Pre TL: Lost Knowledge

[Reyn]

Dantooine System
Outer Rim

​

Izel was exceptionally pleased with where her travels had brought her this time. The Jedi seemed to have a habit of leaving their relics in the most desolate and displeasing places. This world though seemed like a paradise, if not quite as humid as her homeworld. As she stood at the edge of the spaceport, enjoying the cool morning breeze washing over her, she was puzzled as to how the planet could be so lightly populated.

The large insectoid alien was completely unaware of the wary glances the local inhabitants cast her way, instead flicking her antennae and clicking her mandibles excitedly as she entered the settlement. She had come to the planet in search of any signs of the Jedi, but first on the agenda was something to eat. She had little opportunity to do so while hiding on the starship that brought her here. Approaching a nearby fruit stand she received an unpleasant scowl from the burly vendor.

"Hello!" She said cheerily as she grabbed a fruit straight from the stand, infuriating the man.

"Hey!" He snapped. "What are you-"

"Oh just a moment," Izel cut him off as she reached into her pocket. "I know I have... Credits... Somewhere..." She paused as she realized, once again, she was broke. Clicking nervously she raised her hand as she took a few steps back. "You... wouldn't be interested in donating to the needy would you?" The man did not look in a generous mood. He stormed forward, poking painfully at Izel's chest as he scolded her.

"You aliens think you can just waltz around like you own the place and take whatever you like eh?" He asked. "You know what we do to thieves around here bug?" As he spoke a few other locals gathered around her in a circle, looking very unfriendly.

"I imagine you report them to the proper authorities..." Izel answered earnestly.

"Are you mocking me?" The vendor asked angrily. Izel's antennae twitched as she tilted her head.

"No?" She asked, and extended her hand with the fruit. "Uh, you can keep it. I'll find something else to eat..."

"I think we should teach this alien freak some manners." One of the other ruffians piped up, reinforced by a "Yeah!" from another. Izel looked between the gathered group just now realizing the danger, dropping the fruit and taking her staff in both hands.

"This seems unreasonable..." She muttered as they closed in on her.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

It had been weeks, yet Ines was still roaming the lands of Dantooine, visiting settlement after settlement. Seemingly hopeless, her task was to find a group of Alderaanians which her family had heard of. Although they were doing well on their own, the Panteers wanted closer contacts with their fellows. If lucky, a few would even join them on Ryloth to create an Alderaanian village in which the, exiles could live. Arriving at another little town with it's only remarkable feature being it's shuttle connections, the teen looked around - it seemed rather bland, just as most of the other ones. Still, like the other ones, it had redeeming features with diligent workers plowing the fields and beautifully constructed farmhouses.

Her strategy was always the same: Go to the market, talk to the goods peddler and find one of the middle aged gossipers and talk to her. That was the surest way to get the latest news from any village. Hopping off her sky blue landspeeder at the edge of the village, Ines headed towards the center.

An argument could be heard from the distance, quickly piquing the interest of Ines. Curious to see what was happening, she kept walking further in, looking around for what it might be that caused the commotion when she finally saw a large insectoid being surrounded by the farmers lead by a seemingly hostile merchant. Having missed most of the conversation, the noble was confused as to what the loner had done to cause the ire which she was being subjected to. "What's going on?" she asked, looking to an angry bystander. "The scum is a thief. Tried to steal. Lucky we caught her red-handed"

Feeling that something was awry, she kept getting nearer. While lacking the strength to push those who wanted to stand firm away, many let her pass and those who wouldn't she'd just walk around until she got to the front row of people. While insects were inherently scary, Ines felt bad for the seemingly timid one in front of her. And from a young age, she had been taught to not view people with negative prejudices. "Let's calm down" she said, loudly, taking a step forth towards the other woman and turning around to face the crowd. Her heed had obviously gone unnoticed as the every angrier mob was too involved in their own complaining that they barely even heard Ines' voice.

She did, however, manage to catch the merchant's attention, and he let out an angry noise "No, no, she tried to steal from me!" exclaimed. Quickly, the girl dug for her wallet "Maybe I could pay you back what she stole? Just don't assault her" she said pleadingly whilst holding up the leathery item. While some seemed appeased, a few of the farmer still seemed angered. Looking to the insectoid, Ines wondered if she'd be able to convince the final ones to leave her in peace, or if violence would indeed be the result.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

"Yes! You should do as she says," Izel eagerly agreed with the new arrival to the group, the only one that seemed to be on her side at the moment. "She sounds smart." After the vendor accused her of stealing she chittered at him in displeasure.

"I did not! I just... Don't have any money..." She argued, only drawing an angered look from the man. Once the girl offered him to pay for the food the alien nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, see? Everything's fine, no manner teaching necessary!" The merchant still seemed angry as he glared at Izel but eventually turned his attention back to the girl, taking the credits for the fruit from her.

"You keep your friend in line or I'll squash her like the roach she is!" He snapped at the woman before turning to leave, the crowd slowly dispersing. Once they were in the clear the Vratix lowered her staff, relaxing her pose, and then grasped the woman's arm and turned her so they were facing each other.

"Oh thank you so much," She said gratefully as she leaned in close to get a better look at the human, her antennae twitching around her head. As she spoke she looked the woman over this way and that, as though checking to see if she had any dirt on her. "These people seem so ornery! All over a simple misunderstanding! No wonder no one wants to visit this planet." She turned to pick up the fruit and offered it to the girl. "Here, you should probably take this, they were your credits. I'm Izel by the way. Thral Izel."


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Standing with a straight back and head held high, Ines simply let out a "Thank you" as the man took her money. Causing further confrontation at this point seemed like a thoroughly dumb idea, although she was tempted to give the ignorant man a piece of her mind. Calmly, she breathed whilst staring into the back of his head as he returned to his market stall.

A slight shiver spread from her spine across her body as the insectoid's hand grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her feelings were mixed, to say the least. On one hand, she was glad to have helped the poor being and was quite happy with the conclusion of it all. On the other, she had an irrational fear of insects and this was a very large on at that. "Y-y-you're welcome" she stuttered whilst looking up at the tall being. Her enjoyment just kept dropping as the other woman leaned in close with twitching antennae, causing Ines to tense up as if she were a stick. Her eyes were closed and her lips shut tight as her new friend 'inspected' her.

A sigh of relief escaped her as the other turned around. Opening her eyes, Ines watched the large creature from behind, her eyes slowly observing each and every leg. Her mind finally got around to reflecting over what was said "I suppose they were a bit aggressive. Dantooine don't seem like the right place to be if you're all out of money. At least not if you can't work a farm well enough" she said, finishing her sentence just as the alien turned around.

While her eyes still stared at various parts of her new friend for just a few moments too long, Ines had started to relax a bit more in her presence "No, you keep it. I'm not hungry." she said truthfully. "Ines Panteer" she replied, almost raising her hand for the insectoid to shake. She looked at the other's hands, almost fearfully before finally deciding to honour the way that she had been brought up - Ines extended her arm fully, offering a hand for Izel to shake.

Once they had greeted each other, Ines slowly started walking next to her new friend "So, what brings you here? I take it you are not a local judging by how they just treated you." she asked curiously whilst looking at the names listed by the doors, not seeing a single one of Alderaanian descent. While maintaining a generally positive tone, a hint of disappointment could be heard when she continued "It seems like I'm just here passing through. Ahead of schedule even."

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

"Oh, being short on credits has been something of a recurring theme for me I'm afraid." Izel explained as she brushed some dust off the fruit. She perked up in surprise when the human declined to take the food, but didn't hesitate for long before ravenously biting into it. She tilted her head confusedly as Ines offered her hand, unsure what the gesture meant. She slowly extended her own hand and pressed her open palm gently against the woman's, then retracted it, her antennae twitching curiously as she continued to eat.

She followed along with the human, eager to stay close to someone more friendly. "I'm looking for a Jedi." She answered Ines' question bluntly, seemingly unaware how absurd her answer was given how few of them there were in the galaxy, if there were any left at all. "Or at least some of their relics or books, anything having to do with them really." Now remembering her own mission she reached out with the Force, trying to sense anyone nearby that might be like her. Much to her surprise and delight there was. It was faint, but definitely somewhere in the settlement. She was having trouble pinpointing the source though, her mastery of the Force was still amateur after all. She paused and looked around, turning her body away from the woman to stare at some of the other locals. Where was this Force sensitive? Were they hiding from her? She seemed to already have forgotten all about Ines.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Ines couldn't help but to feel bad for the alien, admitting to her poverty. Especially when reflecting over how little she cared for a few credits herself. Part of her thought that it was really horrible that she could go off and spend lavishly whilst others struggled to keep themselves fed. She swallowed hard, trying to brush away the thought with little success. She felt the alien's palm brush up against her own. Filled with emotion and compassion for her situation, Ines suddenly didn't feel so disturbed by the other's bodily attributes. Carefully showing her new friend what to do, the Alderaanian closed her hand around that of Izel and shook it gently while giving her a warm toothless smile.

Laughing lightly, Ines looked at the other as she presented her goal, to find a Jedi. It seemed highly unlikely that any such person would be found here. Still, she was hardly the right person to point out the unrealistic goals of others when she herself was looking for her fellow Alderaanians one settlement at a time. Simply nodding along, Ines continued listening to her talk about what she was after. "Are you an archaeologist of sorts?" she asked curiously - but it was too late, her friend seemed to have found something else that interested her "What is it?" she asked patiently whilst walking a bit faster to stand at the insectoid's flank.

While Ines was unaware of her dormant force sensitivity, she did know about her relatively high mobility and continued speaking as Izel looked around "I have a landspeeder over there" she said, pointing northwards. "If you've got a clue as to where to look for those artifacts of yours, I could take you there." she said, apparently having grown more fond of the large alien.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

"No..." Izel answered Ines' question absently, focusing her concentration on locating this Force sensitive she was certain was nearby. "I want to be one. The more I know about them the better..." People were starting to stare back at her, either frightened by the very strange and intimidating alien or looking displeased by the looks she was giving. She hesitated in answering her companion's other question of what was going on, trying instead fruitlessly to find the source of the disturbance she felt. Not knowing the alien was Force sensitive it must have appeared very odd to Ines, the creature looking very determined at nothing in particular and her antennae twitching periodically. After a good minute or two had passed she sighed and hung her head, releasing her concentration and giving up.

"Nothing," She finally answered Ines as she turned to look at her. "I'm just... I need more training." Ines would now be able to notice more people looking angrily at the Vratix, although Izel herself still seemed oblivious to them. The alien was definitely not welcome here, whether she realized it or not. "I've been told there are Jedi ruins on this world, but I don't know where they are. If you like we can look for them together. Even if we don't find them, it should be nice to get a good look at the scenery. This planet is very beautiful." She tilted her head and leaned close again, inspecting Ines closely. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Force would you?" She asked inquisitively.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

It was curious, observing the alien look around in the search for 'nothing'. Well, curious and somewhat threatening seeing as more and more people send the insectoid annoyed looks. Ines had not missed the comment about Izel wanting to become a Jedi, it was confusing to the girl as it seemed like a highly unlikely even considering how rare they were. Not to mention the rather strict requirements of possessing the force in order to become one. Still, everyone had their dreams and she supposed that it was only fair for her new friend to have them too.

Growing more concerned by the minute, Ines pushed back her jacket a little and put her right hand on her waist, right next to the holdout blaster that was attached to her belt. She had no practice using it against people but knew that it could help her deter people from seeking conflict with her, not that she looked very intimidating to begin with. She nodded along as the other suggested that they search for ruins, seeing the growing hostility towards them it actually seemed like a most excellent idea. "Let's find some ruins, or at least try!" she exclaimed, raising a hand in the direction that her speeder was parked to show Izel where to go.

Ines then froze as the insectoid leaned in close, shutting her eyes and mouth tight whilst tensing up again. Once feeling like she had waited long enough under the alien's scrutiny, she took small yet quick steps around her new friend and started walking towards the speeder. Internally, Ines blamed herself for being so fearful of Izel for her appearance alone, it wasn't worthy someone of her education and standing. A Panteer should be able to accept beings of all species without any doubts or hesitations. She looked upon her new comrade as they walked, trying to grow more accustomed to how she looked and what her different parts did. "I don't know very much about it, just what I've read and seen in the holovids" she replied. Making her voice deeper, pretending to be an old woman, she spoke jokingly "The force courses through us and every living object" repeating one of the lines she'd heard in a movie.

Eventually, they arrived at the sky blue landspeeder. Opening the door to the driver's seat, Ines pressed a button to lower the roof, folding it into the back of the vehicle. She looked at the large alien and her six legs, not quite sure how they'd manage "Try to make yourself comfortable somehow. We can lean the passenger chair back or push it forth if you wish." The Alderaanian then took the driver's seat. If Izel got too close whilst in the car, the human girl would kindly ask if she could just give her a little more space.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

Izel tilted her head curiously at Ines' reaction to her moving closer. She had become accustomed to humans getting violent or retreating when she tried to get a better look at them so it was nice, in her mind, that Ines seemed to understand Vratix customs. As she followed the human to her speeder she reached out with the Force again to try and get a better feel of her. Her emotions were a strange mix. She was certainly trying to be friendly, but there was some kind of uncertainty in her as well. Some nervousness, or maybe shame? Izel's antennae twitched as she tried to think of what the problem might be. She knew she often offended other species without meaning to, but she couldn't think of anything she'd said in this particular case that may have been inappropriate. When the girl lowered her voice the alien wondered if she might be feeling sick.

Once they arrived at the speeder Izel paused to inspect it briefly, brushing her hands across the sky blue paint and craning her neck over the edge to look inside, her antennae poking at the seats. At Ines' offer to make herself comfortable she reached in and adjusted her seat so that it reclined almost fully backwards, then got in the speeder and rested down on top of it as though sitting on the floor. The alien took up a good deal of space but not so much that it was uncomfortable for Ines. Once they were on the move Izel craned her neck down again so that she could be at eye level with the human as she spoke.

"I've been studying the history and nature of the Force for two years now." She explained, clearly showing great interest in the subject and being eager to talk about it. "It truly is an amazing thing. It saddens me that so many in the galaxy are completely ignorant to it when it permeates everything. It's a great tragedy really." As they flew across the open grass plains and low rolling hills of Dantooine they could see giant Brith flying gracefully through the blue skies above.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

In the end, it seemed to work out. Izel had found a workable position for both parties as she didn't get too close to Ines at the same time as she appeared to have a relatively comfortable positon. Despite finding it weird that the alien craned her neck like she did, the Alderaanian was growing more used to it and would continue to grow more tolerant towards to phenomenon as they traveled together in the landspeeder. Maybe that was what she needed to do? Just look at the alien and grow used to it. Employing the strategy, she started throwing numerous glances at the insectoid's antennae, hoping to grow used to and understand those too.

While she didn't really hold a grudge against the force or force users, the teen was growing a little uncomfortable as the her friend kept praising the force, even going as far as to call the lack of knowledge about it a tragedy. Although she wasn't very confrontative in general, Ines did have a hard time holding her tongue and finally spoke out in a less cheerful voice than usually "It was the Sith who destroyed Alderaan. Perhaps it shouldn't permeate everything" Her butchering of any good mood they commonly held was merciless as she spared little effort in hiding how much she disliked the event she described.

Staying quiet for a while, the teen focused on piloting the speeder until she finally asked "Do we have anything we're looking for in particular? There's a holomap if you click that button over there." she said, pointing at a blue button between them.

Eventually, the two drove past a larger forested area for the planet's standards. Remains of an old building could be seen between the trees. "There's no point in going in there" she said whilst throwing a glance at the forest. "The locals say that it was an old administrative building. But it's infested with beasts and what-not. Way too dangerous for some old files on farming requisitions" she said, throwing in a joke for good measure. She had, after all, been the one who couldn't control her temper earlier. Perhaps it could work as some form of compensation.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

Izel was taken aback by Ines' sudden outburst. She looked at the human with confusion, her antennae twitching with concern. "The Empire was evil no doubt..." She replied hesitantly, trying not to cause any more offense. "But you must understand it was ruled by one man. Surely you do not think all who wield the Force are similar no? It was only with the help of the Jedi that the Emperor was finally defeated after all."

She said no more for a time, falling into an awkward silence as she inspected the holomap for any sign of their goal. Unfortunately any Jedi ruins did not seem to be charted, only the various settlements and estates. But Izel was still feeling a disturbance in the Force. She had assumed the Force user she felt earlier was in the settlement but it was still too close. Were they being followed? She looked around but there was nothing to be found. No sign of any other life at all. When they passed the old administrative building the alien's antennae twitched as she looked at the remains with a renewed determination.

"I disagree." She replied to Ines distantly, keeping her eyes fixed on the building. "I'm sensing... something. Perhaps what I'm looking for is in there?" She looked at the woman. "Can we go inside? I promise I'll be quick." Her tone carried an almost childlike pleading in it.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

They were still cruising along when the alien expressed disagreement. Not one to argue, at least not after her little rant about the Empire, the Alderaanian slowed down the pace at which she drove until they finally came to a halt. Not having that good of an idea of what could be found inside, Ines shrugged "I suppose something of value could be in there." she said and looked to what small parts of the building she could see among all the trees.

Ines' eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the building - something felt off, as if there was some kind of danger looming inside. If it were a horror movie, this would be the instance when she'd scream "Don't do it, just leave!" at the holodisplay - naturally, she didn't do that at this instance, it was a mere thought. "Look, I don't know what's in there. Are you sure you really want to go in? The locals say that it's infested with beasts" she said again, reinforcing the sense of danger.

The voice in which Izel asked to go inside melted whatever defenses the Alderaanian had set up, causing her eyes to narrow "Fine" she said, as if unwillingly agreeing to something. She did, however, quickly prove that she was quite excited about their little adventure too by flashing a quick smile to her new friend. Hopping out of the landspeeder, she walked back to the trunk and picked up an old fashioned dueling saber with a fancy pommel and hung it to her belt. She then picked up an electrified torch and an old fashioned one requiring an actual flame. "Fire should keep the beasts away, right?" she said with an uneasy hopefulness in her voice and continued "Which one would you prefer to hold?"

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

Izel looked at the extravagant dueling saber with great interest as the two of them disembarked from the speeder, moving closer and leaning down to get a better look at it. She reached out and brushed the blade momentarily with her fingers before standing up abruptly at Ines' question.

"Oh, I'll take this one." She said, taking the electrified torch as the human offered it to her. "Thank you." As they began walking into the forest Izel could sense the danger Ines had spoken of. There was a sort of primal unrest in the area, as though the local wildlife were deeply upset. But the effect didn't seem natural, something was causing this. It made the Vratix feel somewhat uneasy, she almost wanted to say they should turn back. But the young alien shook those cowardly thoughts from her head. She had to find this Force user she was feeling. It was her only lead to finding the Jedi. "There is no emotion, there is Peace." She recited the Jedi code in a whisper, trying to dispel her fears.

She looked down at Ines curiously, her antennae twitching again. "That's a very nice sword you have," She said, trying to change the subject to help her forget her fear. "Where did you find such a thing?"


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Did Ines still feel weird about insectoids? Yes.
Did she prefer for the insectoid not to get too close? Yes.
Did she mind that the insectoid touched her sabre? No.
After all, the saber was meant to get poke into all kinds of objects and the ickyness wasn't really a factor then. It simply did what it was meant to - granted that Ines had never used this sabre in actual combat. While she was a rather fine duelist the Alderaanian had always stuck to the dueling ring against a willing opponent. Their debacles would always end upon a touch, rather than when one of the parties got impaled or cut in half. Equipping it was much more of a last safety measure than anything else - there were no plans to actually use the thing as she hoped that the fire would be enough to scare any beasts off.

It was only fair for the alien to take the electric torchlight - it had a simplicity of use which the traditional one lacked. "Don't mention it" she said with a smile as they begun walking. Just like before, Ines felt an urge to turn around and leave. Her feeling was far more of a crude 'this ain't safe' compared to the more sophisticated feeling which her new friend got. Still, she brushed away the feeling and pushed on. It was barely audible, but she did hear the other start reciting some kind of chant. In some sense, it sounded a little familiar, maybe she had heard it in a holovid or something in the past? It didn't matter much as she ultimately decided to not get involved in it. At least for now.

"Thanks!" she said, giving the woman a smile as she looked down at the pommel in all its glory. "It's a family thing. Father had them custom made, one for each sibling. It's all part of the 'carry yourself with elegance and pride' thing he likes to talk about." she said somewhat sweetly as she thought about her family. "Let's just hope I won't have to use it today." she said, almost sounding a little timid as they pushed on.

The building was square shaped, each side equally long. From what they could see, approaching from one of the corners, there were one entrance at the middle of each visible side. Ines assumed that it looked the same on the two other sides. On the right-hand side, there were a couple of fighting Kath Hounds. "They seem overly aggressive" she noted with a low voice whilst starting to walk towards the entrance to the left instead. "Do you know what you'll be looking for? Or at least where?" she asked, maintaining the low tone as they neared the entrance.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

"Oh, you must be from a very wealthy family then." Izel replied to Ines' explanation, not displaying any kind of envy or resentment but rather a casual interest. "The people of Dantooine seem like very simple folk. Are you visiting from another planet as well?" She remembered the human mentioning earlier that she was 'just passing through', but even after the comment about Alderaan she hadn't put two and two together and realized the girl was Alderaanian.

She followed Ines closely when she turned to move to the left of the building, fearfully positioning herself behind the human after seeing the kath hounds and taking up her staff in both hands. It must have been an amusing display for Ines considering the Vratix was so much larger than her. She kept a close eye on the creatures as they moved to the other side of the building, antennae twitching cautiously. Thankfully the two hounds seemed more interested in each other then the newcomers and left them be. As they reached the door to the building Izel reached out and ran her hand along the old rusted doors, left busted and slightly ajar. She looked up over the building's architecture, taking in the energy of the place. She clicked thoughtfully at Ines' question.

"All I know is that there's something, somewhere around here that's alerting my senses." She tried to explain. "I know that's not much to go off of but there must be a Force sensitive somewhere nearby. At first I thought they were back in the settlement but now I'm starting to think they may be hiding out here. It would make sense..." She looked back at her companion. "And there's something about this place. Something... out of place. It's having an effect on the flow of the Force. If it's some kind of artifact I need to study it." She turned and entered the building without waiting for Ines' response.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Thinking about her friend's comment for a while, Ines eventually shrugged "I suppose it is" she said, still thinking about the matter. "We're wealthy in some regards, but then, we are Alderaanian" she continued, talking about their heritage as if anyone would know of the implications. She did, however, realise that there was a real possibility that she could be a 'local' considering the fact that the Alderaanian survivors had to settle elsewhere after the fact. The noble then added "Yeah, I'm not from around here. I've found that the locals are often very genuine, like you. I'm quite fond of them. Well, except for the ones who wanted to do you harm." she said as they continued walking.

While not immediately obvious at first, the teen eventually noticed how her friend seemed to be hiding behind her, holding her staff tightly. She looked up at the large alien and then down at her own rather slight build and then to the hounds. "I hope she can run fast" she thought as they continued towards the door. As often as she could, the young noble threw an eye at the alien's twitching antennae, still curious about the function they served. But it would have to be a question for another time.

Before long, the two stood by the door of the administrative building. The Alderaanian was unsure of what her friend was meaning in a precise manner but assumed her senses had something to do with her antennae and their twitching. The talk of a force sensitive nearby did make her a little nervous, but she hoped that it was just some kind of superstition from Izel. Not wanting to believe the talk of a force sensitive hiding out here in the darkness among the unusually aggressive beasts, she shook her head. "Come on, if there were truly some force sensitive out here, the locals would've told us." she said, hoping that she was correct.

It was dark. The trees showed little mercy and only allowed a few glimmers of light reach the bottom - it was almost as if they had walked into another timezone as the light from outside the forest had mostly been covered by thick trunks and heavy vegetation among the underbrush. Knowing that many beasts feared fire, Ines awakened her torch and held it high with her left hand, fully prepared to bring forth a weapon with her right one. "Just be careful, okay. If things get hairy, I'm out of here." she said, starting to question her decision to come along more and more.

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

Izel was mortified at hearing that Ines was Alderaanian, and cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. No wonder the human's emotions were so tumultuous, especially in regards to the old Empire. "I'm so sorry..." She said while they were walking. Although the girl didn't seem too effected by it in the moment. The Vratix made a mental note to tread more carefully in the future to avoid offending.

"No I'm quite certain of it." She argued against Ines' assertion of there being no Force sensitive. "It's very apparent. When there are those strong in the Force nearby the energy is disrupted all around them, flowing out of current. I know there is one here." She activated her torch as she entered the building, making her way slowly and cautiously through the abandoned facility. Inside she could sense they were getting closer to the source of the unrest. Something unnatural in the Force that was causing all the darkness and aggression in the area. The feeling of the Force user was quickly snuffed out by this new overbearing power that made her shiver with uneasiness. The sounds of more beasts could be heard echoing throughout the halls of the administrative building. Kath Hounds and... something else... something worse. Something that reminded her of the darkest, wildest reaches of the jungles of Thyferra. This was not a pleasant memory.

"I feel exactly the same..." She responded nervously to Ines' words saying that she would run if things got bad. "This place is all wrong. But I... I need to know..." She tightened her grip on her staff and stood tall and defiant, pushing onwards into the building and doing her best to suppress her fears.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

With shoulders raised and palms pointing to the sky at her side, Ines shrugged. Without any real arguments against what the insectoid said, she simply let out a "If you say so." In truth, she really hoped that her friend was wrong, that her antennae made a miscalculation or something, for encountering a force user was the last thing she needed. She had heard of their immense power - power which could both be used and abused.

Once inside, the Alderaanian looked around. It was pitch dark with only a smaller area being lit up by the torches. While it normally felt like torches would gradually kill darkness, this felt more like the darkness was pushing in against the light, constantly trying to make it shrink and become smaller. At least she knew that Izel was of the same mind as her in regards to safety - it was good seeing as they were very much in this together now. While the alien took a few steps forth into the corridor, Ines held her torch up so that she could see the walls, as if looking for something.

"How do you know?" she asked but soon realised that the question could be interpreted 'incorrectly' and continued with a clarification, not giving her friend much of a chance to answer before "How do you know that this force user of yours is friendly? What if they're bad and want to do us harm? I mean, who would even make this place their home?"

The fire was burning well, not only producing light but also some warmth. It was appreciated as the coolness in the administrative building felt more noticeable than outside of the forest where the speeder was parked. It was tempting to bring the light source closer, but there were obvious reasons for why that would be a bad idea. Finally, the noble found what she was looking for and reached up to pull a piece of paper out off a holder. It was an old fire emergency map which still remained. A victorious smile appeared on the teen's lips as she looked upon the map. She then turned to hand it to Izel "Will you look at this? Got any ideas of where to go now or shall we just keep moving?"

Spoiler: map

OOC: Maybe something like this, perhaps at a slightly smaller scale?

@Reyn

 

[Reyn]

Izel clicked uncomfortably as the chill in the air increased, she was beginning to feel that this place was more than just out of balance with the Force. She was starting to think this may be the result of dark side energy. It was both fascinating and frightening on a primal level to her, a very strange feeling indeed. When Ines asked about the Force user the Vratix turned back to look at her momentarily, antennae twitching as she considered the human's point thoughtfully.

"I don't," She responded simply, then turned and kept walking. "But this is the only lead I have. I must find a teacher if I am to become a proper Jedi." Despite her dismissal of Ines' concerns Izel was well aware of the danger. Perhaps even more so because of her Force enhanced senses. If the Force user she was sensing was indeed hostile, there was little she could do to defend herself. She was not a fighter, and her command over the Force was not such that it could take on a trained user. She just had to hope that she could sense any attack ahead of time and be able to retreat with her new friend's help.

When Ines showed her the map she was pleasantly surprised. "Oh!" She exclaimed excitedly as she took the map and unfolded it, looking closely at the paper as her antennae brushed against it's edges. "This is just what we need!" She took a few moments to examine the map, all while keeping her senses on high alert for any signs of impending danger. Finally she lowered the map so Ines could see it and pointed to one area. "There, the building's archives." She started. "If there are any records of Jedi ruins in the area they'll be there. We should keep an eye out for what's causing this disturbance in the Force as well," She said as she rolled up the map and stored it in one of her belts. "It's most intriguing..." With that she turned and continued down the hall, now with a destination in mind.


@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

There was little point to the Alderaanian trying to get another peek at the map as her friend held it up high, close enough for her antennae to touch it. Aside from being just a bit too short to view it comfortable when held so high, Ines was not particularly fond of the idea of getting very close to the now active head-sticks he Izel's. It all felt so dualistic as she really liked the other girl at the same time as she had a hard time getting closer to her physically - but for now, friendly banter was all they needed. And the map.

An appreciative smile formed on her lips as Izel lowered the map for the noble to see it comfortably "We know where to go. That is great!" she said enthusiastically with a relatively low voice, not wanting to stir more trouble than absolutely necessary. The insectoid suggested that they keep an eye out for what it was that caused the disturbance "Yeah, so we can avoid it" she replied rather quickly as she was highly suspicious of the other. If she knew Izel right, she was the kind of girl who might actually seek out the danger, despite seeming rather unseasoned in regards to combat prowess.

Just as the two were about to round a corner, a few snapping or clicking sounds could be heard from perhaps 15 meters away. The Alderaanian stopped right in her tracks and threw a long glance at her friend as she froze for just a moment. Peering out from behind the corner, the girl reported "There's two of those spidery things. Kinrath?" she whispered with a clear sense of urgency in her voice. "Time to turn back?" she asked whispering, thinking that they better leave before they get eaten by the other insectoids.

@Reyn