Shadows of Bankor

(Closed! This means you, Liua!)

Head down, hands in pockets. Petrus made his way through the slums in his usual manner. Things had been quiet lately, at least on the surface. They'd managed to continue their training, even while evading Imperial patrols. The Imperial army had been relatively peaceful.

But there were unsettling whispers. The Star Destroyer hung overhead like a dark omen. Petrus had the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.

And yet, there was undoubtedly a spring in Petrus' step as he made his way to Xanna's door. He moved easily, dressed in casual exercise clothing, dark red and grey. After a quick glance around, he knocked at the door.

The bolts slid back and there she was. Her outfit was form fitting exercise gear and as usual the smell of delightful things cooking seeped out into the street. Xanna stuck her head out the door, looked both ways, and said: "You look like Petrus Karath, but you are exactly on time. Petrus Karath is never exactly on time. Also I have amnesia so I do not remember why you are here. I suppose you should come in before the super-rancors approach."

She gestured for him to enter, aving kept a cool expression on her face, and total seriousness in her voice. A couple of the tables had been moved aside to create more space.

Petrus' expression brightened noticeably as Xanna appeared. "Amnesia, no!" He laughed. "Not again." His eyebrows went up. "But surely you mean mega-rancors. I mean, a super-rancor would just be ridiculous." Unlike Xanna, Petrus wasn't nearly able to keep a straight face.

His eyebrows went up again at the cleared space, even as his nose twitched at the delightful smells. "I think I've finally been here enough times that I've figured out when I need to leave my place to get here on time. Huh." He shrugged. "Hard to believe it's only been three weeks. It feels like I've been coming here longer." Not an unpleasant thought; Petrus smiled.

A hand went her hip. "You see? I try, but a lifetime of not watching these shows and suddenly my crazy rancor idea is the wrong kind of crazy?! I cannot win. I will check with Liua, but I think you are demoted."

She looked at him and nodded. "Three weeks, a lifetime, maybe it is both. So, did you want to try meditating or hydroyoga?" There were some mats set up in the space created by moving the tables.

Petrus laughed, even as his eyes followed the motion of her hand. "No need to ask her. Yep. I'm demoted. I don't think I'm allowed to even look at a sponge anymore." He hesitated, then added "Seems like Liua's been doing really great lately, huh?"

He walked casually over to the mats. "Huh. Maybe hydroyoga? I don't know that as well. Meditating, I've been doing since I was a child. Although paired meditation is different..." He shrugged.

That brought a warm smile to her face. "Yes, it has been wonderful to see how Liua has adapted to her new life. I think the force was acting through us that day Petrus. We were meant to rescue her. Perhaps you should try washing a dish or two though?"

"Okay then. Let us start with the exercises and then see about meditating afterwards. It can really help with getting into the correct frame of mind." She walked over to collect some mats made out of natural materials that did not harm the environment. Or so they had said on the little paper label.

"Here, you will need this."

"Yeah." Petrus said. "It brought us all together." For a few moments, his gaze was warm, then his lips quirked. "But we'll see about the dishes."

"That sounds good." He said agreeably, walking with her. He accepted the mat from her with a smile. "Alright, lead the way, hydroyoga Master Xanna." He stood ready to follow her example.

She smiled and gestured for him to put it on the floor near to hers. "Do not be facetious or you will be in trouble." She sat cross-legged facing him and was quiet for a while.

"Have you ever paid any attention to your breathing Petrus? I think this is where we will start today."

The corners of Petrus' lips curled up. "Does that mean I'm not in trouble yet? How unexpected."

He followed her example, sitting cross-legged, matching her posture, whether consciously or unconsciously.

"When meditating, yes." Petrus said softly; sitting this close, he didn't need to speak louder. But otherwise, uh, not really."

Her lips twitched with amusement but she let that one slide.

"Ah yes. Many beings only focus on correct breathing in those sorts of situations. It is quite common. For the sorts of excercises we are going to do today it is important to bring your breathing into alignment with your posture and your spirit. Think of it as the foundation to everything we do."

She demonstrated how to breathe from the diaphragm. It was not dissimilar to the circular breathing that was sometimes taught for meditation.

"Now close your eyes and breathe."

Petrus nodded, listening. It sounded kinda like a more physical form of meditation. He did permit himself one moment to appreciate his partner's breathing before focusing on his own. Before long, he had matched her, drawing on the similarities to Jedi meditation.

"Okay." He said, smiling just a little. His blue eyes closed, his chest rising as he breathed in deeply, taking in the nearby scents.

"Do not be falling asleep. Keep your eyes closed and focus on your breathing." As he followed her instructions she got up and moved over to him.

"I am going to assume that you will not mind too much if I help you." She gently but firmly started to correct his posture. "This is what all those holo-dramas have done to you..."

"Of course not." Eyes still closed, he grinned. He could hear her rising, moving over...

"I don't mind." Petrus murmured. Still, his breath caught, just a little, the first time she touched him. Her touch was cooler than he expected... but of course, that made sense, given Pantoran physiology.

He smiled. "You might be right. A few too many evenings slumping on the couch." He was attentive to her touch, moving as she directed. It seemed he was in good shape, but perhaps not terribly flexible.

She could feel the heat through her fingertips. "Have you ever noticed that none of the characters in your show sit around watching holodramas Petrus? Just an observation." There was a touch of humour in her voice as she walked back to her mat.

"Okay, you can be opening your eyes now. Stand up, let's get started and remember to focus on your breathing. I will help you with your terrible posture."

A quick warm up routine got them started before she started working into the movements. She was graceful, but then she had a lot of practice

"Yeah, I know." There was definitely a wry note in Petrus' tone. "I... didn't handle things well, these last few years. That's changing."

His blue eyes flickered open, blinking as he adjusted to the different light. He rose to his feet gracefully enough; once his breathing was set, it was easy to maintain.

As they began, Petrus followed along gamely, but clearly not as gracefully. "How long have you been doing this for?" He asked, a touch of strain in his voice.

For a moment she looked concerned. Things clicking into place in her understanding of what the Force had been trying to tell her. But it passed before he opened his eyes. Maybe she was looking at him a little more intently.

As they worked out she thought about the question. "How long? It must be 12 years now. Since I first met my Master. She was very insistent about the duality of healthy body and healthy mind."

She guided him through a series of motions that involved holding positions he was not used to. A hand was placed in the middle of his back. "Lower Petrus, use your core for stability."

"Huh." Petrus grunted. "So was my master, at least a bit. Except he'd debate with me while we trained. It was... interesting." But talking about old times seemed to relax Petrus, and he was able to perform the next few motions more easily.

Until they hit the unfamiliar series. Sweat beaded on Petrus' forehead. He swallowed, nodding at the cool touch of her hand. With an effort, he sunk lower, his stomach muscles tightening noticeably. He cast Xanna a quick glance from the corner of his eyes.

"Mine was always telling me to expect the unexpected." She looked at him and cocked her head to the side. "Well you kept in shape at least. Now you just need to hold that pose for ten minutes."

"What, seriously?" Despite his words, Petrus flashed her a quick grin. "Like this? Ugh, and you said I wasn't in trouble." More sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Expect the unexpected," breath, "huh?" Breath. "That's good advice." Breath. "There's been a lot of unexpected, lately."

She moved him in a few places to make sure his posture was correct. "Yes, so much so that it is best to embrace it. I think we are finding ourselves at an inflection point Petrus. What happens here may change the galaxy. Just...remember you are not alone."

She moved back to her mat and took up the same pose. "Okay I was only teasing, you can stop now. But watch closely how I am doing it. Our bodies are a bit differently of course, but the posture, the alignment, the breathing. Focus on these things. It will get easier. Then you can push yourself more."

Petrus relaxed, coming back to a neutral pose with a sigh. And then a deep breath. "That... means a lot. Thank you.". He said, his blue eyes sincere.

And so, waiting, he studied her. The way she moved, the way she breathed. It felt... connected.

Slowly, he lowered himself back into the pose, if not mirroring her, close enough.

"Of course. I value you Petrus." Even moreso after all the time they had spent together of late.

"Where were we? Oh yes. Now we do some press ups." She showed him how, it was a lot harder from here. Then it was into the next series of poses.

"Yeah? Hey, that sounds pretty nice." Petrus said, smiling.

Press ups was something he was a bit better at; his arms trembled a bit, but he was definitely leanly muscular, not just lean. He looked up, even as he held the pose. "I value you too, you know." He bit his lip. "Actually... I've been thinking about that kinda a lot lately."

She led him through 20 press-ups executed slowly and precisely to hit the right muscle groups and maintain correct posture. It was harder than it looked. When they were done she got them both to do a recovery pose for a minute. Then she sat back on her heels and looked at him with a curious expression before smiling.

"Oh yes? Well...tell me more Petrus, what have you been thinking?"

In fact, the precision required did cause Petrus some strain, although Xanna would probably be able to feel the Force flowing through him, aiding him.

He settled on the edge of the mat, kneeling, smiling. "Well, about you. And how amazing you are. And me. And how much I like spending time with you." His lips quirked. "I've spent the last few days considering what I should do about that."