Ask Egg Hunt

They had been walking for two hours but Azar complained as if they had been at it for a week. First of all, Azar wore the most impractical clothing ever for trekking through a barren volcano planet. Fortunately he at least wore the rancor hide boots that worked in almost any terrain. On top of that, he insisted he had a great sense of direction, “I’m perfectly positive you are lost, darling,” He had said to Trael about an hour back.

Azar confidently led them through the terrain - neither having any comms service out here - for a while. After a bit of passing by the same landmarks, he finally let Trael take a look at the map he had been viewing only for Trael to realize Azar was holding it upside down the entire time, “Listen,” Azar said icily, “I know what I’m doing. The Force guides in mysterious ways,” He explained cryptically, hoping Trael wouldn’t catch on that even as a Sith Lord, he was a complete imbecile with basic navigation.

After a few more steps, Azar growled and hurled the datapad with the map on it. He didn’t use the Force, so it was the daintiest throw ever, landing just a couple feet away, “We’re never going to find this trail,” He said moodily, “Why do you take me places where I have to do so much walking? It’s never ‘Azar let me take you to a spa’ or ‘Azar let me pamper you all day at this resort’. No, it’s always ‘Azar let me test your last nerve by taking you on a trek,’” Azar huffed, “And I keep agreeing to it..” He muttered, "You were in charge of the snacks. What did you pack?"

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael couldn't afford to take Azar out on a proper date. He had nothing to his name and was just getting back to the galaxy. He had poured himself into finding something worthy of Azar when he happened on some interesting news. There had been sightings of what sounded like an Arkanian dragon, but the details of the description were completely off.

His great idea for a present quickly turned to a disaster. First off the argument over Azar's clothing choices. No matter how Trael phrased how bad of an idea his clothing choices were Azar still chose them. Secondly Azar's insistence that he should be the guide had lead them to walk around for two hours. Trael held his tongue when Azar accused HIM of being the reason they were lost.

After seeing the same rock formation almost a half dozen times he finally got the map from Azar. He was holding it UPSIDE DOWN! Trael had to take a breath to keep himself composed. "You had the map upside down, honey." He said hiding the annoyance as best he could. He simply gave him a look as the mention of the Force was used. It was almost as if Azar forgot Trael had spent the majority of the last year and a half in meditation.

They barely walked another yard when Azar had enough. He threw, if it could be called a throw, the datapad on the ground. He already knew where this was going. "We'll find it if the datapad isn't broken." He rebuttled, "It's easier to check you out when your walking you know." He playful replied, "I don't ask you to go on the treks for no reason. Maybe I just want an excuse to spend time with you. It also never hurts to go on a walk." He said shrugging as he slid the obnoxiously large backpack off his back, "I swear these bags get bigger every time," He mused as he began pulling out snacks. "We have dried fruit, nerf jerky, protein bars, Trael mix," He paused after that giving the illusion he was done. "And lastly, chips and dip. I went with homemade cheese dip this time rather than salsa." He knew Azar loved salsa, but he also wanted him to try his other forms of dips.

@Sreeya

Azar blushed when Trael mentioned it was easier to check him out when he walked. He playfully nudged Trael on the arm, “I’d believe that if you were walking behind me and not pouting next to me while trying to peek at the map,” He said with a giggle, his mood diffused slightly, “Besides, you’re the more distracting one lately,” Azar said, his gaze roaming over the new muscles and tattoos. He hardly let Trael out of his bedroom for the first few days of his return, showing the man exactly how much Azar appreciated the new look.

His idle line of thoughts came crashing when Trael mentioned it never hurt to go on walks. Azar huffed, “Are you suggesting I’m out of shape?” He asked, highly offended, “How dare you say something so controversial yet brave?” Azar asked with a mock wounded tone. When Trael complained about the bags getting heavier, Azar tapped his chin in thought, “Mm yes, I packed a few extra books in there while you weren’t looking. Also I wanted to bring my separate datapad that has all my Holodramas on it. Ooh! And of course I couldn’t dream of traveling without my skincare products,” He rattled off - every single bit an item Azar packed while Trael wasn’t looking. Strategically timed to avoid another bickering session.

Azar listened as Trael rattled off the snack options, quirking a brow ridge, “Trael mix?” He asked. When Trael finally revealed the chips and salsa, Azar made a noise somewhere between a squeak and yelp, ecstatic about the snack he missed sorely. He helped himself to the Trael mix and the chips and the variety of dips, “Mmmmm did you know I was eating some of your salsa when I killed that Mando on Thule? He may have resembled your salsa after I dropped a building on him,” He asked cheerfully. Trael would notice Azar’s mood do a 180 shift towards giddy because this man could get hangry. He was back to his usual self after pausing for snacks, especially when he realized it was specifically made for him.

After they were done, Azar finally rose and was ready to continue their trek. Thanks to his better mood, he stepped closer to Trael and grabbed his hand while they walked, “What’re you going to do now that you’re back?” He asked, “Besides me, of course,” Azar added with a snicker, “And why do you insist on not letting me help?” He asked with a sigh.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael quirked an eyebrow when Azar mentioned he didn’t believe him. “And here I thought you looked good from any angle. Must’ve been my imagination I guess.” He said with a shrug. He couldn’t help but smile at Azar’s flattery. As the memories of the first days out of captivity came rushing back his face became flush. He cleared his throat, “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” He replied casually as he struggled to hide his embarrassment. He also had a stupid smile on his face that wouldn’t go away.

Azar’s reaction to his sentence about walking made him start laughing. “Calling out of shape would be like saying a bantha is bald. I think you’re in terrific shape.” He said through his laughter. It died down as Azar began breaking down the various things he had tried stowing away. “Is that why the bag seemed to stay disorganized?” He huffed out. He surprisingly was an extremely organized person so he actually started to get annoyed as stuff had been moved every time he seemed to look away from the bag. Now it all made sense. “I could’ve just made space for it if you told me.” He grumbled as he collected the snacks.

Trael was giving his snack show and tell. When Azar had asked about the Trael mix. “Yeah I took some of the various snacks I’ve seen you enjoy that fit well together. Then threw in some dried fruit and chocolate covered pretzels.” He explained. Trael loved cooking or making food and doing so for Azar was something he loved even more. Especially since Azar seemed to always enjoy his food which was always a nice boost to his mood. Azar practically screamed when Trael unveiled the chips and various dips plus salsa. “I didn’t know you liked my salsa that much.” He said with a chuckle, “I didn’t know that. I doubt he tasted as good though.” He mused aloud as he shifted through the snacks.

After their snack break was over and Trael meticulously repacked the bag they were off. Trale made sure to grab the datapad and take over navigation duties. When Azar grabbed his hand Trael got a bit flushed but grabbed his back. “Well first I’m going to get my old lightsabers back. From what contacts I made in prison Crimson Dawn is my best bet.” He started, “I’ll probably focus back on unifying the scattered Deucalian people under me. It’ll give me muscle to use to move on larger targets.” He said flatly. Azar then asked why he insisted on not asking him for help. He had told Trael multiple times now that he would, “You’ve already gone out your way enough for me. I don’t want to be a burden on you.” He said with a soft smile, “Besides you have your desert campaign to plan. I can’t pull you away from unifying your home.”

The trek was going much smoother now. Neither of them was as annoyed and the map was now in Traels hands. “It looks like it’s that mountain not far ahead.” He said as he pointed towards the mountain in the distance. Not far ahead to Trael likely meant something completely different to Azar. Though this didn’t register for Trael when he spoke it though it would likely soon.

@Sreeya

Azar couldn’t help but smile when he saw Trael get flustered at the compliment. He saw that smile and it invited one of Azar’s own, his gaze lingering fondly on Trael as they walked. However, when Trael insisted he would have shuffled things around to pack, Azar outright scoffed, “You would have debated with me for hours if I told you what I was bringing,” He said with a huff, “I didn’t want to deal with another lecture on practical items. I’m a Sith Lord, I know what’s-” He yelped as he almost tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground and nearly ate shit right there, clinging to Trael for dear life to catch himself. The point he attempted to make evaporated and he shut up for a few moments.

When Trael explained how the Trael Mix was based on his preferences, it was Azar’s turn to blush, “I’m far too dignified to be swept off my feet the way you’re doing to me right now,” He said curtly, his face hot as he smiled sheepishly at the other man.

Watching Trael blush over holding hands caught Azar’s attention. Azar was not remotely shy and he studied the human for a moment before grinning, “You’ve shamelessly fucked me in a prison interrogation room and this is turning you pink?” He asked bluntly with a giggle, “I had all the video feed of my visit sent to me and found some very interesting footage of us we can watch together,” He winked, knowing Trael was close to throwing himself into a lava pool.

For a moment, Azar focused back on what Trael said about Crimson Dawn, “I’ve broken into their space station before,” He said casually as if it was a picnic, “I wasn’t caught so I can provide you codes and a way in,” He explained. Azar looked at the mountain ‘not too far ahead’. To Azar it looked as if it were a planet away. He grimaced at once but held his tongue for now, simply deciding Trael would have to carry him if Azar got bored of walking.

“Why do you think you’re a burden to me?” Azar asked after a moment of walking quietly. He tugged on Trael’s hand to stop walking, gazing up at him, “What are we?” He asked quietly. He realized that was a question that terrified most men, so he softened the question, “What do you want to be to me?”

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael was heard Azar’s scoff, even if he may have stretched the truth a little it didn’t deserve that reaction. He was planning to argue back when Azar tripped on the rock and held on for dear life. He tried to suppress the laugh that was building up but it burst through. He laughed for a bit until Azar’s gaze began to pierce through him, “Yes Darth Misstep whatever you say” He said mockingly with a bow. “Are you okay?” He asked after a moment wanting to double check he was alright. Azar blushing and his reaction to the Trael mix caused a wide smile to form on Trael’s face. “I was just about to get a broom, darn.” He playfully responded as his smile only grew wider.

Trael couldn’t prevent the blush if he wanted. Him and Azar may have taken things further than simply holding hands yet the smaller gestures seemed to get to him. Hearing Azar point it out just made his face get redder, “That’s different,” He grumbled back. When Azar mentioned having the footage and seeing some interesting things Traels mind raced back to that day and begun flipping through the moments. His face was almost as red as Azar’s, “Just no commentary.” He quickly stated as his face got even redder. He felt like he was about to pass out. He pulled a water from the bag and quickly chugged it down.

Luckily for Trael the subject changed to something far less embarrassing to him. He listened as Azar explained he got through the Crimson Dawn defenses undetected. “I’ll take whatever you have that will make the job easier. Anything you want from the vault?” Trael couldn’t just accept the help from Azar without offering something in return. Even if the Pureblood declined it still helped his conscious.

Trael gazed down at Azar, “I just feel like I rely on you too much.” He said with a low tone. Azar had broken Trael out of incarceration twice and it’s something that tore at him more than he wanted to admit. Azar then asked him the question. Which normally would’ve terrified Trael yet he felt he had said what he wanted when they were interlocked in the prison. “I probably should’ve made it more clear what I was trying to say in the prison than.” He started, “I want us to be together as a couple. But I want to do it right.” He said as he took a breath giving Azar a smile. He knew how much he liked the theatrics and soaps, “Azar, will you go out with me?” He asked as he started to blush again.

@Sreeya

Azar actually giggled when Trael was so flustered he took out a bottle of water. He snatched it out of Trael’s hand and touched his lips to the rim of the bottle, chilling it before he handed it back to Trael to drink, “Just like that time you were watching me dance,” Azar said with a smirk, remembering that day vividly and how Trael chugged the entire bottle of water while watching him work the pole. The moment felt like a century ago now.

Azar shook his head when Trael asked if he wanted anything from the vault, “I’ve already robbed them of what I sought,” He said with a smirk. In fact, his haul was full of ancient Sith artifacts that had tremendous value. At the time it elevated him in status with Tempest. When Trael mentioned he relied on Azar too much, the Pureblood said nothing initially. He wasn’t entirely wrong - Azar did break him out twice. Perhaps Trael did need this space to grow into his own man and take accountability for himself.

He had expected his question to Trael to get him flustered and uncomfortable like his earlier quips had. To his surprise, the man instead took a breath and outright asked him out. Azar was so stunned that he blinked in surprise for a moment, his reaction delayed. After a moment, he shrieked to where it would make Trael wince, springing up to wrap his arms around his neck and wrap his legs around his waist. If Azar was bigger the tackling jump hug would have toppled Trael over, but his dainty self didn’t even make the larger man budge.

“Of course I’ll go out with you!” He said excitedly before kissing Trael happily. He clung to Trael tightly, smiling against the crook of his neck. Azar remained like that for a few seconds before finally hopping down. He glanced towards the mountain range in the distance.

“Okay, sweetie, I’ve entertained your way of doing this for long enough and it has been just splendid,” Azar said as he turned to face Trael, grasping both his hands, “Now let’s do this my way,” He said with a wink. Without warning, Trael would be filled with a curious sensation, the Force pulsing and whirling within and around him. Unnatural, black smoke would rise around them. Azar gazed into his eyes unblinkingly, the Force rapidly channeling through every cell in their bodies.

After a moment, Trael would find himself completely disoriented. It would be enough to bring him down to his hands and knees and likely make him vomit profusely. However, once he relaxed, he would discover he was on a ledge in that mountain range. He had teleported over. If he glanced up, he would find Azar standing there with a nail filer out as he filed his nails while waiting for Trael to get a grip.

“It’ll pass soon, dear,” Azar said nonchalantly, humming as he checked out his fabulously manicured nails.

@Javier esschoolbus

When Azar snatched the bottle he was at first confused. Then he saw a familiar sight, one that felt like it was so long ago. When he was handed back the bottle his gaze flicked from it to Azar then back to the bottle. He thought to himself, fuck it, then chugged the entire bottle. His embarrassment passing slightly, "Now all we need is the shot." He said reminiscing on the night that started it all. It seemed like a life time ago. Trael was a much different person now, he had experienced so much and it shaped him into a different man.

Azar’s confirmation he didn’t want anything in particular got a nod out of Trael, “If there’s anything interesting I’ll grab it for you anyways.” He stated flatly as they walked. He highly doubted there’d be anything too extravagant or highly valued, but if he did find something he wanted to give it to Azar as a present or something. Azar remained quiet in the subject of Traels reasoning for being a burden. It didn’t hurt him or anything as he knew it was the truth. He needed to rebuild himself as much in his own as he could.

At first Azar’s lack of a reaction terrified Trael. Was he about to be rejected? Before he could remotely question it any further he was hit with a shriek that rivaled a force scream. He winced as the high pitched noise assaulted his ears. Just as it seemed to end he was assaulted but a leap hugging Azar. Trael was happier than he’d been in a long time when Azar agreed to go out with him. He didn’t even get a chance to smile before he was met with a barrage of kisses from Azar. Something about having Azar tightly clinging to him felt right, like it was all he needed.

Trael quirked an eyebrow as Azar began talking about how he had entertained his way long enough. “Entertained?” Did he forget the numerous times he complained, you know what not worth the annoyance. He had no clue what Azar was about to do when he felt the Force surging within and around him. He noticed the smoke forming as Azar just stared into his eyes. Then he was disoriented, his stomach churned and he fell to his hands and knees before puking up the snacks he had enjoyed not long ago. He stayed there collecting himself when he heard an odd noise. He looked up to see Azar filing his nails. He turned his gaze to the side and noticed that they were now on the mountain range they were heading towards.

He slowly got to his feet and pulled out the datapad. He switched from the overhead map to a topographical one, “It seems there’s an odd dip along the ridge not far from here. It’s likely a large cave or divet of some kind.” He said as he looked over the map. Though Trael was generally considered rather stupid from his various stupid decisions he still had a moment of intelligence shine through. He looked at Azar who was still examining his nails, “You could’ve warned me first.” He pouted slightly, “But thank you for making this quicker.” He said sheepishly.

@Sreeya

Azar nodded at Trael’s quip about entertaining his way, “Why yes, I chose to do all that hiking because you enjoy the activity,” He said breezily, “Not exactly a couple if I don’t do stuff my boyfriend wants to do now and then are we?” Azar asked with a smile, all about that sap and cheese. He could be as cheesy and dorky as he pleased with Trael, and he didn’t wear any of his countless titles with the other man. He didn’t have to be King, Sith Lord, or any of those things.

After Trael was done puking, Azar was kind enough to offer some mints and water. He put his nail file away, satisfied with how his glossy nails looked. They were clear coated and just sharp enough to claw someone’s eyes out if needed.

“Cave?” Azar asked, “I hate caves,” He grumbled, “They’re so smelly,” He complained as they walked towards said entrance. Admittedly switching the map feature was smart. Azar certainly didn’t think of it and it sounded like a lair. From what he understood dragons resided in such lairs and laid eggs. Azar pondered for a moment, “Are we taking an egg or are you expecting me to tame this thing?” He asked, realizing they never actually discussed the rest of the plan. What if they were investigating the nest and Mama Dragon swooped in to eat them?

Azar was aware of his surroundings, some of his early acolyte days returning to him. Trael would notice that the diva side of him melted away briefly. He was alert, his steps were precise, methodical and he moved with practiced caution. He quietly made his way into the mouth of the cave, ducking to enter it. He planted a hand on Trael’s chest before the taller man walked in, “Watch your head,” He whispered before he manipulated the Force to change the ceiling of the cave itself. There was a very soft rumble as the terrain shifted to dent upwards to allow Trael enough room to walk in. It was a precise, powerful manipulation of the Force that he made look effortless.

As he expected, the cave was damp and smelly, but he held his tongue for now. From the looks of it the cave extended quite a bit and had multiple paths to choose from. Azar grimaced as he looked at all the options, “I swear if we come across some stairs next, we are going back,” He whispered with a huff as he glared at Trael as if all of this was somehow his fault.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael just looked at Azar as he talked about the hiking more. His face was emotionless as he put forth a lot of effort into not showing the emotion. The facade broke at Azar calling him his boyfriend. His face heated up and the emotionless face turned into a grinning face. “Well your boyfriend is happy to have you take an interest. And he will do the same for your hobbies.” He said smiling. He could always act natural around Azar, no need to hide his emotions or try and act cold. He took the mints and water and cleaned out the puke taste.

Azar quickly voiced his displeasure at the idea of going into a cave. Trael almost began to explain that this cave would smell worse. If there was a dragons lair in it then the rotting and decaying of the corpses would permeate in the cave. “Yes the dragons lair in them.” He stated, “Smell varies depending on the type of cave.” He continued, “This one likely would smell of sulfur and methane.” And remains. “Well if you want to use it in the desert campaign then we’d need the grown one. But the egg or eggs is a guaranteed thing.” He mused putting more thought than he should.

While Azar got more into a serious mode Trael was still just strolling along. If the dragon was around them they’d know for sure by now. He couldn’t help the way his heart fluttered as Azar moved the cave entrance to fit him. He couldn’t help it as he grabbed Azar’s hand and pulled him in to kiss him. “That was very cute of you to do.” He said as he pulled back with a smile before leading him into the cave by the hand.

When they got to the junction Trael looked among the various tunnels. He chuckled at Azar’s quip about the stairs. Though he would’ve argued with him after finding an entire temple in a cave he wasn’t going to doubt it. He looked to Azar and sighed, “We’re going to have to go down the tunnel that smells the worse. It’s likely the one that’ll lead to the lair.” He explained knowing Azar was going to complain. He sniffed down the tunnels till one made his stomach churn and he dry heaved. He pointed down it, “This is the one I believe.” He said wincing.

@Sreeya

Azar quirked a brow ridge when Trael responded that he would partake in some of his hobbies. Him calling himself Azar’s boyfriend actually made him giddy and feel like a younger version of himself again. His face flushed a bit, but he cleared his throat, “Very well, I will book us pedicures next week,” Azar said breezily with a smirk. Even straight men ought to get pedicures because nothing was more horrifying than gross toenails. Fortunately Trael already took great care of himself and that beard was groomed to perfection and even smelled nice.

As Trael spoke about using a dragon for the desert campaign, Azar gasped, “Imagine me riding in on the back of a dragon! That’d be a blow to morale for sure,” He said dreamily. The primitive desert tribes would fall to their knees just at the sight of Azar flying in on a majestic dragon with huge wings and rows of teeth, “Hmm yes, I think we need to find the adult dragon.”

Azar was distracted from his thoughts when Trael abruptly tugged him towards himself. The pureblood blinked in surprise but returned the kiss. When he drew back and Trael explained, he simply giggled, letting him lead Azar deeper into the cave, “Wait, darling,” He said before he walked behind Trael and jumped up and down a few times, “Ugh you’re too tall, crouch down!” Azar demanded before he took the next few minutes to dig through the backpack, completely ruining the way Trael packed. At long last, he got out what he was searching for. He drew out perfume, spritzing it on a handkerchief he then tied around his nose and mouth because he wasn’t about to spend his journey smelling bantha farts and corpses, “All done!” He said cheerfully, zipping up the backpack completely lumpy and disorganized.

He patted Trael on the arm, “Thanks to your nose for its valiant service,” Azar said gratefully, only smelling wonderful perfumes as his boyfriend led the way following nasty odors.

Azar was glad the bit of cloth hid his expression anytime he tried not to crack a grin when Trael would abruptly grimace or dry heave. Their path inclined downward and grew darker. Azar stepped on something and glanced down when a crunch resounded. It was a goat or some mammal brought here for food.

As they kept going, it grew even darker. Without warning, the tunnel slanted downward abruptly. As a result, both of them would be sent skidding down suddenly as if on a slide.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael wasn’t sure what to expect when he told Azar he would do some of his hobbies. The Pureblood immediately wanting him to join in a pedicure meant he had been planning or thinking of it for a bit. Was this Azar’s way of saying Trael’s feet looked bad. “I’ll happily join you for a pedicure.” He said happily, not for the pedicure but for getting another chance to spend time with Azar.

Trael just smiled as Azar got all giddy over the dragon. “You’re a sight riding anything.” He replied playfully, “Even if it doesn’t shatter the moral of the army it will be a great asset strategically.” He thought aloud. He gave Azar a smile as he stated they needed the adult dragon, “Then we’ll get it.” He said confidently.

After their kiss and Trael began leading them deeper in Azar told him to wait so he stopped. He heard shuffling behind him before Azar told him to crouch. He crouched down and waited as he rummaged through the bag. “What are you doing?” He questioned. It wasn’t long before Azar called out that he was done. When Azar patted his arm he looked down at him, “Oh, that’s what you were doing.” He said when he noticed the handkerchief.

As they got deeper it became hard for Trael to fully bear with the smell. Trael followed the winding descending path occasionally stepping on the remains of an animal carcass. As the path grew darker Trael regretted not having a lightsaber. He continued down the path when suddenly the path slanted. Trael slide down the slanted path pulling Azar with him.

The two slid down for a minute or two until they landed in some kind of gooey substance. It wasn’t water but it also didn’t seem like blood. The smell was horrendous, Trael fully threw up this time. Not even Azar’s mask would protect him from this scent. Trael began to regain his composure, “I don’t even want to know what this is.” He grumbled.

@Sreeya

Azar coughed and almost tripped at Trael’s quip about riding. He had to do a double take, realizing that Trael actually made a dirty joke. It was so rare and out of the blue from the other man that Azar’s face actually turned purple from intense blushing, his skin burning hot. He was left speechless, though even in the low lighting Trael would be able to tell what he did. It wasn’t often anyone managed to elicit this kind of reaction from Azar anymore.

The Pureblood screeched as he unceremoniously slid down the slanted path. He landed with a wet, gross squelch. He felt the goop against his bare skin thanks to his irrational outfit.

And then the smell hit him.

Azar turned and vomited…only to remember he had a handkerchief over his face. His face smeared, he vomited some more, “WHAT IS THIS?!” He gasped in between hurling, furious, terrified and hysterical from the smell, “WHAT IS THIS? WE ARE IN HELL! WE HAVE CROSSED THE MORTIS REALMS INTO HELL! OH MY GODS!” Azar screamed dramatically, flailing to get the poo and guts off him, “EWW EWWW EWWW!” He was shrieking at the top of his lungs in complete hysterics.

His rage began to manifest soon after as his surprise gave way to anger. It began as a soft rumble all around them and the entire chamber was trembling from the sheer amount of fury that coursed through Azar. Cracks began to appear in the walls and ceilings, streaking and snaking through like deep fissures.

Without warning, the ceiling broke away and parted, cracking open and splitting in two. The part of the mountain itself tore apart as Azar’s rage created a makeshift gorge right there. The sky and sun were above them again as a whole new valley formed with the mountain now cracked and collapsed in two halves on either side of them.

Azar didn’t stop there, growling as he thrust his hands up so the entirety of the goop mass shot up through the newly created opening. The goop flared up and rained down on the mountain range externally like a poopy meteor shower. Any random animal unlucky enough to be wandering around outside would suddenly be splattered in organ and poop sprinkles. As ridiculous as the entire sequence was, it was a terrifying reminder of how powerful Azar was. His strength was close to climbing to the likes of Raze himself.

Their path was now lit up with natural light and the entire space was empty of goop except for what covered Azar and Trael. The Pureblood was breathing heavily, glaring as he tried to calm down. He took a look at himself, saw his own ruined outfit, and burst into tears.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael didn’t expect such a reaction from his dirty joke. Was it that odd for me to say it? He noticed the hue of purple Azar’s face took on in the low light but didn’t say anything. He just simply smiled as they continued. Maybe he should say more dirty jokes if that’s how Azar would react.

Trael was in the process of trying to get himself situated when Azar began to freak out. Trael was trying to clean himself off why Azar was on his tangent. He was not about to try and calm him down right now not while they were both covered in shit. He almost laughed at his exaggeration on them falling into hell just able to keep it in. No matter the situation Azar always seemed to make it not seem so bad for Trael compared to his outbursts. Trael was the mirror opposite of Azar in the midst of his hysteria, he was calmly wiping the shit off his shirt and pants using the blunt side of his vibroknife.

As he was doing so he felt the rage in Azar start bubbling to dangerous levels. The chamber was shaking and the ceiling was cracking. Trael was forced to use telekinesis to keep debris from hitting him and Azar as the Pureblood let his rage out. Trael watched as the mountain split into two. Azar created a new mountain gorge like he was splitting a log. It was a display of power Trael hadn’t witnessed in person before. He just stared at Azar as the sunlight poured in.

He watched as the goop around them was launched into the air. It flew through the new opening in the mountain no doubt looking like a volcanic eruption of poop and guts. As birds flew by they were strategically taken out by the falling balls of filth it looked like star fighters getting taken down by ship defenses. Goats and various other mammals went from being solid colored to polka dotted almost immediately. Various bugs and other small creatures were pinned to trees by the projectiles that hit them from the eruption. Nothing along the mountain was spared from being covered or coated in the matter.

Meanwhile inside Trael watched as Azar began to hysterically cry after his display of power. He took off his shirt and inverted it so the inside was outside. He crouched down next to Azar who was likely on the floor in his hysteria and began to wipe the poop and anything else off his face. “It’s alright now. All the poop is gone.” He whispered softly as he continued cleaning off Azar.

@Sreeya

Azar was, in fact, sitting on the ground as Trael had expected. He was in complete hysterics, sniffling and feeling disgusting in his state of being. He initially buried his face in his hands and that only smeared poop and he cried even more. Azar felt absolutely disgusted and no better than the lowest grotthu that existed only to serve as training dummies.

He didn’t look up initially when Trael sat down next to him, completely lost in his own world. When the other man started to dab at his face, Azar slowly blinked and looked at him. He realized that Trael took his shirt off and was calmly wiping the gunk off his face and body. Azar said nothing as Trael whispered to him, his own crying now reduced to soft, shuddered breaths. His golden gaze fixed on the other man the entire time even if Trael wasn’t looking at him. No words were said as he stared with a mixture of awe, fondness, and - even Azar’s writer switched over to bollywood music because swoon - stunned silence.

“Th-Thanks..” He muttered, sniffing and rubbing his eyes with the clean backs of his hands. His face burned hot from his display, but in some ways he didn’t feel shame in being who he was around Trael. The man had seen him at his absolute lowest - without the use of the Force. Azar’s gaze flicked up and down as a sheepish grin appeared on his face, “Well I don’t mind this view,” He said quietly about Trael’s shirtless state.

“This place should have hot springs,” Azar said suddenly, “We can clean up in one of those,” He said hopefully. With the gorge opened up, they could see beyond just the cave. He wasn’t sure why there was no sign of the dragon, but he supposed it knew better than to leave its droppings where it resided. For now all Azar cared for was finding a geothermal pool.

“A great battle took place on this planet,” He said after a long moment, “Several Sith Councilors fell in battle as did Jedi,” Azar said, “You can still feel the remnants of that battle,” He trailed off. If Trael focused, he would sense the hints of a nexus not too far away, “Something like a dragon would be lured by the raw energy left behind at the site of such chaos.”

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael took care to switch spots on the shirt while cleaning Azar so nothing smeared on him. Trael was completely focused on ensuring that Azar was poop free on his face so he didn't catch the gaze that Azar was giving him. He continued wiping off the feces on his body until the shirt was ruined. He threw the shirt to the side resigning that he himself wasn't going to get clean right now. "Anytime, dear." He said with a soft smile as he stood up and stretched his back.

He reached out a hand to Azar as he commented on this body, "I'll fight this dragon shirtless then." He quipped back as he pulled Azar to his feet. "A hot spring sounds nice. I'll see if there's one marked on the map." He stated as he began flicking through the datapad and various maps. "There's one not far from here." He said as he put the datapad back up.

As he was preparing for the trek to the hot spring Azar began talking about a battle, "I didn't think to look at any battles that may have happened," He mused, "If there is a nexus it would likely feed off the energy and that might be the reason its physical description makes sense." He stated as he finished up. He turned to Azar with a mischievous grin, "You ready to get warm and wet?" He asked before grabbing Azar's hand and leading him towards where the hot springs mountain was supposed to be.

They would come out to the mouth of the cave and Trael would again pull out the datapad. He cross referenced their location with the map coordinates. "Follow me." He said continuing to lead him. After a few minutes they arrived to a foggy cliff and Trael stopped and turned around looking Azar in the eyes with a serious expression. "Don't look down." He let go of Azar's hand. He walked to the cliff edge and stepped to the right of the cliff disappearing from Azars view. When Azar looked where he stepped he would see Trael on a trail leading around the mountains. "This leads to the hot spring!" He called out.

@Sreeya

Azar’s face flushed at the term of endearment, which only added to the tender moment. Despite how absurd the whole situation was, Trael’s acts of affection didn’t go unnoticed. Azar was in better spirits by the time Trael grabbed his hand and they kept walking. After the poop was entirely displaced, the smell went away though some bits of it remained on Trael’s clothing. Azar didn’t miss how the backpack got higher priority cleanup, a brow ridge rising.

He giggled as Trael asked if he was ready to get warm and wet, “I’m ready to find more excuses to see you wearing less,” He winked in turn, his flirty and lighthearted nature returning. Azar looked around at the gorge he created as they walked, “Hmm, I think I made some improvements around here,” Azar mused casually as if he didn’t rearrange the entire face of a mountain and crack the earth in two.

When they arrived at the horrific path, Azar gasped, “What?” He screeched, his screech comically echoing through the open air, “Don’t leave me!” He whined when Trael released his hand. Azar clung to the wall, doing his best not to look down. Azar glared as he watched Trael make his way across while he abandoned the Pureblood. Or that’s how Azar saw it anyway, his moody glare searing holes into Trael if he looked.

When it was Azar’s turn, he was stuck for almost ten solid minutes without moving. After the ten minutes he took a single step and almost fell, screaming and flailing his arms before he clung to the rock face, “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU TRAEL! JUST WATCH ME GET OVER THERE!” Azar threatened, which only came out muffled since his face was smooshed against the cliffside. After a bit of hyperventilating, he slowly made his way over, cursing in ur-Kittat the whole time and expanding Trael’s horizons and vocabulary in an ancient tongue.

“YOU LEFT ME TO DIE, TRAEL!” Azar screamed as he shimmied over as if the entire galaxy was collapsing around him. He almost fell over a few times, his footing terrible since he wasn’t looking. After a moment, he finally looked down and screamed. It was game over. Azar was stuck halfway through the path completely terrified. He wasn't going to budge.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael’s face flushed slightly at Azar’s comment. The casual flirting still caught him off guard a bit, “At this rate you’ll be too distracted to tame a dragon.” He quipped back with a smirk. He looked up at the opening as talked about making improvements. “I’m sure there’ll be local legends about the splitting mountain and raining dragon shit before long.” He said casually gazing up at the sky. Azar’s power was a sight to behold when he let loose. Even in the earlier days when they were both equals he could never rival Azar in the force.

“I’m not leaving you. There’s only room for one at a time.” He tried explaining. Though likely Azar wouldn’t care for that logic. He shimmied along the rickety boards watching his footing to not step on any of the boards that looked ready to break. When he looked back to Azar after getting a little ahead he noticed the glare. I’m in trouble later. He let out a sigh as he waited for Azar.

He waited patiently for a bit. But after the first five minutes he began to get a little impatient. “The path doesn’t get easier the more you stare at it. You might make it think that you’re judging it.” He said which did little to get the Pureblood moving. After another five grueling minutes Azar took a step and almost fell. Trael was already regretting this decision. Azar had tried to scream something at him, likely a curse or threat, but muffled himself by clinging to the cliff like it would be his salvation. He watched till he started to actually get moving before shimmying along himself.

He heard Azar speaking Ur-Kittat but didn’t understand a single word of it. Which was likely a good thing cause the vulgarity that Azar likely spouted would have floored him. Trael peaked from around a bend he just crossed as Azar screamed about being left to die by him. “I’m only like 20 feet ahead. Besides you’re doing fine.” He retorted back. His head just barely visible as he was prepared for some kind of retribution from an annoyed Azar. Right as Trael popped back behind the bend he heard an actual scream from Azar like when he almost fell at the start. Azar was frozen clinging to the wall no movement.

Trael sighed as he made his way back grumbling under his breath. As he got closer to Azar he called out to him, “You can hold onto the bag with one hand and follow me.” As he got to Azar he had forgotten about the state of the wooden path. He was more worried about Azar, so he stepped on the same plank Azar was on causing said plank to buckle under the Pureblood.

Luckily Azar was holding onto the chains so he didn’t just plummet, or so one would assume one of the pinions came out cause the chain to start coming out of the cliff. As the chain came off pulling pinions when Trael recognized he used Terrakinesis to pull some of the rock from the cliff over the pinion between him and where Azar was now dangling. “Calm down I’m going to get you up in a second.” He called down to the likely hysterical Azar. Trael stepped back a few planks putting his hand on the cliff face and making the rock of it come out to reinforce them. He was sweating now as he’d never extensively used terrakinesis so it was particularly draining on him.

He grabbed Azar with the force and pulled him up to the planks. Setting him down in front of him as he was panting a bit. “Are you ok?” He asked as he crouched down. “Do you see why I said not to look down?” He said with an I told you so tone of voice. He stood up looking ahead along the path. “Come on let’s get off of this path.” He said offering his hand. “I’ll hold your hand so you don’t freeze up again.”

@Sreeya

Azar screeched in Ur-Kittat as the plank collapsed and he began to fall. He grabbed on only thanks to the chain, nearly dropping to his death. He was in tears again, hyperventilating as the possibility of death seemed more real than ever. How did he always land in these situations with Trael? Was it some kind of Drast curse?! The Pureblood was hysterical again, barely hearing any of Trael’s instructions as he scrambled to climb back up, terror in his eyes.

He was too terrified and freaking out to use the Force effectively, briefly forgetting that he could easily take control of the situation. Fortunately Trael kept his head and applied some quick thinking to jut out some extra support with terrakinesis. Azar felt himself lifted up with the Force and he slowly began to calm down. Once he was close to Trael, he practically clung to the other man with a death grip, immobilizing them both for a moment. After Trael finally talked him down, the two were finally able to make the rest of the way over.

After they crossed to the other side, Azar exhaled the breath he had been holding the whole time. He was relieved to be alive, but he soon glared at Trael. He walked over and started daintily beating him on his chest, “You asshole! I could have died! Why did you make me do that?!” He yelled, each word accompanied with a smack to his chest. Azar didn’t apply the Force, so really it felt like a toddler hitting the brick wall that was Trael’s pecs.

After he got it out of his system, Azar crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, “Well now I’m too mad for a hot spring,” He pouted, though the hotspring was basically viewable at this point.

@Javier esschoolbus

Trael stayed motionless as Azar had him in a death grip. The Pureblood was distraught enough as is he didn’t need to get any poop on him and make it worse. He sat there and waited for Azar to slowly calm down before he started talking him down. It seemed to offer to hold his hand the rest of the way was enough to at least get him moving. Luckily the trail was sturdy the rest of the way.

They had gotten across and Trael was looking towards the hot spring from here when Azar suddenly started beating on his chest. It felt more like Azar was trying to play the drums with his pecs more than actually hurt him. He just gazed at Azar as he screamed out at him. He stayed quiet and let him get all his frustration out as he watched him. He knew if Azar wanted to he could easily kill Trael without even trying, yet he never feared Azar when he had his outbursts, he felt safe with him and if that was to be his death he would accept it.

When Azar finally had gotten it out of his system and began to pout Trael just smiled at him. He had spotted the hot spring and knew Azar would change his mind the second they got there. The only obstacle now was to get Azar there. He let out a sigh and then picked Azar up holding him by the thighs, “I’d like to enjoy the hot spring with you.” He said firmly, gazing into the Purebloods eyes. Whether he protested or not Trael would began walking to the hot spring.

When they got to the hot spring there was no one to be seen. Trael set Azar down then began to strip. He slowly made his way into the water before he turned around, "You coming in baby?" He asked as he sunk down into the warm water with a groan.

@Sreeya