Ask Phone Rings, Middle of the Night

[Naina Naberrie]

Sith Camp, Vandor​

Lazy Song Choice​

Naina grumbled as she tried to sneak out of the room that had been turned into a makeshift dormitory for some of the acolytes. It was dark, cold, and way too small to be housing the number of bodies that had been stuffed into it for the night. And somehow, even as packed together as they were it was freezing. So far she had hated every moment of this training mission, there was no reason survival training had to be this bad. After a horrible couple of days she had had enough, and it was only a piece of gossip she had heard that had gotten her through the day. One of the girls in the dormitory had been chattering about a hot spring her boyfriend had found up the mountain and they wanted to visit that night. Those plans had crashed and burned when lover boy had broken his leg while sparring against one of the other acolytes, but their loss was her gain. Now she could visit the hot spring on her own and enjoy a nice long bath that would make her forget every horrible moment of this trip.

So she had packed a small bag, some wine, some music, and the few soaps she could steal from some of the others, and had waited till everyone was asleep. Now all she had to do was sneak out of camp and find the hot spring. Just the thought made her smile, and she grinned in anticipation of the rewards that waited for her. That ended up becoming her undoing as she didn't notice the wire strewn across the floor before her and her foot tugged on the cable, pulling it loose from the phone it was connected to.

As the headphones were ripped from the phone, music started blaring into the open, and she jumped to clamp both hands on the phone. It took her a few moments to find the volume control on the side of the phone, but the damage was done. As she looked up she found herself face to face with another acolyte, and her bag slipped from her shoulder to the floor and the bottle of wine rolled out from within, a small tube of shampoo following in its wake.

Staring after the wine, the muffled sound of music still escaping from below her hands, she slowly turned to look at the other acolyte.

"I swear I can explain."

 

[Corra]

Corra was not born for the outdoors. She liked the inside, her dorm room, the library. This place was cold, isolated, and she had no reception on her EZPhone.

Corra was a notorious insomniac and that hadn't gone away on this trip. The four or so hours of fitful sleep she normally got hadn't started yet when she heard someone rummaging through things in the tiny little room they were all sharing.

She popped down the covers on her bed that she had been hiding under playing her Switch, which now illuminated her frowning and curious face in the darkness of the room.

There now seemed to be a showdown between Ear Phones and another Acolyte, which Corra watched curiously.

I'd love to hear it, she said, popping out of bed and starting to look around to see if any of the "liberated" items had belonged to her. She hadn't heard anyone rummaging through her things, but someone was bound to have been stolen from and... odds were others would awaken too.

Are you... is this shampoo? she whispered, lifting up the bottle and squinting her eyes at Naina. Was she sneaking off to a shower? Corra would kill for a shower.

 

[Nash]

Nash signed up for this mission to get away from everything, especially after she broke some acolyte's leg. Boys were pissing her off, so she specifically signed up for a mission where it was a bunch of girls because they had to share quarters. It was late and she was completely out cold, sprawled in her bedroll and even drooling a little. It was blissful, restful sleep and there was a bit of snoring here and there.

That was when some tacky music started playing and she instantly sprang awake, slugging the girl that sat upright next to her in the face. Nash grimaced and went over to check on the girl. She was out cold, possibly concussed, but alive. Whatever, it was just as good as going back to sleep.

“Yo, what the fuck?” Nash groaned quietly, rubbing her eyes as she scrambled towards the source of the noise. She spotted the shady chick (@Phoenix ) from the academy and a second girl (@Wit )she had only seen in passing. The twi’lek was dressed in a tanktop and panties, clearly not dressed to go anywhere.

She spotted the shampoo and was equally thrilled, “Aight, where are you going cuz I’m going,” She declared flatly, finally pulling on some sweatpants and a hoodie.

 

[Naina Naberrie]

Naina glanced from Corra, to the half naked figure of Nash, to the unlucky girl the Twi'lek had just knocked out. She was trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for what she was doing, and some way to slip away on her own, but in the meantime Nash took matters into her own hands and started dressing, seemingly intent on joining her.

She suppressed a momentary flash of irritation, confident in her abilities to sneak out successfully on her own as opposed to with two tag-alongs. But coming up blank, and knowing well enough that she stood no chance of actually forcing Nash to stay, much less both the acolytes, she conceded that she had to let them in on the secret.

"Okay, fine," she hissed the words in irritation, "there's a hot spring nearby, I know the way. And I really, really want a hot bath. That's what the shampoo's for." She picked up the shampoo and the wine and put them back into her bag, before continuing, her words almost pleading now. "I want a hot bath, I want one soooo bad. And maybe a massage, and some cake, and someone to do my nails."

She had started to drift, and shook her head as she snapped out of it. "So ya, hot spring. Keep quiet or we're gonna get caught."

With that she started leading the way out of the hall, more careful now to avoid any further mishaps, and slipped out of the entrance to the hall. And almost let out a yelp as a blast of cold air hit her in the face. As the others joined her she pulled her jacket tighter around her, and pointed towards a clump of snow capped tree along the base of the mountain, just beyond the camp.

"At least we don't have to worry about keeping the wine cold, this way."

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra was immediately on board with the words "hot bath." Yeah, there was no way she was letting this girl out of her sight. With any luck, this wasn't some attempt to secretly ambush and kill off some acolytes.

Well if it was that latter, she was pretty sure the Twi'lek could beat her to a pulp. She waved at the other woman.

I'm Corra, she said in a conspiratorial whisper, going on to then wave at Naina as well.

Oooo, yes please, Corra whispered, eyes lighting up slightly at the thought as she nodded along emphatically to emphasize the point.

She made a "lip zipped" motion to indicate that she was going to be quiet, and slipped out of her bed, throwing on a thick coat to keep away the chill (read: frigid, blistering cold) outside. She grabbed something that could be used as a towel and headed out after the other acolyte.

Fffffff... she hissed as the cold air hit her in the face and she tried to nestle her face further down into the jacket.

Hfr irrr thirr hrsprrr! she said, her words "how far is this hot springs" almost completely unintelligible through the thick coat she had over her mouth.

Their path up along the treeline was relative smooth until they came to a series of caves and finding the one that led to the hotsprings in question would be the next step.

 

[Nash]

Nash was used to hot, humid planets. The icy chill on this one caught her off guard every time despite having been here for a few days. She hugged herself, shivering and miserable as they plodded through the snow, “Nash,” She said with teeth chattering as she walked with the girls towards the hot springs. Was this thing outside? They were going to take their clothes off in this icy weather???

They came to a stop before the cave system and Nash’s eyes narrowed, “You better know the way,” She said to Naina, “Some of these look like they have some type of monster lurking inside..” She trailed off, “Do you think there are Wampas on this planet? Because those things look gnarly as fuck,” Nash began to ramble, “I heard they’re like 10 ft tall and will tear your head right off and suck the brains out,” She said cheerfully as they followed Naina.

@Wit @Phoenix

 

[Naina Naberrie]

"Ne..Ne..Naina." She managed to stammer out the words as a particularly strong gust of wind sent a shiver running through her. She glanced back at Corra, having no idea what she had said, so just gave her a noncommittal shrug, not interested in opening her mouth to ask Corra to repeat her question. The shrug would have to do.

At the entrance to the caves, she stopped for a moment as Nash asked if she knew the way. She remembered broken-leg boy's words, he had mentioned exploring the scariest looking cave, hoping that his now knocked out and concussed girlfriend would be in the most romantic mood in the scariest setting. Some dumb holomovie logic equating scary with horny. But it had worked out for him, as he had found the hot spring, so she pointed at the darkest, gloomiest looking one, stalactites and stalagmites illuminated from the shadows giving it the look of a large mouth ready to clamp down on them.

As Nash began talking about Wampas and brains getting sucked out Naina gave her a glare that was equal parts pissed and concerned before beginning to walk towards the cave. She didn't know how it was for the others, but for her scary equaled scary, and she was not exactly excited about the prospect of entering the cave. But, she wasn't going to share that with either of her companions, and the temptation of a hot bath was still too strong, so she soldiered on.

"I heard Wampas have a thing for Twi'leks," she waited till they were inside the cave and out of the wind before choosing to answer Nash's questions, "more brain juices in the lekku. That's why they almost went extinct on Hoth, hardly any Twi'leks on Hoth."

As if on cue a slight breeze ran through the caves, and a wailing sound reached out to them, just scary enough that Naina had no idea if it was the wind or if there were actually wampas in the cave. Taking a step back, she gripped Nash by the arm, and held on.

"Did either of you read the mission brief? Are there wampas here?"

Rolled a 13/20 on wind sounding like a wampa

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Wampas?! Corra blurted out when Nash mentioned the monsters, finally pulling her lips out of the jacket.

I kriffing hope not, she said.

They pressed on and the howling from the cave sounded just like a wampa. Corra's eyes went wide and she stiffened, looking around but not spotting anything apart from her pair of accomplices.

Maybe we shouldn't be... uh... nevermind, she said. She didn't want to look like a coward and quickly continued on to answer the other question.

I read it and it didn't mention wampas, but like... I don't know, she said, slowly inching her way into the cave. The fact that they were at least out of the biting wind was a big step in the right direction.

So, uh... either of you ever seen a wampa? Or do you see any wampa tracks? she muttered as they went deeper. The cave became darker, but as they pressed on they would notice that... it started feeling warmer. Warm and almost steamy as if these hot springs were not just a rumor.

She had seen Nash during some of the combat training and she seemed confident. Can you like... punch a wampa to death? she asked. She supposed she did have a lightsaber, but like... she didn't like to use it.

 

[Nash]

Nash glared at Naina when she started talking about Wampas preferring twi’lek, “Yeah? I heard you just have to make sure you’re faster than the others in your group,” She said as she casually swept Naina’s leg with one of her teras kasi moves. This would result in the acolyte abruptly falling on her ass where she stood. Nash grinned down at her until the howling happened. By then Naina was back on her feet and gripping Nash’s arm. The twi’lek was too spooked to swat it off, blinking as she looked around.

“Of course I haven’t seen a wampa! I don’t make a habit of going to cold, forsaken planets,” She said grumpily, “And yes, if it has a face, you can punch it into submission,” Nash said confidently to Corra. She turned to go back the way they came but it looked like a straight up blizzard kicked up while they were pondering about the cave, “And this is how we die,” She said grumpily, walking deeper into the cave, "Didn't even get to kiss Arak yet," She grumbled quietly to herself.

For now it was quiet and the silence was uncomfortable. After a moment, there was a noise and Nash jumped a little before calming down, “Oh shit that’s my stomach. I’m hungry as fuck,” She complained, “Anyone bring any snacks? Will the Wampa smell granola?” She asked.

Nash almost tripped when she stepped into a dip in the floor of the cave. She glanced down, studying the concave shape, “Is this a footprint?!” She said in exasperation, her voice a few octaves high.

@Phoenix @Wit

 

[Naina Naberrie]

Still keeping close to Nash, a decision reinforced by her claim that she could punch a wampa, Naina still almost missed her muttering about kissing or kicking someone named Arak. Or maybe it had been Alak, she couldn't be sure. Nash's stomach grumbling and making her jump pushed that thought away, and there were far more important things on her mind when Nash mentioned a footprint.

"It could be." Putting her hand into her pocket, she drew out her phone and produced a small light that illuminated the save a little better. The cave went deeper, where it forked in two, and leading up to the tunnel heading down the left were more of those impressions, close enough that they just might be footprints. Big footprints.

"I vote we go right."

The words had barely escaped her lips when a slight skittering sound drew her attention from further ahead. A pair of eyes glowed out at them from the runnel on the left, and Naina was frozen in place as the eyes began to move...and revealed the small, disheveled, almost cute form of a baby wampa.

It quickly scurried up to the group and began sniffing around the trio, making inquisitive sounds, purring in a manner that didn't seem particularly threatening, even trying to nibble on some shoes. It's attention finally settled on what had attracted it in the first place and it started reaching for the phone in Naina's hand. Without a second thought she let it drop from her hand, and the wampa dropped to the floor after it. It seemed completely absorbed with it, almost like a little puppy playing with a new toy, and Naina glanced from Nash to Corra, a weird look on her face.

"It's...kinda cute, isn't it?"

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Corra]

No, it'll be fine, then she said with some layer of confidence she wasn't so sure she was feeling. Nash seemed confident in being able to punch the wampa into submission so it'd be fine.

She heard Nash's stomach like a roar, almost like a wampa roar one could say. Corra reached down to pat her own stomach, realizing that she, too, had a growing hunger that she hadn't accounted for.

Me too, she grumbled.

They headed further in until Naina found a baby wampa. Oh... this was bad. Corra started looking around, eyes wide in fear and shock as she started looking for mama wampa or Mampa as someone might call her.

We need to go, she said, her feigned bravery now completely evaporated despite the fact that this was actually very adorable.

As much as I love the baby wampa, mampa is probably not far... her words trailed off as she saw the hulking figure of a full size wampa looming further down the cave. It... didn't seem to have seen them yet, but she almost immediately ducked down, pointing frantically down the tunnel toward the outline of mampa who was coming lumbering toward her child.

 

[Nash]

If Naina hadn’t said anything, Nash was about to punt whatever furry little beast scuttled out from the darkness. Unlike the others, she survived on the streets and took no chances. The twi’lek watched as Naina dropped her comlink as if it was a toy. Nash looked over at Corra, suddenly alarmed when she referred to it as a baby wampa.

“Are you sure that’s a wampa?” Nash asked skeptically, “It looks like a glorified fuzzy slipper to me,” She muttered, entirely unamused. She would never admit it was adorable, but on the offchance it was a wampa, they were in trouble.

As in on cue, she saw the looming shadow lurking towards them, “What the fuck!” Nash hissed as she also ducked, colliding with Corra. The passage was too tight for them both and Nash being big and buff didn’t help matters. She hit her head against the side of the cave and yelped in pain, debris falling on both her and Corra. Instead of making any progress towards the passage, they would trip and tumble over each other.

“OUCH! You’re on my lekku getoffgetoffgetoff!” She was pretty sure she punched Corra in the side at some point. Or maybe it was the wampa? Who knew?

@Wit @Phoenix

 

[Naina Naberrie]

Staring at the hulking figure of the wampa, Naina froze, till Nash and Corra collided and the sound made her move. Seeing the two crowded together with no way past, she started looking for any other option. Hands absently digging around in her bag, looking for her lightsaber, all she found was the bottle wine.

Drawing it out, thinking it better to be armed with something, she watched as the Wampa started moving towards them. Or maybe it was just headed for its baby. But whatever the reason, it was getting closer, and would soon spot them if it hadn't already. Naina did the first thing that came to her mind and threw the bottle. With the acolytes stuck in the passage, the wampa emerging from one of the forks in the path ahead, there was only one way, the other fork in the path.

The bottle flew through the air and landed, and it was just her luck that it landed on a patch of snow a little down the cave, keeping it from shattering and making much of a sound. The wampa now even closer, she was about to start running towards the others till a loud bang rang through the cave. The fall hadn't broken the bottle, but it had loosened the cork enough that it shot out with a burst. The wampa turned that way, and after a moment began moving towards the source of the sound.

"Now, run!"

Not knowing how long the bottle would hold the wampa's attention, she called out at the others and started running past the baby wampa. Headed towards the open tunnel leading deeper into the mountain, she had no idea where the path would lead but it was better than freezing in a blizzard or getting eaten by a wampa.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra was thoroughly convinced that it was a wampa, and no one was going to convince her otherwise. As they headed for the exit, Nash slammed into her - yup, it definitely wasn't that she ran into Nash, no sir - and they became momentarily tangled up in a mess before Corra took what felt like a freight train to the kidney, causing a loud grunt to escape her as she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Kriff... she gasped out as she stumbled forward, barely managing to keep her feet as she vaguely tried to follow Nash and Naina out of the wampa pit.

And so deeper into the mountain they went, heading down a mixture of twists and turns as Corra slowly began to regain her footing and followed after them, heading deeper into the mountain with the sounds of the wampa receding behind them.

What the kriff! she hissed quietly at no one in particular. The universe or the Force probably.

I'm not sure if I should be psyched that we survived or terrified that we're totally lost, she said. Why couldn't she just have a nice spa day!

You know, when we get out of here we should go for an actual spa day, she said, the statement being both a grumble and a real suggestion at this point.