Under Pressure

[Callum Attar]

.
Under Pressure​

The Mid Rim. For one born and raised in the opulence of Coruscant, shielded by a culture that abhorred everyone else's, these places always did seem a little interesting. Their very notions of wealth and standing were wholly different from anything he'd experienced so far and, while he did feel a little bit like a scientist studying lab-rats - although, what else could one expect from a Sith? - there was no going around the fact that he thought them fascinating. Ord Mantell was one such case. At the heart of a System calling itself 'The Bright Jewel', it stood an Industrial giant, known for transforming one man's trash into another's treasure.

The assignment that led him there had been completed with relative ease, and the Acolyte consequently chose to take a few days off before returning to the Capital. There was, however, one small, nagging issue with the floating rock: Groundquakes. They were particularly common, it seemed. In his week-long stay, Callum had experienced three already, though the most damage they'd done was a rather rude awakening from a peaceful night's sleep.

The mechanical behemoths sprinkled across Mantell's surface probably didn't do much in the way of preventing seismic activity, but the people seemed relatively unfazed. The natives in charge of his stay claimed this month had been a particularly bad one, but there was a good chance that that simply wasn't true. Still, in the interest of making him feel safe, these individuals had insisted Callum spend his time of leisure in ground-level or even subterranean infrastructure.

So, when groundquake number four hit, one of a magnitude that dwarfed the previous three's, he found himself precisely in one such place: A bar, underground, with furniture flipped over, shelves broken and the sole entrance - and likewise exit - having caved in. On the plus sides, there weren't a lot of people present, none were injured aside from some minor cuts and bruises, and there was certainly enough food and drink to last them a while. But, separated from the atmosphere by a few feet of solid ground, a lack of breathable air could potentially prove to be an issue in the not too distant future. So a question now stood, unasked but in everyone's mind:

Would they patiently await rescue, or seek a way out on their own?​

@Herrith

​

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Well, Astridia had been off and on this planet for a very large chunk of her career. She knew the planet, people, understood generally how things worked. The quakes were no exception. No big deal till this one. Dust was still settling from the event, and she was on the ground. How? Hell if she knew. She sat up and went to slide to her feet, instead finding a cabinet pinning her left leg. A quiet sentence primarily focused on cursing came out of her mouth as she looked around to see the damage. Pretty bad...but it could have been worse. The SINGLE exit, hardly a good idea, was dark. Presumably blocked. Astrid refocused her attention to her body. Clothes were good, a few bruises, dust coating her jacket and pants lightly. Her blaster looked like it was in one piece, but it was under the cabinet pinning her down.

Right. Time to get free. She pushed the storage container off with a few grunts and went to stand, coughing from the heavy air. Air. Right. Her brain shot to the various procedures she'd gotten wormed into her brain from Imperial life. Seeing as she could assume their air supply was basically whatever was down here, she deeply hoped they had some kind of non-human which breathed carbon dioxide and exhaled oxygen. However unlikely that was. She looked back to the exit, hand running along her pistol holster sluggishly as she limped over and checked.

"Damn."

Astridia turned around once more and leaned on the wall with an arm to scan the scene. They maybe had a few hours of air. This planet wasn't known for its outstanding emergency services. At least, if they were going to suffocate, they had plenty of drinks. A smirk fell on her face as she thought this and continued to scan for a way out. Somewhere. Or someone.

 

[Callum Attar]

In little to no time, the bar had become a mess. The quaking earth seemed to raise a thin mist, dredging up bits of dust from whatever corners it had once hid in, making it hard to see until it'd settled. The Acolyte was, as a result, given a few moments to take up inventory on his well-being. A lifetime of close-quarters combat training had allowed him to move through the ordeal unscathed, aided by the fact that he'd originally found himself near a wall which hadn't so much as cracked, and away from any objects of significant mass save for the very table he sat at.

The lights above flickered for a moment but ultimately held - albeit having dimmed somewhat. It seemed the electrical system had sustained some damage, but not so much that it had made it hard to see. Meaning, it would be someone else's problem.

The Sith then wove his way through a cornucopia of small islands made up of broken glass, splintered wood and bent metal, before finally reaching the counter. The bartender needed to thank his lucky stars. Despite having been positively showered with small shards and covered in a plethora of various alcoholic drinks, he'd managed to avoid this bout of danger as well. Once Callum had helped him to his feet, the barista seemed shaken up, but uninjured.

"There's a mirror over there that resisted this. Go clean yourself off, and then find your first aid kit. There is work to be done." - the Acolyte spoke, polite but authoritative. Receiving an answer in the form of a meek nod, Attar's eyes then darted across the room before letting loose yet another short, but charged sigh.

This was supposed to be a vacation, and he was Sith, not some firefighter. Still, he didn't know the lay of the land, and if panic took over his headache would most definitely take a turn for the worse. So, having taken a moment to reign errant thoughts in, the man's voice sounded across the room, just loud enough - he hoped - for everyone to hear.

"If you can move, please calmly make your way to where I am, at the counter. We do not yet know if this quake was the last of it, and need to ensure everyone is safe before anything else happens. But. Before you do so, take a good look around you. See if you can find anyone who has been knocked out or is too injured to walk. If you can, help them. If you cannot do so alone, speak up. Whatever it is you do, do so calmly. Above all else, it is imperative that we Do. Not. Panic."

A third sigh escaped his lips, having since noticed the darkened exit: One step at a time - he told himself, in his mind. For now, they were safe from more seismic activity in this proverbial bunker. Other bridges would be crossed if and when they got to them.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

A voice at her back. Someone finally taking control of the situation. That was good. One last thing Astridia would have to end up doing. She glanced over her shoulder as he finished his instructions and gave a slight nod to the figure she assumed was speaking. Her head swiveled back to the blocked exit before her and she pulled a small glowstick from her jacket, snapping it and walking in maybe a foot before stopping, scanning the brand new wall and running her hand down the rock and synthetic material. Heavy duracrete and industrial materials. Not fun to deal with. Astrid squat down and looked near the bottom before slacking her head and sighing.

She dropped the glowstick on the ground by the blockage and sat down on her bum, tightening her holster. If they wanted out, this blockage was going to be a pain in the arse. At least the beginning area she had just examined. And of course--her speeder bike may have gotten crushed. That thing was her only prized possession, really. Astridia let out a long sigh and then loosed and retied her hair into a loose ponytail. Ideally someone would recognize and see the situation sooner or later. Maybe she could get help with moving all this. Maybe she could squeeze through a vent or something.

"Just another bloody day at the office..."

Astridia stood up and walked back toward the gathering group, finding a wall to lean on as she weighed her options.

 

[Callum Attar]

Dealing with tense situations around civilians had always been irritating. It wasn't their fault, they simply had never been taught to pull their own weight. But, that did little to change the reality of it all. So, when a strangely coloured light illuminated the exit, the Acolyte paid attention. He had intended to go there next after all.

But what followed surprised him. Evidently, the individual who'd gone there had inspected things and then made her way back to the counter. As if that wasn't odd enough, she'd then picked an unassuming location among the gathering crowd, keeping her findings to herself. That could've symbolised any number of things, true, but he was willing to bet normalcy wouldn't be among them.

So, making a mental note of who she was, the pureblood now turned his back to the group, facing the same way they did, and awaited the return of the bar-back. The moment that happened, Callum gently grasped the man's arm, looked him square in the eyes and whispered. "Take control of the situation. You've been trained for this." There was a hint of the Force in his words, but in retrospect there'd been no need for it. The individual seemed so shaken up that the Sith was certain he could've convinced him of anything.

"Y-yes..." - the man mumbled back, before raising his voice - "E-e-everyone follow me. We need to treat the injured and check damage to water and power systems."

Huh. - Callum mused, taken aback. It seemed the bartender had indeed been trained in handling these types of situations. That was a relief.

While everyone began following their newly crowned leader, Attar held his ground for a moment before looking the intrepid but silent explorer over, in hopes of finding any features that might give him a clue as to her identity. A few more moments elapsed, and the once confused crowd had begun to find purpose. The Sith then moved behind the counter, grabbed a bottle that fit his tastes, a couple of glasses, and finally made his way over.

"Drink?" - he inquired of the red-head, placid as usual... It had been a little corny, he had to admit, and bystanders seemed to agree. A few eyes had shot over his way in the process, the very thing he'd intended to avoid. But, it had been said, and there was no taking it back now.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia's eyes flicked back and forth along the floor as she ran the situation through her head. The guy that had taken control of the situation was currently delegating work to the others, who appeared to be relatively capable. She had tuned them out. Nothing more than dull mumbles in her mind as she sank into her thoughts. Considering that there was a lot of people here, and quite a few seemed to be oxygen-breathers from her brief glances, they didn't have a whole lot of air to spare. Ideally people wouldn't be freaking out and wasting her precious atmosphere.

She was pulled back to the now from her thoughts by a man--whom she recognized as the one who had originally taken control of their little issue--holding out a glass. Astrid took a few moments to blink as she looked up and then back to the glass. Then back to his face, scanning it for a moment. Her lips parted and she smiled slightly, responding in an accent that was clearly Imperial, though lacking the clip she used to have.

"Ah...sure. I suppose if we're going to die down here, it wouldn't hurt too much."

She paused. "Bit of a lightweight, if you couldn't guess."

 

[Callum Attar]

The accent certainly told a story. Though it wasn’t quite like the Acolyte’s, who had been born and raised in Coruscant but had had a few off-world influences, Callum had met no shortage of people who sounded just like her. This wasn’t just the Empire, it was - or, rather, had been - the Republica’s handiwork.

But it was her words that surprised him most. This petite woman seemed to have a grim sense of humour. His right brow rose slightly, before the corner of his lips tugged into a smile. It was clear to him that she was referring to whatever she’d seen in the darkened exit, and while he wouldn’t press her on it right now, to avoid causing panic, his original instincts seemed to be proved right.

"I’ll let you in on a secret." - he said, conspiratorially, while slowly pouring the drinks - "They won’t let me die here... I’m much too pretty for that."

Somehow, the words didn’t fit the man. He wasn’t unattractive, but there was something about his gait and bearing that just made such an unabashed self-compliment very out of place. It had, however, not been a complete lie. He was Sith, and stood on some piddling scrapyard of a planet in the capacity of an officer of the Empire. They had to be looking. He’d come back and haunt them if they weren’t.

But, despite how poorly it landed, it seemed his attempt at a joke had calmed the onlookers, and gotten them to look away. Another beat of silence had passed, and then, finally, Callum offered Astrid her glass. "Besides," - he remarked, still unperturbed - "Even if you are a lightweight, something tells me you can handle yourself."

And on that cryptic note, he took a sip, and immediately turned to stare at the bottle, puzzled. "This... isn’t what I thought it was." - he confessed between light chuckles, genuinely amused by his own faux pas - "It’s not bad, though."

Making a mental note of the hieroglyphs that littered an otherwise familiar-looking bottle as he went for a second sip, Callum vowed to try and figure out what this was if he could make it out of here. "So." - he added, his visage a little more serious, but not much - "Shall we try to figure out how to get out of this predicament, then?"
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia let the smile remain as her morbid joke successfully got a decent reaction from this new person, who decided to start a conversation about their little predicament with drinks. Effective tactic, to be completely honest. As he poured out enough for two glasses, he cracked a bold statement which she chuckled to, rather quietly. Slowly uncrossing her arms and shifting to face this mysterious person. Imperial accent. Pretty refined, if she'd remained in the Core for any longer she may have sounded similar. Luckily that wasn't the case, and she was in better touch with the...less trusting locals because of it.

"Oh? If only they gave that same empty promise to all of us."

The humorous phrase didn't quite match him. She could read people, and he just didn't seem like the kind of person that made those jokes all the time. Whether he was or not, he had already dug in with how this conversation was going to go down. Astrid took her glass in a hand and shrugged when he pushed another sentence out.

"So I've been told on multiple occasions."

She herself took a long sip, not having any expectations because she had no idea what he just poured her. Not exactly a drinker after all. Not for the majority of her adult life, but it certainly had kicked up in recent memory. Gee, I wonder why? Her eyes danced over the bottle and she shrugged before taking another short sip. "At least it's not awful."

Then, with the second question of the evening, everything more or less clicked together. Now the random approach about having a drink made much, much more sense. He probably spotted her looking around the exit and was trying to pry for answers. Not like she was hiding anything, she would happily provide.

"Well..with any luck, this planet's first responders would need to improve by a factor of ten in terms of response rate if we're waiting to get dug out. Especially because they'd be rescuing all the people that bribed them first." She paused. "I take it you saw me checking out the caved in doorway? Yeah, that's shot to hell. So..we can start digging or start looking for a new way out of here. You don't look like the kind to get your hands...too dirty..so the digging may be ill-advised."

With that she took another long sip and set down the glass, looking into the guy's eyes and waiting for a response.

 

[Callum Attar]

This girl was certainly something. After all, it wasn't every day someone raised by the Empire was so outspoken. Biting, but in a different way. Honesty to the point of brutality, he'd heard it called. It was a little refreshing, if he was to be honest. Having chosen to let the 'empty promise' and the 'at least it's not terrible' comments go, the man calmly smiled, as usual, until she'd said her piece.

"I do clean up rather nicely, don't I?" - Callum said after a good moment of silence, a smile drawn on his lips, as he straightened a few errant bends on his clothes. It was a retort to the 'you look like you've never worked a day in your life' remark. He couldn't very well let everything go, now could he? Besides, it had been funny. The least he could do was acknowledge that he'd gotten the joke. "But, if digging is the way to go, then I suppose exceptions will have to be made. A bit drab, but..." - he offered a slight shrug as his words trailed off, jokingly admitting that, if given the chance, he'd happily pass up work and wasn't the slightest bit ashamed about it. "This is rather serious after all."

"But then again." Then the glint in his eyes changed, ever so slightly and the Acolyte remarked. "You sound like a particularly intelligent young woman. So tell me. Let's say the digging goes badly and this is how we die. Looking back, then, wouldn't you have preferred to have spent your final moments trying to escape in a way that was..." - with a conspiratorial demeanour, the man added, his hand moving about as he searched for the right words - "A little more fun?"

With his normal smile now pulled just a little longer, Callum looked the red-head in the eyes and waited for an answer.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia let out a slightly grim laugh, keeping it down so that they didn't get any odd looks. She looked at her glass and downed whatever was left while the...Sith(?) responded to her rather snarky comments. She was being a little short fused, slightly more outspoken than she normally was. Maybe the Rim was finally getting to her and things were starting to piss her off again. Ever since Alika died, so damned long ago, she had failed at doing what she needed to make it right. So here she was, just doing piss all. Playing along with a Sith that was being rather friendly all things considered.

"Yes. Very serious."

Astridia straightened up a little as her fellow human suggested a bit more of an exciting, less bleak, and altogether likely less realistic approach to getting out of here. Then again, much of what had happened in the past years had been pretty outlandish by her standards. She'd made a lot of very odd friends, seen a lot of weird things. And it had been a while since she'd genuinely done something interesting. If she was going to die in a basement, may as well make it enjoyable. Her eyes wandered across a wall she was focusing on as she thought before settling back to the Sith.

"What did you have in mind?"

 

[Callum Attar]

There you are. - Callum thought, when the woman finally met his stare and adjusted her posture. He knew then, that he finally had her attention. In truth, there hadn't been much of a reason why he'd approached her beyond understanding what she knew. He supposed it was his Sith teachings telling him to spark the flames of desire in the hearts of Imperials. They would be what drove individuals onward. Where they - where she would go, he could not know. But he never had understood his kindred's fascination with death. In his mind, it was the act thirsting for life, for adventure, that made it interesting to live, and come to know others.

"Well." - he said, his tone laced with a hint of satisfaction.

"There are the ventilation shafts, which could get a little cramped, but may be interesting. We've all seen those terrible action holovids where they come in handy. Could certainly be an interesting story to tell."

"Or, perhaps, we could try the old service elevator in the kitchen area. I caught a glimpse of it while I was helping the bartender up. I'd imagine the footing there will be less..." - a pause, as he searched for the word he believed best - "steady. But. It should be a little less claustrophobic."

"There might even be options I've yet to notice myself. So. What'll it be, miss...?" - his words trailled off, as he gestured for the red-head to pick a path and not-so-subtly ask for her name.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

"Vent shafts? A possibility. I'm not too claustrophobic, I'm afraid. Can you fit in the vents or would it be a solo thing?"

Astridia smirked as she shifted and looked around at the room before them. A couple options, then. Or more, if she wanted to put in the effort. That blocked off corridor looked pretty blocked, so no chance of squeezing through there. The vents may have caved in or had yet to cave in before them, perhaps getting them trapped. The service elevator...well, that was self explanatory. Old, probably didn't work, so they either were going to have to climb or fall. Not a whole lot of great options, but it was miles better than suffocating down here.

"Well, I've also been through rock climbing and such. One of my hobbies when I'm not...trapped."

Another pause as she weighed her options. "Kazaczecho. Kaz. Kazzy." She shrugged. "How about you, kind sir?"

 

[Callum Attar]

The Acolyte, immersed in trying to visualise whether or not he would, in fact, be able to fit in the vents, was brought back down to reality by a woman who seemed a little uncomfortable with her own name. If this was her attempt at feeding him a fake one, then was doing a terrible job of it. But then, he had asked out of sheer curiosity, and did not care if it was real or not. It was a little amusing, though.

But it was the 'kind sir' that pushed him over the edge. His lips parted, and he genuinely laughed out loud. Well, loud wasn't particularly the word, but he did spend a full three seconds chuckling to himself at the notion of this reluctant woman, who seemed to be about the same age as he was, referring to him with in such a way. Not even beggars had ever described him in those words. Then again, he really wasn't a credits-giving kind of guy.

After finally settling down, the man looked the red-head over once again and was unable to speak for a moment, until suitable words were finally arranged in his head. "How... quaint." - he remarked, his tone purposefully moving up in pitch towards the end barely noticeably. This was the stereotypical aristocratic phrase. And what could be more fitting for a kind sir to say?

He was getting the impression than half of what this woman said seemed to be for the purposes of messing with him, and he was enjoying himself. So, in the spirit of playing the game, why not fight back, just a little? "Check is a lovely name. I'm Callum. Not quite so exotic, I know, but it is mine."

"A pleasure." A short bow of his head, to complete this 'polite' exchange on a chivalrous note, and then back to joking about death he went. "When it comes to our little predicament, you do make a good point with the vents. I actually might not be able to fit." - he said, looking back towards the grate, and then himself. "And while I wouldn't mind sending you off on an adventure all by yourself, I do think I'd be terribly saddened if all of a sudden I found I didn't have my new friend to talk to..." - he said, hinting at the asphyxiation that would await him if he stayed - "And besides. What kind of a man would I be if I were to stand between a woman and her hobbies?"

Even if his sense of humour didn't seem to be quite up to snuff today, all in all, this was shaping up to be a pleasurable outing... well, provided he didn't die, at least.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia laughed along with him as he found her humor at least amusing enough to crack up at. Good. That was something. At least she knew he wasn't completely heartless. A short chuckle from her as he returned her quip and sent a jab toward her last name. No surprise there, Kazaczecho isn't exactly the most fun name to pronounce. Then again, he did ask for her family name. 'Miss...' tends to imply that if they were going to be all polite and nice, if only jokingly. He introduced himself as Callum, a very obvious first name, and Astrid stopped her quiet laughing fast enough to respond.

"Oh, first names. Astridia. Astrid for short. Check doesn't roll off the tongue as well, see."

Another scoff at the bow before she listened to him broadcast his thoughts. Yes, likely far too big to actually fit in any vents. Elevator shaft, then. Not exactly an improvement, but at least they knew she could climb. And yes, of course, who would stand between a woman and her hobbies?

"Kind of you. Everyone needs friends, after all."

 

[Callum Attar]

"Truer words..." Callum said, letting his speech drift off into nothingness as a pensive mood struck him, for an instant. A few moments later, he'd snapped out of it with a few blinks, and took another sip, to cover for spacing out in the middle of a conversation, even if nothing had been said during his moment of zen.

"Astrid it is." - he remarked, with a soft smile and a polite nod, trying to push his faux pas further away from the topic of conversation. Here, his head moved and he glanced towards the area behind the bar.

The remainder of the people were currently taking inventory of food and drink supplies, evidently expecting to be here a while. It had seemed that oxygen deprivation hadn't been thought of. Still, if he and Astrid managed to leave through the elevator shaft, that would mean that airflow would be restored to the building, and this issue none had considered would've been solved before panic could begin.

His hand gently stretched outwards in the direction of their newfound objective, a non-verbal, polite way of guiding Astrid's way, and kicking their plan into motion. "Should we see about that climbing, then?"
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

"Yes, I suppose we should see to the climbing as soon as possible. And not drunk, either."

Astridia set down her glass finally and stood up, waiting for Callum to catch up as she looked at the group of people organizing. Hm. Maybe they could have gotten away with staying here till rescue. Not such a bad idea. Free drinks, laughs, not having to do a whole lot. Then again...she didn't like being underground. At all. She looked back at her newfound escape artist partner and blinked a couple times. All of a sudden he had gotten quite distant, as if something very quickly had gotten on his mind. That thought only made her brain wander, too. Curious minds were the worst, particularly when she couldn't quite drop what worried her.

Worry about the climbing, Astrid. Then about what this guy's mental state. Unsatisfied with her own answer, she rose an eyebrow and shifted her weight to one foot.

"Everything alright, Callum? Drink bugging you?"

 

[Callum Attar]

"Just a bit." - he replied, chuckling to himself - "Scaling a perilous elevator shaft, or staying here and drinking ourselves drunk, for free. It really is true what they say: one can't have everything in life... Let's just say I was mourning the option we could not take."

With a smile, he calmly moved to accompany the girl to the intended location, finishing the drink on his glass, before putting it and the bottle down on the first table or counter they came across.

Still, amused by the perceptive woman's remarks, he figured he'd go for another clichéd little joke. With the same peaceful, serene tone he always used, the individual calmly spoke. "Now, with the possibility of death looming over our heads and such and such, I don't believe I ever did get to asking."

"What brings a bar like you into a girl like this?" The polite smile remained unchanged. There was no indication that he was either drunk, or just having a laugh. This was his normal deadpan humour, but for all he knew, as discerning as Astrid seemed, she might not've figured that out just yet.

"Business or pleasure?" - he added, partly because leaving things off on that bad a joke would've made it too easy for the woman to understand he was pulling her leg and, of course, partly because a gentleman shouldn't pry into others' private affairs.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia let out a genuine laugh as she walked. The usual cliche joke having been quite amusing all things considered. She straightened out her jacket and turned on her heel to face the guy, letting her shoulders shrug as she kept her smile. Business or pleasure? Well, more pleasure. She just came here for a drink, really. And then all this happened. Now that she wasn't directly trying to work for the Empire. Not that she drank that much. More just a stopover.

"Pleasure, I'd say. What brings a bar like this into a guy like you?"

She mocked slightly, purposefully messing up the quote cause why not. She flashed a smirk as she turned again, back in the proper direction.

"True questions reserved for a gentleman."

 

[Callum Attar]

A gentleman, huh? The man flashed her a similar grin as she shifted forward once again, before finally moving to answer her previous question.

"The ground-quakes." - he replied, without so much as a blink or a moment's hesitation as she made the very same joke he had - "My physician tells me I need to be buried alive in a bar, surrounded by strangers, at least three times a year... Apparently it does wonders for the skin."

All in all, Astrid seemed less closed off than before. And that was nice. Of all the people in the galaxy, it was a relief that he got stuck with one who was actually willing and able to trade jokes and make conversation with.

Before long, the duo reached the doors to the service lift. The usual metallic gates that met in the middle. It seemed a little rusty, but opening it by force shouldn't prove too big a problem. Callum went up to it, managed to pry it open just enough to position his hands and get a decent grip, and then moved to one side, ready to pull one door open.

Here, he looked at the redhead and motioned with his eyes to have her take the other door. Normally, opening one should get both open, but this did spare him some trouble, and the woman did certainly look like she was fit enough for the job.

"Shall we?" - he asked conspiratorially. His was the face of someone who was having fun, and preparing to enjoy a bit of adventuring.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

"Mm. Must be a very traditional and superstitious physician. Luckily, I've likely gotten more than my dose. I'm smaller, one must be enough for me."

The familiar look of an elevator, though rusted and very clearly old, appeared in her view. Astridia watched as Callum went to pry open the door, then hesitated for a moment. Oh. Right. She flexed her fingers and then approached, gripping the other door with an arm and stretching her legs before putting her second hand onto the door as well. She nodded to the Sith and flashed a smile, getting her stance ready to pry it open.

"We shall."

Astridia waited for him and then pulled, the door creaking as it pulled open on her end slightly. She kept pulling, till the door was totally open, grunting with the effort while the rust, dust, and grime from the mechanisms fell onto her jacket, hair, shirt, all the stuff that was exposed to the ancient lift. Once it was done, she shifted into a standing position, ignoring the grime for now. Probably going to be a lot dirtier.