Ask [Endor] A Nest in the Forest

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Yes..." Kyo gave a nod as the thunder cracked and boomed. "...and the raindrops dripping off the cave's entrance, echoing off the back of the wall... Your voice..." He kept his eyes closed, continuing to focus on the sounds that mixed with other familiar sounds.

The muffled sounds of her voice and the music that was playing that day mixed in his mind as he dipped in and out of the memory. "The music..."


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela drooped in defeat when Kyosuke mentioned music, but filed that detail for later, with the perfumes e spoke of earlier.

"There is no music here, Kyosuke... now, open your eyes, and tell me five things you can see?"

If that last one didn't do the trick, Seela might have to resort to hurting him to bring him back, and she really didn't want that.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"...oh..." Kyo choked dishearteningly as he sank and struggled to remain steady after Seela revealed there was no music. Then his hazy blues barely fluttered open as he tried to pull himself out of the vision that lurked in his mind's eye.

"...you..." The wavering boy's eyes dipped and reopened sluggishly as he tried to focus his gaze on her pearl orbs for a moment, identifying her as the first thing he could see in order to follow her guidance so she could help him. Then he gradually began to turn his head toward the far side of the room.

"...Grace Zann..." He seemed confused by the fact that he subconsciously recalled the name of the uninvolved woman who idly watched the dancers have their way with him. She did nothing to help him, and eventually announced herself to the group before she took half of the slaves for herself. Almost as if she had something to prove, or like she was trying to make some name for herself...

"...Blind Jedi..." A tormented sense of trepidation immediately flickered across Kyo's crumbling demeanor. "Why did another Jedi have to be there..." He felt a shameful whine trying to crawl its way up his throat, a breath trying to escape, tears bubbling. He pushed them deep down as best he could. His arms crossed further, squeezing himself tightly for comfort as he pulled the top of the comfy blanket up to the bottoms of his nearly closed dim eyes. The boy then shuddered, and slowly turned his gaze back to the lavender Twi'lek.

"...you..." The rest of the room was clearing out, while Seela held him and explained how he was a pawn of some scheme. He'd been ambushed and used. Defeated in an instant, and left vulnerable to their trap. He'd forgotten the greater purpose in his currently exhausted stupor. Then he could no longer hold back the swelling tides that had been left to fester since then.

The bottled torrent of emotions ripped through Kyosuke's chest like a supernova.

His expression twisted with an unbearable sense of pain and betrayal.

"...you did this to me..." He choked. The tears pushed through.

"...you did this to me..."


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Kyosuke's words stunned Seela. She had had a feeling about it, but now it was confirmed. He had been right, when he took her back from the thugs on Coruscant. She was a bad person. Good people didn't murder others. Good people didn't traumatize their saviors...

Scooting back from the man, Seela was shaken. She had wanted to help, but she just caused more pain... Maybe it was time they split up? The thought terrified her, but she owed it to him.

Once as far as she could get from the man, without going out of the cave, she called her vines back to her, having them curl up her arms and chest, like a hug. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she talked.

"I... I know it's useless, but I'm sorry... and... for your sake, I think you should just forget about me, once you leave for your mission... if you don't mind just letting me take my stuff from your ship, then I'll be out of your life, I promise..."

Seela was shaking as she talked.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"...oh..." Parting ways was something Kyosuke never wanted. The thought hit him hard. Overwhelming sorrow boiled and bubbled against his face as it tried to break down his leaking dam of control.

Kyo was left frozen, his uneasy gaze nearly closed as he tried to search for the words to make up for what he'd just said. But he was afraid he'd only make things worse. That he'd just hurt her more, and push her further away.

He didn't want to go. Didn't want her to leave. He just wanted them both to be happy and free.

"...okay..." He could barely say the word. His arms squeezed himself hard as he tried to pull the blanket tighter. Then he noticed the blue scarf Seela had recently just given him as it scrunched up under the blanket and comfortably embraced the lower half of his face.

Heartbroken and filled with regret, Kyo failed to hold back the emotions again, and crumbled into the blanket like a ball against the far corner of the rocky nest.


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

"I-I don't wan't to be alone either, b-but if I stay with you, it'll reopen that wound all the time, and you'll never heal! I-I can't do that to you!"

Sniffling, Seela pulled angrily at the ropes holding her legs. She needed to be able to walk away NOW!
Unsuccessful in her attempts, the girl gave up, hiding her face with her hands.

"B-but, you kn-know, i-if you ever f-feel okay seeing m-me again, I-I'll be h-here... a-and I'll have my phone..."

Seela decided to stop there, as she was slowly devolving in her sniffling desperation.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Kyosuke's arms pulled tighter against his shins, bringing his knees against his blue scarf and chin. "I'm sorry..." He barely managed to squeeze out.

Then his hands moved up to palm his teary eyes, and his face tilted into his knees. He'd lay on his side, back against the wall, blanket covering all but the top of his raven dome and the bottoms of his muddy boots. He'd try and keep his sobs as quiet as possible, not wanting Seela to hear his pain.


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela was becoming more anxious to be freed from the ropes, needing to escape her emotional pain physically, if anything. Starting to tug at the ropes again, she lost her equilibrium, and ended up falling to her side. Seela was becoming more frantic in her attempts, pulling with all her strenght on the stupid ropes, her struggle having her roll around on the cave's floor, gnashing her teeth and mutterring colorful curses under her breath.

"Hutt spawn (grumbling grumbling) schutta! (Grumbling) Gamorrhean akk dog-rutting kaminoan..."

After a few minutes, Seela would just end up on her back in the middle of the cave, and go still, before screaming her wordless frustation and rage. Expressing her distress by wiggling and flailing unhappily on the floor, doing the bacon dance.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Hearing Seela scream caused Kyo to tremble. He felt like he failed her. Like she could fall to the swelling Dark Side between them and turn on him at any moment. He could feel the anger and fear mixing as it gradually boiled under the surface of his chest, nearly ready to spill over.

And then he finally broke through.

He knew this couldn't continue. He needed help.
He wished he could stay with her, but they just kept hurting each other.
He couldn't turn to the Jedi. Not for this.
And he couldn't go to anyone else he knew either.
Kyo was going to have to accept a different kind of help.

The crestfallen Knight slowly lowered the blanket to his shoulders while he gradually sat up against the rocky cave wall. His breaths were heavy and deep, ripples of hesitation beat at his chest.

"I..." The young man's dark blue eyes barely opened. His shallow gaze shook and lingered, then finally made its way to Seela's pearl orbs.

"I know what I have to do, but... I don't know if I have the strength to do it..."


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela was lying on her back, panting, when her companion caught her attention.

"Just... stop thinking! DO things! You'll realise you'll get much more done that way!"

Extending an arm above her head, Seela awkwardly pat his foot.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Kyosuke gave Seela a strong sturdy gaze, then gave her a firm nod. "Okay."
His frame and demeanor steadied as he narrowly came back from the edge.
His hand swiftly drew his smartpad dataphone out of his rain-soaked pants.
Beads of water rested upon the device's surface, but it wouldn't stop him.
Kyo surged into action, throughly wiping the droplets from his smartpad.
He inspected it to be sure it was fine, then flicked it on and unlocked it.

A moment later, Kyosuke would be on the holonet, searching for anything he could to help him conquer his weakness. He'd keep his eyes on the screen as he continued to scroll through the options, taking into account availability, discretion, and the feedback of others. "I'll make things right."


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela was glad to feel her companion settled, and even better, he seemed to be quite focused on problem solving.

"Good! See, overthinking is an hinderance. Don't worry about if you have the strenght to do something! Just do the thing, and you'll see you can do anything you set your mind to!"

She was truly happy for the man! She herself had been researching her issues, and problems, to find solutions, and even tought about seeking professional help, but she knew asking for help could be hard for other people.

Now more at peace, Seela took a deep breath, and sat up, and started to analyse the ropes holding her legs calmly. Stupidity was doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome. She wasn't stupid, so since she ran into a wall, and it didn't crumble, she would start looking for a door, or a way around the wall!

The air in the cave now felt way lighter than a few minutes ago, and Seela realised that their combined pain, frustration, fear, and whatever, had probably fed off of each other, and been amplified in the Force around them, essentially creating a feedback loop.

Kyosuke snapping out of his distraught state, and distracting her from her quandary seemed to have saved them from getting dangerously closer to the Dark Side, and she made a mental note to be more careful with her emotions in the future, while centering herself.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Over the next several minutes Kyosuke would be halfway focused on his task with the holonet research. The other half would be set on untying and removing his tall black boots. Thankfully he made a habit of going around and sweeping out these dens of theirs from time to time, so the rocky ground would be somewhat smooth and less agitating than otherwise.

There was an audible relief from the young man as he closed his eyes, rolled back his head, and savored the moment of his feet being free to breathe for the first time all day. His toes wiggled and sprawled out under the blanket, which he had wrapped around him enough to be sitting on it too.

Kyo then set the boots near the sack and items, gaze still glued to the screen the entire time. Eventually the chill winds would bite at his damp skin, even from under the blanket. He then finally turned his attention to Seela since the first time he pulled his smartpad out, and was happy to see that she seemed better as well.

"Starting to get cold. A fire would be nice for the night. Shall I get one going for us?"


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela was busy trying to get rid of the ropes, still not understanding how she got herself that tangled in a few seconds.

"I would have started one earlier, but I'm pretty tied up at the moment..."

Seela couldn't resist her pun, snorting and giggling to herself, while her attention went back to the ropes.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Okay." Kyosuke gave a little nod, holding back most of a faded chuckle. Then he set his smartpad on a part of the sack that wasn't already covered in items. He then took a moment to unroll one of the black shirts, which was treated like the rest of the emergency clothes to be decently weather resistant.

Once the shirt was pulled over his head, and the long bottom of it pulled down to his thighs, he'd then begin to squirm out of his wet pants and briefs, keeping his bare lower half under the blanket so he could hopefully avoid a repeat episode of embarrassment. Thankfully Seela seemed too busy with her entanglement to really be in a position to take advantage of the moment he was vulnerable changing.

Satisfied that he was finally in a new dry set of clothes, Kyo would then crouch with the blanket draped over his shoulders like a cloak, and then he'd grab a smaller bag from the sack as he stood and made his way over to the entrance. Once there he'd kneel next to a spot that had some scorch marks from where they'd made fires in the past.

Over the next few minutes he'd begin to pull kindling and small thin branches out of the bag that had all been prepared beforehand. There was plenty of it all left as he began to set the small branches around the base and pointed them up, letting their tips hold each other up in place while the kindling sat below.

"Almost got this going. How are you doing with that?" Kyo spoke from behind the blue scarf that covered his lips, and would then give Seela a quick glance out of the corner of his dripping bangs, making sure she was doing alright while he continued to prep their fire.


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

"This rope is ridiculous! Do you think it being wet made the tangling worse? And how did it manage to make knots???"

Finally, Seela managed to undo the last pesky tangle, freeing herself. She then threw the rope in the back corner of the cave, before flopping on the ground dramatically.

"I did it! I vanquished the mighty rope monster!"

Seela then idly started coaxing a few vines into twisting and turning, eventually ending up with a bangle type wrist band, made of braided and weaved vines.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Good job." Kyo let a tiny smirk form on his lips, before the lingering sorrow of recent events dropped his expression once again. He returned his focus to the fire, trying to remain calm and distracted by the task so he wouldn't dwell on their troubles. With a heavy breath the young man gave a steady nod to himself, seeing that the fire was ready to be started.

He then floated the tiny fire-starting device off the sack at the back of the small cave, effortlessly gliding it through the ebb and flow until it finally reached his grasp. Then the raven-haired Knight would activate the tool while he pointed it at the kindling, causing it to ignite a small flame at its tip. Almost instantly the kindling flared with flames, and Kyo quickly deactivated the device as he pulled it away and set it aside with the bag of branches and kindling, keeping it all a safe distance away from the fire.

"Alright." He gently moved a couple pieces of branches to cover the gap where he'd used the device, making sure there was just enough air flow for the tiny fire to keep going without getting smothered. He aimed his palms at the heat, soaking up the warmth with his frigid hands. The soft cracks and pops of the small fire would gradually begin to pick up, reverberating off the rocky walls with the echoes of the storm. "This should do it for now."


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Seela shivered, remembering her clothes were soaked. Too lazy to get up and walk, she just crawled to the supply bag, and got her spare clothes out.
Getting her boots off, she frowned at her slightly swollen ankle, which seemed to be of a darker hue than it should. She would need to fix that later...
Then she proceeded to get rid of her wet clothes, and put the dry ones on, not bothering to hide anything, but still moving quickly, because it was cold in the cave.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

There was a moment where Kyo went to turn his head and see what Seela was up to, but once he noticed she was taking off her boots he quickly returned his gaze to the small fire. He'd give her some time to get dressed and settled, tending to the fire in the meantime. The soothing snaps, crackles, and pops helped to distract him as he watched the flames eventually rise to the branches above.

His mind would then drift while he stared into the flames. He thought about how when the storm was over they'd be parting ways, potentially for the last time. How she would be left alone on this moon where the closest village was filled with little bear people.

It was difficult for him to accept after the last two months of bonding with her. At least they'd gotten on the Ewoks good side, and had done some trades with them before, but it's not like they saw them on a daily basis. They weren't very close to any of them either. She'd constantly be alone...

Kyo's azure orbs dimmed, nearly shutting while the rising flames danced in the reflections of his distant gaze. Memories of the last two months slowly began to cross his mind, reminding him of all the times they'd had together.


@Ahryia

 

[Seela]

Once clad in dry clothes, Seela proceeded to use a few of the sticks from the bag to arrange her boots to dry near the fire, then sat down beside Kyosuke, keeping her injured ankle out of his line of sight.
Nudging him with an elbow, she held the braided vine wrist band towards him, her gaze lost in the flames.

@AdventCore