Jairen Windchaser, who ever since presenting her with
a blade of her own has been teaching her how to use it. And slowly but
surely, Shen has grown comfortable enough with the swordsman that she's not
above indulging in streaks of mischief around him, especially with her
spirits unusually high...

---------
Jairen steps out of the Sandbar and into the rain, left hand resting on his 
  hilt as he looks around, searching for something or someone. He stands 
  practically in the middle of the street, ignoring the rain.

Fountain Square - Plaxton City
        The huge buildings in the background threaten to take over this small 
  patch of green that is the center of Plaxton City. A stone fountain -still 
  in place from another time- sits in the center of the square. It depicts a 
  young woman looking into the sky. water flares around her and bursts into a 
  star pattern ten feet above her head. The inscription at the base of the 
  fountain is written in the aging language of a more romantic time. 
  'Farewell, for all journeyers that leave this place shall always return to 
  call it home.'
        Wandering the square throughout the day are Caspar Marines; some 
  off-duty and enjoying their downtime while on-duty commandos in full armor 
  and uniform keep watch over the area. Despite the commandos' aggresive 
  appearance, they are viewed with admiration and respect from most of the 
  citizens, some of them even joking and talking with families. The night sky 
  above is filled with the sound of howling winds and heavy rain fall flooding 
  the area.
Contents:
Jairen
Morganna
Draegar
IGNews Terminal - Caspar
Mail Terminal: Caspar
Obvious exits:
 <SA>ndbar leads to The Sandbar.
 <S>outh leads to South Mergansar Ave. - Plaxton City.
 <E>ast leads to East Blake St. - Plaxton City.
 <N>orth leads to North Mergansar Ave. - Plaxton City.
 <W>est leads to West Blake St. - Plaxton City.

Groggy and spacelagged, Morganna is leaning against the fountain. Her one eyed 
  gaze peers around at the recently reconstructed buildings, but her gaze 
  rests on the few scorched areas that remain. She seems remarkably subdued, 
  but it could be the two days of no sleep on her way from Corellia. Morganna 
  sighs and dips a hand in the fountain, "Damn, am I ever glad to see this 
  place in one piece.." she appears to be speaking to the statue, "You know, 
  fair lady, that I'd have just killed someone had I seen the devastation."

Whoo, _storm_! Most of the residents of Plaxton City, both before the war and 
  after, are fairly philosophical about the rain that's battered this section 
  of the planet during this particular season since time immemorial. Some of 
  the city's more recent residents, though -- like oh, say, the redheaded bard 
  loping down towards the square as she treks southward on Mergansar Avenue -- 
  are just enough out of step with everybody else to be out in this kind of 
  weather. Shen Veery, eyes a-gleam, mouth curled in a feral little lopsided 
  grin, finds herself frequently at her most alive during a storm.

The statue, of course, doesn't answer Morganna's rhetoric, it just stands 
  there looking hopeful, yet sad. Morganna shivers and shakes her head, the 
  rain is the only thing keeping her awake right now, her sleep deprivation 
  has forced her bitter side into slumber, leaving only traces of her more 
  personable personality. She yawns and rubs her organic eye, watching the 
  various beings scamper around in the ran. It's been so long since she has 
  been here on her own accord, without strings attached.. this is.. home.

Jairen continues to stand in the rain, finally moving out of the middle of the 
  road to also stand at the fountain. Nodding to the woman already there with 
  a polite "m'lady." He turns around and continues scanning the area.

Tracer enters the square from the north.
Tracer has arrived.

Shenner makes it into the square, her slim frame clad in just enough of a 
  jacket to more or less water-proof her against the elements. As she does, 
  she turns her face up into the rain and the wind, letting the falling water 
  wash over her features and blow soaked russet hair out of her eyes. Thunder 
  growls sullenly somewhere skyward, and Shenner lets out a gruff carol of 
  laughter, pirouetting around once on her boot heels as if the storm were her 
  dance partner.

The scarred woman almost jumps as jairen sits near her and speaks to her. The 
  tired predator shakes her head and regards the man evenly, trying to place a 
  face to a name. In her current state, she wouldn't be able to do it.. if it 
  were not for that Sword. Morganna's blue eye flashes and she inclines her 
  head, "Evening." she mumbles with a yawn, "Didn't expect th' place to be so 
  rebuilt..."

Jairen looks around at the buildings, water dripping off every part of him. 
  "The people of this planet are quite resiliant and strong... they overcame 
  their difficulty and began anew quickly."

Tracer walks through the blowy wet stuff, forgoing any form of transport 
  today, determined to keep in shape. Her pace is brisk and under her hood her 
  fresh-scrubbed face does not turn from the elements, but embraces it as the 
  local girl revels in the humid wet stuff. Her arms swing to increase the 
  aerobic nature of her trek. Considering all she's been through lately, she 
  looks in and incredibly good mood. Pausing for a passing speeder and it's 
  resulting splash, she steps off the curb of the northwestern corner and 
  crosses the street into the vibrantly green-grown square.

Jairen, it seems, is not the only person entering the square with a sword. 
  This kind of driving rain is no weather to be bringing out any of her 
  instruments, though Shenner's ocarina nestles safely underneath her jacket. 
  All she carries tonight, aside from what can be stashed in her pockets, is 
  the blaster riding in the holster on her thigh -- and a sword-sheath slung 
  across her back in much the same manner she usually carries her flute bags. 
  The sheath's a diagonal slash of dark leather across her back, but the hilt 
  glints near her soaked head as she crosses near one of the light-posts 
  valiantly striving to illumine the square against the darkness of the 
  thunderstorm.

Speaking of Swords, as Morganna shifts the familiar, ornate handle of her 
  vibroblade can be seen but, unlike when she was a diplomat, the hilt is 
  scuffed and scratched and appears to have had quite alot of use, "I'm glad.. 
  I didn't want this to happen, I love this planet.. but it don't mean I'm 
  goin'' soft." A raindrop bounces off of Morganna's glowing eye and she wipes 
  the surface off with a finger, scowling, "Robot eyes hate the rain." she 
  grumbles.

The condition of the hilt of Morganna's blade is not lost on the keen warrior, 
  but he makes no mention of it. "Perhaps you should seek to puchase a 
  covering for it then." Seeing as his back is to Shenner's direction, he 
  doesn't notice or acknowledge her approach.

Tracer steps up onto the soaking greensward, her rainboots slosing through the 
  newly regrown grass. She is still quite a ways from any other occupants of 
  the square still as she continues her wet walk. As is always her way, she 
  slows as she approaches the fountain, skirting the side farthest from the 
  Sandbar. Ice-blue eyes follow the new lighting that illuminates the 
  refurbished statue to gaze upon its uplifting image of triumph.

As she has to cross near the fountain to swing her course to the west and 
  Hideaway Beach, Shenner comes up on Jairen and Morganna soon enough. 
  Something about the latter pings off her memory, though she doesn't 
  immediately recognize the older woman. Jairen, however -- there's only one 
  silver-haired swordsman she knows of in Plaxton City, and an enormous grin 
  flares across her face as she realizes from six yards away that he doesn't 
  look as if he knows she's coming. How many times is she going to have an 
  opportunity like _this_? For a moment she's tempted to run up behind him and 
  bellow for him to draw -- but knowing Jairen's reflexes, she isn't exactly 
  eager to lose any body parts. So the young musician settles for nimbly 
  sneaking up on Jairen as best she can, reaching out a hand to tap him on the 
  shoulder, and crying mischievously, "Tag! You're it!"

For all intents and purposes, Morganna does look older than she did when she 
  served with the empire, partially because of her current tired state. She 
  flashes her blue eye and some of the drops disperse, "I can do this, but it 
  gives me a headache. Coverings would still streak, I live with it.. I'm just 
  tired.. flew from Corellia nonst.." Morgannasnaps her head up to meet the 
  new figure that has tapped Jairen on the shoulder, immediately Morganna 
  recognizes the young singer, levelling the woman with her usual, half creepy 
  gaze, "hello Shenner." she says, almost calmly, her mischeivous nature dulled 
  by lack of sleep.

Kaley enters the square from the south.
Kaley has arrived.

There is a sharp rasping sound and a flash of metal in light and Jairen 
  whirls, sword flying into his hand, obviously at least a little startled as 
  Shen 'tag's' him. The blade comes to a quick halt though, as Jair's quick 
  reflexes also stop him as he realizes just who it was that 'tagged' him. 
  Lowering the weapon, he does /not/ look very amused as he says, "Shenner, do 
  not /do/ that... "

Tracer's gaze falls from the statue to the small trio gathered on the 
  other side of the fountain. Morgana here? A small frown purses her pale pink 
  lips and she pulls her hood up farther over her face, eyes narrowing at 
  Shenners playful engagement of a game of sword tag. The former Imperial 
  Ambassador is definately on Tracer's 'don't wanna see' list, not liking to 
  meet up with people whom other people...like Pallando...have been telling 
  her tales to. Tracer turns and moves south at a far less leisurely pace than 
  she enter the rainy square, continuing on her way.

"Whoo-aah!" Shen makes herself reel backwards as swiftly as she can, though 
  this is a somewhat clumsy occupation as her boot soles skid a bit on the wet 
  ground beneath her feet. She doesn't reel back too far, though -- trusting 
  Jairen to pull his swing. Her face is positively aglow as she sees the 
  swordsman's expression, though she manages to wipe the grin off her face at 
  his admonition. Still, though, mischief dances in her eyes, and with a 
  reward like that look of startlement she'd managed to provoke out of him, 
  not even the presence of Morganna can dim down her spirits. "Morganna," she 
  drawls back readily.

As Jairen overracts to Shenner, the over tired Morganna laughs. She leans back 
  and falls into the fountain, still laughing. For some reason she finds this 
  whole predicament somewhat amusing, but not sleeping much can do that to a 
  person. The unusuallychuirpy scarred woman grunts and sits crosslegged in 
  the fountain for a moment, rubbinmg her eyes and leaning agauinst the statue 
  to stand up. She grabs the statue around the backside, more thanlikely 
  unintentional, and hoists ehrself up, "Aw, farkin hell.." she takes a deep 
  breath, "I need to get some sleep" Morganna steps, sopping wet, out of the 
  fountain.

Kaley notices the people playing in the rain, and although the game looks 
  entertaining, she would much rather be indoors. So Kaley continues on her 
  path to the north.
Kaley leaves the square to the north.
Kaley has left.

Tracer walks to the south.
Tracer has left.

Jairen sighs, putting the sword away. "What exactly did you do that for?" he 
  asks, now calming himself back down and ignoring the woman in the fountain. 
  "Are you trying to get yourself killed on purpose?"

Shenner can't quite stifle a burst of snickers as Morganna goes over into the 
  fountain -- but then again, what with the rain sluicing down the way it is, 
  the redheaded bard is hardly drier. With a rare playful light in her face, 
  she grins broadly at Jairen and reaches up to shove sopping loose red 
  strands of hair out of her eyes. "What, didn't you ever play tag when you 
  were a kid?" she yells gaily, over another peal of thunder.

Grumbling to herself, Morganna pulls a key from her pocket and heads towards 
  the north, quietly hoping that she can still unlock her old beachhouse.
Morganna leaves the square to the north.
Morganna has left.

Jairen rests his hands on his sword hilt. "What exactly is, 'playing tag?'" he 
  asks. Obviously, this man did not have what would be considered a 'normal' 
  childhood throughout most of the known galaxy.

Well, arguably, Shenner didn't have a normal childhood either -- but among the 
  small handful of 'normal' childhood experiences she has to her name are 
  impromptu games of tag with other street urchins running the streets of 
  Plawal on Belsavis. "It's a game," she answers easily. "You pick a base 
  that's the neutral zone, and you pick somebody to be 'it'. If you're 'it', 
  you have to try to catch somebody before they make it back to base. One of 
  the few vaguely normal things _I_ did when _I_ was a kid." Distant lightning 
  casts a spear of light across a corner of the sky, and she adds, pirouetting 
  around again and turning her face up into the rain, "Ain't this weather 
  _great_?"

Jairen ahs. "I see..." he says to the game description, though it's quite 
  clear he has no idea what Shenner is talking about. Looking up into the sky, 
  he nods. "It reminds me of Sixthseason..."

"Sixth? Geez, how many seasons they got where you come from?" Shenner finishes 
  her pirouette, coming back around to face the swordsman, an unfettered high 
  good humor still bringing uncommon animation to a face that usually hides 
  behind a mask of casual, unreadable reserve. "Ariani thinks I'm nuts being 
  outside in this kinda weather, but I love storms! You hangin' out out here 
  too?" The notion that she might have something else in common with the one 
  who's adopted her as his clanswoman adds a bit more brilliance to that shine 
  behind her eyes.

Jairen shrugs lightly. "Why should I fear the storm? It is merely water. 
  Besides, it is not as heavy as it usually gets in Sixthseason. And there are 
  ten seasons in a turn on my planet."

Ten! "Beats the hell outta Tatooine, where they got hot, hot, hot, and hot!" 
  Shenner veritably beams. "Hey, listen -- I was gonna go to the beach, do you 
  wanna come? I know a good place to watch the ocean and it's pretty dry, it's 
  got pula trees to keep out the worst of the wet..." Her grin begins to turn 
  sly. "And well, you got your sword, and I got _my_ sword..."

Jairen smiles slightly at the youngster's enthusiasm, bowing slightly and 
  motioning for her to lead the way.

"Ariani keeps sayin' I'll get hit by lightning," Shenner hollers brightly, 
  around the wind. "I keep tellin' her I know how to duck!" And, motioned, she 
  steps adroitly off, falling into a long-legged stride occasionally knocked 
  just a bit off-rhythm by her apparent urge to splash through half the 
  puddles she passes.

[And soon...]

You head for the beach.
Hideaway Beach - Plaxton City
        Surging whitecaps paint themselves onto the powderlike, white sands of 
  this sliver of beachfront, tucked between the two massive bluffs that 
  encircle Plaxton City. The waves have eaten into several places on the 
  shore, forming rocky outcroppings and small coves, but one long strip is 
  laden with pristine, whispy sand. A few Pula trees jut out, throwing their 
  branches toward the tides. A few hundred meters from shore, a jagged pebble 
  of an island stands defiantly in the surf, holding up an old, unused 
  lighthouse. The night sky above is ladden with heavy rain cloudy, that 
  stream rain out flooding the area. The wind howls wiping tress back and 
  forth, and sending small object flying through the air.
Obvious exits:
 <W>est leads to Lighthouse.
 <E>ast leads to West Blake St. - Plaxton City.

Jairen arrives from the street.
Jairen has arrived.

It doesn't take long to get there, and once she gets out onto Hideaway Beach, 
  Shenner flashes a look out to the roiling ocean for a long moment. It's an 
  odd mix on her face: wary respect and awe mingled with just a tinge of fear. 
  "This way!" she calls, gesturing towards a trail that leads up onto the 
  bluffs. "My friend Webb showed me how to get up there!"

Jairen looks at the ocean for a moment as well, and for that brief moment, his 
  eyes are somewhere else. When Shenner calls to him, he blinks and looks over 
  to where she is already climbing the bluff, turning and following her.

She's not going to waste breath on speech, not right now, not when the trail 
  she wants is rain-lashed and slippery. Shenner clambers up onto the bluff, a 
  good distance over the storm-drenched beach. Eventually, though, she reaches 
  a place that was once underwater, a hollow created by the force of tides... 
  and then shoved skyward and dry-ward by plate tectonics. Now, this niche of 
  rock is curtained by determined pula trees, keeping the place moderately dry 
  even in a raging storm, and with a breathtaking view of the ocean below. 
  "Here!" Shenner bellows breathlessly as she finally reaches her intended 
  destination.

Jairen follows Shen up the slope with little difficulty, losing good footing 
  only once or twice due to moving, erroded ground. "Very nice indeed." He 
  comments as he reaches the destination. "Webb showed you this?"

The human girl slumps against a pula tree's support, catching her breath and 
  taking a moment to yet again push loose bits of her hair out of her face. 
  "Yeah," she answers after a moment, her voice at a more normal volume 
  despite the howl of the wind overhead and all around. "Been up here to hang 
  out a coupla times with him, and I like to play my harp up here when it's 
  not rainin'."

Jairen smiles a small half smile, looking out over the ocean. "On my world, 
  there is only one great ocean... I have only seen it a few times. Such 
  things never fail to inspire awe in the soul."

"We didn't have an ocean on Belsavis at all... just a lot of ice outside 
  Plawal," Shenner says after a moment, her tone more restrained as something 
  in Jairen's words settles into her mood. "And there's hardly any water at 
  all on Tatooine... I never saw an ocean on Etti IV if they have one there. 
  I've only seen this one..." A pause, for a moment. "And the ones on Calamari
  and Corellia. But yeah... um... what you said." When she finishes, Shen 
  looks a trifle sheepish.

Jairen nods absently. "Yes... I have spent some time on Tatooine... not much 
  but sand... But I have never been to Calamari. I hear it is all water, or at 
  least al but very little. Perhaps I will visit it someday."

"It's... pretty wet. About as wet as here, except it rains a lot less." Shen 
  grins lopsidedly, her gaze half-elsewhere. "I was there for several months. 
  Coral City's the big place to be there, and the NR's got a big presence 
  there. Anyway." She straightens up, a hand reaching up to the hilt of the 
  training sword she's got sheathed along her back, though she stops before 
  actually drawing the blade. "Wanna work out?"

Jairen turns around, drawing his sword and falling into a ready stance, though 
  a more defensive one. "Very well... Form workout, half speed, no power. Work 
  on movements and accuracy."

Shen has changed her mind momentarily, just enough to decide she'd better get 
  out of her jacket and leave it to drip itself as dry as it can get here in 
  this little nook between the trees and rocks; once she warms herself up, she 
  figures she'll need the jacket later to better ward off chill, and she 
  doesn't want to get herself too warm with the wet weight of the thing 
  clinging to her body. So off comes the jacket, to be draped on the nearest 
  mostly dry spar of rock she can find, and off comes her sword sheath as 
  well. As she lays down the sheath she'd had constructed -- a simple, 
  serviceable thing, just enough to let her carry the blade around in 
  something a bit more secure than a cloth -- Shen draws the sword and turns 
  back again to face her self-appointed teacher. Noting his stance, she 
  murmurs, "Let's do it." That's all she says as she then moves in on him in 
  the first of the attack patterns she's been shown thus far, her previous 
  giddy delight giving way now to a spark of intense concentration.

Jairen parries the downward strike, horizontal strike, then thrust of the 
  first sequence at half speed as instructed. "Good... watch your back foot. 
  Parry." Makes the same movments against her, still at half speed. "Be careful 
  of your footing in treacherous terrains."

The terrain, in fact, is exactly why Shenner wanted to come up here, though 
  the only sign she gives of that is a brief wry smile of acknowledgement. No 
  unnecessary words in battle, remember? Ah, the feet, what's down there? Damp 
  sand, bits of gravel crunching underneath her boot soles... something 
  slippery under the right heel. Move the right foot a fraction out of the 
  way. Clash of blades, slow and controlled. Strike. Parry. Strike.

Jairen nods, continuing the sequence of strikes and parries. "Good. Now move. 
  Continue to attack, but do not remain stationary. Circle your opponent and 
  move back and forth with the flow of the attacks. Make your enemy come to 
  you."

Now that she's settling into the rhythm of the exercise, Shenner's green gaze 
  turns focused. Rhythm, for her, is everything here, not at all unlike trying 
  to craft a new song... or learning a new dance. As she keeps up the swings 
  of her practice blade, strike and counterstrike, thrust and parry, her gaze 
  flicks left and right to try to take a precious second or two to gauge how 
  best to narrow in on her teacher. She chooses left, feet slipping a bit, 
  teeth gritting as she finds her swing thrown off by the mis-step.

"Don't stop with a slip." comes the gentle reminder. "Recover quickly. Keep 
  moving." Continues to move his blade at half-pace. "Increase pace now... 
  watch your form."

Wind continues to howl; far below, the ocean's roar wafts up to the ears of 
  the two in the rocky, tree-sheltered nook. Something elemental in the entire 
  setting adds more edge than normal to Shenner's young features, and as she's 
  instructed to pick up her pace, she darts forward at three-quarters speed 
  rather than half. Breezelets making their way in through the gaps between 
  the trees occasionally ruffle her hair, and they, along with her exertion, 
  begin to move her from dripping to merely damp.

Jairen nods, approvingly, "Now, coupe' and lunge."

*Clash!* The sound of blade meeting blade rings out loudly under the pula 
  trees, before the wind seizes hold of it and whips it out into the open air 
  to be buried in the roar of ocean and storm. Shenner's left foot skids 
  before it catches purchase on the gravel-strewn sand, but it's not enough to 
  throw her off from executing the coupe'. The transition to lunge -- that's a 
  bit trickier. The young woman carries it out too abruptly, leaving herself 
  vulnerable as she does so. An instant later she realizes this and grimaces, 
  but she doesn't stop herself from moving in.

Jairen lets his blade be knocked out of the way and the tip of Shenner's blade 
  meet his body just below his sternum. He nods. "Good. YOu have been 
  practicing. Though, your beat to prepare for your lunge was not hard enough 
  to fully remove my blade from play, and your blade needs to hit here." Moves 
  her point to between his sternum and diaphram. "A soft spot that would 
  puncture a vital organ on many humanoid races." Flips his blade around and 
  puts it away in one smooth, practiced motion. "That will be all for today. 
  Work on your lunges, they put you off balance it seems when you attempt to 
  combine them with things. A few more weeks of this and we'll get to full 
  speed."

As Jairen speaks, Shenner freezes in place, her attention riveted upon his 
  features, her breath coming faster paced out of her now. For a moment, 
  standing there on the damp gravelly sand, with tendrils of storm wind 
  sneaking in to lash at her face, the young musician abruptly finds herself 
  unable to think of anything except the swordsman's fluid motions in the 
  company of Emma on the Sandbar's dance floor. And she stares at him 
  bemusedly, before abruptly and ever so slightly shaking herself, pulling 
  herself up out of her lunge and bringing her blade down. "Okay," she pants 
  gruffly, "got it..."

Jairen nods slightly. "Ok, good." Smiles. "You have a good grip on the basics. 
  Perhaps you will even be prepared for paired weapons at some time. There is 
  another game completely." Bows slightly. "Good night, Initiate. Sleep well." 
  With that, he turns and disappears into the rather wet night.

[End log.]