[Pre-TL] Runt of a Kath Hound

[Sunfrog]

​

It would be unwise to leave home without a weapon in this rural part of Dantooine as it was not uncommon for some the fauna to be hostile to those who dared disturb them. Though generally a tranquil looking place, the eerie noises from the wildlife at night was enough to unnerve some people and create an unsettling environment to those uneducated on the local animals.

Astra was unafraid of the prospect of danger when hunting despite being scarred in a hunting accident years prior, she was more cautious as a result but not overly so, the incident hadn't been nearly as emotionally scarring as the physical wound it left, mostly helped by Astra's flippant personality.

The pair had walked a couple of miles from their home in the plains to an area dotted with more trees, allowing for more coverage and providing habitats for more creatures to hunt. Astra walked towards a tree, swung her rifle over her back and grabbed one of the more sturdy looking branches above her head. "I'm going to have a look and see if I can see any herds in the distance." She informed her sister before putting her foot in a groove on the tree and pulling herself up to the lower level of branches.

Astra quickly ascended the tree so she was nearer the top, hoping Alana would be patient enough that she wouldn't shout some snide remarks at her. Once near the top, she stood on a stable branch and wrapped her arm around the tree trunk to keep from falling and looked out across the lush landscape in search of targets when her eyes fell on a herd of Iriaz grazing in a lowlands area.

As she was about to call out to Alana, she hesitated, thinking she had heard a noise on the ground, though there was none, she just felt as though there was another presence with them. "Everything ok down there?" She shouted down to Alana.

@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Maybe, it was just something that all Alderaanians of noble decent liked doing. For regardless of whether they had a homeworld or not, they all seemed to enjoy hunting to some degree. Ines chuckled quietly for herself as the thought of it symbolising their predatory instinct floated by her mind. While it was true for some, the teen certainly didn't feel like much of a predator, and the same would go for a fair amount of other Alderaanians she knew.

While not having subscribed to the idea of being a natural predator, Ines did like to think that she had a pretty good idea of hunting, and her current situation seemed increasingly foolish. Not only did she not know the terrain, she also barely knew the local wildlife. Naturally, a few holonet articles had been read, but there was only so much information to be gained from the literature. What would truly help would be to see the animals herself and to observe how they behaved whilst on the hunt - still, having a party was always much safer than going alone.

Consequently, she hadn't done much hunting at all - instead, it felt more like a long promenade over the Dantooine fields and through her forests with her landspeeder parked a few kilometers back. Still, wearing appropriate green clothes, a backpack with various useful items and a rifle strapped over her shoulder, the Alderaanian was relatively well prepared for the ordeal. Naturally, she kept track of where she was, but there was no denying that there was a certain sense of randomness to where she was going.

Ines' eyebrows raised in surprise as she saw another human in the distance. Clonking her rifle against a tree a couple of times to create some metallic noise, the teen waved enthusiastically at the one standing by the larger tree up ahead. "I'm so glad to see a person!" she said happily with a somewhat quiet voice as she approached. Her eyes slowly traveled upwards as another's voice could be heard from above "Uhh, yeah" she replied with a sense of uncertainty in her voice before looking back down at the one she was facing.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

Alana had gone a whole three days without a single death stick. She was holding it together, but just barely. "Right, right okay." She muttered to herself, as her sister began to climb the tree. She felt off, the world just felt overwhelming at times like this, but she was holding it together. It was hard to hold her rifle like this, her hands were trembling now. This was just not cool at all. She waited a bit for her sister to get up the tree, and it was taking her a bit. It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like forever. "Any-day now Astra." She muttered, before sitting down at the base of the tree, setting her rifle between her legs as she wasn't feeling too great right now. Her eyes fixated to the ground, her hat hanging down over the front of her face. She could feel the weight of the world pulling down on her again, she could feel the grass, the air blowing against her hair.

It was too much, this was all too much to take in. She took a deep breath, trying not to freak out. She was okay, everything was going to be okay. She could barely hear Astra yelling at her now. "Yea, I'm fine." She shouted up, it was obviously a lie. She was losing her fething mind. She glanced up to Astra, her hand moving to the death stick she had concealed in her coat pocket. She only had one more dose for the rest of the trip, she needed it now though. With Astra not looking, Alana put the deathstick to her lips and inhaled a good solid does, as the sensations that were bringing her down began to faded. She took in a deep breath, sighing as she relaxed against the tree, shoving the deathstick into her coat pocket until she could take in another dose. Alana began to look around, feeling herself not being weighed down by everything around her. It might have been something on the wind, but she thought she heard someone else talking. She soon spotted a human woman in the distance, her clothing green and rifle in hand. Alana tipped her head to the side, as she slowly rose, bringing the rifle up with her as she held it across her chest. Hopefully she was friendly. "Astra, we got a visitor." She shouted up, before putting the rifle over her shoulder. She waved towards the woman, hoping she wasn't looking to start something. She was already feeling better.


@Pyrenees @Sunfrog

 

[Sunfrog]

Through the dense foliage, Astra could see a second figure approaching Alana but wasn't immediately defensive as it was obvious the newcomer wasn't a predator but rather another young woman. She narrowed her eyes, trying to recognise the other person but she didn't seem the slightest bit familiar. "Coming!" She alerted Alana. If the newcomer had any dishonest intentions then she would be outnumbered with the both of them there but Astra wasn't cynical enough to assume the worst in people.

She climbed back down the tree until she reached a branch which she deemed a suitable height not to break her legs from when she jumped and landed on the ground behind Alana. As she came face to face with the newcomer she smiled and greeted her. "Hi! What are you doing out here? I haven't seen you around before." She commented. The girl hardly seemed threatening, far from it, if she had come out here alone then she was the one more under threat and she'd need to dye her bright hair green if she truly wanted to hide.

"I'm Astra and this-" She began to gesture towards Alana but paused to examine her face, unsure if something was amiss. Had she taken a deathstick again? She would have to find out later, now wasn't the time. "-is Alana." She finished, keeping up the appearance of being cheery while they had company, although she was beginning to get irritated with Alana just at the thought of her taking another deathstick. "What's your name?" She asked the green clad red-head.


@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

A rifle - Ines saw the one on the ground rise to her feet with a weapon laid over her shoulder, hoping that she was armed for the very same reason that the Alderaanian was. Some noise could be heard from further up the tree until another woman plonked down onto the ground, this one seemingly a bit more talkative, even going so far as to greet her with a cheerful 'hi'. A smile appeared on the young woman's lips "It would be quite the coincidence if you had! I'm having a walk." she said after having reflected on what she was actually doing but continued "I was planning on hunting. I've heard great things of your wildlife here." her tone remained friendly. Not only because it was how she usually spoke, but also because it was wise when talking to two armed unknowns in the middle of nowhere.

The talkative one, Astra, then began introducing the two with a weird stutter, making Ines wonder if she was momentarily unsure of the name of her companion. Just judging by their appearances, it seemed like they were related which would make the uncertainty all the more strange. Narrowing her eyes a little, the noble wondered if this Astra person might be high, climbing trees in the middle of the night, enthusiasm in abundance and then the odd introduction. "I'm Ines Panteer" she said with a hint of hesitation in her voice. Taking a few steps forth, she extended a hand for the two of them to shake.

In an attempt to ease the slight tension she felt, Ines continued "Are you locals? I sure could use some people who know their way around here." Looking to her side, her eyes lingered among the tree trunks and their surrounding vegetation for a while before turning back to the others "I've got some bread and stuff to share" she added with an enthusiastic smile and raised eyebrows, hoping that the added little boon would win them over.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

Alana relaxed as the girl came closer, getting the impression that a fight was not in the cards for today. She felt much better now, the tension and weight that had been mounting was gone for the time being. She might actually make it out of this trip without having a breakdown. She let Astra jump down behind her, scooting to the side as her sister went about being her cheerful self.

Alana merely eyed their new friend up, trying to get a read for the woman, but she seemed rather friendly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ines." She smiled, her eyes weren't too dilated yet, but Astra was probably going to start catching on. Alana adjusted her hat, pulling it back so it wasn't offset with her head. Alana would shake the girls hand firmly, before setting it back on her hip. "Yea, we're locals, guess you're looking to hunt right?" She said, having not caught what Ines had just said moments earlier. "Uhhhh, I dont know if we need to trade for anything, but if your lost we can point you in the right way, right Astra?" Alana asked, as she proded her sister in the side, just wanting to get a rise out of her. "My sister is the one who keeps track of all that stuff, I'm just here to look pretty and hog the attention." She smiled, looking into the distance all melodramatic like. She soon realized what exactly they had come here to do, as she glanced towards Astra. "Oh right, did you find anything? Maybe we're hunting the same thing as Ines is." Alana inquired, moving the rifle off her shoulder and checking the ammunition on her rifle; still had a full charge.

@Sunfrog @Pyrenees

 

[Sunfrog]

"Oh we're hunting too." Astra replied, angling herself so she could keep an eye on Alana to try and form a more conclusive opinion whether or not she was high without being too overt. "Oh yeah, we definitely have lots worth hunting here, you just have to be careful not to accidentally provoke animals." She warned the other girl since she didn't seem too familiar with the creatures here or the planet in general.

Astra shook Ines' hand after Alana and let her sister take the conversation from there, only replying when she was spoken to. "Yeah, of course." She agreed with Alana and gently whacked her sister's arm away. "Don't we know it." She rolled her eyes but was clearly being flippant. The pair generally had a good relationship, it was only the strain of Alana's deathstick habits that brought tensions between the two.

"Oh, yeah. There's a small herd of Iriaz about a mile-" She pointed her finger over her shoulder to indicate the direction. "-that way." Perhaps an extra pair of hands could prove to be of some benefit to all of them, though it was clear by now that Ines wasn't a local or even a native to Dantooine so Astra was unsure how of how much use she would actually be to them but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway, they had only just met, there was no need to judge so harshly so soon.



@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

After making a mental note of Astra's recommendation, her eyebrows twitched reflexively for the briefest of moments as Alana asked if she was hunting. The girl's mind raced, thinking of whether she had told them what she was doing or not. Of course she had, just a few moments ago. Waving away the oddity, the group continued chatting. It didn't take long before it felt like there was more tension between the two sisters than there was between them and Ines. Something could only be good as she was always on the lookout for friends and these seemed to be willing to team up which was precisely what she needed.

A bright smile appeared as the Alderaanian laughed at, what she supposed was, Alana's joke. It didn't take long before she killed the laughter - they were after all there to hunt. Looking in the direction which Astra pointed at, Ines tried to remember what she'd read about the creatures. Aside from some kind of four legged creature with horns, or a horn, she couldn't remember much but thought that the answer would become apparent soon enough. With the assumption that all that remained was to walk there, Ines raised an arm to point in the same direction as the one sister had pointed out "Lead the way" she said, giving a nod to the two of them.

It was almost unreal how lucky she was to stumble across these two hunters when she did. If she hadn't, it was probably rather likely that she would have ventured back to the landspeeder instead. It was a rather pleasant night with several visible stars - a luxury afforded to those who hadn't covered their planets in a grand city sprawl. With a low speaking voice, suitable for the otherwise quite surroundings, Ines decided to speak "Do you hunt together often? I've always imagined Dantooine being 99% farmers and then that one administrator" Her joke was lighthearted but did paint a pretty accurate picture of how she, and perhaps a few others in the galaxy, viewed the planet and her population.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

Alana's stupid act got a laugh out of the woman, which shocked the heck out of her, but she rolled with it. She looked to Astra now, holding her rifle as if she was going to finally get to use it. "Told you this would be easy. Nothing like chasing those Kath hounds like we did back in the day." She stated, as she would take the lead for their little threesome. "I hope you've been practicing Astra, don't want to talk you up so highly only for Ines to watch you miss every shot." She teased, tossing her head over her shoulder towards Astra as the group marched along.

She redirected her gaze to Ines, as the woman asked her question, with a small attempt at a joke towards the end. "Yea, kinda. Usually our father does it, but he's been busy lately. Figured we'd try and help out. I don't even know if we have administrators anymore. Do we Astra?" She asked, all smiles as she wanted to keep this company in a good mood, not to mention she still had the deathsticks at work. "But nah, we aren't all farmers. Well, we kinda are. It's complicated." Alana continued on, she seemed to be rambling a bit now, but nothing too out there. "I guess we're like...hunter gatherers. I think that's the term." Hopefully someone would infrom Alana that she was now leading the group in the wrong way, because she had no way of knowing right now.

@Pyrenees @Sunfrog

 

[Sunfrog]

"Yeah." Astra chuckled, thinking back to all the times they had hunted together in the past, though they were reminiscing about it like they were twice the age they were. They hadn't been allowed to go hunting on their own for that long, only from around their mid-teens onwards as their adoptive father was cautious with them. "Don't talk me up then and she won't have any expectations." She replied.

Astra tried to keep up the appearance of being cheery and carefree despite suspecting Alana was high because she didn't want to give Ines a bad impression. It could get quite isolating living in a rural part of a planet as sparsely populated as Dantooine, friends were hard to come by and spending every waking second with your family could get tiresome, especially with a sister who could be as insufferable as Alana.

"There must be like... one person somewhere but yeah most people just live off the land, there isn't much else to do and there isn't exactly a stable government for people to get involved with. It's no where near as developed as the core words, or so I've heard." She commented, despite never having been to a core world, she had heard about them and could only imagine what they were like in comparison to lowly Dantooine.

With a sigh, Astra took Alana by the elbow and led the group in the right direction, towards the clearing. It was becoming more and more obvious that her sister was high but Astra paid no attention to it in the hopes that Ines wouldn't either. "So where do you come from, Ines?" She asked, trying to make friendly conversation and to fill the silence before Alana said anything stupid.



@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Her eyes shifted between the two women as they walked. It was well within her capabilities to suppress laughter, but an amused smile would inevitable appear as the sisters bickered. The idea of not hunting, but chasing Kath hounds seemed like a rather odd idea to say the least, but that was apparently not something which Astra felt like objecting to, which pointed at Alana's claim being true. If the sisters had been doing that, it was no wonder why they would find the hunt of Iriaz easy. Deciding that the safest bet was to not get between them, Ines simply walked in silence for a while - listening to the two go off was entertaining enough.

Ines let out a barely audible chuckle as the others proved that her prejudices of the planet were mostly correct. Listening to Astra talk, the Alderaanian wondered if there was a government at all, regardless of the presence or lack of stability. It didn't matter much to her as long as the long arm of the law wouldn't bother her. Not that it often did on non-authoritarian worlds. "Figures" she replied once they had both said their piece, Astra seemed to be correct about her assessment when comparing this agricultural world to the metropolitan ones in the core.

Looking to Alana, Ines asked "What's keeping him busy? Your father, I mean" she asked curiously, not capable of figuring out what events on the planet there was which could keep a farmer from his farm. Upon realising that it might be a disease or some similar misfortune, the Alderaanians hand hit her forehead as she closed her eyes in defeat "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." she said and hesitated for a moment "Uh, but yes, farms sound nice." she finished with a fair amount of hesitation.

From personal experience, Ines knew that saying something along the lines of "Oi, I'm Alderaanian. I hate everything associated to its destruction" was an extremely efficient party pooper. "Ryloth" she said, rather simply "But I've been on a few hunting tips with my family, local ones and a couple on Balmorra" she said, hoping to draw the conversation away from the darker topics. "Usually my mom, dad or some local has a good idea of the dos' and don'ts'"

Careful not to step on another social landmine, Ines refrained from asking if the two sisters had ever been to either of the planets and went for a much safer question instead "So, what do you do on your free time around here? Got some local pazak community or book club?" she asked whilst throwing a glance ahead, wondering when they'd reach their destination. Her sense of something being off about Astra's behaviour slowly started to fade whilst Alana started to behave more weirdly by the minute. Perhaps they were both a little goofy and lighthearted enough not to care too much about petty little things? Regardless, Ines was thoroughly enjoying the company and was not about to bring it up.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

"What? Not talk you up? You're my fething sister, why wouldn't I talk you up?" Alana shot back, throwing a look towards her sister, grinning at the fact they weren't at each other throats for once. It seemed the good times the pair shared were growing fewer and fewer, thanks in no part to her own actions. Alana didn't dwell on that though, instead pushing the storm cloud in her mind away and focusing on something more positive.

She glanced to Ines, as the woman asked a question and swiftly retracted it. Didn't bother Alana at all, as she just answered it without a second of hesitation. "Oh, well he hunts and does bounties. Whatever keeps the lights on for us," She remarked. "No need to be sorry. We got no secrets to hide, right Astra?" Alana asked, only for her sister to take hold of her elbow. She was honestly confused as to what her sister was doing, so she asked. "Hm? Was I going the wrong way?" She asked with a chipper tone, partly because of the drug partly because she was finally getting along with her sister. "Ryloth? Huh, I dont think we've ever been there, have we Astra?" Alana asked turning back to her sister as she took yet another wrong turn. It might seem rather apparent now that Alana didn't seem to have the lay of the land down pat. "Well that's reasonable. Too many rules and you end up with stuff like the New Republic or whatever it's called. It's like a freaking dictatorship. Which is why we like it here, no one can come in and tell us what to do."

The question about their freetime activies came up, which was a pretty good question. "Oh, well we just go on trips with our father mostly. Sometimes we'll go scavage some sites or what not. I don't play Pazzak, I'm terrible at card games. Astra is pretty good with it though, everytime we play she beats me every time." Alana continued on, enjoying the company of a stranger, maybe they could even get some friends out of this. They were slowly working their way to the site, hopefully they could start hunting, then again some more talking never hurt!

@Pyrenees @Sunfrog

 

[Sunfrog]

"Because I really value those moments when you aren't talking to me, those three minutes before you were born were the best of my life." She joked with a smirk. This was a normal conversation between the sisters and frankly it was a sweet relief from all the seriousness they had to deal with in their lives, namely Alana's drug addiction. It was at times like these they could pretend they were as normal as anyone else.

Ines seemed sweet, albeit overly cautious or eager to please after the retracted a seemingly harmless question, it was thoughtful of her but unnecessary as Alana then pointed out to her. Astra gave Alana a sideways glance when she spoke of them having nothing to hide and gave a strained response "No, we don't." At least nothing that Ines needed to know about, she was not in danger apart from maybe the danger of getting involved in an argument. "Yes, this is why you don't lead." She rolled her eyes.

"No, isn't that the really exotic planet?" She asked, unsure which planet Ryloth was although in her head she had visions of a plethora of wildly coloured plants growing sky high, full of equally as exotic people. "Oh wait, no isn't that Felucia? or Ithor..." She trailed off, trying to connect the name of the planet with a preconceived idea of it. Being so far away from much of civilisation meant all the learning opportunities they had were at home or practical, out in the field, it was evident that she was uneducated.

Astra let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed Alana by the hand, practically dragging her the right way since she didn't seem to be capable of finding it herself. "Yeah but equally there's no one to help you when you become a victim of someone who didn't follow the non-existent rules." She added, trying to give a more rounded view of what it was like living on a lawless planet. "You need to choose your friends wisely here." Although it was largely out of the way of the chaos of core worlds and its lack of urban areas meant intergalactic crime was rare but petty crime... not so much.

"I'll let you win next time." She patted Alana on the arm with a smirk. They had to find ways to fill the endless hours they spent together, especially when Kraud was away and they were the only company each other had, there was plenty of time to improve.



@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Bounties and 'whatever keeps the lights on' sounded like a rather bad combination. In Ines eyes, bounty hunters already had a rather cold impression, willing to kill and do violence onto others for credits. This was also, she assumed, the reason for them often times being rather brutal and even meaner than needed. She looked at the two women keeping her company, at least they seemed nice and pleasant. Maybe he had only picked it up recently or were really good at isolating personal life from work? The Alderaanian had no idea. Seeing as Alana was quick to respond, the comment about farms being nice was never made, instead she responded with a nod and two raised eyebrows "He ought to know his way around rifles and such things then. I suppose he was the one who taught the two of you to, uhm, maybe, shoot straight." she said, nodding towards their weapons.

The talk eventually moved on to the planet on which she had grown up. How could one describe Ryloth other than normal? "How exotic it is depends on who you ask. It is quite different from Dantooine though. Instead of rolling fields as far as the eye can see, we have large mountains and deep valleys. Whereas your planet is characterised by the green and beige colours of her fields, Ryloth carries the orange and brown hues of her rocks." she said, figuring that comparing the two planets would have to do.

Soon, it was decided that the Alderaanian wouldn't be moving to Dantooine as it started to sound more and more lawless. While she appreciated the freedoms and liberties the people seemed to have, safety was just as important to her - perhaps a rather natural desire considering the circumstances under which she grew up and what happened to Alderaan. Regardless, the friends she had stumbled upon seemed reliable and friendly which was more than enough for the moment.

A smirk appeared on the teens lips as Alana spoke of her habit to loose in card games "Well then, if we don't find any game, I think we should settle for some cards. I think I have a deck in my backpack." she said enthusiastically, eager to play against someone who tended to loose. While hardly an overly skilled player herself, Ines rarely shied away from what looked like an easy win.

Looking to the path ahead, one could only wonder how much more they'd have to walk before they reached the beast. At this point, however, Ines was hardly in any rush and didn't mind letting it take its time. With good company and friendly conversation, she honestly wouldn't mind settling for a game of cards. Still, having some sense of what would happen, she decided to ask the one leading the trio. "Astra, got any ideas on how much farther we will be going?" she let out an awkward and slight laugh "I have omitted keeping track of where we are ever since we met at that large tree." she said, deciding that the two seemed goodhearted enough to be trusted with the knowledge that she was currently rather lost.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

Alana snickered at her sister's reply, knowing she was just having her on. "Best three minutes of your life? Hardly, I was already waiting for your lazy behind to catch up." Honestly, she couldn't recall who was the 'oldest', and it didn't matter, they'd fine other reasons to give each other a proper tease. "Well you're the one that let me start leading, so feel free to take charge." Alana was a tad annoyed at her sister trying to correct her, she knew where she was going. Still, she wasn't going to let this stupid feud scare off their new friend. "Yea, Kraud does all sorts of stuff with his guns. He taught us how to handle them without killing each other." Alana commented, looking back to her sister with a goofy smile. "Astra isn't a bad shot, but there's a reason I'm the one with the fancy rifle." She turned back, nearly walking into a tree branch and ducked out of the way, as it bumped her hat. She quickly righted her headwear, moving in the wrong direction once again.

"Huh, I guess I'll have to check it out once I got my own ship. Would you wanna come Astra? Maybe we can find you a boyfriend." She snickered, knowing her sister would be getting uppity. They were wading through some underbrush now, as Alana seemed to be having the time of her life on this little hike. "Oh, well we could play, but I think Astra would get bored of beating us. I'm game though!" Seemed she found someone new to try her luck against, but that probably meant she was going to lose once again. As the pair were seeming to go on for a fair bit, Alana was thinking that maybe, just maybe, her sister was right. "Okay, I'll be honest, I don't know where we're going now." She looked to Ines, then Astra. "I mean, we could just back track and try again?" She inquired, unless Astra knew their heading it felt like they were screwed right now.



@Sunfrog @Pyrenees

 

[Sunfrog]

"Actually, that does seem probable." She agreed with a snicker. The pair had always had a good relationship that had waxed and waned throughout the years as all siblings do, only now the biggest threat to them was Alana's drug addiction that damaged not only herself but also all of her relationships and made her very difficult to deal with at times.

It was difficult to know how different people would receive the information about Kraud being a bounty hunter, being from a different planet meant a different culture, different social rules and different tolerances and perceptions of morality. Ines seemed respectful with her answer nonetheless, whatever her personal opinions on the matter were. "Well he tried at least, but yeah like Alana said... she's the more adept one." She confirmed her sister's claim.

"Oh yeah, I think I know which planet that is now." She said thoughtfully as she thought back to a book she had read years before on the matter. The opportunities on Dantooine had been scarce, education was limited, often non-existent and technology was far behind that of the rest of the galaxy, however the inhabitants were far from simple and had learned to survive and live a somewhat comfortable life without much outside interference, there was just a clear lack of opportunities.

"We'll find game as far as I can help it." She announced confidently. They wouldn't be going home empty handed tonight. "Oh don't worry, we'll get you back to that tree." She reassured Ines without answering her question because truthfully- she didn't know.

When Alana expressed doubts, Astra dismissed them and continued the way they were headed, believing her sister to be high, incompetent at orientation or both. It was after another couple of minutes walking that they still hadn't come to the clearing of the forest, which Astra found peculiar, so she came to a stop and turned to face her companions. "I think we should turn back." She said, embarrassed and expecting to get an earful from Alana.



@Pyrenees @Algarus

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

While it was only natural for someone to be the better shot, Ines had expected it to be Astra, seeing as the other seemed more flowery in her way and perhaps not always having the most keen sense of direction. But then, many people had hidden talents and of course, someone could put on a serious face when needed. At least that's what she thought as the trio kept making their way further into the forest. Letting out a light laugh upon remembering Alana's comment about the training being sufficient to not have them shot each other, the Alderaanian spoke "He must have been a skillful teacher to keep you from doing that. Your bickering have been merciless so far." She didn't know how well received her joke would be, but at this point, the two others seemed friendly enough that she felt safe to say it.

Amused, Ines noted how Astra ignored Alana's comment about finding a boy but was glad that she got an idea about the Alderaanian's planet of birth. "It's the planet with the Twi'leks" she said, making a gesture with her hands to show that it was the species with the head tentacles. A gesture which she was likely to have made regardless of whether the other two knew of the species or not. "You could probably come live with us, we often keep a few spare rooms." she offered enthusiastically. The enthusiasm was, however, dampened as she thought of the rather obvious risks of inviting them and having her parents disapprove of her choice of friends. But that was a problem for another day.

While glad that Alana wouldn't mind playing cards, the noble was still hopeful that they'd get to find some game. But as they moved on, the confidence of their leader apparent seemed to be veining until she eventually suggested going back to where they had begun the trip. Ines was careful not to appear disappointed, something which she had had plenty of practice doing in the past. "Let's!" she said, putting some cheerfulness into her voice, ready to turn back. A smirk appeared on her lips "Alana have been drifting towards that direction a lot. Perhaps we should just follow her hunter's instinct" she joked with a thumb pointing in the direction that the woman had walked towards.

@Algarus @Sunfrog

 

[Algarus]

Alana smiled as Ines' comment, as she recalled memories of poor Kraud's trying in vain to stop the twins from shooting one another with stun shots. That was probably one of the few times she had seen him at his wits end; well, one of the funnier times at least. "Yea, something like that. Kraud's got the patience of a rock, and is about as nimble as one too." Alana checked her rifle once more, her head bobbing back and forth as she was just going with the flow. "Oh this is nothing, just wait til Astra gets liquored up. Then the real banter comes out." She grinned, knowing Astra was going to go on the defensive with that one.

"Oh, right, Twi'leks. Those guys. Right." Alana tried to play off like she knew what she was talking about, but she didn't. Like, she knew what Twi'leks were roughly but...well honestly she hadn't seen one in a fair bit. Ines' gesture actually helped her click the peices in, as Alana now had a better idea of what they were talking about. She grinned at the offer of being allowed to stay, having a way off Dantooine that didn't involve being a slave was practically a million to one. "That sounds really tempting. Can I get back with you on that once we get the first kill?" Alana asked, having finished her rifle inspection as her head swiveled back to face Ines.

When Astra suggested they turn back, Alana scowled and tilted her head. "Ast, come on, do you have that little faith in me?" She asked pushing out her bottom lip in signature pouting form. She pointed back over her shoulder to Ines without looking, her pouting turning to a smile once more. "Yea, hunters instincts. Kraud talked about that all the time remember? Come on Ast, isn't this fun?" Alana was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she had upset her sister. But that was really hard to tell, because Astra always seemed upset about something. Yea, Alana was getting a bit side tracked, but that sort of thing happened you know?

@Sunfrog @Pyrenees