A Crystalline Bother

[Epistor of Phasekion]

​

~ Location: Silver Rest {near exit to courtyard} ~ Status: Terrified ~​

~ Equipment: {in signature} ~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

​

Evidently another blanket of snow had fallen over the campus ground in the night, just when the most stubborn patches remaining from the Life Day celebrations had finally melted off. It was barely more than a dusting, but it petrified Eustachya within the threshold leading from the Main Hall out in the courtyard.

The padawan sighed heavily as she leaned her shoulder on one of the nearby pillars. It wasn't very serene of her to not just hold onto a specific memory, even if in was of her recent past, but allow it to hold such power over her. Still, she couldn't help it, being afraid of Daphis. And she hadn't yet found anyone in which to confide--the Sargus Novian god of water and ice wasn't known here for one, and for another, her silver brethren might view her apprehension as nothing more than pagan superstition.

The latter was a chance she did not particularly want to take, so, suffering in silence was her to be her burden for the time being.

But it couldn't be. She simply had to get to one of the indoor training facilities across the way. Maybe he had sensed her weakness and wished to challenge her to overcome it, for Master Varless had given her free reign in where to do her saber drills.

With shaky breath in and a slight bow of her head, she rose her rust-red himation hood over her braids in preparation to step outside...though she couldn't seem to will her legs to move.

 

[Cassius Droma]

“Well, Tee, I don’t think we should be flying around the galaxy with half a tank,” Cassius Droma said as he walked down the hallway, talking into his hand-held communicator. On the other end of T-4D4, his trusty droid companion.

“I’ll make sure we’re good to go, don’t worry,” his voice came over the communicator, that ever-present sarcastic bite coming through as well. He was no doubt going over a few inspections with the Silver Jedi mechanics at the temple – they were a little more skilled than the ones at Teth.

“Thanks,” Cassius said before he ended the comm call and placed the device back onto his belt. Although he was about to go outside, he was barely bundled up – coming from a frozen world like Rinn, he’d come accustomed to cold environments. He just had on his simplistic Jedi robes and a thin cloak, something he rarely wore. Usually, he had on what some would call ‘spacer’ type clothing, or maybe a blend of both typical spacer and Jedi gear, but when he was on Kashyyyk, he tended to have on more traditional attire.

The Silver Rest had, in recent months, become more of a pit-stop than anything to Cassius. He traveled all over the galaxy, whether it was for helping set up Jade Squadron, or going on an archaeological expedition. He usually managed to find himself here, though, to refuel and get his ship looked over by the team of mechanics.

At the moment, though, he was heading towards a training facility disconnected from the main temple. Since Jedi training seemed to be unfortunately on the bottom of his to-do list most days, he figured he would at least try to get some lightsaber practice in before he headed off on his next big adventure.

As he approached the door, he spotted a woman dressed in a red cloak peering outside. “Heading out?” he asked, slowing his walk to a stop beside her. “Snow – nothing like it, huh?” he asked, gazing at the fresh blanket that had been placed outside during the nighttime. Giving the woman a side-ways glance, he could feel some type of anxiety emanating from her. “You alright?” he inquired, with genuine concern.

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

"Hmm?" she mumbled, turning her head as her new companion addressed her. "Oh, erm, yes, something indeed." Something beautiful and wondrous, as he probably meant, however, was not quite what she did. The power of Daphis was awe-inspiring, yes, but it was also quite frightening. Without thinking, Eustachya brushed her fingers behind her right ear, ghosting over the scabs of frostbite speckled over the shell. Most of them were slightly raised and colored pale pink. It was almost like the god was laughing at her for her luck: the flesh on the edge and lobe of her ear had not died and thus remained, destined to forever remind her of her people's hatred, hurtful still, however short-lived it had been.

"Pardon?" she asked her own question in response to his, as the sound guided her back from her thoughts. She stared at Cassius for but a moment, brow knit as she tried to recall from her subconscious what he had asked.

She did and meant to nod, but shook her head instead. Malaka, a Freudian slip.

 

[Cassius Droma]

His attention was brought to her hand as it moved over her ear. Cassius’s eyebrow quirked as he spotted a brief glimpse at her injury, and recognized it immediately. He’d seen frostbite all too many times during his life on Rinn. A lot of the miners and explorers that ended up getting lost in either the caves or out in the blistering frozen wastes had scars similar, if not more severe. When he wasn’t on a patrol out in Wild Space, he would help run search-and-rescue missions by flying a U-wing. Sometimes they never found people, other times they’d turn up as nothing more than frozen statues.

The ones lucky enough to live had those scars.

Cassius stole another glance outside. He could see how she wouldn’t want to go out in that. Even though it wasn’t even that deep of snow, it almost certainly brought back memories of whatever experience had given her frostbite in the first place. The endless white nothingness certainly could certainly bring back some painful memories for Cassius, but it was also just a part of his life – he’d learned to live with it.

The woman seemed rather transfixed on her anxiety, and had nearly missed his question. She eventually shook her head, and the corner of Cassius’s mouth tucked into a small frown. “Well uh… where exactly were you headed? Just across the way?” Cassius gestured to the small training outpost. “I’ll walk with you, if it helps you feel better.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Or hey, we could head to the cafeteria and get a cup of warm caf. Up to you.”

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

A moment of weakness.

Or maybe a moment of strength. Compassion was the Jedi way, so excepting the metaphorical hand one extended you had to be as well, didn't it? A few minutes' distraction, taken as a opportunity to truly understand her trouble rather than blindly plowing forward through it, seemed like a good investment of her time.

At the very least, it couldn't possibly any harm more harm that it had already done her, both physically and emotionally.

This time Eustachya nodded, as she meant to, at Cassius' latter suggestion. "Caf? Oh, could we?" she asked, barely containing her excitement at the prospect of leaving as she bowed her head slightly. "I wish not to derail you."

 

[Cassius Droma]

She seemed excited at the offer, a momentary distraction from whatever it was she was going through at the time. Cassius could only imagine what had gotten her to this point, but he had a feeling he would have the opportunity to find out soon enough. If he was being honest, he had seen much worse injuries from frostbite – she was lucky, in his mind.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said before she could backpedal any further. “I don’t have much else going on. Come on – it’s on me.” It was a joke – a stupid joke, as the food and drink from the cafeteria were always free.

As he turned them around and started heading to the cafeteria, away from the winter wonderland outside, he figured he’d keep the conversation going. “So… what’s your name?”

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

The joke was indeed obvious, but it was by no means bad--at least not to Eustachya for it allowed her a good-natured laugh.

As they walked down the hallway, bound for the Rest's eatery, the female padawan pushed down her hood for the sake of polite conversation. "Eustachya Myrian," she introduced in her strange natural accent. Truthfully, on her birthplanet of Sargus Novis, she nor any of her kinsmen had surnames. When in her hometown, she had simply been Eustachya, but whenever she ventured out to, say, Thyreid or Idridri, she described herself of Phasekion. And now, since arriving to Kashyyyk, she had taken on her father's name as a makeshift patronymic.

She glanced over at her fellow blonde and flashed a warm smile. "And yours?" she questioned back. "I haven't seen you about before."

 

[Cassius Droma]

She gave her name, and Cassius’s eyebrow raised for a moment. It was certainly unique – he silently mouthed it to himself for a moment. Like many other people he met in the galaxy, he’d have to practice saying it in order to get it right. Not to mention her accent was one he’d never heard of before. The more he talked to this woman, the more mysteries that popped up around her.

When she asked for his name, his eyes widened, snapping him out of his momentarily drifted-off state.

“Cassius, Cassius Droma,” he replied. “And you’re right, I don’t hang around here much anymore. Kashyyyk has become of a pit-stop than anything in the past few months. I spend most of my time in the Outer Rim exploring, or trying to knock off pirates trying to go after civilians.” It would really be hard to say if he was still as closely tied to the Silver Jedi as he used to be, seeing as how he barely spent time with them and his current mentor wasn’t one of them. Regardless, they always let him stay if he needed it, and in return, he’d help them with anything they asked of him.

They made it to the massive cafeteria in short order. It wasn’t exactly bustling with activity since it was the afternoon, but there were still a good amount of people around. Stepping up to a counter, Cassius asked for two cups of caf, and they were given to him within seconds. He handed Eustachya her drink and picked a table far from the window.

“Where are you from?” he asked, wanting to get to the mystery of her accent.

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

She smiled, though maybe she meant to frown. "I..." she began, "doubt you've heard of it. Sargus Novis is the christened name. I know it simply as Sargus." Eustacha paused, then, scooting herself further into the table, taking her caf mug, and bending her head to blow a few times over it. "It is an icy waste with a few terraformed islands, where it is safe and temperate." She laughed despite herself, saving her face from a frown when it pulled at the corners of her mouth. "You may be able to guess why I am afraid of the cold."

She felt better already--with Cassius, a hot beverage, and away from the nearby outdoor scenery--but she knew she none of it would last. She simply couldn't hide here forever, or even until she calmed down because, if she refused to face Daphis' storm, she knew she never would.

Another smile, and a bow of her head. "It is unbecoming, I know. Don't tell my Master, please. I have nowhere to go if I get expelled, and it seems ridiculous to be tried for something so trivial."

 

[Cassius Droma]

She was right – he’d never heard of it before. Then again, with a galaxy filled with billions upon billions of planets, he was bound to learn of a new one every day before he died. Not everyone had to be from Coruscant or Naboo. At hearing it was a big block of ice, and her inferring that was the reason why she wasn’t too fond of the frigid temperatures, Cassius couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

For one, it was interesting to meet someone who was somewhat of a kindred spirit – they were both from cold planets. Although, she had mentioned terraformed islands, perhaps ones that had their temperature regulated. It was entirely possible that she had been protected all of those years, and in a bad way, experienced the less pleasant part of her homeworld. The colony where Cassius grew up similarly had its temperature regulated, but as he had come to find out, was still much colder than normal.

“My homeworld is pretty cold too – Rinn. Basically a big ball of ice that someone decided to colonize. I don’t blame you, though… I can’t tell you how many times the heaters would go out and we’d have to bundle up to survive, or just having to do search and rescue missions all throughout the night.”

Her head hung in shame, and Cassius’s eyebrows twitched together or a moment. “Expelled?” he asked, his smile growing wider for a moment. Was she serious? “Listen, it’s okay. You’re not going to be tried for not liking the cold. Our previous grandmaster was from a desert planet – she hated the cold… well, hated it was much as a Jedi could hate something.” She must not have been with the Jedi for very long to think such harsh punishments were possible for small indiscretions.

“Look, there’s an ability that a Jedi can hone – it allows us to control our body temperature so we can stay warm in a cold environment. It’s called ‘Tapas’. Do you know it?”

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

And listen she did with her head raised to meet her fellow's dark green gaze. "No, you're right," she admitted after he had fell into pause. "I am being delusional." She knew she was too, it was just difficult to stop her pessimistic imagination from racing. Certainly, the Silver Jedi had been nothing but kind and understanding to the young woman and her culture from their reception of her to the changing of her path from a Shadow to a regular Jedi for religious reasons. But, even knowing that, mayhap especially knowing that, Eustachya desired so much to succeed, to pay back the faction that had already done so much for her.

She felt she had already failed in that sense. A pacifist padawan petrified by the cold--what use was she to them?

"I knew less forgiveness from my kin," she began vaguely, not wishing to overstep bounds. Still, something told her that he ought know at least a little about why she had said what she had moments before. "Not fear of the cold, another offense altogether, but hard to forget nonetheless."

Then, the Sargus Novian maiden made her own pause as she lowered her lips to her mug of caf. A long sip, somewhat noisy at the end, calmed her nerves little. Lowering her cup, and wiping at the corners of her mouth with a nearby cloth napkin--though, for a moment, she it seemed as if she would use the end of her downed headscarf--she nodded affirmation. "Tapas, yes, I am aware." Her eyes fluttered closed and, for a fleeting moment, she felt the phantom warmth that had hugged her body when wandering the Iceway. She had thought little of it then, assuming that having been exposed to the elements for so long had eventually tricked her nerves into feeling the opposite that they should have: warm in lieu of cold. But when Grandmaster Nooran had explained to Eustachya her relatively newfound powers back at the capital, one of the question's answers was why she had survived the cold long enough to trek kilometers over the frozen land and sea.

Eustachya opened her eyes. "Apparently, I am able to use it," she admitted again, quickly adding to explain why she had not used it earlier, "but cannot control it." With one hand, she gestured up to her scarred ear, which she would be surprised if Cassius had not noticed. "As evidenced by..."

Almost as quickly as she had done it, Eustachya put her hand back on the table and crossed her arms before her. Hopefully, she had said enough to afford herself a moment's reprieve, for she already felt her voice close to cracking even if her eyes were dry. From what she had gathered, preforming Tapas out in the Iceway had exhausted her after some time and allowed frostbite to finally touch her. But now? The best analogy was trying to swim while flailing uncontrollably; one would sink every time.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Another small nugget of information. Her ‘kin’? Who we they, and what had they done to her exactly? Abandoned her? Betrayed her? Banished her? Either way, it was a fresh enough of a subject to still be touchy – Cassius could tell it disturbed her greatly. Again, he decided that he wouldn’t pry. Her business was her business. If she wanted to give up that information voluntarily, he’d wholeheartedly listen to it, but he wasn’t going to ask her fifty questions.

He averted his gaze as she silently referred to her injury, and nodded in understanding. In all honesty, he’d seen much worse. Not only had he seen deaths attributed to the harsh cold, but all manners of scars and amputees – he knew quite a few men and women that had to be fitted with bionic limbs just so they could function. If the two of them had a better rapport, he’d tell her she was lucky, but he didn’t want to seem like he was trying to diminish her experience by comparing it to worse ones.

“I’d been subconsciously using it as well,” he told her, crossing his arms on the table and leaning on them. “For the longest time, I just thought that I was better adjusted to the cold because of where I grew up. While that’s partially true, I was able to stay out longer than even the hardiest of men at the colony.”

He sat back and grabbed his cup of caf, taking a sip. The bitter taste still took some getting used to – he should have added more sugar. From his seat, he could just barely see out the window and to the white wonderland. “You know… it’s pretty easy to control. I can teach you, if you’d like.” After all, what else was she going to do? Stay inside the temple until it stopped snowing?

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~ Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

If she was a lesser woman, unwilling to face her fears and better herself to be able to hopefully be a sanctuary from the cold--both actual and metaphorical--for others one day, that would have been her plan.

She listened intently, relishing the comfort of the small amount of warmth still radiating from her mug and that of the kindness of an acquaintance. At first, she smiled shyly and began, "If you--" ...would, she was about to finish before she cut herself off. Then, a more confident smile, along with a nod. "Yes, please." With that, she finished off her caf. "I am ready when you are," she informed after a slight sigh.

 

[Cassius Droma]

She agreed, thankfully. Although Cassius was due to depart in a few hours, he would have been hard pressed to leave a problem unsolved. Fixing things and helping people were part of his nature, and they went hand-in-hand. “Sure,” Cassius said, standing up from his sitting position. He tossed his sterile white plastic cup towards a refuse bin – having to use the Force to guide it in. He was a pilot, a Jedi, and an archaeologist… but he’d be a horrible Huttball player.

“Let’s go,” he beckoned for her to follow as he walked out of the cafeteria. He didn’t want to bring her outside in the cold just yet, as that would be just like throwing someone in the water after they’d nearly drowned to death. They needed some place secluded though. Cassius may not have spent a lot of time at the Silver Rest on Kashyyyk, but he knew his way around, and being a solitary person by nature, he had figured out the little nooks and crannies were few were found.

At the end of a very long hallway, mostly maintenance rooms and storage, there was a glass enclosure that looked outside. Due to the lack of insulation, it was slightly colder than the rest of the building, but not freezing. Also, it would allow Eustachya to see the snow, but not be in danger of it. It could be a true test of her abilities while not putting her in danger.

“As I’m sure you know, you need to calm your mind and breathe – focus,” Cassius said, slowing down his own breathing in the process. It was important to feel the flow of the Force.

[member="Eustachya"]

 

[Epistor of Phasekion]

~Tag: [member="Cassius Droma"] ~​

​

Eustachya threw her cup away too, though she saw to in the mundane way. Not enough faith in her abilities, perhaps. Then she followed behind Cassius, silent with both obedience and, even still, slight shame. But, did she feel it more for, in fact, the Jedi or Daphis?

Truly, she could not tell herself the answer, not yet at the very least. But still, in any case, she was still quite afraid of the latter, as she lingered in the hallway before passing over the threshold into the glass enclosure. The very moment she stilled, stopping to stand near Cassius in view of the falling flakes, she shivered. Indeed, the temperature was nothing compared to the courtyard. It was only a little nippy, so it was more likely that her apprehension had caused the physical reaction.

Eustachya fought the urge to run her hands up and down her arms to keep them folded in front of her. Hesitating a moment more, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. A heavy breath first, meant to relax her nerves, and lo and behold, some tension flowed out. Freezing Daphis, she thought, look how your wintry touch makes this world quiver. More accurately, it made her quiver, Kashyyyk only grew cold and white, but it touched it nonetheless. Still, in a way, in too quivered. The more delicate of flowers and crops died. Small, even large, animals withdrew into caves or to other hemispheres for these months.

She paused to wet her suddenly chapped lips. Dissolve this rebellious alliance of clouds and moist air; smile upon me, bring fair weather inside, brighten the sun's face within that it may be as if rays shine when rightly hidden. Then she silently knit her brow in concentration. What made her think He would assists her in this? Nothing, but it was still proper to honor Him. Her divine innovation finished, she reached out in her mindscape--for what, she wasn't entirely sure. Either Daphis or the Force. Maybe both.

Yes, she reached out for both. She pushed down the unexpected feeling of blasphemy. What was the use for that now? The God and the Living Force flowing through her could be, even were, the same, weren't they?

Blinding white enveloped the black of her eyelids, but, strangely, she wasn't afraid. In another moment, a familiar numb climbed her arms. Something cloth-like and chilled stuck to her legs. Her unbound hair blew over her face and plastered itself to the skin.

Where--? She couldn't see much at all until she brought up a hand to swipe the hair out of her eyes. And then she answered herself: the Daphis Iceway. Back on Sargus Novis. During her exile.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius could feel her draw upon the Force, and she seemed to go to a completely different place mentally. It was curious, the state she appeared to be in. It wasn’t necessarily something he’d seen before. Well, that wasn’t entirely true – he’d been in the same type of meditative states when he went into a deep psychometric dive. Wherever she was, he figured she could hear him…

“Good. Breathe, just… breathe…” Cassius said, beginning to slowly walk in a circle around her. “Concentrate on the cold, but don’t let it overtake you. What do you see?” Not only did he need to know her state of mind, but he was also genuinely curious. What had happened to make her so afraid of the cold?

“The first thing you’ll want to do is focus on your center – your physical center,” Cassius continued. “As you breathe in, pour energy into your lungs, as if you want to heat the air. Imagine the warmth you feel while sitting next to a fire, with blankets bundled about you. Now, think of things not so physical… what makes you feel happy? Importantly, who makes you feel happy? Safe? Secure? Warm?”

Hopefully, she would be warming her core, where her vital organs were stored. Granted, while the important stuff was in the center, one also didn’t want to lose any extremities…

“The warmth you’ll feel… start to spread it out, like it’s warm water from a bathtub. Feel it flowing down past your shoulders, to your elbows and knees, and finally, to your fingertips and toes.”

[member="Eustachya"]