Ask Revival

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Got one right here.” Cheriss smiled briefly at Nova as she pulled out her flashlight. “Unfortunately, you’re on your own for the boots.” She hadn’t brought a spare pair. Maybe she should have. Either way, she was about to switch on the flashlight and head into the cave before she suddenly heard a voice. And it hadn’t come from either of them. In case Nova hadn’t heard, she put her hand on her saber and then tilted her head in the direction that it had come from. Be ready.

She heard footsteps too, and they sounded close. How did they find us? It was unlikely that anyone else had gotten information about the holocron. Then she remembered the imperial agents at the clearing who were supposed to call for their ride back. Were they really foolish enough to send someone to come look for them?

But she soon saw that whoever it was, wasn’t an imperial at all. At least, the Togruta’s uniform didn’t mark him as one, and the girl who followed behind didn’t seem to be one either. Odd. Still, as she looked at the man, she couldn’t help thinking of that one Togruta girl that she’d nearly killed.

“Thank you for your consideration, but we don’t need your help.” She smiled a fake smile as she looked at the pair. “It’s almost nightfall. For your own safety, why don’t you head back to camp? We have everything we need right here.”

@LadyRen @Apollyon @AdventCore

 

[Nova Trent]

She almost thankfully nodded as she revealed the flashlight and immediately moved to activated it, hopefully shedding a cone of light into the cave, but that ray of light just never came. Instead, she heard a voice in a distance. She instantly sun around, the lightsaber's hilt snapping into her hand after she had telekinetically summonded it, immediately activated the crimson blade with the familiar hum."Seems like someone joins our little party" she snarled, not actually pleased about the uninvited guests that seemingly tried to find them.

She had no idea who was on their way and she had been pretty sure that no one casually and voluntarily wandered though the perilous, disgusting swamps of Dagobah anyway. Her hazel eyes flicked into the direction of the noises, seeing the first beaches of the thicket bend while slurping sounds accompanied the strangers' steps. Two of them. She could sense it.

Eyes narrowed and the crimson hue shedding light on her face she stood there with her muscles all tensed up. Was it necessary to have that Saber activated? Perhaps, perhaps not. She didn't care either way. All she wanted was to get rid of their pursuers quickly, as they threatened to interfere with their endav."She's right. Piss off" she hissed, perhaps a bit too angry, but she was extremely annoyed that someone had followed them and the two of them didn't look like they were Imperials, too. Nova hated strangers anyway, and that deep running mistrust and the inner aversion wasn't helping.

@Sicadorito @AdventCore @Apollyon

 

[Zakrym La]

A pair of women came into sight as Zak and Luci finally broke through the swampy terrain. The pair of near-human woman stood before the mouth of an odd cave. Zak’s brow furrowed in confusion as one of the two spoke pleasantly to Zak and Luci. She tried to convince them that both she and her companion were fine, sway them that the real concern was for the togruta and his disciple, they wanted them gone. In reality, the case she presented would have likely succeeded if her companion were just a little more tempered and patient.

Even before the first woman had spoken, her traveling companion had used the dark side to jerk the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand. The crimson blade snapped to life with a sinister hiss. Zak’s hand immediately balled into a fist and shot up, it was a sign for Luci to halt. The situation had changed and the air tensed.

Zak knew it wasn’t unlikely that one or both women saw the pair of lightsabers that hung at his waist. With his arm raised, the tan poncho that covered them likely would have lifted, revealing the shiny chrome hilts to the pair of them. While Zak was ready for a fight if it came to that, he didn’t really want things to come to blows. Sure, these were likely Sith but they weren’t really harming anyone this far out in the swamps, were they?

“Woah there!” He called out in faux surprise, his right hand extending outward towards the women to accent the performance. “Tell your friend that we mean you no harm!” He continued, his eyes were locked onto what had been the more diplomatic of the two woman. “We would love to head back, trust me. But the sun is beginning to set and only the gods know what lurks in these swamps.” He continued. “So, instead of cutting each other to ribbons how about we help one another through the night and part ways?” He offered, his hand finally falling back to his side.

Despite Zak’s calm demeanor and friendly tone, his body was tense. His hands were by his sides and while not actively reaching for the hilts of his weapons, they were well within grasping range. While he didn’t actively delve into the Force, his spirit was ready to tap into it’s infinite wellsprings and call upon it for aid at a moments notice. Zak had gauged the distance between them, it would take the women more than a handful of steps to reach Zak and a few steps further to reach Luci behind him. Plenty of time to bring both his lightsabers and the Force to bear against them, should it be required to protect both his Padawan and himself.

He hoped that it wouldn’t come to that though.

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

Sith? The ignition of a crimson lightsaber didn't help Luci's uneasy nerves. If it weren't for Zak she might've made the mistake of pulling out hers just in case as a reflex, but thankfully he'd been quicker than her. The blue-horned girl's hands remained close to her sides, ready to draw her saber or blaster depending on how things went down. Right now things were still under control at least, so she allowed herself a few moments to steady herself, taking in as many details she could about the two. She was curious of how the armed woman got her scars, but this didn't seem like the time to ask her about that.

Listening to what the other three had to say made Luci feel the need to leave. However, the more reserved woman and her master had a good point about camping for the night, even if they did both mean different things by it. She only hoped these people would keep in mind that the Kiliks were still the primary threat to the galaxy right now, even if it seemed like they weren't around for the moment they had an uncanny knack for showing up out of nowhere.

Luci slowly raised her hands, palms facing the ladies so they could see she was unarmed. Then a pair of fingers from her left hand gently pulled her mask down to her chin so she could speak without it scrambling her maturing mid-tone voice. She went to speak, taking in a deep breath, and gagged on the swampy air instead. After a few seconds she finally composed herself and cautiously let her hands fall back to her sides -- unless one of them motioned for her to stop, at which point she would comply.

"Hello, my lords." Her tone was sincere, and she politely bowed at the shoulders to show the likely Sith some respect, even though she actually wasn't sure how to address them. "If you really want us to leave, we will, but if I may-" She found herself to be oddly at peace as she paused, but her heart was still beating harder than usual and her tail was beginning to squirm nervously in her suit and around her hips. She definitely didn't want to spend the night with Sith. "-but you're both right, we could use a camp, and this place is the closest thing we've found that would work. We'd be happy to lend a hand with clearing this place out if you haven't yet, and we could help keep watch for the night too. I'm also pretty good with first aid, so if either of you are hurt now or any of us get injured I could at least be useful for that."

Lucifrey wasn't sure if it was a big cave or a little one, but she felt the need to offer as much service as she could to these two so they hopefully had less of a reason to fight. For all she knew though, this could've just been a small den that they'd already made a shelter from. With that she remained as calm as she could, subtlety ready to draw her saber or defend herself with the Force if necessary. Hopefully Zak was in good enough condition to hold his own here, not that she was sure she'd be a match for either of these ladies.

@Sicadorito @LadyRen @Apollyon

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

While she appreciated the fact that Nova was willing to fight, she shot a glare in her direction when she pulled out her lightsaber and activated it. If that wasn’t a dead giveaway that they were Sith, she didn’t know what was. Stifling a frustrated sigh, she looked back at the pair. Both offered to stay for the night. Wonderful. Inviting them to a campout had not been her intention, but neither seemed like they wanted to leave anytime soon. The lightsabers that hung at the Togruta’s waist were yet another indicator that they were more than they seemed. Sith? Jedi? Neither?

Whatever they were, she ideally wanted them gone, but she also didn’t want a fight— not in this weather. So, as long as they didn’t know her and Nova’s real reason for being here, she could play along for one night.

“Fine.” She put a hand on Nova’s arm as she glanced at her, silently urging her to put her weapon down. Not now, she spoke in her mind. “We’ll stay until morning, and then we go our separate ways.”

However, Cheriss would wait for the girl and the Togruta to make their move before she did. She was not going to be the first to let her guard down— not when she didn’t even know who these people were. That was a good place to start, she thought, as she eyed the Togruta and the younger girl beside him.

“Who are you, anyway? Why would the guard send you after us?”

@LadyRen @Apollyon @AdventCore

 

[Nova Trent]

Nova had deliberately chosen to give themselves away as Sith because they had talked about the Imperial guard anyway, so the assumption had been rather obvious anyway. She warily studied the two of them, teeth already slightly gritted while she still had the blade ignited. "You can tell me yourself that you mean no harm, I'm not deaf" she growled in response, eyes still resting on the two of them and even the lightsaber didn't go unnoticed.

Still, when Cheriss placed her hand on her arm she pressed the button and switched the lightsaber off, her thumb however not leaving the button yet. "Fine" she reluctantly hissed, straightening her back as she still studied them critically. She had no intentions in sharing the cave with them, especially because they would probably try to stop them if they would learn what they tried to do here. She only said fine because Cheriss would give her shit if she wouldn't obey...otherwise she would have immediately dealt with those intruders her way.

She kept her gaze fixed on them while she waited for their damn explanation. It better be good, she thought grimly, hazel eyes piercing right through the girl. She could easily take her...but that Lekku wearing man seemed capable from a distance at least. With an angry snort she turned to the cave for a moment, reaching out with the Force to determine whether she could already sense the holocron because the faster they could find it, the faster they could leave this swampy dirt hole behind...Sharing a camp with those too was hard to imagine for her and she wondered why Cheriss seemed to agree. Oh no, she suddenly thought, she was probably just bluffing too. This thought immediately made her smirk slightly as she raised an eyebrow at the strangers.



@Sicadorito @AdventCore @Apollyon

 

[Zakrym La]

Zak let out an audible sigh of relief as the crimson blade of the scarred woman's lightsaber vanished back into the hilt with a sinister hiss. It seemed both parties agree that fighting here made little sense, which was a good sign in Zak's mind. Zak would glance back at Luci and give her a small reassuring smile before nodding towards the two women and the shoreline. He would then begin to wade towards the shoreline at the cavern's mouth with a pleasant smile on his lips.

Upon reaching solid ground, Zak would vigorously shake the caked mud and swamp scum from his boots. Unfortunately, he could feel the slurry from the swamp filling a portion of his boots. He let out an exasperated and annoyed sigh at this realization, his hands rested on his hips, and his gaze turned towards the Degobah sky. Zak would reply to the woman as he peel his boots off and emptied them of the muddy filth.

"My name?" He asked in a teasing rhetorical question as he peeled the first boot off of his foot. "I am Zakrym La, but most people just call me Zak." He continued as he dumped the water from his boot, giving it a vigorous shake to ensure all the contents were cleared. "As for why the guard sent us, it probably had something to do with them being terrified of the swamps." He explained before idly tossing his boot onto the shore to ensure it would dry. "And can you really blame them?" He asked, his gaze finally turning back towards the pair of women as he wrestled with his other boot. "I mean look at this place."

Zak would eventually get both his boots off and onto the shoreline, he'd allow some exchange of pleasantries between the two groups before he'd finally as the most important question.

"The question I have is, what is a Sith doing out in the middle of the swamp?" Zak asked, his eyes turning to focus solely on the scarred woman.

@Sicadorito @LadyRen @AdventCore

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

"Luci." The blue-horned half-Tiefling held back her usual greeting, preferring not to give her full name to the Sith ladies for now. She nervously watched Zak while he made his way pass them, holding a heavy breath practically the entire time it took him to walk through half-flooded entrance chamber.

Luci looked up at the ceiling above the section of swamp water, and noticed the big hole near its center where the setting light from outside was still poking down upon the shoreline at the other side of the chamber from the gals. Furtherstill there seemed to be a couple more tunnels leading away from the shoreline to deeper in the cave. She then felt another strange itch in the Force coming from just outside the cave entrance, not far from where she stayed put.

"Umm..." Her upper body and heavy head leaned back so she could see out of the cave and into the shrouded shrubberies outside. "I don't know if any of you want to stick together or split up in here, but I think one or two of us should maybe keep watch here. Just in case whatever's outside wants to get in."

The vigilant Padawan returned her attention to the others and remained as the closest to the entrance, while Zak waited at the opposite side of the first chamber, leaving the pair of Sith a fair distance between the two of them. It was unfortunate, but due to everyone's positioning Luci suddenly realized that if the party were going to split it meant she was likely going to have to pair up with one of the Sith. Suddenly part of her regretted making the suggestion.

@Sicadorito @LadyRen @Apollyon

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The other pair seemed willing to give their names, at least, though she didn’t know if they were lying or not. Still, they didn’t look like they wanted to fight either, and that was good. Just one night, she promised herself, and shot a glance at Nova as if the acolyte would be able to hear.

“No, I suppose you can’t,” she mused at Zak’s question. The guards didn’t know why they were here, and it was probably standard procedure to send a search party after a while. Still, couldn’t the timing be a little bit better? She reluctantly followed him into the cave.

Then Luci proposed that one or two of them stand guard outside. It made sense, but Cheriss would definitely not let both of them explore the cave all by themselves or potentially start plotting something if the two parties were to be separated. So, there was really only one solution, even though she didn’t like it.

“Why don’t we do this, then? I can stay with Zak, and Nova can stand guard with you.” She trusted that Nova would be able to handle the girl if things went wrong, and she could keep an eye on her master. As for the man’s question about why they were here… she would let her apprentice handle that too. So long as she didn’t give anything away.

@LadyRen @Apollyon @AdventCore

 

[Nova Trent]

Nova kept observing the odd pair warily while she her hand was still firmly gripped around the lightsaber's hilt. Her eyes were narrowed and her muscles still tense as she was super mistrusting of the two. She was still convinced it would be better if they would just piss off and be gone, but the realization that this wouldn't happen so easily hit her and made her furious.

She glanced over to Cheriss, the frustration clearly visible in her gaze, but it still seemed like she was convinced playing along was a great idea. She let out a frustrated sigh before she rolled her shoulders, her gaze finally settling on the girl (@AdventCore). She was taller than her, but looked weak. Way too thin and definitely insecure.

She could easily take her...so she finally nodded, her facial expressions still not softening though. "Fine" she replied grimly, her hand not leaving the hilt yet while she kept eyeing the girl. "We'll stay close to the entrance and you check out what's inside. Hurry up" she grumbled, not at all pleased, but she finally clipped her lightsaber back to her belt and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She nodded towards the cave's entrance, spotting a rock formation there which would make a makeshift bench for now. She did not wait for the girl but already headed towards said spot, hand still hovering over her lightsaber's hilt.


@Sicadorito @AdventCore @Apollyon

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

Luci practically winced when the plan was set by the Sith. She glanced over at Zak, trying to hold back the hint of concern across her face. "Good luck in there you two." She called out through the short corridor between the entrance of the cave and the swampy first chamber. Then she sent a Telepathic message directly to Zak, 'Meet you back at town if something goes wrong... May the Force be with you.'

Then Luci turned her attention back to Nova, and slumped her upper back against the opposite wall of the cave. Her arms crossed just below her chest, and remained ready to snap into action at the slightest sudden move from the lady with the scarred face. She made sure to avoid looking at the scar, keeping her gaze on the slightly shorter woman's eyes instead.

Without seeming like she was being neither too rude nor too friendly, Luci then began to address her new partner with a neutral tone. "Should we get some stuff for a fire before it gets dark out?"

@LadyRen @Sicadorito @Apollyon

 

[Zakrym La]

”I certainly hope we won’t need it.” Zak replied before he gave his Padawan a comforting smile.

Zak would hear the telepathic message Luci sent to him. While he was fairly certain the Sith wouldn’t be able to hear what she had to say, he was sure that she’d feel the manipulation of the Force. His body tensed in response to this realization, she seemed to be a hothead and perfectly comfortable using violence to achieve her ends. Zak glanced back at his Padawan, worried about her safety for a moment before he replied in the same method.

“And may it be with you Luci.”

Then Zak would turn to face this other mystery woman and give her a warm smile. He would then nod in the direction of the cave and extend on arm outward, allowing her to take the lead.

“After you.” He stated politely, allowing his companion to walk in front of him. Zak would fall silent for a few step before speaking once again. “You never gave me your name.” He stated simply. “And how did you come to be traveling with such a hotheaded young Sith?” He asked with a slight chuckle. “Dangerous company to keep if you ask me.”

@AdventCore @LadyRen @Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss would follow Zak into the cave, not going too far back so that she still had a good view of what was going on outside. Nova and Luci seemed to be getting along so far… but hopefully not too well.

When the man tried to initiate a conversation, she debated on whether or not she should even bother, but what else was there to do? They’d likely be staying here for the next couple hours, and if there wasn’t at least a little bit of talking to pass the time, she didn’t know if she had the patience to last until morning.

“Cheriss.” She nodded at Zak after he asked. She noted that he didn’t seem to know that she was Sith just yet— that was reassuring. At his next statement, she couldn’t help an amused smile.

“Dangerous, indeed.” She glanced outside at the younger woman. Of course she wouldn’t give the real reason they were here, that she was her master and that they were after a holocron. In all honesty, Cheriss didn’t even see herself as Nova’s master per se, but more of an older sibling. Not that they were that close, but they were simply too close in age for the champion to see herself as an actual instructor. “She’s… a friend. But there are advantages to having a trained Force-user at your side in a place like this, wouldn’t you say?” She left it at that, pausing for a moment before looking back at Zak.

“You don’t strike me as one of the locals. Where are you and Luci from?”

@LadyRen @AdventCore @Apollyon

 

[Nova Trent]

As the Jedi wished the other two good luck, she couldn't help but to roll her eyes in an extremely annoyed manner. With her arms crossed in front of her chest she sat down on that stupid rock and began glancing around. What the kark were they supposed to do now??

She let out a sigh as her hazel gaze flicked back to the girl. Would she wait for her to fall asleep? This wouldn't be as fun...and only a coward would do that. She eyed her almost hungrily with morbid curiosity in her eyes. Would she even fight back if she would attack her just like that? She couldn't help but to wonder.

As she imagined a few ways to kill her, she was suddenly interrupted as she dared to speak her again. With a amused scoff she swung her legs down again. "Yeah sure. Start a fire while it's so hot and humid to attract more dangerous animals" she mocked her grimly.

@AdventCore @Sicadorito @Apollyon

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

"Yeah." A tiny hint of a chuckle came from the girl as she shrugged. "You're probably right." Something rustled in the bushes a few dozen meters away from the entrance.

"I think there's something out there stalking us already anyway..." Her index finger pointed, curled, then pointed again towards the commotion she'd noticed outside. Then Luci dropped her hand back to her side. She kept the lady in the corner of her perception while she kept a watchful eye on the entrance.

@LadyRen

 

[Nova Trent]

She had hoped that the girl would have just kept it shut, but unfortunately, she was still talking. Commenting on what she had just pointed out even and this made her roll her eyes again. "Yeah why don't you go check it out?" she sarcastically suggested, wondering whether she could maybe even watch her get eaten.

Seeing someone suffering had something oddly pleasant from time to time and so she couldn't deny that the thought was a bit thrilling. Tempting even. With a devious smirk she shot the girl another look, but that was when she developed that idea that had just gotten into her mind. "Why don't we go check it out?" she suggested with a fake, sweet smile.

@AdventCore @Apollyon @Sicadorito

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

Luci couldn't feel too sure of this lady. The half-Tiefling tried to keep her skeptical glance from looking too suspicious as she glanced outside with a hand on her chin. She wondered what Zak would do in this situation. Probably something along the lines of, 'Follow the Living Force.'

"Wellll..." Luci didn't want to take too much of her attention away from the scarred lady though. That would leave her rather vulnerable. Of course, that also went for engaging something with Nova even being around. Seeing it as a chance to test and develop a little comradarie with the Sith. They would be spending the night together after all, unless one of them had an 'accident'.

"Okay." The blue-horned Padawan shrugged and raised her left hand to push her mask up to cover the bottom half of her face, giving Nova an opportunity to walk out in front of her and take the lead.

@LadyRen @Apollyon @Sicadorito

 

[Nova Trent]

Was that girl really that stupid? She was already close to loosing her patience, especially because being stuck her with her was just...too tempting. Sure, Cheriss had ordered to stay 'friendly', at least to some extent, but what if a swamp monster would swallow this light skinned fairy girl? Technically it wouldn't be her problem then, right?

A smirk crossed her face as she slightly shook her head in amusement. So she was really that stupid and wanted to go check it out? Fine...Nova was confident to be able to defend herself anyway, so what did she have to lose? They still had to watch the entrance, but maybe they could figure out what lurked in the dark...She was just hoping the others inside were making progress.

She immediately understood the girl's hint: She wanted her to take the lead, but as Nova wasn't foolish, she waited for her to catch up and walked along side her then, not releasing the grip around her lightsaber. "Don't shit yourself" she teased with a smirk, shooting her a sideways glance.

@AdventCore @Sicadorito @Apollyon

 

[Zakrym La]

Zak looked back and smiled faintly as Cheriss introduced herself in return. He listened and nodded along as she explained her reasonings for keeping a Sith close at hand. It was flawed logic in his eyes, but he could see how it would make sense from a certain point of view. He felt like warning the woman about the dangers of keeping Sith in her company, but he didn’t voice his concerns. He figured if they were truly friends, then Cheriss would also be perfectly aware of the dangers found in associating with Sith as well.

Zak would glance back at Cheriss once she asked where he and Luci were from though. There was a moment of hesitation in him before he spoke. He felt the Force tug on his soul, he felt like she was warning him of something. A chill ran down his spine as his instincts were amplified, he had a bad feeling about everything suddenly. He stopped walking forward and turned to answer Cheriss.

“We are nomads.” He explained. “Former Jedi who refused to take part in wars of aggression.” He lied in an even and calm voice. “She is my Padawan, and I am teaching her in the old ways of the Jedi.” He explained.

It was partially true at the very least, he had modeled the majority of Lucifrey’s training after what the Jedi over one hundred years ago utilized. She learned through watching his example and practiced them in the field, bettering the lives of the citizens of the Galaxy.

“What about you? What are you and a Sith doing out in cave in the middle of a swamp?” He asked as he turned to walk deeper into the cave.

Zak would then pull a flashlight off of his belt, click it on and shine the illuminating light deeper into the cavern to guide their path.

@Sicadorito @LadyRen @AdventCore

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Jedi, hm?” She echoed Zak softly, but didn’t elaborate more. Despite the sudden revelation, Cheriss couldn’t say that she was surprised. These two didn’t look or act like Sith. If they had been, they likely would have been after the same thing they were, however unlikely that was. After all, why else would anyone willingly tramp through the swamp? It was anything but pleasant. A pair of Jedi were far more likely to come out at a time like this if they heard someone was missing. Hopefully, that meant they wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“We’re looking for something that belongs to us,” Cheriss answered as the pair made their way deeper into the cave. It wasn’t exactly lying, but of course she wasn’t going to tell him the full truth. Having and knowing that a Jedi at her side without fighting him was nothing short of strange, and she had to constantly remind herself that he didn't know why she was here and had no reason to suddenly stab her in the back. Yet, she would be prepared for that possibility either way, and she was glad that her lightsaber was hidden in her inner pocket for now.

Soon the cave was beginning to get so dark that they were practically walking blind, but fortunately Zak had taken out his flashlight. She took hers out too for good measure, flicking it on as they continued. Soon they approached a fork in the road, and Cheriss paused as she looked to one side. It wasn’t the Force, maybe it was instinct, but something told her that there was something else in that direction. She didn’t know whether it was good or bad, but she knew that it wouldn’t be a dead end.

“I think…” Was this a good idea? She decided to trust herself. “We should go this way.” She glanced at Zak. Whether he agreed or not, whichever way he chose to go she would follow. If he found the holocron first, who knew what he would do with it?

@Apollyon @LadyRen @AdventCore