[Jango Pov]

When Ben had first followed him to the training rooms Jango had felt every eye on them as they entered. Many took one look at him and respectfully pretended not to be staring but there were a few who continued to openly stare. Jango thought it might be too much for Ben but when he glanced up at the man he saw, as well as felt, a kind of shift in his stance.

It was like he was used to being watched and judged.

"This should do." Ben had said as he found some mats used for stretching and set them down in a quiet corner.

Meditation was weird. Sitting still like this and just breathing… it made him feel like there was an itch in his lower back. Like his body just couldn't relax.

Cracking open one eye he watched Ben for a minute and had to marvel at how calm the man looked. As if the entire world around him was quieter and still. It felt… safe.

Realizing he'd lost count he cursed internally and quickly closed his eyes, sitting up straight again so he didn't give himself cramps like Ben warned.

After who knows how long he finally admitted defeat and let out a huff of frustration.

"What's bothering you?" Ben asked, making him jolt in surprise. He'd thought the mad was too into his own mind or something to actually be aware of what was going on around him. A mistake he wouldn't be making again.

He thought about his problem for a moment before shrugging. "Can't stop thinking."

Ben let out a low hum of consideration before opening his eyes.

"When do you feel most at peace?" The man asked him. Jango just stared at him, uncertain how to answer. "Do you ever have moments where time just seems to slip away?" Ben tried again. "Where everything just feels right?"

Jango blinked before a smirk crossed his face. "Blaster training." Of course.

Ben let out a sound that was halfway between a huff and a laugh. "How about hand-to-hand? Same thing?"

Jango thought about it before shrugging. "Kind of? Everything narrows and I get really focused on the person in front of me." Jaster had mentioned it was a bad habit that he'd have to train himself out of. Being too focused on a single enemy wasn't exactly a good thing. But the problem was that Jaster couldn't really explain what he was doing wrong, and Jango couldn't explain how it felt either. "Makes it easier to predict what they're gonna do next." But left his back open for a surprise attack. "Sometimes I can see exactly how I'm going to win. And it feels like… like I forced them to make a mistake somehow."

Ben looked surprised before leaning forward slightly, staring at him as if Jango was a particularly interesting puzzle.

"Does the reverse happen?" He asked.

Jango looked at him in confusion.

"Do you imagine your comrades winning, even if the odds are against you, and they somehow pull off the impossible."

Jango's eyes widened. Yes! Exactly that! It was like just because he wanted it to happen it did, even though he knew they were outmatched. But if Ben knew about it… "That a jetii thing?" He couldn't help but to ask.

Ben placed a hand on his chin, stroking his beard for a moment as if in thought.

"From what I've heard, yes. Although it isn't something the jetiise have taught in nearly a thousand years. They called it Battle Meditation. It is a rare gift."

When Jango gave him a skeptical look Ben smiled at him, as if knowing exactly what he was feeling.

"It is said that a single jetii could cause an entire enemy army to falter while simultaneously granting a boost of morale to their comrades. Unfortunately I don't have access to the archives anymore. But I might be able to look into this further for you, if you like?"

Jango thought about it for a moment. It would be a very useful ability for his squad. "Yeah, sounds useful." He frowned. "But what about Arla?"

Ben smiled and it was something both soft and firm all at once. "We'll focus on your sibling first, of course. But I think moving meditation might work better for you."

"That's a thing?" Then why the hell hadn't they started with that first?

"It is. My last padawan-" For a moment the air around Ben turned sad before he took a steadying breath and continued. "They found it very difficult to quiet their mind. They found working on machines was far more calming than sitting still. I imagine someone like yourself, used to being on the move and always thinking, would find it easier as well."

Ben motioned for him to stand as he got to his feet. There was a moment where he seemed to be surprised by the clothes he was wearing but he quickly hid his reaction behind a mischievous smile. "Have you ever trained with a sword?"

With the way Ben had asked he couldn't help but to hope this was more than just a simple question. "Some, not much. There's not many people who know how to wield a sword that have the time to teach me." And half of them had been friends with Montross.

"Well, if I'm going to teach you jetii meditation I might as well teach you the sword as well. It's how I learned in the first place." Ben's eyes were practically glittering with mirth and Jango couldn't help but to grin in response.

Then Ben's face fell and his eyes glazed over. It was like he was in another time and place entirely.

Jango had heard about this kind of thing before, Ben was probably having some sort of flashback. "…are you okay?" He asked carefully, hoping not to startle the man.

Ben blinked and came out of whatever it was quickly, giving Jango a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine. You wouldn't happen to know if they keep swords in the armory here, would you?"

Jango narrowed his eyes and watched the man for a moment, he wasn't so sure that Ben was as okay as he pretended to be. But he hadn't done anything to make Jango think he was unstable so for now he'd let it go. But if it happened a few more times he'd tell Jaster and Myles.

"They do. Come on, don't have all day." Jango turned toward the armory and waved Ben to follow.

Ben chuckled behind him.

Once they'd found some 'suitable' swords, Ben's words not his, they returned to the training room. This time the others didn't pay them any mind, which was a little odd but he didn't question it.

"Since you said you already had some training I assume you know how to keep yourself from injury. With that in mind we're going to do some empty handed katas first, so you can get a feel for the motions." Ben slid into a stance, making sure his body was turned so Jango could see exactly where he'd planted his feet. "This is the stance you'll be returning to after every movement. I won't bore you with a lecture on muscle memory and good habits, as I'm sure you already know all about that from training with your buir." Ben gave him a playful wink and Jango snickered.

As they worked on the stances and movements he felt a little awkward with nothing in his hands. It had been a long time since he'd had to work without a weapon and the lack of weight was throwing him off.

"Hmm, I see that this isn't quite helping is it?" Ben asked with a teasing smile.

"It's… I don't know how to compensate for the weight, I can't imagine how it feels in my hands." He said honestly, even as his face felt a little warm with embarrassment. But Jaster had always told him that you couldn't get better at something if you didn't know your faults.

"Oh, I can see how that would make it a little difficult." Ben looked him up and down for a moment before shrugging. "So, why don't we spar a little then?"

"What!?"

"I know enough to ensure neither of us are hurt and if something happens that can't be stopped by normal means I can halt us both with the force if necessary. If you're alright with that, of course. I would never want to push something like that upon you suddenly." Ben said sincerely.

"No, uh, I don't mind. But you really want to spar with me- with beskad'e?" There was an excited grin on his face, he just knew it.

Ben chuckled and Jango's excitement must have been contagious because he saw a matching grin on Ben's face too.

The spar started slowly, with Jango getting used to the weight of his weapon and Ben gently testing what little knowledge he had.

Jango could feel his attention narrowing and had to shake himself to stop it from happening again.

"Don't hold back, Jango. Let yourself go." Ben said with a reassuring smile. "The force is guided first by instinct and second by training. Let yourself go, I swear I will be right here if something happens."

Looking up at the man's eyes he almost swore he could feel the depth of his oath all around him. Like something in the air was telling him he could trust this man with his life, and the life of those he cared about.

"Okay." He took a deep breath and let everything else just fade away. His attention was entirely on his opponent and as his focus sharpened so did everything else.

He could see every little shift and movement as if it were clear as day, could even swear he heard the pattern of his breathing and the beating of his heart. A prickle of something went down his arms and he felt as if he should stop, whatever he was doing was unnatural-

"Jango, take a moment to breathe, the way I taught you earlier. Just let everything settle. This is normal for someone with your gift, you don't need to be… nervous." He was glad that Ben hadn't said he was afraid, even though he knew that's what this was. "It is part of you, which means it can be conquered, can be honed like any other skill." He sucked in a harsh breath and let it out. He continued to breathe deeply until he felt himself calming down, getting used to the sensation.

"Excellent!" Ben said softly, a look of pride in his eyes that Jango wasn't certain he deserved quite yet. "Now. When you're ready I want you to come at me. Don't try to force yourself, just let your instincts guide you. Don't worry about me, I am a master of the jetiise defensive sword style. You will not hurt me."

Jango nodded, trusting that Ben knew what he was doing. Raising his blade he waited for the right moment to strike, brown eyes catching every little twitch and shifting of muscles.

There!

Without thinking about it he launched into an overhead strike. When it was deflected he used the momentum to swing his blade for another strike. Ben deflected again, smiling.

"See? What did I tell you? Your instincts know what to do, now we only need to train your body so it can react to what your instincts are telling you.."

Jango lowered his arm and smiled back. "And that's what you're going to teach me?"

Ben sheathed his blade and stepped forward, hesitating only a moment before reaching out to shift Jango's limbs into a better stance. "That should be closer to what you need. Your center of gravity is different than mine. Lower." With an approving nod he stepped back and gave jango room to swing the sword from his new stance.

It felt so much more comfortable than what he had been taught before.

"Lets go through a few movements and then you can try yourself against me again." Ben said with a knowing smile.

They sparred twice more and both times Jango felt less unnerved by the way his focus sharpened and his body almost moved on its own. But… "Isn't it a problem to focus on only one enemy on the battlefield?" He finally asked.

"Certainly it is, but the more you practice with this the more your awareness will expand. You're already noticing the others around you, you just haven't realized it yet. Your mind is a bit… stuck right now. But the force and the manda are very similar, they both know where their children are at all times. Once you can consciously tap into that you will be able to find someone just by focusing on them."

It was a lot to take in but he supposed that Ben had a lot more time to learn this kind of thing than he did.

"Wait. Is that what you're trying to teach me now then? To sense other people? Is that how we're going to find Arla?"

Ben gave him a pleased smile and nodded. "Exactly. We just need to break you out of your bad habits first. And you are already doing very well." Jango couldn't help but to look down and flush slightly. Ben wasn't an easy teacher, he'd been pushing Jango hard this entire time, but he was liberal with his praise.

"One last spar, and then we'll get into the moving meditation properly." The man chided, even as his eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Yes, Ben." Jango said, rolling his eyes slightly.

Jango fell into the stance, letting his mind sharpen as he focused on his opponent.

Three quick strikes and three deflections.

"Good! Watch your form, keep everything in close, no wasted movements. Speed and precision are your allies, strength comes in time." Ben said as he shifted his feet and prepared for another attack.

Jango rushed forward and swung the sword, hoping to disarm his opponent. But in a twist that wasn't all that surprising Ben wrenched the weapon from his hand and caught it. Spinning it in his palm, just to show off Jango was sure, the man readjusted the sword in his grasp before turning both of them toward Jango.

Jango stood there defiantly for a moment, trying to think of how to wrangle his weapon back, but realized that wasn't what Ben was trying to teach him. With a small huff he admitted defeat. "I kneel."

Ben's smile was bright and cheerful. "Excellent work, Jango! You're a quick study and know yourself well. With more training and a little more height I don't think there will be any enemy you can't defeat."

Ben needed to stop with the praise. It was so embarrassing! Of course Jango would never admit, even to himself, that he actually liked the praise.

"You didn't tell me you were ambidextrous." He frowned.

"Always keep an extra blade hidden in your boot." Ben said with amusement.

"Yeah, yeah." Jango groused, rolling his eyes again. Even if it was just for show.

"Are you ready to try the moving meditation again?" Ben asked lightly.

Jango frowned and looked down at his hands, flexing them as he remembered the weight of the weapon and how it should move. Looking back up at Ben he nodded.

"Good, we'll do these once with the beskad'e, then we'll continue without them."

Jango followed along, feeling a lot more settled than he had when they'd first started. Ben was a good teacher, Jango mused to himself as he let his body shift into the next stance.

Jango almost swore when he felt something tingle at the back of his neck, like a predator staring right at him. It was something he'd come to rely on out in the field, a kind of warning system that meant something bad was about to happen. His head snapped up just as Ben lowered his weapon and turned to regard a verd in green beskar'gam.

The warrior stopped, not close enough to attack but enough to be intruding on Jango's lesson.

Jango would have dismissed the warrior as someone who was just curious but the way their hand was wrapped around the hilt of their own sword had Jango on high alert. They looked familiar…

Oh! He knew this man. He was one of Montross' lieutenants… that didn't make the situation any better in Jango's opinion.

"Just because you're here now doesn't make you qualified to teach the ad of the Mand'alor." The warrior turned to Ben and Jango could practically hear the sneer in their voice. "You haven't even proven yourself capable yet and you're already corrupting our ade with your jetii teachings."

Jango's body stiffened in offense and he felt his anger rising.

"You know," Jango turned to look at Ben in surprise, "if you wanted to spar all you had to do was ask." The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he felt the sudden urge to rub at it to make the sensation go away. Ben normally talked with an accent that was somewhere between Kalevalan and Concordian, with hints of Concord Dawn here and there. From what he'd said after his adoption Jango was pretty sure he'd learned from whoever would teach him, so it wasn't that strange for him to have a mix of pronunciation. It still sent a feeling of wrongness down his spine though.

"No need to make a large spectacle out of it." Ben motioned him to step back and he couldn't help but to glare at the verd.

More pinpricks at the back of his neck and he started to notice that he could feel the people around him, just like Ben said he would. It wasn't anything concrete and as he felt someone familiar he spotted his buir standing with the others and watching.

Jango jogged over to stand next to Jaster, sheathing his beskad on the way. Standing next to his buir he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the man who had interrupted his lesson.

Jaster placed a hand on his shoulder and he could feel some of the tension leaving his body. "You alright?" His buir asked quietly so no one else would hear.

Jango let out a low growl of discontent. "He's one of Montross' old lieutenants." He glanced up at his buir to see him scowling.

"You could have cried challenge, you're old enough to defend your own honor." Jaster reminded him, though he didn't look particularly happy at the thought.

Jango gave a half shrug, letting his buir's presence calm him. "It… didn't feel right. This is Ben's fight. He has to prove that he has the skills to teach me." Which he had already proven when he not only saved Jaster but Jango as well. He'd taken the man's scolding to heart and didn't try to reach out again, except to poke at that faint sensation in the back of his mind that reminded him Arla was still alive.

He looked up at Jaster, wondering what his buir was thinking about all this, then quickly looked back at Ben and the warrior as they squared off.

The fight was over in an instant. Jango's eyes went wide in surprise and he had to hold back a whistle of appreciation. Someone else in the crowd wasn't as skilled at holding back their reaction and he heard a very soft 'fucking hell' somewhere behind him.

"You cheated!" The moment the words left the green warrior's mouth everyone around him started to growl and hiss in disapproval.

"I see." Ben said, eyes as cold and sharp as any blade. Turning the man spied Jaster and placed a fist over his chest.

Jango held his breath in anticipation.

"I swear on the Ka'ra, before the Mand'alor, that I will not use the Force if my opponent wishes a rematch."

Jaster's words were loud in the hush that followed Ben's statement. "I accept your oath." Jango grinned. "Do you wish to challenge Ben Vhehn of Clan Vhehn, House Mereel, to a rematch?" Oh shit. His buir was dead serious now. Before it had been just a simple test of skill, but now it was a straight up duel.

"I do. To first blood." Jango wanted to speak up, to challenge the man's sense of honor, but he kept his mouth shut. It wouldn't do Ben any favors if he tried to intervene.

"Ben?" Jaster asked, just to be certain.

The man gave his buir a wide grin, eyes sharp and calculating. "To first blood." He said without hesitation, falling into a different stance to the one he had been teaching Jango moments before.

Jaster waited a moment, to make sure they were both ready, before lifting his arm. "Begin!" He said as he dropped the arm, signaling the start of the duel.

Before, Ben had been too fast to really appreciate his sword form. But now that he'd slowed down Jango could say, without a doubt, that it was Ben he wanted teaching him the sword. The redhead was like liquid ferocity tightly controlled. If this was what his buir had seen when Ben killed Tor then Jango understood completely why the old man was so smitten already.

The green clad verd didn't last much longer in the second duel, even with his armor to deflect some of the blows he just wasn't skilled enough. He'd even resorted to hand to hand and petty tricks to try and win, but Ben just took it all in stride.

There was a grunt of pain as the warrior's sword ended up on the ground, blood dripping from his arm through a hole in his kute.

"This proves nothing." He snarled.

Ben's eyes turned cloudy and his expression darkened. Jango wondered if he was about to see him lose his cool for the first time.

"With and without the force I have been proven the victor twice. Yield, before a simple challenge becomes a duel." Ben said with careful calmness.

Jango tilted his head slightly. Had he not realized that this counted as a duel already?

The air felt thick with intent and Jango watched the two of them as the tension grew.

"That's enough." Jaster commanded, walking toward the two combatants. Jango quickly followed, not wanting to be left out. This duel did partially concern him, after all. "Ben has proven himself multiple times now. First by saving my life, second by killing Tor Vizsla in single combat, third by saving Jango's life, and fourth by swearing the Resol'nare and completing his Cin Vhetin. The Manda accepts him as one of us- I will not repeat myself a second time." Jaster stated as he stopped next to Ben, unofficially making it known that he was taking the redhead's side in this conflict.

Jango felt a sense of triumph as he smirked at Montross' old lieutenant, standing beside Ben with his arms crossed and head held high.

"As for beskad training." Jaster looked at him and Jango stood straighter. "Ben is free to offer, and Jango is free to accept. As a legal adult no one may interfere in his decisions save for his Aliit."

"Like anyone could stop me." He muttered, grinning to himself and glancing up at Ben to see him smiling. He also heard Jaster's snort of amusement and knew his buir was perfectly okay with Ben training him.

"Now that everything has been sorted, you lot get back to work!" Jango snickered at the guilty shuffling from the gathered warriors. "I'm sure some of you are going to miss the beginning of your morning shifts!" There were more grumbles but the crowd did begin to disperse. Some leaving for their shifts and others going back to morning training.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Alor." He looked up at Ben as the man spoke, giving Jaster an almost apologetic look. His buir just huffed in exasperation.

"I told you to call me Jaster." Jango grinned, looking between the two of them as if this were a meshgeroya match.

"I thought that was only because we were going to be aliit, before my ori'vod intervened and I became a Vhehn." Ben practically whispered, making sure no one was close enough to hear him.

"You saved my and Jango's lives;" his buir said with a grateful smile, "call me Jaster."

"Of course, Jaster." Ben smiled in return. "Now; I do believe I was teaching Jango how to meditate."

Jaster looked between the swords on their hips and raised a brow at them. "Meditation?"

Ben chuckled. "Moving meditation is best for those of us who cannot clear our minds of all thoughts. Engaging the body can help center the mind and I believe Jango will be quite good at it. He's already shown a talent for swordsmanship."

Jango preened at the praise, glad that Ben had said so in front of his buir.

"Don't let him get a big ego." Jaster joked, a fond look crossing his face.

"I don't intend to. If his head starts getting too large for his helmet I'll be sure to correct him." Ben said playfully back.

"Good. Now you two have fun, I have paperwork to finish." Jaster sighed.

Ben gave Jaster a sympathetic look before he turned his attention back to jango.

"Shall we start from the beginning?" Ben asked lightly, although there was a mischievous look on his face that made the question sound a lot less innocent than it seemed.

They were about halfway done the second run through the kata when there was a commotion near the doors to the training hall. Everyone moved out of the way as an irate baar'ur stormed inside, cursing under his breath.

"You!" The chagrian growled, pointing at Ben. "Put that away at once and sit your ass down!"

Ben's eyes went wide as a look of pure surprise turned to one of chagrin and dread. "Now, now, Br. Verill, I'm certain it's not as bad as it loo-"

"Did I fucking stutter!?" The male stopped to stare down at Ben and even Jango could feel the barely contained fury.

"No, Baar'ur." Ben muttered with a grimace as he sheathed his weapon and lowered himself to the floor.

Jango couldn't even be mad that their training had been interrupted… again. Because if the Baar'ur was this angry then Ben had to be wounded in some way.

"Is he alright, Br. Verill?" Jango asked as he stood off to the side, watching the two of them.

"This absolute maniac has four cracked ribs, a hairline fracture in his left wrist, and a sprained ankle that he's been walking around on like an idiot!" Everything in the training room stopped as multiple verde winced in sympathy or stared incredulously.

"You mean he dueled Kalnyr twice while injured?" Someone asked, sounding awed.

Ben winced as the Baar'ur's ire rose again.

"Oh, I heard about that alright. And since this dumbass can't seem to sit still long enough to not cause himself further injury I'm confining him to medbay for the next sixteen hours at least!"

"I can assure you that-" Ben started, his voice polite and reasonable.

"Save it. The only one who can overrule me is the Mand'alor, and only barely. In all the excitement and busy work he must have forgotten what I told you both yesterday. Otherwise I doubt he'd have let this continue." Even Jango winced at that one. No one wanted the irate Baar'ur chewing their ass out for ignoring medical. "Now come on, You can lean on me so you don't put too much pressure on that sprain."

Ben looked skeptical and Br. Verill growled. "Or I can sedate you and toss you over my shoulder." He warned.

Ben looked around at the others before looking up at Jango for confirmation.

"He'll do it. I've seen him do it before." Jango supplied easily enough.

Ben let out a low moan of horror before finally allowing the chagrian medic to help him to his feet.

Br. Verill looked around with a scowl. "Out of the way and quit gawking!"

Ben looked back at him and gave him an apologetic smile. "It appears I must go to the medical room. I'm sorry our lesson was cut short. Practice the breathing and weaponless exercise for now, but don't try the katas with a beskad without me for now. We'll pick this up again later, I promise."

And with that Ben was being hauled out of the room and off to the medical bay, where he would be subjected to Br. Verill's tender mercy.

"Are all jetiise this insane?" Someone asked aloud.

"Who knows, ask Ben next time and see if he actually answers you." There were some chuckles before everyone slowly went back to work.

Jango stood there for a long moment, looking down at the sword on his hip and to where Ben had been taken. With a sigh he left the weapon where it was and shifted his feet until his stance felt right. By the time Ben was able to teach him again he wanted to have something to show for it.

As he breathed and went through each movement he felt that awareness around him grow and for the first time ever his focus didn't narrow down to a single point. There was a flicker in the back of his mind and a bright smile crossed his face.

'I'm coming, Arla. Just hold on a little bit longer!'

Mando'a;

Beskad, Beskad'e- Sword, swords.
Jetii, Jetiise- Jedi, Jedi plural.
Verd, Verde- Warrior, warriors.
Manda- The spirit residing within all Mandalorians, an otherworldly energy much like the Force.
Beskar'gam- Mandalorian iron armor.
Ad, Ade- Child, children. Gender neutral.
Buir- Parent. Gender neutral.
Stars. The mythical ruling council of former kings.
Baar'ur/Br.- Medic/Shorthand for medic, much like Dr. is for Doctor.
Kute- Underclothes, also Flightsuit/Undersuit.
Resol'nare- The six tenets that govern Mandalorian life.
Cin Vhetin- Term indicating the erasing of a person's past when they become Mandalorian, and that they will only be judged by what they do from that point onwards. A fresh start, a new beginning.
Aliit- Clan or famiy.
Meshgeroya- Limmie or bolo-ball, a sport that Mandalorians are obsessed with.
Vod, Ori'vod, Vod'ika- Sibling, older sibling, younger sibling. Also used amongst friends and comrades in arms.