Ask Coocoo for Klatooine

[Arla]

Arla nodded enthusiastically as he mentioned visiting where Matukai was born. She was a strong advocate of staying in connection with one's roots, and if she could encourage others to do just that, then she would.

You definitely should, she said. With all the spare time you probably have as Commander, she said with a snort. She could only imagine how packed his life had gotten if it was anything comparable to what she'd seen from Sith Masters.

Arla couldn't decide if she should be amused, offended, flattered, or something else entirely by the comments about her people. Ultimately, she decided he probably wasn't talking about her - or getting that dreamy eye about her - and kept pressing onward. Did she want him to be? She wasn't really sure and it was a childish thing to even waste any brain power on.

Interesting. Well maybe someday I'll look into Matukai teachings as well, she said.

As he stated that she could take the bed, she frowned slightly. It's fine, I'll sit up for a while at least, she said. We can split watch. If we weren't waiting for something horrible, I'd let the runes do the guarding for us, but this is too high risk, she said.

I can wake you after first watch, she said. She moved over and sat in a corner of the room with her back to the wall, pulling out a piece of wood and her hunting knife as she started going to work on a small carving.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair eyed her curiously as she mentioned looking into Matukai teachings. In truth, she seemed like one of the very few people that didn’t say that just to say it. She likely meant it, “I can teach you a few things,” He offered as he glanced at her, meeting her gaze. Damn, her eyes were really something else. He quickly averted his own gaze, “But you gotta show me some cool shit too,” Altair said, excited at the prospect of learning some new moves, “I was gonna ask that Ren chick, but never got the chance. Wonder what she been up to…other than pretendin’ to be different galactic leaders,” He chuckled to himself.

He groaned at her words, “Ughhhh I almost forgot we’re just waitin’ for something horrible to happen,” He complained, having genuinely gotten comfortable just hanging out. He hardly ever had the chance to sit around and vibe anymore. This almost felt like it and then he remembered the dead body, psycho bird man and other bullshit. Altair almost protested at her suggestion, but he was raised to never treat ladies like damsels, “All right,” He said as he got up from the couch. He reached into his pack and gave her another one of his snacks, “‘Sides, Bel can protect you,” He gave her a grin. The puppy wagged her tail eagerly, curling up next to Arla.

For a while, Arla with her sharper than average hearing would hear Altair quietly singing and humming to himself in the next room. It was a soothing, melodic tune that he was singing casually. Within moments, he was out cold and likely snoring a bit. He was someone that could fall asleep literally anywhere and this was no exception.

 

[Arla]

Arla was wary of teaching others about Nightsister magick, but she also understood a quid pro quo.

Okay, she said with a nod. What harm could come of it, right? And who knew how it could save her life to learn what he knew?

He looped back around to her mother, and she was once again baffled. So baffled, in fact, that she was once again about to say something if the conversation hadn't once again taken a turn. The corner of her mouth turned up in a devious smirk as she thought of taking him back to Dathomir to meet her mother in the palace.

Maybe someday, she thought to herself as she settled in for the night, the pup curling up next to her and earning another quick pat. She was glad not to have any argument from him or any of the implication that she couldn't take care of herself. She had snapped at more than one Sith for that in the past, but there was none of that.

As things began to grow darker, his snores filled the room, earning a snicker from the Nightsister. She kept carving away at the hunk of wood, shaving off piece by piece as the minutes ticked by.

Minutes turned to hours and Arla's lids began to get more heavy. She forced them open and took a deeper breath, nearly falling asleep when she saw the runes begin to glow. Her eyes went wide and her whole body stiffened as a surge of adrenaline coursed through her.

She tossed the small piece of wood at Altair, not daring to actually say his name at the approach of... whatever was coming. She moved up into a crouch and her hand fell to the lightsaber on her belt, easing it free as her other hand curled into a claw-like shape in preparation to cast her magick.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was happily snoozing away when the carving was tossed at him. At first, it had no impact as he simply rolled over and continued to sleep. However, Belleza began to bark and growl which shook him awake. He groggily looked around in a stupor before accidentally rolling off the bed and landing in a thud.

Meanwhile, the front door slammed open, but there was no one there. The places where Arla marked her runes started to pulse until hairline cracks began to appear through them. There was a low hum that resounded in the house and Belleza began to whimper and cower.

Moments later, Altair emerged from the other room, his eyes slightly glazed over.

“Have to…go..” He muttered to himself as he slowly began to walk towards the front door. Belleza barked at him and attempted to put herself in his path, but he simply looked lost and nudged her out of the way, “Must.. go..”

 

[Arla]

Arla tensed and almost growled when Altair didn't seem to wake up, but things were only going to get worse. Much, much worse. Atlair got up and started walking out of the room, muttering about a compulsion to go even as Bel tried to bark and stop him.

Kriff, she swore under her breath. For a moment as she watched him leaving the room and she watched her rune starting to crack along the wall, she felt true fear grip her again.

She reached out to place a hand on Bel, trying to calm her as she looked over at Altair who was leaving the house. She moved to follow him, taking in a deep breath and trying to think about why he was influenced and she wasn't. She could only assume it was a result of him being asleep and her being awake, which meant... it was somehow related to sleep? Seducing its victims away in sleep.

Altair! Altair, wake up! she said, cautiously reaching out to shake his shoulder before tossing some of her water in his face in an attempt to wake him up.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair gasped at the cold water being splashed on his face and he blinked at Arla with a look of betrayal, “The hell you do that for?!” He asked in irritation, his eyes narrowing. He wiped off his face and hair, still hearing the remnants of that hum. Altair looked around himself, brows furrowing a bit, “How’d I get here?” He mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

He weakly walked over to the couch and collapsed down on it, feeling a splitting headache, “What…is that..” By now the cracks along the runes deepened, causing a rift right between them. Suddenly, both of them would begin to hear whispers and the hum would return. Altair slowly pointed towards the walls, “Make…more of those…runes now….” He said as he felt a sudden drain of energy. Arla would begin to feel the same. Each step towards the wall would feel as if her legs were made of lead and she began to carry a massive weight.

Belleza barked nonstop and growled, but Altair could hardly focus.

 

[Arla]

Arla was surprised when he actually woke up, but she was also relieved. Altair, you need to listen. You were almost... taken, she said for lack of a better word, but she wasn't even sure he heard her. He seemed weak and stumbled to the couch. With a glance over, she saw the runes continuing to split and the lancing headache that tore through her mind. It was just like being back on Thyferra with the Killiks clawing through her head.

She gasped and reached up, clutching the side of her head in pain as her lightsaber dropped from her other hand. She reached down, clutching at her belt in search of her knife, pushing back against... whatever was in her head as she focused on the runes.

They weren't the most beautiful or even the most perfect, but they were at least enough to keep whatever it was as a buzzing instead of a scream.

Help me! she shouted. Just copy what I'm doing, she said, having no idea if he would be able to or even if he would bother.

As she continued carving in any doorframe, free stretch of ground, or anything else she sensed the pain subsiding, but with it was something else. She could sense it more than see it: a massive figure moving through the area outside their building. Its heavy footsteps left a thump with every movement, and she knew that it was the source of their torment.

She found herself pushing back further from the door, wanting nothing more than to cower in a corner and pray to the Spirits that it passed them by.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was having a difficult time. His mind was a fog grappling between the present and a strong compulsion to just leave the room. He vaguely heard Arla’s voice, but what drew him back briefly was Belleza licking his face and whimpering. Altair groaned as he rose from the couch, almost falling over a few times. In the end he toppled down on the ground and used one of her spare knives to carve on the wall. It was sloppy, but it was complete.

The runes worked their magic and his mind cleared a bit and the weight shifted. This made him alert enough to get to his feet and be aware of something big moving around outside. The loud hum quieted down to a low ringing and he didn’t feel as overwhelming of a compulsion to venture outside. Altair moved closer to Arla, pulling Belleza close. He knew how to fight most enemies, but something about this made him downright uncomfortable.

There was an odd clicking noise along with some guttural noises that didn’t sound human. He could make out the silhouette of a figure outside as it passed by the windows. It was stalking around the house as if to toy with them. It wanted them to go outside and something told him it would be awful if they did.

“What..is it?” Altair crouched down next to Arla and whispered. He made no show of pretending to be braver than he felt. There was genuine discomfort and fear. He hugged his puppy close to himself as that sense of dread loomed within his mind and chest. While the runes held the thing at bay, the psychological impacts would mess with them both.

 

[Arla]

Arla was terrified, and in that moment it occurred to her that for all her training, this was the second time she'd been faced with a truly powerful Force-entity and she was reminded of just how small she was, just how much she still had to learn, and just how little power she held compared to many things in the dark reaches of the galaxy.

Fear threatened to grip her and drive her to flee the house in a blind panic, but she stopped herself.

Her hand was visibly shaking as she pulled back from the runes she had carved and she wanted to vomit onto the floor.

It was only his voice and the sound of his question that brought her back to the present, forcing her back into her own body and to the task at hand.

Uh... um... she stammered, swallowing and forcing her mind to think about what she was seeing from a clinical standpoint. She reached into her pack and pulled out a book, thumbing quickly through the pages as she started to speak.

I think... I think it might be some kind of mare, she said. You were effected because you were sleeping but I wasn't... she reasoned aloud before stopping on a page in the book. She shook her head and growled, clearly not having found what she was looking for before shoving it back in her pack.

Okay, okay... she said, closing her eyes and putting her fingers to her temples.

They... they can't cross certain thresholds, I think. They... that's it! it clicked in her head and her eyes flashed open. They can't cross most thresholds of doorways, but the runes from earlier probably act as a bridge. An open invitations, so my runes have been acting counter to it. If we can get to a building unmarked by its runes, it won't be able to get access, she said. Of course, that required them to actually move to another building, which she didn't fancy or else gamble on their own messily-scratched runes holding up for the rest of the night.

They're also exponentially more powerful at night and in the dark, she said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair glanced over as Arla took out a book and rapidly flipped through it. He vaguely remembered that Ren chick having one too, “Mare?? Like a horse?” He blurted out unhelpfully. Altair could only hear that unsettling gurgling noise as the creature continued pace around the house. It was the gurgling and the thump of each step. At some point, clawed fingers dragged along the walls outside.

“How do its runes appear? Can this thing just draw them or does something else do it??” He asked her urgently. If the beast could just draw its own runes, going to a different house wouldn’t matter. However, the appearance of runes could be more random or perhaps by a different entity entirely. All of this made his head throb painfully.

Altair exhaled as he glanced back at the door, “Okay… to give us the best chance, I’ll run out and distract it while you get into a different house for cover,” He was scared, there was no hiding that from his tone. But he could tell Arla was terrified too. Ultimately she had a better means of defending against this thing which meant that him being bait made the most sense.

“When I go out, you’re gonna-”

Belleza may have understood what was being discussed. Before Altair could move, the hound broke out of his hold and bolted towards a window, crashing right through it and out the house. The monster outside immediately paused and gave a shrill cry before turning its attention on the pup, rapidly moving towards it.

“BEL NO!” Altair cried out till his voice was hoarse. If Arla didn’t stop him and redirect him towards a different house, he would jump out the window right behind her and completely ruin what the charhound was attempting.

 

[Arla]

What?! No, like an evil spirit, she said, as if that was something that everyone should obviously just know. No, I think the people under its influence have been making them before they leave under its influence, she said, nodding emphatically and... pretty sure she was right .

She didn't argue when he said he'd distract it, not because she wanted him in harm's way but because it was logical. She could find them a safe space and hopefully fortify it with magick.

That was all great right up until the puppy threw itself out of the room. Altair screamed and leapt after it, and Arla... well, Arla didn't handle it particularly well either.

Bel no!! she shouted, but it didn't matter. The pup was out there and now so was Altair. She momentarily didn't know what to do and in a panic grabbed her pack and threw herself out the window after them.

It was the first time that she truly caught sight of the mare that hunted them. The thing that Arla knew was that this wasn't its true form. It may have been the form it chose to present itself as but it wasn't so corporeal as to be bound to a single form.

She found herself almost frozen in fear, feet threatening to stick to the floor and the only thing that pushed her into her next step was years of training to fall back on. She ran to the side, sending a bolt of green energy at the creature that just... slapped into it with little effect. It should have flattened the creature onto its back, but it barely seemed to even tickle it.

KRIFF! she screamed in panic as it darted toward her, a swipe from a large, axe-like weapon very nearly taking her head off. Fighting it was futile, and she was forced to throw herself low and to the side as it took a chip out of the house behind her.

She didn't stop running, her forward momentum continuing to carry her onward toward any other house that wasn't in the open. She could already feel the talons of energy clawing their way back into her mind again, and it caused her to stumble as she fought to regain one of the houses that wasn't marked by the profane runes.

That was when she heard an ear-splitting crack tear through the air. There was a chick-chunk followed by another crack. In her mad scramble, she all but flopped forward into the sand, trying to find the source of the sound before looking up to see a mysterious figure firing an unusual slugthrower weapon from one of the rooftops.

Where her concussion bolts had done almost nothing, his weapon caused the creature to reel and screech as pieces of its... clothes? Fur? Feathers? It was really hard to tell, but the outer layer of the creature seemed to glow with embers. It fled momentarily off into the night, it's screeches receding but not so much that she had any hope that it was gone.

The stranger... said nothing. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge either of them as he fired a final shot to try to hit the creature, but missed. He leapt to another rooftop in an attempt to gain a better firing position, but failed to do so before dropping to the ground nearby and ducking into one of the houses.

 

[Altair Din]

“BEL!” Altair shouted, barely noticing that Arla was also calling for her and had bolted along with him. The tiefling saw only red, hot fury as he thought of his puppy being killed by the monster. All fear for himself was forgotten. He saw the mare and smelled a putrid stench coming from it - a sense of imminent death looming. Altair looked around when he heard a terrified whimper. He spotted Belleza cowering and trembling with her tail between her legs. She was frozen in place with the mare advancing on her. Altair didn’t care about the mare, he dove right for Belleza.

The tiefling grabbed her and rolled right as the ax came down. Arla’s green bolt distracted it, but not before the ax landed with a thud on the ground. He heard that thud. And he felt blinding pain.

Altair’s cries of agony would echo throughout the village. His eyes welled up with tears, his vision blurred. He looked back towards the creature, watching it chase after Arla. But most of all he looked back.

And saw what remained of his tail.

“No…no…” Altair gasped, his entire body trembling from both the pain and the shock of it all. It was Belleza that brought him back to the present, nudging against him and motioning for him to move. The tiefling was on hands and knees, crawling on the ground through the desert and sinking into it. He was vaguely aware of the sounds of the slugthrower and the monster taking hits.

Altair slowly got to his feat, hobbling over towards where he had seen Arla run. Belleza ran over and actually picked up the severed end of his tail, a feat he was too disoriented to manage. The tiefling barely noticed what was happening around him, mustering whatever strength and energy he could to make his way towards the house. The mare’s cries resounded all around him, echoing both in the physical realm and within the confines of his mind. He felt immeasurable rage and the desire to burn everything to the ground, but he felt completely powerless and devoid of energy.

Belleza charged through the safe house's door and he stumbled inside and landed face down with a thud. The stump of his tail was bleeding his black blood and he began to feel dizzy.

 

[Arla]

Everything happened so quickly that Arla barely knew what was happening. The stranger had vanished almost as quickly as he appeared, Arla smelled rot and burned flesh, she saw the oozing of blood, the shouting of Altair, and she just... felt lost. She felt like she should have known what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to be the expert, but she'd acted impulsively and foolishly. She hadn't been prepared enough.

And now wasn't the time to think about it. She looked back to Altair and then down to his tail. She swore again, taking it from the hound and looking down it somewhat gawkingly. We need to get back to my ship, she said, in a way that said there would be no arguing with her. And with that she reached under his arm and did her best to drag him to his feet, one arm under his arm and the other hand holding his tail. She was stronger than she looked, but was still quite a bit smaller than him nonetheless, but by the stars, she was stubborn.

Come on! she said, suddenly very glad that they hadn't already traveled across the desert to the creature's lair.

She heard more cracks of gunfire in the distance and more screeching, but no sign of anyone else at the moment.

As she made her way back to the ship she first thanked the Spirits that someone had shown up to drive the creature away and then she mentally noted that after this, she was going to enchant her ship heavily with wards and runes. Maybe she'd even get her mother's help. After the debacle with Vahl and now this she needed a ship that could be a secure place of retreat when all else fell apart.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair slowly started to recover, though the pain was still awful. Normally his tail moved to express his emotions, and now every involuntary gesture sent new jolts of pain through him. He cast a surprised look at Arla as she declared they were going back to her ship, “But..the mission..” He half whispered. However, he knew that look from multiple women before - it was the look of “this is not a discussion”. It didn’t matter what ranks they held, Altair didn’t argue against it, “Okay..okay..”

He leaned on her initially to stand but started walking. Almost immediately it became apparent how much he relied on his tail. Every now and then he started unintentionally zig-zagging as if he was drunk, “What the fuck..” He said as he attempted to keep his balance as they walked back, “Bel!” He called the puppy that obediently trotted by him.

“Who’s shooting that thing?!” Altair asked Arla as they made their way back, “Did you get a good look?”

He was thanking the stars this was before they crossed the desert. Altair followed her aboard her ship. The sound of a fight continued for a bit before silence set in once again. He looked back at his tail and had to bite back the urge to cry, “I…ain’t even a tiefling no more..” He muttered quietly to himself.

 

[Arla]

Arla was glad he didn't argue because she hadn't actually explained to him why they were going back to the ship. When he asked about the shooter she shook her head emphatically.

Kriff if I know. He didn't seem interested in us, but he managed to drive the Mare back. He was all suited up, couldn't see much of anything, she said. She could still hear screeching in the distance, but no sounds of gunfire.

They scrambled aboard the ship but she seemed unperturbed by him bleeding all over her floor. She rushed into the bathroom and turned on the tub, letting the water quickly flow before hurrying back to him.

Yes, you're still a Tiefling, she said directly, face hard and filled with pure determination.

I'm going to fix your tail, she said, grabbing the severed portion of the tail and his hand, all but dragging him into the other room.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and running her hands over the water as she channeled the power of Dathomir.

Hem tel abar, en fazar, she said, as wisps of green began to flow from her fingers through the waters, slowly spreading as it gave the water a pure, glowing green color. She continued to focus, feeling it pull and drain on her senses as she converted water of this size.

By the time the entire tub had changed, she was almost gasping for breath.

Put... put your tail in. Keep it aligned... carefully, she said. Or it will... not reattach straight, she said. She plunged the severed portion inside and as soon as he put his tail inside he would feel a tingling sensation replace the pain, spreading up his tail until he almost wouldn't be able to feel it at all, but if he complied, it would be sealed back together once again.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair heard the sound of running water and his face scrunched up, “The fuck? You drawin’ a bath? Is now really the tim-” He stopped talking when she emerged again, looking determined and almost a little scary. He stared at her stupidly as she declared she would fix his tail. Altair opened his mouth to ask questions but decided against it, watching as she casually snatched up the severed part of his tail. Watching that get handed around was surreal and extremely disturbing, but he tried to focus on how she may be able to give it back to him.

Altair stumbled over to the bathroom as she dragged him in, staring at the tub. What the hell? He stared at her as she said her strange spell or whatever, growing even more fascinated by her use of…magick was what Ren had called it. He blinked and placed his tail in the tub, “Damn..coulda warmed up the water a bit..” He mumbled, attempting to make light of the situation. Altair felt a strange sensation, one that went from his tail and throughout his whole body.

“This feels so weird…” He said, trying not to look at what was happening. Altair kept perfectly still, staring ahead.

“Um…I don’t feel anything…is it working?” Altair asked, his tail involuntarily waving around anxiously.

 

[Arla]

Arla's face was pure determination and concentration, barely even hearing what he said about the water or drawing a bath. Instead, she focused on calling on the spirits of her Sisters because she knew they would be the ones to mend the flesh and bone once again.

She looked into the green waters, grip on both ends of his tail as she brought them together. For him, it would be healing, but for her, the power of the Waters of Life crawled along her skin, wrapping her in power and warmth like a blanket of protection. It was familiar and felt like home.

I think so, she said. So maybe it wasn't the most reassuring response, but as she ran her fingers along the tail submerged under "water" she could feel the gaps and lacerations grow smaller.

Seconds ticked by into minutes before she finally raised his tail out of the water. Although a thin scar line still lay circumferentially around, it was very much attached and seemed to be functional.

She sat back from her crouch, plopping unceremoniously with her back to the wall as she let out a deep breath.

It's done, she said. Unfortunately, there'd be no relief for the pair of them. As soon as the words had left her lips, the mysterious stranger rounded the corner. Apparently - and equally mysteriously - having found his way into the ship, he leveled his rifle at the two of them.

Neat trick you've got there, he said, voice low and gravelly. But I'm not looking for competition on this job. You've got one chance to clear out of here or I'm going to put holes in you both. And don't try any of your fancy mystic-stuff on me, he warned.

 

[Altair Din]

“Wait…really?” Altair asked in shock. He finally worked up the guts to look at his tail, eyes widening to see it there as it was before. His jaw dropped, watching the appendage moving how he intended. How was this possible?! Altair whipped around to look at Arla who appeared incredibly weak now. She didn’t even get to slip down to the floor before he launched himself at her to pull her into a tight embrace.

“THANK YOU!” He practically shouted in her sensitive ear, unable to contain his excitement. He practically had tears of joy welling up in his eyes. Altair realized he was probably squeezing the life out of her before he abruptly released and pulled back, awkwardly shifting on his feet.

“Sorry..I come from a hugging family..” He muttered pathetically. By the time the weirdo popped up like a daisy, he was almost thankful for the distraction. Nonetheless, it didn’t prevent him from jumping at the sudden arrival, sending him toppling backwards into the bathtub with a splash. Altair was already on edge with spooky things and people suddenly sneaking up did nothing to help that.

The stranger was entirely unperturbed by the tiefling and his antics, pointing his gun all the same. Altair was stuck in an awkward position with his legs bent and over the edge of the tub and no quick way of climbing out. So he remained sitting in the tub with his back against the wall, folded in half.

“Look,” Altair began with a stern tone, the effect completely diminished because of how he sat, “We aren’t here to cause more issues in the village than there already are. We wanna stop it and try to get back the people that went missing,” He held his hands up to show he wasn’t trying to fight, “You ain’t gotta fight that thing alone.”

 

[Arla]

Arla was entirely unprepared for the quick leap that Altair made at her or the way he wrapped his arms around her and nearly crushed her lungs. It was nice all the same, though. Nice to really be appreciated.

She was a little bit wide eyed as he started to release her but was about to start smiling when the stranger appeared. She almost groaned involuntarily, but ended up finding herself tensing again, hoping that after all this they weren't about to be shot.

Alone? the man snorted derisively. You kids really have no idea what you've walked into, do you? he asked.

There was another chick-chunk to emphasize the man's point, and the rifle never left Altair despite his rather absurd position.

You've been kriffing warned. That's more than the others will give you, the man said, and turned to leave once again and leave the two of them alone.

Arla... was a whole mixture of emotions. Slight fear, no small amount of anger, and an unhealthy dose of curiosity all mixed with a sprinkling of exhaustion.

Wait... stop him! she said, pushing herself up and almost falling back down. It was clear that she was quite beyond taxed and pursuit would fall to him if anyone.

 

[Altair Din]

Others? Damn, how many of these spooky groups were there? Altair splashed around helplessly as the guy stormed off. He finally managed to get out of the tub, spilling water everywhere. Arla plopped down where she was but Altair kept going behind the figure.

“You’re right,” He called out after the man, “We don’t know what we’re up against,” Altair admitted, “But we’re your best chance at solving this problem,” He said confidently. It didn’t matter how inexperienced the man thought he and Arla were, the bottom line was that there weren’t many people out here trying to solve the problem.

“Do you think Garbogg is gonna solve this for you or send people? Or is he more likely to just keep burying it?” Altair called out after the man. In truth, he was afraid. He hadn’t seen an old school slugthrower since his hillbilly rival farmer tried shooting off his horns. There was no obvious defense against them and he was half convinced the man would turn around and shoot him. However, he was spooked enough by the Mare thing to attempt destroying it.

“And I know you ain’t got no one on your team that can do the tricks she does,” He pointed back at Arla, “She has ways to keep that thing at bay.”