Ain't That a Kick In The Head

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Gravesen had lost his previous post and was very angry OOC.

He grimaced as the sticky red of his own blood saturated the ground. The familiar bang of his pistol being fired made him, and the Kalaks, shudder. The beast back away into the brambles and continued to hiss and scream. The crimson of their eyes slowly began to fade as they back further into the forest; fear overriding the will to eat. Then, they were gone.

Gravesen looked down at the three leathery corpses at his feet. Black blood oozed from open wounds, and the insides of the closest Kalak had spilled out onto the dead grass. He grimaced, but gave them no comment. Cautiously, he slipped his machete back into its sheathe, and popped the blaster pack out of his rifle. Another quickly replaced it, and the weapon gave a satisfying click.

"I hate these things." He grumbled. The pain coming from his arm was exacerbating, but bearable. Grudgingly, he let his rifle hang from the straps, and went about the tedious task of wrapping a thing strip of gauze around the wound.

He turned to face [member="Una Gal"] as he did this, and let his gaze linger on her attacker. His eyes narrowed partway, and for a moment, all that cold be heard was the slow eerie crackled of the fire's death throes. He breathed a heavy sigh, and gave her a light nudge.

"Nice shot."

 

[Una Gal]

Ear drums still ringing from the deafening screams of the kalaks, Una lowered her blaster to the floor. The red glow of their eyes slowly faded to black as they backed away. She swallowed, hard. Never before in her life had she killed something and it was a strange sensation that for some reason seemed to be growing on her. Exhaling a breath that had been held in for far too long, she let her weight sink back properly against Gravy. She was vaguely aware of the sickening stench of fresh blood and the mumble of his words. Managing to convince herself to turn around and look at the bodies was the worst part.

Her heart skipped a beat. In the moment she had disliked staring through the hole in the kalaks chest. But now the fight was over she couldn't help but feel pride. Spurred on by Gravesen's compliment and his gentle nudge. She turned her head to thank him, but her words caught in her throat. "Y-.. you're hurt." She moved too his side, already she could see the blood soaking through the bandage. "You know, I'm a healer." Her hands hovered over the cut and she winced softly. "I mean, I can't force heal but I do know my way around a cut like this."

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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His heart thumped in his ears and his chest rose and fell at a violent pace. He stole a look about in every direction to sight any Kalaks that might have lingered nearby. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, he saw none. The Rattataki breathed a slight sight of relief, and gave [member="Una Gal"] his full attention.

"I'd be a fool to say no." He grunted. He held his wounded arm out for examination without a moment's hesitation. In the meantime, he continued to scan the bushes and everything in between.

The fire had begun to sputter out for reasons unknown. The dull amber glow was only a fraction of what it had once been, and the inky, absolute shadow of the dark was falling over the makeshift camp once more. Gravesen mumbled a quiet curse to himself, and looked out toward the direction they were supposed to be going. "Would your friends come looking for you? They may have heard the commotion....are you alright?"

 

[Una Gal]

Her long fingers daintily picked the knot he tied in the bandage, quickly undoing it and letting it fall to the floor. The blood surrounding it was already sticky and Una grimaced a little. She stood from her place and held a finger up, pausing his speech for a moment or two. The fresh flowing pool they had made their makeshift camp by would be a perfect source of water. A large bowl shape leaf lay at handily at the side of it. She swooped down with the leaf in hand, scooping up some of the cool fresh water. Turning back she offered him a small smile and lifted it a little. "Might be a little chilly."

The water poured in a gentle stream over his arm, glistening in the glowing embers of the fire. It washed away the blood, leaving a clean, yet quickly oozing wound. It took her less then a second to rip a section of her shirt free from her shirt. "They won't come at night. They will have probably informed the Masters. hey'll wait till sunrise, I guess we haven't got long to go." In all honesty, she didn't know how long they had been here. In quick succession to ripping her shirt, one hand squeezed the small cut together and the other bound it tightly. A thin red line formed through the white material, and Una nodded her head slightly. "There. It should scab over like that now. Less of a scar!" She glanced up to him with a sparkle in her eye and a wide smile.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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Until the morning? How long was that? Gravesen truly had no way of knowing. Roon ran on a completely different time than the Ge'hutuun ever had, and the sun hadn't begun to break over the horizon just yet. He glanced down at the still warm bodies one final time, and simply nodded. There was nothing to be said about it.

"Then we'll wait until then." He assured. He tilted his head to gaze at the woman; then to her handiwork on his arm. To say he was not impressed, would be to lie. He had not expected a Jedi to know much of anything about survival skills--it seemed that he was mistaken.

His brow knit in concentration as the sticky crimson was washed from the gash in his arm. It hurt, but his innate fear of infection evaporated at her touch. The Harbinger locked his gaze on hers, and that tiny slip of a smile formed once more. "I don't mind showing off a few scars." He paused. "...-but thank you, Una. I suppose we should get to moving the bodies our of our campsight then?"

He lofted a brow, and without awaiting her reply, went to the short work of dragging the corpses into a pale a small ways away from the camp. The bandage held, and no further blood spilled from the wood. Despite the violence and the early suspicions, he seemed to have lightened up to some small degree.

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

His smile seemed to brighten hers. He looked different when she could see small dimples forming in his cheeks, even if they were only just noticeable. Glancing her head around the campsite she pushed herself to a stand and nodded. There were only three bodies and the fire was almost completely dead. "I'll collect wood I suppose.." She began to wonder around the edge of the campsite, staying as far away from the dark bushes as possible. She could still feel the fear that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It was just as intense as it was when she knew they were coming. Surprises were worse than facing your fear head on. As she gathered an armful of dry wood and leaves for kindling, she craned her head to look at Gravy.

"I didn't mean to run into you with my speeder before. I was coming past and I saw you and I thought you were... well, something you're not. You stepped out in front of me. I panicked I guess." She lifted her arm to exaggerate the explosion that happened next, accompanied by sound effects.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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Though Gravesen seemed to have his full attention on shifting the bodies, he was listening. He perked up ever so slightly as she shifted to the topic of her crash. Something in the back of his mind was gnawing it him, telling him that it was his fault. Of course, it could always have been the hand of the force. Gravesen had been a staunch atheist until recently, when the Architects showed him just what he could use and control.

He dragged the last bloodied body under an alcove by the pod he had initially arrived in. His eyes narrowed partway as he hefted it onto the other corpses, and a steady frown formed He understood the necessity of death, but he was not a particular fan of it.

"You're fine. That last Kalak would have eaten me if you hadn't watched my back. I suppose we can blame it on the force, or destiny. Something in between, perhaps." He mumbled on. The Harbinger turned to stroll back to the fire, and began to kick the leaves and foilage away from an area that wasn't soaked in slick black blood.

He reached into his bag, and produced a small sleeping bag. It was ragged and worn, but would do the job nicely. With a satisfied smile, he lowered down to sit on it. "Why are the Silver Jedi out here?"

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Dumping her armload of twigs and dried leaves onto the dimming embers, she swooped down to her knees. Already the leaves had begun to catch on fire and burn away as the glowing flame licked away at them. She blew down onto the twigs, half fanning them with the bucket leaf she had used to hold water before. Eventually there was a satisfying crackle and the flames caught, sparking a flame that reached up toward the sky again. She sat back happily, watching the orange glow fill their small area once again. "Well you know, I wouldn't have even been alive if it weren't for you. I would have walked toward the other edge of the forest. I can't imagine what kind of situation I'd be in then." She turned her head to smile at him as she fanned the fire a little more. There seemed to be a sizable pile of spare logs around the campsite, so that would last them a while.

She watched him stretch out the sleeping bag over the floor and stretched herself out in front of the fire. The heat was wonderful and it calmed her muscles from their tense state. "They were here for me. The race was kind of a bet. You cost me a blue milk." Grinning, she tilted her head backward against the floor to look at him from her position.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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Gravesen remained silent for a long, almost uncomfortable moment. His mind had begun to wander off on its own accord. What was he going to actually do when he spoke to Norongachi? What would he do if his plan was rejected? The dark specters of doubt loomed over his mind like a heavy rain cloud; that it is until Una spoke of blue milk and cast a smile his way. He perked up partly, and tilted his head to the right.

"You would have survived. You're resourceful enough." Gravesen stated matter of factly. Still, there was the slightest bit of amusement creeping into his voice. He retained a small slip of a smile, and set his elbows on his knees, staring at the girl.

"And a bet? That's very Un-Jedi like, isn't it?" He asked. the spark of curiosity shone in his eyes, and he leaned forward in turn. A brow was lofted, and his hands fell down to the floor. He took in the heat of the fire, and the odd comfortably the girl's presence gave. "I suppose I can repay you for the milk, too."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

The silence was the worst part. In the silence she could hear every leaf rustle in the gentle breeze. She could hear the fire crackling right by her side. The water running smoothly over its rocky shores. After a few seconds, the thoughts began to rush in. Her mind returned to the gaping hole through the kalaks body. The way the blood pooled around it and drained in a sick river of crimson toward her feet. The skin around on her face still felt warm from the resulting spray. Then that suddenly familiar thirst...

Her eyes closed and in that moment she forced herself to roll over onto her stomach and prop her head upon her elbows.

Returning her focus onto Gravy, she gave him a light smile at his words. Her eyes, catching the light of the orange flame, remained locked onto his as he lent forward. A soft giggle that could barely be heard over the crackle of wood left her throat. "Well, we're hardly going to casinos. It was her round anyway. Just a little bit of fun." The leaves rustled underneath her as she shook her head lightly, but a mischievous grin followed. "Unless that's your way of asking me out for a drink?" She let her eyelashes flutter sweetly.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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The faint flicker of emotion that was surprise drifted across Gravesen's expression. He sat up to his full height as she finished speaking; the leaves crunching beneath him as he gave her his full attention; physically and figuratively.His lips pursed, but no words seemed to be at his disposal. Her expression caught the words in the back of his throat, and there they died, unspoken. It took a large sum of courage to piece together his thoughts before the notion of replying could even be considered.

His hands came down to splay across his sleeping bag, and his pale face darkened to the slight rosy tinge reminiscent of anyone enraptured by the company of another. In short, he was blushing, and his colorless face dramatized that; to his dismay. The first thing he did was cough quietly to himself. Then, he met her gaze over the flickering oranges and reds of the fires.

"That wasn't my intention." He admitted. "But I'm not against it, once we leave the forest. A bit of relaxation would be good. Otherwise I'll get stress marks, and Corellia's Nine Hells forbid that happens." He added. It was all fun and jesting in an attempt to hide just how caught off guard he was, and how embarrassed he was that he had been.

"Where we end up, anyway."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

His facial expressions explained more to her than he did with words. Even in the dim glow she could see the blush making itself apparent on his cheeks. Una gave herself a silent congratulations. Since they first met all she managed to coax out of him was a few short smiles that lasted no longer that a second. This was a definite proof that he did have some kind of emotion and on those rare occasions, he let it be known. Greeting his gaze with a gentle smile and lifted her body up to sit on her knees. It was kind of sweet to watch him like this.

As he spoke she rose to her feet and began to turn in a slow circle, vainly looking for any sign of light that might be breaking over the horizons. Of course, she had no idea which way they were facing, so it could come from any direction. "How formal of you." Turning to face him she placed her hands on her hips and grinned as she shrugged her shoulders. "Not quite what I was hoping for but I'll take it all the same." She was a little restless, she could feel it in her feet as they began to carry her around the fire in a slow circuit. Every so often she would kick foliage into the fire and watch it catch flame then float through the air as ashes caught by the wind.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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Gravesen breathed a heavy, and perhaps unwarranted sigh. A drink? That wasn't something he was particularly knowledgeable in. Sociabilities were fun, of course, and he was a master politician under many accounts, but the company of a woman for what culd only be the beginning of a romantic outlet was completely new. New, and though unwelcomed before, a way to forget the stresses the Architects had placed upon him. It was his duty to unite the galaxy under one banner before it fell under attack by invaders; that was hard enough without any of the galactic powers to back his aims.

The Rattataki pushed up to his feet, and eyed the woman over. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and his head tilted back to stare up through the foliage, and catch the slightest twinkle of the stars breaking through. Far to the east, the dull amber glaze of the sky indicated the sun's awakening. It would be another few hours, but they had survived the worst of the night.

"Apologies. That's not something I'm used to." He tilted his head down to watch her. "But yes, I would like to take you out for a drink when my duties are finished. I need to speak with the leader of the ASA for his support...afterword, I'm open to anything."

He nodded as if that added validity to his words, and began to move the dried sticks into the hungry flames. They grew with each morsel fed to them, and the fire quickly grew into an orange beacon within the heart of the forest. "I'll have to do whatever Norongachi wants of me to secure this little Alliance too."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Her foot work stopped mid-step as he stood up. She remained as motionless as an animal caught half way through eating a meal. Following his gaze, she turned her attention up to the sky and raised a groomed brow. There had been many a beautiful night sky during her travels, but this one seemed particularly intense. It might have been due to the fact that not only a few hours ago Una was under the assumption she was going to die. Then she followed the curve of the planet and she too saw the sun peaking out from its resting place. Her chin remained pointing toward the sky as he spoke and she replied. "Well, forgive me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Her gaze relinquished finally as he began to busy himself around the fire. "So. You need to talk to Salem?" She idly kicked the dirt up from the floor underneath her feet. "You must be very important for Salem to want something to do with you." Her right arm flailed toward the slowly rising sun. "They'll be on their way soon. If anything they'll be here within a few hours."

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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Important?

Gravesen lofted a brow as he finished with his menial task. He circled around the crackling flames to take a position a step or so away from the girl; his hands shoved into the recesses of his pockets. He tilted his head partly to the side and cast his gaze low to the ground. "I wouldn't say important. Just...necessary." He mumble with a slight sense of unease. He had never considered himself important to anything; only a tool in the Architects mission.

His gray eyed gaze rose up to meet hers, and the slight smile that was beginning to grow characteristic of him made itself known. "I just hope he'll listen to me. I've never considered myself the best at public speaking. Not that this would be in front of a crowd. I-" He visibly winced. The man was rambling on, and he knew it. "I need the ASA. Oh, and I'm not uncomfortable." He added quickly. "Just caught off guard. You can use my sleeping bag, if you like."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

Her fringe grazed her forehead as she shook her head quickly. Una couldn't imagine being able to sleep right now. It was like someone had slapped her so hard she was almost afraid to rest her head. Continuing her slow walk around the fire she grunted in response to his words. Una had never been one for public speaking either, but in all honesty she had never had to speak publicly. "You know, I find it helps if you picture the audience naked. But then again, that could be the number one distraction." Her mind drifted off to her lessons with Syn. She liked that image much better than the kalak. Her body felt hot and heavy as she lifted her arm to hold it over the flames.

"Have you ever killed anyone before?" By the way her voice shook as she asked, it was obvious the whole ordeal was affecting her. Una knew it too, but what she couldn't decipher was how it was affecting her. Parts of her felt guilty for taking a life. The other half of her wanted to experience it again. That sensation of everything slowing down, watching things frame by frame. It was almost like she craved it.

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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In truth, Gravesen had expected that question to come. It was on people often asked in a situation like this, and Una looked beyond shaken.

He was not the comforting type. Helping others through a rough time simply wasn't something he thought himself to be good at. It was utterly foreign.

Despite this, he crossed over to the girl. Awkwardly, he set a leatherbound hand on her shoulder. His grip was firm, but not uncomfortable. He was trying.

"A few animals, and a few animals. All were necessary for my own survival." He motioned to the still, sticky pile of of leathery corpses. "Like this. It was necessary."

He suddenly fell silent. Words needed to be said, but they simply would not articulate. His lips twisted into the beginning of a word, and froze in that state. He swallowed heavily, and let his arm fall from her shoulder.

"Don't let it eat you up."






[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

For some reason the weight of his hand on her shoulder made her feel comforted. A weight was lifted off her chest as he began to speak. It was all necessary. But he seemed to be under the assumption she had mostly harbored guilt for killing the animal. She glanced up to him with a confused look gracing her eyes. He was trying to say something. She could see it in the way his lips twitched and his chest stayed motionless. Una did the same for a moment. Then, taking a step forward, she wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him close to her body. If it wasn't for this man, she would probably be dead. True, she wouldn't have crashed her speeder in the first place. But there was no need to make a mountain out of a mole hill. A crashed speeder would be replaced, she couldn't. "Thanks Gravy."

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]

 

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What is sh--"

Gravesen went rigid as her arms slipped around him. The action was far from expected, and his eyes went wide like gray planets as she drew him into her embrace. His head tilted down toward the dusty ground, and his lips pursed as they had before.

Slowly, he mimicked her actions. It only seemed the right thing to do. Not returning hug, and that was surely what it was, would be rude.

His arms had lost all sense, and the precise movements he displayed when battling the Kalaks was replaced by an inexperienced awkwardness. They slipped around her midriff, and simply hung there. His face burned, and he caught the faintest scent of her as they drew closer. He lingered there for the moment; confused and accepting all at once.

The Rattataki swallowed heavily , and cautiously drifted back. His arms fell down to their sides, and his expression shifted into a kind smile.

"Not a problem, Una. I likely wouldn't have made it alone, either." He reassured.

Gravesen wrung his arm, and turned partway toward the sun just breaking over the horizon. The sea of amber and purple that cast over the sky was a stark contrast to the murderous dark that had previously held the land captive. In a way, it represented hope. Hope for the galaxy, and hope for the duo left alone to survive in Roon's wilderness.

"So I suppose we owe each other."

[member="Una Gal"]

 

[Una Gal]

When his arms dropped back to his side, so did hers. Una could tell he felt awkward about the whole situation and in turn that made her feel a little awkward. There was a quick flash of guilt in her eyes as she looked toward him. There was never an intention to make him feel out of sorts in any way. Her eyes followed his gaze, up toward the sky. The beautiful sunrise was the most exciting thing she had seen in her life. At the start of the night she wasn't even sure they would make it out alive. But here they both were, with barely a scratch on them. Her fingers drummed slowly against her forearm as she shuffled her weight.

"Yeah... we make a good team." Una wasn't sure what would happen now. With the dawn rising slowly over the planet she was in two minds. Part of her wanted to return to the Silver Jedi, to feel safe in their protection again. Another part of her didn't want to leave the amazing man she had met today. Perhaps there would be some middle ground in this situation. "So.. what happens now?"

[member="Gravesen Conclave"]