Ask Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

Dash Pavan

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RHIRE CITY, RHINNAL
9.30am local time​


Dash looked through the window, finding the white slopes in the distance a familiar comfort as the shuttle wove between the spires of Rhire city.

He was home.


The young Jedi had not been back to Rhinnal for quite a while. His training and assignments with Master Albion had taken him far and wide, while the events of the last several weeks had been - well - just crazy. It was very strange to be back all of a sudden.

It was stranger still to not be returning alone. Not that long ago, he didn't know Ezra Thorne from the guy in the street. Now he had brought the other teen to the snow swept spires of Rhinnal's capital; a city he knew well, but somewhere he'd never brought anyone from offworld. They had their errand to run at the Central Archives, but there would be plenty to show and and tell along the way. Dash was so excited, though he was doing his best to contain it.

He flicked a bit of fluff off the arm of his brand new coat, a gorgeous dark blue trench that he had paid silly credits for. Thanks largely to Ezra, Dash had hugely increased his clothing budget, but the two of them had too much history where coats were concerned for him to ask his companion what he thought of it.

The announcement came through that they would be landing momentarily and it was all Dash could do not to stamp his boots in anticipation.

"Looks like there's been fresh snow this morning" he said, turning to Ezra in the seat next to him. "If we have time later, do you want to build a snowman?"

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Ezra had to explain to Dash that he couldn’t just willy nilly wander around as himself most of the time. He had his own security detail and his whereabouts were always tracked. He was Reed Elris again, complete with a fake ID. Ezra seldom made time for anyone, but it was clear Dash was different. On top of spending more time with the Jedi, even Ezra was curious about this Jadis woman and the history there. Ever since Kashyyyk, his curiosity in all things Force related spiked.

His droids were still with him as he couldn’t ditch security entirely, but they would largely stay out of the way. Ezra was dressed in a clean cut outfit, always tailored to fit perfectly to his build. He was watching his favorite sports team playing on his NalPhone when Dash spoke. Ezra quirked a brow, “Isn’t that for little kids?” He asked without looking up at first.

Ezra finally glanced up, saw the look on Dash’s face, and rolled his eyes, “We can build a snowman..” He grumbled as he glanced out the window. They descended down towards the spaceport and he couldn’t believe he had to wait for others to disembark before he did. Ezra turned his nose up at public transportation and found it horrifying, but he figured this would help him keep his cover for now.

He walked behind Dash as they exited, feeling the icy wind brush against his face right away. He wasn’t used to this level of cold and it felt like the air was stabbing him in the face. Ezra grimaced a bit as he fell into step next to Dash. Almost at once, he slowed his gait, remembering to adjust to the shorter man’s stride. It was just one of those subtle affectionate gestures he did without even thinking, “Is it always like this?” He asked about the cold and snow. He couldn’t imagine living on a planet with no seasons.

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Dash Pavan

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Having a smooch on Thyferra had been amazing, but Ezra was still Ezra. Remarks like 'isn't that for little kids' still made Dash want to lamp him on occasion. But staring at him hard seemed to work thankfully, most of the time. "Well we don't have to" Dash said amicably "I was only half serious".

He knew Ezra was not completely sold on the winter climate, but he hoped to persuade him there was as much to enjoy here as there was on the sandy beaches of Cha Lake. "Pretty much" Dash replied "but you get used to it quickly". He could tell from the question that all his work was still ahead of him.

They headed out into the street, the main thoroughfare in Rhire's cultural quarter. The Rhinnalians had squared with their snowy surroundings a long time ago and the boulevard was beautfully swept and landscaped, with architecture and amenities designed to embrace and accentuate the environment. A wealthy world, the cultural quarter was stuffed full of high class shops, restraurants and experiences all leading down to the cultural hub at the end, containing the Central Archives they had come to visit.

Dash glanced around, conscious of Ezra's security droids trailing behind them but also of the remote possibility of bumping into someone he knew. He still knew many of his generation across several of the Clans. He hadn't even told his own family he was here - which felt wrong - but he knew his mother would have found a pretext to be in the city and he couldn't have her killing Ezra with kindness.

"Shall we get a hot drink?" he said, trying to interest the other teen in a swish coco cart with a myriad of flavours available. "You haven't tasted coco until you've had one of these". He beamed at Ezra, trying to infect him with positive optimism through sheer force of will.


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Ezra put his expensive, leather gloves on. His breath came out in thick wisps and he was already wiping his nose which was turning a little red. He was impressed by how perfectly manicured everything was, the streets clear and dotted with lights and decor. Ezra walked for a few steps when a group of girls abruptly stopped near them.

“Oh my gosh!” One of them screeched, “Did you know you look just lik-”

“Fuck off,” Ezra said curtly, speeding up his stride as he walked past the girl. He was used to this on a regular basis, his face stony. He could hear the girls cursing him with his refined ears, but he was blissfully unbothered. The thought of cocoa caused his eyes to visibly light up. He only had memories of drinking it as a child, and they were some of the warmest and best times with his family. And Dash’s smile on top of it sold it.

He stood at the cart, ordering a cocoa with extra marshmallows. Ezra took a sip and his brows rose in surprise, “Wow…” He took another sip, a comical look on his face full of wonder, “This is incredible,” Ezra practically tried chugging it and quickly began to cough and sputtered, burning his throat. His eyes watered and his face began to turn red.

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Ezra went for the coco, which was relief. The prospect seemed to help him look past his little red nose and unwelcome attention from some passing girls. Dash was thrilled.

Sadly, Ezra seemed to forget everything he must have known about hot drinks and tried to down the whole thing. The next moment he was coughing and spluttering like a drowning man.

"You really like it eh" Dash chuckled, wrestling the cup out of Ezra's hand and patting him on the back.

He was sure he saw the droids move a step closer. "You know, you won't need anyone else to murder you if you insist on choking yourself". He knew he shouldn't exploit Ezra's moment of incapacity, but it was just too tempting.

"Are you ok?" he asked, wiping a fleck of coco off Ezra's chin. "Tell me what you fancy next. You can really choke yourself on some brunch, overdose on the best cosmetic makeovers in the Core, throw yourself over ice skating, or something worse?"

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Ezra’s eyes were glassy and he felt Dash patting him on the back, highly embarrassed. He glanced over at the Jedi as he wiped his face off, the subtle gesture causing his ears to turn pink. Dash probably didn’t even intend for it to be especially affectionate, but it filled him with a warmth that had nothing to do with the burning cocoa. Of course, all of this was offset by Dash’s endless supply of jabs.

Without warning, Ezra grabbed the front of Dash’s coat in the middle of his speech, yanking him close. He pressed his lips against Dash’s in a kiss, lingering there briefly before drawing back, “Or I could make you shut the hell up,” Ezra said with a grin before he finally released him.

He started walking again, spotting an ice rink ahead. Ezra saw the sappy couples circling together and promptly looked for other things to do. He spotted a brunch restaurant ahead that looked extremely fancy, “Let’s go there,” He declared, pointing to the restaurant that was perched up high to overlook snowcapped hills and a frozen lake.

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He should have known better than to tease Ezra, but when the other teen silenced him with a kiss you could have knocked Dash down with a feather. "Yeah" Dash breathed, shocked "that might work too". He was nice to see the grin on Ezra's face despite his mishap.

They walked a little further, slowly drifting down the street. Ezra looked past the nearby ice rink to the bright lights of The Lamp Post restaurant up above. How did he manage to pick out one of the most exclusive diners in the city? The Lamp Post claimed to have been there since before Rhire had electrical power, but Dash was pretty sure that was just a marketing ploy.

They headed up the ornate stair and asked the smartly-dressed maître d for a table for two. It was only brunch, but you wouldn't have known in it in here. Dash glanced around as they were seated at a cute little table, recalling he had been once before, for his parents' anniversary meal nearly ten years ago.

"Do you see your family much?" he asked. Ezra had mentioned his parents and his sister, but like most things was quite clipped about them all. He didn't have the pressure of a job or the Order taking him away from them and yet he seemed to spend a lot of time off on his own. "I imagine your - Pops is it? - is kinda busy a lot of the time".

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Now this was his kind of place - sufficiently fancy, classical music playing and posh looking people all around. He felt right at home here, and he carried himself with confidence unlike how out of sorts he was on Kashyyyk. Ezra sat down across Dash after having his coat taken by someone. He paused to admire the view that overlooked the snowcapped mountains. There was a unique beauty to it that was very different from the cities or beaches he knew, though it sounded unpleasant to be out in it.

He gazed at Dash when asked about his family, shrugging vaguely, “Pops is hardly around. Always working or lifting weights,” He rolled his eyes, “Dad is the glue of the family,” Ezra’s face lightened when he spoke of Jaikus, “And my sis is all right, I guess. We’re twins. I see them often enough, but we mostly do our own thing,” It felt odd to talk about himself. Most of his life was splashed all across social media or news so most people knew about him before even meeting him. Even then, Ezra was not super chatty to begin with unless it was about a hobby or something he was passionate about.

“How about your family?” Ezra asked, knowing that his parents were in medicine, “Are they….also Force sensitive?” He asked quietly. He was always curious about it, since he had originally believed it to be genetic. Clearly that was not the case for himself. It was also the first time Ezra was proactively even broaching the topic, a testament to how comfortable he was getting with Dash.

When the waiter came over, Ezra rattled off some fancy dishes where he basically spoke another language with order specifications that made the poor man look nervous. The teen was unconcerned, always used to some of the best services the galaxy had to offer.

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Dash Pavan

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Dash lifted his coffee but never quite got to drinking it, too busy listening to the tidbits he could extract from Ezra. The Thorne's didn't sound that different to any other family, just that in Emryc Thorne's case 'working' meant running half the galaxy. Again, Dash tried to forget that he was sharing kisses and coco with the President's son. It was too much to wrap his head around.

Ezra's dad and sister sounded a little a less scary. Dash wondered if Ezra and his twin were identical and made a mental note to Spoogle her the first chance he got.

"Well my mom and dad are in genetics, dad on the research side, mum in surgery and stuff" he felt a pang of guilt at not knowing exactly what they did all day. They had tried to get him interested in it so many times. "Then there's my two older bros, Lan and Tyto. Lan is basically my dad mark two, and all Ty does is play snow sports. Somehow he gets away with that". Dash sighed at the thought of his middle brother. They had never pushed him out for not towing the line.

The question about the Force made him pause. "I don't think so, I mean, they'd have said for sure". He had always thought of the Force as his problem - certainty none of his family had seemed to understand it at the time - but he supposed he hadn't stuck around long to ask. "I'm pretty sure they're just three plain old medics and a snowboarder" he said, reassuring himself.

The waiter came over and Dash could only marvel as Ezra slipped into some kind of elitespeak about braised this and honeyed that. He wasn't sure if the other teen had just ordered for himself or the whole restaurant.

Too late, he recognised the waiter's super posh drawl. Lance Zirfan. Oh god, no.

"
Why it's little Dash Pavan isn't it" Lance said, remaining professional but smiling wide "how the devil are you squirt? Mommy told me you're a Jedi these days? And who's your friend here?".

Dash could have died. Lance was a pretentious blast from the past he could really do without. The discovery he'd become nothing more than a waiter was no compensation.

"All good here" Dash said quickly "just having a quiet day with my colleague Reed here. I was going to have the eggs spenelict please" praying to a higher power for Lance to go away.

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Ezra could tell his question had Dash wondering about things in his own family. Would they have said? Would his own family say anything if they were born with it? Ezra grinned at the mention of his sports focused brother, “Pops loves snowboarding,” He explained, “Wintersports and podracing are about the only things we have in common,” Ezra said, thinking back to the countless times he ran into a tree and how Emryc had been exceptionally patient each time. Perhaps he just needed new ways to connect with his father instead of expecting him to change.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the waiter at first, but he began to blabber and it caught his notice. Ezra was silent for a moment, curiously noting the exchange between them. Clearly there was some history there, but Ezra wasn’t the type to get riled too easily about these things. Dash looked like he wanted to disappear and Lance kept enjoying this fact far too much.

After a moment, Ezra snapped his fingers dismissively, “Hey, are you going to do your job, or am I going to have to ask one of my bodyguards to do it?” He pointed a thumb back at one of his droids. Lance would look. Lance would see droids worth several hundred millions of credits, spared only for some of the most exclusive clients. Lance would realize he was way out of his depth and quickly shuffle away.

Ezra didn’t ask Dash anything about it, bringing up his NalPhone, “So after this, we should head over to this old town called…Arndale? It may give us some clues about your friend Jadis who disappeared into the woods behind that town.”

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To Dash's surprise, it was Ezra who got rid of Lance, and with style. The look on the smarmy idiot's face as he looked from Ezra to the droids, all colour draining from his face, would stay with Dash for a long while. The crestfallen Lance took their order and scampered off with a lot less grace than he appeared. Dash suspected there might be a sudden change of staff out front.

He would have thanked Ezra, but then he didn't want to highlight he and Lance's connection any further. He tried to pick up where they left off, genuinely intrigued that Ezra and his Pops apparently shared an interest in snowboarding. And striking good looks Dash nearly said. The internet was full of Emryc Thorne. But no, he could not go there.

"Oh you like wintersports too then?" he asked, eyebrows raised. On top of the sailing, Ezra was turning about to be a lot more sporty that he'd ever have imagined. He would have to get his mom to dig out his own snowboard and ship it to him so he could practice. No Rhinnalian could live down being bested on the snow by an offworlder.

"Arndale?" It seemed Ezra was already ahead of him with some things. "I think that's north of the city" he said, dredging up memories "but no one really goes there since they built the magnetrain line that goes past it". He glanced out the window, watching people walk by below. "Does it really say Arndale? I thought we could look in the Central Archives just down the road, but if there's already stuff out there about that place then we probably won't find anything new in the Archives".

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Ezra shrugged vaguely, “I know how to snowboard,” He said simply. He despised the cold, but he liked finding activities he could share with Pops. Someone of his means was able to pick up a multitude of hobbies and get the best in class training. He was average at best on snow, though perhaps his Force abilities could make up for the gap. He was quite skilled with the piano, though he considered it a generic thing all kids learned. Even then it didn’t stop Silvi Morata from gushing about it when she overheard him playing in an empty room.

When Dash asked him again if he was sure it was Arndale, Ezra simply stared at the other teen in silence. It was one of those icy stares that didn’t warrant an answer beyond that. He had done his digging and he was confident that was the town. The meal was a pleasant experience and Lance kept things entirely professional. Ezra was certain the waiter furiously tried to search the name to find out who he was. By the end of it, Ezra paid for it entirely, not really giving it a second thought beyond it.

During the meal, Ezra had sent one of his bodyguards on a mission. By the time the two teens walked out, Dash would see why. A very slick speeder bike built for snow and rough terrain was waiting outside. Ezra whimsically sent the droid off to buy one just for his time on the planet. He turned to look at Dash with a shrug, “I’m not taking public transportation again,” He declared very decisively.

Without a word, he swung a leg over the bike and motioned for Dash to hop on behind him. Ezra switched on the engines, the thrusters rumbling to life. He didn’t wait before whizzing off, clearly not afraid of going fast. Some of his podracing mechanics came into play as he zig-zagged past traffic and made harrowing turns, displaying levels of reflex that shouldn’t have been possible for average humanoids.

It wasn’t long before they began to approach the northern city limits.

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Ezra's stare was as formidable as his research and Dash said no more about the Archives. He had a thousand reasons for wanting Ezra to enjoy himself and was very happy to follow an actual lead rather than risk wasting their time together.

He enjoyed the brunch quite a bit when it arrived, but found himself eating slowly and deliberately, wary of throwing egg yoke on himself or letting the side down in front of Ezra. When they finished, the other teen paid for everything before Dash even realised, the swipe of his Nalphone more practised than Dash's saber swing. Ezra had bought him a drink and brunch now. He would have so find a way to even the score soon, but he had a few ideas about that.

The speeder bike sitting waiting outside was a surprise, but Dash had to admit he was developing a taste for the way Ezra could just make things happen. The Rhinnalian had grown up pretty well off himself and the comparative penury of Jedi life was one of the bits he still found difficult.

"I think I'm in agreement" Dash said, hopping on the back. He only had a second's warning before they lurched forward and he threw his arms around Ezra's middle, hugging him tight to hold on.

The acceleration never seemed to stop and they streaked through the streets like a comet. Dash's eyes went wide as the wind whipped through his hair and sent his coat trailing behind him like a cape. Any initial fear evaporated as he saw how Ezra navigated every obstacle perfectly, his lean arms and shoulders flexing in anticipation of every move. It was like the sailing all over again, except this time Dash could physically feel Ezra's skill in his movements.

"Is there anything you can't drive?" he laughed over the racing wind.

They soon left the busy streets of the centre behind, zig-zagging through industrial lanes and out the northern perimeter. There was no interplanetary traffic out here, only domestic, and the speeder shot down the municipal highway, carved out between plains of ice and snow either side. Dash navigated as best he could, pointing out the way for Ezra to follow. They left the main highway after a short distance, arcing directly north towards the forest-covered mountains.

It was as Dash remembered, with major infrastructure having eschewed the old town of Arndale over the years. The final drag diminished into a single lane, the subdued skyline of a large town creeping into view, with all but the centre snow-covered and ramshackle.

"Looks thrilling" Dash said jokingly as they began to slow, getting in there first with the pessimism. "Shall we draw straws for who's going to ask a stranger about a lady no one wants to talk about?"

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The town looked sleepy and largely untouched by modernization. It appeared as if something out of a children’s storybook. It certainly didn’t look like anything bad happened here, but Ezra was skeptical of most people. He slowed down the bike as they arrived into town, his hair swept by the wind. He had helmets, but he didn’t bother with them just yet. Ezra gazed around town and he looked over his shoulder with a smirk, “You can loosen your grip now,” He said to Dash. Of course, he hadn’t minded it whatsoever, even if at times it felt like the padawan was attempting to stop him from choking.

Ezra parked the bike and stepped off, dusting off snow from his hair. He glanced over at Dash and scoffed, “I don’t like people,” He said curtly, “You’re doing all the talking,” Ezra said. They both knew they wouldn’t go far with Ezra’s low patience. Without thinking, he reached over to fix up a few strands of Dash’s hair that got ruffled during the ride.

He began to walk into the town, already in a sour mood. He almost slipped a few times, the roads here not paved as well. Up ahead, there was a little shop with an elderly woman standing outside. She eyed them rather suspiciously, most of the locals not used to seeing people come through. Ezra conveniently slowed down his walk so Dash was suddenly several steps ahead and walking eagerly right towards her.

“Ain’t seen y’all before,” The lady called out to Dash, hobbling over. It became clear she had one eye. Instead of an eyepatch, she simply left the empty socket for all to witness, “Y’all lost?” She asked, looking from one boy to the other.

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Dash let Ezra go after a long moment, not realising quite how hard he'd been holding him. Part of him would have liked to have clung on for a while longer, but that would make it pretty hard to explore the town.

The young Padawan brushed himself off, unsurprised when Ezra didn't sign up for chatting to locals. "Fair enough" Dash said, knowing when he was onto a loser with the other teen "at least we won't make any enemies that way". Then Ezra reached over and straightened Dash's fringe and he instantly repented his sarcasm. "Just kidding" he said pleadingly, looking up into those silver eyes again. Every minute with Ezra was a tussle between wanting to fight him and wanting to kiss him.

Dash strode into the town, managing to contain a chuckle each time Ezra wobbled this way and that, lacking the flexible balance earned from a childhood walking on snow.

They had not gone that far when a woman outside a shop hobbled towards Dash calling out. He hadn't seen her until she moved; she looked as weathered as the goods around her and almost part of the landscape.

"We're not lost, no" Dash replied, trying to ignore the empty eye-socket still somehow staring him down. "We're trying to find out about someone who used to live here a long time ago". He supposed there was nothing for it. "Jadis Charn?"

The woman spat on the ground harshly. "Another jumped up-" then her good eye seemed to look Dash up and down again, settling on his blonde hair. She looked from him to Ezra and back again. "Your friend has the look of another offworld meddler, but you boy - are you a son of Rhinnal?"

"Yes" Dash answered hesitantly. "I'm Dash of Clan Pavan. Why? Is it true Jadis Charn was Rhinnalian too? Did she live here?" His questions came thick and fast.

"Aye she lived here" the crone said after a long moment, seeming to decide to share something at least. "Two hundred years ago. Some say three. Little girl who wrought nothing but winter and woe. Most know the story."

"Where did she live?" Dash asked.

"You'll find nothing of her here boy" the woman sneered at the two of them "anything left she left up there" she pointed up the mountain with a wizened hand "in that cave they drove her to". The crone began to turn away, cursing.

"Wait, please" said Dash, trying to encourage her on.

The crone turned slowly, giving him a long hard look. "You can't be..." she said, almost to herself it seemed "you're such a small thing. But then, I suppose so was she in the beginning..."

She hobbled off, disappearing down an alley and leaving Dash dumbfounded.

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As soon as the lady spat at the ground and started to speak bitterly to Dash, Ezra abruptly stepped forth next to him. The way he stood there, his body language suggested he was about seconds away from knocking the woman’s other eye out. He was bristling with silent rage just barely simmering beneath the surface. Thankfully, the woman appeared to move on, fixating on Dash. Ezra ignored the quip about himself being an offworlder. The woman smelled funny and he was already at the end of his patience.

However, the last lines of dialogue caught his attention, and he followed her pointing towards the mountain path. He could make out what looked like an actual trail, but it would be a pain to get up there. Ezra eyed her suspiciously as she implied knowing something about Dash that she wasn’t revealing. He stood there with his arms crossed, staring after the rude woman. While Dash may have moved right on, his silver eyes remained fixed on her as she hobbled away.

He kept staring intently, frozen still like a statue. After a few seconds, the woman’s walking stick inexplicably dropped to the side and flew away from her. The woman gasped and abruptly dropped to the ground in a heap right in the mouth of the alley. Ezra’s lips almost curled towards a smile before he finally turned away.

“Real friendly town,” He said as he fell into step beside Dash again, “Locking up a kid in a cave,” Ezra started walking in that direction, looking up the mountain path, “That’s gonna be a bitch and a half to get up there,” He said with a sigh, hoping Dash had better ideas of navigating mountain terrain. They would likely need camping gear as well in case they got stuck up there.

“Did the book say anything about a cave?” Ezra asked as he walked towards a nearby supply shop to pick up some gear for the hike. It wouldn’t take them long to get prepared and Ezra changed into better boots and winter clothing, taking a backpack of supplies with him. At least one droid was coming with them as Ezra had no real weapons on him.

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The old crone didn't get very far before she had a mishap with her walking stick and fell. Dash might have thought the winter wind had snatched it away from her, if he hadn't felt the sudden intensity in the air and the pop as the woman stumbled. He eyed Ezra mischievously, reminded he wasn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve now. Just the only one who talked about them.

The old lady's words were not much to go on. At least they knew Dash's kindred spirit had indeed lived here as a girl though, and been chased up the mountain into the woods.

"Not exactly" he replied, pulling out the book and leafing through the pages in the street "just that she grew up here on Rhinnal and eventually went to other worlds. One of them must have been Kashyyyk if she spent time with the Sayormi witches, but there must be others. If she had to live in this cave, maybe we'll find some clue in there?"

Dash knew he was clutching at straws, but they hadn't done half bad so far. The old crone had left him with the strange feeling there was something to all this after all; that it was worth trying to understand a strange little girl from three hundred years ago.

Ezra was not wrong about the mountain ascent though, it looked narrow and arduous and a bit too tough for the speeder. But Rhinnalians had other ways of getting about, particularly in the more rural parts. But were there any here...

While Ezra busied himself being the height of hiking fashion, Dash walked a little closer to the foot of the mountain. Sure enough, there was a rundown waypost where the town ended and the path began and he was pleased to find what he hoped.

Three gabals were chewing the snow-covered grass in a paddock, looking thoroughly forlorn. Dash remembered seeing large gabals out on the glaciers as a kid, huge woolly mammoth-like creatures that somehow survived out on the ice. These were the smaller trekking breed, a little leaner, less woolly and native to the Sennes Mountains.

It was easy enough to borrow two of them for the day, coming to an agreement with their gruff owner without saying exactly where they were going. He confirmed their hooved feet were adept at traversing the narrow ridges and that was good enough for Dash.

"These can take us up there" he said excitedly, greeting Ezra outside the shop with the two saddled gabals. "Though they say they never forget anything, so be nice to yours won't you?"

@Sreeya
 

Ezra Thorne

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Sreeya
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By the time Ezra walked out of that store, he felt like a rockstar. He was dressed in the sportiest outfit, even carrying ski goggles and a hat if needed. He looked like a winter magazine model, and he was very pleased with himself.

When Dash and Ezra walked out of the brunch building, Ezra had a sexy speeder bike waiting for them. What did Dash have waiting when Ezra walked out? His eyes narrowed immediately.

“What’re you doing?” Ezra asked suspiciously, “We don’t have time for the petting zoo,” He said curtly as he continued to walk. A few steps later it occurred to him what the stupid goats were for. He eyed the beasts up and down and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Absolutely not,” He declared. Not only did they look mean, but they smelled awful. Ezra may not have been in the best shape, but he would take a strenuous hike over riding one of these things. He stubbornly protested a bit more until the owner had to explain there really was no other way up. Ezra was silently seething and he gave Dash a look that could reduce most people to tears.

Almost gagging as he approached the beast, he first put his gloves on to minimize any contact. Next, he took out his expensive cologne and spritzed the gabal a few times. The animal bleated unhappily, but Ezra had no intention of smelling that the entire way up.

He was quite the sight as he followed behind Dash on the gabal. Minutes were wasted as his gabal walked around in circles a few times, accessorized by plenty of cursing from Ezra trying to rein it. As slick as Ezra was with a yacht or a bike, this was the clear opposite. At one point, his gabal stopped to enjoy a snack of some plants and Ezra gave it a hard kick. This resulted in an irritated squeal where it almost knocked Ezra right off, risking a plunge to the depths on the side.

Their path wrapped around the mountain, the elevation getting higher and the trail narrowing. Ezra glared the entire time at Dash who was having a much easier time, “You did this on purpose,” He called out to him after a long moment of angry silence.

@Alhon
 

Dash Pavan

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Dash laughed his way up half the mountain, unable to contain himself at the sight and sound of Ezra wrestling with his mount. The gabals were pretty docile, methodical plodders, but the other teen managed to piss his off royally on more than one occasion. They made steady progress, but it was hard for Dash to stay in his saddle at times he was creasing up so much with laughter. "I did not!" she shouted back, barely able to breathe "it's the fastest way up!".

The young Padawan's revelry did gradually subside as they climbed higher, settling into a warm and fuzzy contentment. He knew how hard it had been for Ezra to even entertain the notion of riding the creature, let alone how big a leap it was for him to actually do it. The other teen had spent years doing nothing he didn't want to. He was bending habits of a lifetime for Dash - he was sure - and it felt amazing.

The path started to fade into nothing, but Dash decided to follow a small fork just before it did, studying a stout rock that looked a little bit to much like a marker. After a short while, they came upon a small clearing where the alpine forest met hard rock. A jagged faultline made for a narrow entrance to cave, just wide enough for one person at a time.

Dash was leading and pulled his gabal to a halt, swinging down and turning his back on the opening for a minute. He hurried over to help coax Ezra's mount to a stop. "Listen" he said, helping the other teen down with a hand and drawing him close "I know a mountain hike and a freaky cave are not your typical second date, but be honest, you'd hate boring even more". He tried to pull the cutest face he knew, puckering his lips just ever so slightly.

@Sreeya
 

Ezra Thorne

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The only thing that made the climb even somewhat tolerable was the sound of Dash’s breezy laughter. It was an airy, happy laugh that sounded carefree and warm. He couldn’t wait to get off the infernal beast, wincing in pain from riding on it for so long. His inner thighs were on fire and he had to actively straighten up his walk. Ezra was still fuming when Dash abruptly grabbed him and tugged him close. His features softened at once, spotting the adorable look on Dash’s face. The effects were instant, Ezra’s lips twitching towards a smile. For a moment, he began to lean in as if to kiss the other teen. However, without warning, his hand came up holding a ball of snow. He shoved the powdery fluff right into Dash’s face, smearing it all over as his petty vengeance.

“I wouldn’t hate you with your pants off either,” Ezra muttered back dryly in response to Dash’s weak reasoning for why this wasn't a bad idea. He didn’t wait for a response, plodding towards the narrow path towards the cave. The sooner they got to the cave, the quicker he could stop freezing. The air was frigid here and his breath came out in thick wisps. He went first, his frame barely squeezing into the crevice. Ezra made it almost all the way through, his face smeared against the edge of the crevice. He just barely stepped out when the ground beneath him rumbled and gave way.

He only had time to let out a gasp before he abruptly disappeared from sight. Ezra fell many feet below, landing with a thud. Thankfully his fall was cushioned by fresh snow, but the path connecting to the cave entrance was gone. There was a tall rock wall facing both sides with him having dropped in the middle. Ezra stared up, blinking with concern. Dash could jump from one side to the other easily, but Ezra had no way up, and he certainly wasn’t adept with the Force to know how.

“Can you use your ice thing?” Ezra called out, still sitting on the ground. His leg hurt horribly and he was convinced he was badly bruised, “Make some icicles for me to climb?” His only point of reference was Dash creating one out of nothing to stab the snake on Kashyyyk. He was surrounded by snow and ice, so wouldn’t it technically be easier?

@Alhon
 
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