[FLASHBACK] Out of the Woods

[Aixa Morrow]

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DARGULLI, INNER RIM IDARAL EXPANSE​

Under the violet sky of Dargulli's alien atmosphere, Aixa let out a long, slow sigh, suppressing the urge to turn and vomit onto what was an otherwise lovely stretch of land. Dxun had been a dark and dangerous moon, choked by the dense jungles that seemed to strangle all manner of life from it's surface, sucking up all the sunlight before it could reach the surface proper. Her clan had taken refuge underground, though in the end that was hardly enough to save them - the Sith brought to bear all their efforts on eradicating their home, and it was only through sheer luck - or perhaps the machinations of the Force - that she had somehow survived. And while she felt some lingering feeling of guilt for comparing her home to the strange rock she found herself at present, it was nice to feel a cool breeze against her skin, and to breathe in air that wasn't so heavy with moisture as to feel like she needed gills to use it.

Granted, the fresh air did little for her space sickness - some part of her hoped, albeit naively, that it might do her some good - but being on solid ground, no longer careening through hyperspace on a journey to nowhere, would eventually settle her stomach and alleviate the aching in her head. That she was partially dehydrated and living on old, dry ration blocks did her no favors, but she wasn't exactly in any position to demand gourmet meals and bottled water. She was a fugitive and a survivor and a Mandalorian one, at that. Even if she didn't ascribe to her people's idiotic beliefs that they were owed some kind of glory that the Empire had denied them, it was safe to assume that her more violent-minded brethren had ensured that no clan, regardless of size or affiliation, would be discriminated against as reckless, meat-headed killers who wore the beskar'gam as though it protected them from everything - including taking responsibility for their actions.

Having set The Orca down a few kilometers away from her chosen resting place, Aixa was more or less on her own. She'd had the foresight to bring her electrostaff and a glass hydration cylinder, though as the sun fell over the horizon - casting an eerie, sparkling glow over the ocean that seemed to surround her on all sides, though it was many kilometers away - she regretted her decision not to bring a coat. It wasn't cold, per se, but the wind carried a distinct chill that would no doubt grow uncomfortable if she opted to stay outdoors. Shifting her weight in an effort to get comfortable, she caught a hint of movement on the edge of her vision - it was no animal, but a man. Or a woman, perhaps. It was impossible to tell.

With her eyes trained on the figure as it drew near, Aixa pulled herself to her feet, staff planted firmly in the ground as she leaned against it to stay upright. Blinking, she rubbed at her mouth as if to chase the nausea away, swallowing hard to assure herself that she was fine and not about to throw up all over the place. It was a hard sell, frankly, but she was stubborn enough to make it work, though she knew well enough that the slight sheen of sweat on her brow and her pale complexion likely did her no favors. With any luck, he was simply an emissary - or a concerned citizen - hailing from the village in the valley below. She wasn't quite ready for fight for her life, just yet.

​

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

There weren't many people, let alone cultures, that opted to live a nomadic life. You didn't have a home. You didn't have a place where you truly belonged. And there were only so many places you stayed before it was time for you to leave. And sometimes it was a hard life, you constantly be on the move, traveling from one place to the next - Xeus would have been lying if he had told himself living as a wanderer wasn't difficult at times. But there were so many benefits as well.

From his isolated childhood, Xeus had lived to see dozens of cultures, hundreds of worlds, and countless space ships and habitation stations. He'd even visited the famous neutral station DSC Daedalus a time or two. He'd met so many individuals, helped so many, and it gave him sense of purpose and belonging. He was living a life for something other than himself - for something more than himself. And that alone more than satisfied him.

Dargulli wasn't the world he'd visited by choice, but out of happenstance. Since he basically hitchhiked across the galaxy, Xeus rarely had the opportunity to choose where he landed next, as was the case here. It was a planet that was out of the way, unimportant by most standards of galactic importance. But that also meant it was still full of wonders. And such wonders were often especially visible under the night sky. It wasn't truly night, of course, but the density of Dargulli's atmosphere was lesser than most, and as the sun began setting over the horizon, the light of the stars overtook the skies. It was very disconnected here, as if the matters of the galaxy no longer mattered.

It was about that time Xeus heard the scuttling of another person nearby. There was too much foliage to see, but he could hear them clear as day. Their movements were slower, slightly sluggish. They might have been ill, disoriented perhaps. As he turned toward the individual, their body shifted more sharply. They stood up and grounded their stance. He could see the figure in a shadowed area of foliage, so it stood to reason for him that he was visible to them in kind. Coming to a sudden stop, Xeus began feeding on the Force, and in a quick burst, used Force Speed to propel himself to his right, speeding off into the trees and bushes before running ahead and emerging behind the figure.

It was a woman, Human, white-haired and clearly not in the best of shape. "Well, certainly seems like you've seen better days."

 

[Aixa Morrow]

Perhaps it was foolish to assume she was alone - maybe she should've buried her presence and found a more secluded spot with proper cover before settling down to enjoy her surroundings. For many of her clan, it was probably common sense to do so. But Aixa wasn't a soldier. She didn't expect the worst of people, nor did she look at every angle and eventuality of a situation and assume violence was sure to follow regardless of the choices she made. She wanted to sit down and take in the planet's strange atmospheric phenomena, and she wanted to clear her head of whatever sickness had taken hold. It wasn't exactly a big deal - nor was she hurting anybody by doing so. That the stranger meant her any harm seemed ludicrous, even if some small voice in her head screamed danger as he drew nearer.

Then again, her home had been destroyed and she was nothing if not on edge. It had been glassed, as the soldiers liked to say; bombarded until nothing stood, until the ground was nothing but ash. Being slightly fearful of strangers didn't seem unreasonable in the aftermath of what the Sith had done, and though it had been a month since their decision to wipe out Clan Ordo, the memories were still fresh in her mind. They haunted her dreams, and it was difficult to feel anything but empty knowing that her family was, for all intents and purposes, completely gone. It was as though the Sith had it out for her - first Coruscant, then Dxun. As if they knew she'd survived, and had embarked on some strange quest to personally ruin everything she worked for. It was unlikely - impossible, even - but sometimes it was hard to believe differently.

When the stranger suddenly disappeared, a dark smudge that moved so quickly as to be otherworldly, Aixa tried to track its movements with her gaze. Her attention lingered on the bushes until he appeared at her six, and though her heart pounded in anticipation - with a healthy touch of fear - she didn't jump in fright, and turned slowly to face him. She was nothing if not brave, though his odd behavior didn't really strike her as overly threatening. Strange, definitely - but dangerous? Aixa wasn't so sure.

On reflex, she offered him a wan smile, shaking her head. "I'm fine." Reaching up to push the hair from her eyes, brushing it behind her left ear, the motion revealed a long scar on her cheek, one that looked weeks old, if that. In truth, it had been nearly a decade since the Sith got their hands on her, and though the mark was bright and ugly and savage, she hardly remembered it was there anymore. "Just.. space sick, I think." Maybe the ration kits had expired. Maybe going back to Dxun had ruined her health, somehow. She wanted desperately to remain positive, but every day that passed made her wonder what was wrong with her - and when, if ever, it might end.

Confident she could stand upright, she lifted her staff and made a vague gesture in his direction, tracking the path he'd taken with the tip of her weapon. "Do you always do that?" Her lips quirked in a hint of a grin, despite the pale scar that lined the corner of her mouth. "Come running out of nowhere, trying to scare strange women half to death?" Everything in her voice suggested she was friendly - playful, even. "I could be dangerous, you know." She did have a very big stick, after all.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

Living as what was tantamount to a space vagabond gave one a kind of clarity that others with possessions didn't have. You notice things, the small details, the expressions, the minuscule things that otherwise go ignored. Sometimes it was the way a person with a heavy heart would carry themselves. At other times, it was the social discomfort and lack of eye contact from one wracked with guilt. And other times still, one could see anxiety twisting a person's demeanor, fearing something they left behind... or were heading toward. It wasn't an intentional, but reflexive, like noticing the color of one's irises.

The woman turning around was previously on alert, but calmed and adopted a more eased demeanor as she turned around to face him. To Xeus, that told him that she had lived a life accustomed to frequenting danger. As she smiled, affirming that she was fine, she brushed her hair, revealing a scar. It had already healed, but still had a 'fresh' appearance. While he couldn't know the source, he was sure it was a battle scar. After all, her stance was solid, her posture was steady and her nerves were steeled. From that alone, he could deduce she was someone able enough in combat, as if her large electrostaff didn't give it away.

Xeus grinned as he looked off, slowly walking around her position as she gestured at his round-about path that took him behind her. "You mean strange women that sit all alone, out in the open of the empty woodlands of a backwater world?" Xeus then stopped in his tracks as his brow tensed and he looked up and off into space, as if deeply contemplating. "No... I think this my first. I suppose you might have been trouble. But then, you might not have. I prefer giving the benefit of the doubt to others. It makes meetings like these all the more pleasant."

Moving over to a tree stump, Xeus wiped off the layer of dead leaves and insects before hopping atop to sit upon it. In truth, Xeus preferred sitting on the ground. It was softer, after all, especially in the wetter seasons. But he preferred also staying eye level when talking to someone, newly met and old friends alike. "So then, strange woman," his voice over-exaggerated the title he gave her, but in a jesting manner, "I can pretty much tell just by looking at you... you're not from around here, are you? What brings you to Dargulli? I hope it wasn't the touristy. Or the food. Because I can tell you now, you're going to be disappointed."

 

[Aixa Morrow]

The truth was that she could fight, but she didn't want to. It seemed as though so many people, Mandalorians or otherwise, were over-eager to start problems. As if their ability to win a cantina brawl counted as a true measure of their worth as a person. Aixa knew that it was better to avoid conflict, and though his sudden appearance had put her on edge, it seemed hasty to assume he had come to steal her laughably meager belongings or do more than inquire as to who she was, and why she had taken refuge on the outskirts of the forest. Why it was any of his business she truly did not know, but she tracked his movements just the same, managing a wide grin as he called her strange. "Is it strange to want to spend some time outdoors?" She asked with a bemused lilt to her voice, knowing well enough that it wasn't. Even if it wasn't what she was used to, she liked the cold, clean air, and the hum of nighttime insects as they excitedly chirped and hummed to one another. Nodding as he expressed his desire to give her the benefit of the doubt, Aixa actually laughed. It wasn't a cruel thing - she was just surprised by his honesty, and had no good answer for his openness. "How magnanimous of you."

As Xeus moved to sit, Aixa closed the distance between them, standing a little more than arm's length away. Any further and she'd feel inclined to shout, and the last thing she wanted to do was yell at him across the clearing and disturb the peaceful nature of the evening. "Strange woman," she repeated beneath her breath, chuckling once more. Perhaps she was strange. A little too tall, a little too rugged, a little too fair-haired to be normal. Too covered in battle scars to be easy to look at. "No, I suppose I'm not." He didn't look much like a local, either. Then again, Aixa had no idea what a Dargulli native looked like, but it seemed unlikely that they were at all like the odd Forcer before her. Her unrefined senses identified him as odd, but not threatening - just different, though from what, she couldn't be sure. Raising her shoulders in a shrug, she rubbed her palms on her slacks, as if to remove some sort of dirt that had built up during her stay outside. "Just a traveler passing through. I don't have the stomach for those endless rides through hyperspace." Dressed simply in a pair of flat boots, black pants, and a loose button down shirt as white as her hair, Aixa didn't really look like a Mandalorian, much less one who had been taught to use the Force. She looked generic. Average. And in her own mind, she certainly was both of those things.

Offering out her clean, slightly cold hand, she managed a nicer smile than before. At the very least, the expression met her eyes, even if it was somewhat reserved. "I'm Aixa. Are you from around here?" Pausing, she looked hesitant before speaking again. "And is the food really that bad?"

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

:: Well, that's something we have in common, then :: Xeus wasn't a particular fan of space travel. Granted, passage from world to world was a necessity to his way of life, but the excitement of riding in a starship quickly faded away when one did it over, and over, and over again.

As Axia extended her hand to him, Xeus met it with his own. His hands were rough and callous, but he could feel sensations of touch, and even slight chill of her skin. "It's Axia, then. I suppose it's only right that I introduce myself as well - my name is Xeus." A soft smile worked its way onto his face as he looked off behind Axia, nodding toward a mountainous region off in the distance. "Not here. There. If you wondered 'does he live here, planetside', then I'd answer 'no'. Xeus chuckled to himself lightly, almost reflexively, "I'm a wanderer, so you could say I don't really live anywhere. Not for long, at least. But I've always been attracted to mountains and snowy regions. Reminds me of an old place I once thought of as... as home."

It was an odd acknowledgement, for Xeus. Karvoss, the winter world, was not the planet of his birth, but it was the world where he truly became alive. Even for a nomad like him, it was as much of a home as he'd ever experienced since then. At first, the cold was bitter to him, harsh and unrelenting. Now, he welcomed it like one would a spring breeze or summer winds.

"The woman who raised me? She used to tell me to let others come to decisions on their own. But I'll put it to you this way; if you want to try the local... cuisine, I'll treat you to it myself. Credits never held much worth to me, and I'd feel a bit of pity for anyone having to eat it. I prefer forging, or hunting. You live in the wilds long enough, you learn how to make almost anything taste pleasant. Don't know how long you plan to be here, but that's also an open offer."

A stiff North wind brushed through the trees and bushes, howling as the air chilled to a sharp frigidity. It was crisp and clear air, but it was getting colder as night began to fully come. "Either way, I hope you have shelter nearby." Xeus then looked out toward the horizon as the sun, which had drifted further and further 'out' towards its setting. Soon enough, the stars above would be the only provision of light. "Nights out here can become quite... chilled and brisk over time. Personally, I enjoy it, but I've found most don't often share my sentiment."