All that glitters is not Aurum.

[Lief]

The Galactic Alliance.

Asha could not help but frown at the mention of that particular Galactic Power, but then again she took issue with almost every single one of them to some degree. The battles and the bloodshed and the wars were all things Jericho had kept her away from, even though he himself had found cause to participate in more than his fair share, and yet even with that in mind Asha had always seen the fallout from such. Been there to help the refugees, the orphaned children, the wounded. Even before her time as a Je'daii, though much more so since.

Aurum was a testimony to the worst the Galaxy had to offer, if Armaud had been here just a couple of years back he would have found the land wrought with scars - some of which still remained - and the City desolate and in ruins.

"The heart of the City is clean, but to be fair there are plenty of areas which are still in development. When our Order first returned to this planet we found it had been ravaged, our people slaughtered in a horrifying fashion, and the City in ruins. The smaller population has allowed us to focus on the core, but naturally there are plenty of districts which remain a construction site. Only so much we can do at once, even with funding. I've seen the blueprints for the City, but I've only walked through a couple of the sectors myself."

The men and women who had lived through the Vong attack were grateful to have even a partially functioning City to call home. Festivals had been thrown, prosperity had returned to them and those who had been brought over from Bakura, but the more they grew back into the civilization they had once been, the more of those projects they'd be forced to complete. All in due course.

She realized, after a few moments and a quick sip of the stew, that she had inadvertently made mention of the Je'daii. She mentally kicked herself for that, it was nice to not talk about such things for a time even if being one of them was such an integral part of who she was.

"What is Sulon like?" she queried, genuinely curious, "Perhaps I shall have to visit it some day."

[member="Armaud Eden"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

His brow furrowed as he cupped the bowl in his hands. The mention of war, slaughtering, ruins - it was an unfortunate component of the universe they lived in. Some would say that it was a necessity of war and expansion, that all growing came with pain. War-hawks within the Alliance, militant Jedi who had taken to directly confronting the darkside - their words. Maud had never claimed to be wise but he also had no time for their hypocrisy. Every adventure or chance to travel was an opportunity to get away from it all.

To see what war had done to these places.

"It is...home." He smiled warmly from the rim of the bowl, taking to sipping the stew before he set it down. "I was raised there for most of my life. As a moon to Sullust, it deals with constant drought concerns due to its proximity to a molten planet. But we have restored numerous tap trees and with my uncles planning, we have retrofitted a number of the aquaducts." He shrugged. "It was a desert once, now it's a slightly more temperate desert. Patches of forest here and there, ravines extending out from the tap tree. Most of the action revolves around Baron's Hed..."

He loved Sulon as much as anyone could love a home that was forced on them. But his heart rested in the woods and the mountains, and there was little of each on the once desolate moon. The culture was something else, lending itself towards commerce that was dictated almost entirely by bartering. While they had the means now, once upon a time bartering and dumpster diving was the best way to produce goods for repairs. It made for an enjoyable stroll through the market.

"You should definitely visit. And not just there, but anywhere that you haven't been before..." A million worlds across the galaxy, a life could be wasted if not spent breathing new air on a daily basis. "We should go somewhere in the city that you've never been before. That sounds like fun."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

"Sometimes the harshest of environments bring about the greatest innovators... Your uncle sounds like a smart man."

Asha had visited a great many planets over the years, such was to be expected of course with a Father like hers, and there had been so many communities who suffered through their norms, who refused to take action to better their state due to a mindset of this is how things have always been, and so it's how it should be. Adaptation was key to survival. On the other end, of course, there were those who had everything already. Progress was just as slow for such because a lack of strife made innovation less of a necessity. Why mess with the status quo if it works?

For a moment she merely mused on it all, idly spooning the contents of the stew to satiate her grumbling stomach. It wasn't until he spoke again that she drew herself back from her thoughts with a soft smile.

"Oh, there are plenty of worlds I wish to visit. Plenty I have seen, but so many more that I've never even heard of much less stepped foot on. I try not to see the same world twice, though it seems as though Aurum is the outlier." And Korriban, apparently, though [member="Jericho"] had studied that planet so frequently that she knew it like the back of her hand. "Exploration, adventure... There is so much to see and learn, so many cultures. It would be a shame to not even try to see as much as I can."

At the mention of heading somewhere new in the City that smile grew into a grin.

"That does sound like fun. Is there anything specific you need while you're here? We can tend to that on the way through if you do."

[member="Armaud Eden"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

His uncle being a smart man, Maud pondered that compliment for a moment. Gabe didn't feel like a particularly smart man but more persistent. Like if he hit a wall at full force, he didn't have the sense to go around it. He'd just spend hours groping his way up the vertical face until enough divots were eroded away to get proper foothold. Not that his Uncle was without particular talents, it just seemed like he often preferred to languish in hitting his head against things.

"You and I are of a similar mind then..." Not about Gabe being smart. "I tend to get cabin fever when I'm stuck in a place too long. So much to see, so much to do. I've never been a fan of wasting time."

He was nearly done with the liquid contents of the stew, proceeding to picking at the softened vegetables with the spoon. The flavoring was good and he had no reason to believe that the meat wasn't wild caught, but he felt filled to the brim with red meat. He'd be content for the next few days to consume nuts and greens, beans and sprouts.

"I'm not one for particulars." He returned with a smile, eyes drifting to the bag that rested against the back of his chair. "Establishing routes for trade was the vague description of my mission. But things change so quickly, I hardly doubt it's of concern any more. How about..." Verdant gaze returned back to hers, emerald warmed by charm of the hut "Let's start at the market, the more eccentric the better. See if I can peddle off some of these rocks I've brought. And then we can go from there?"

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

"You and I both. I have never really felt a connection to any specific world, though, I wasn't exactly born or raised on one, so I suppose traveling is in my blood."

By this point the stew had been well and truly devoured. Rising up from her chair she took her bowl over to a basin in one corner of the room and set it inside, fully intent on getting to it later. Usually Asha would clean up after herself immediately, but the hut - for all its cooling abilities - was already beginning to get a little too stifling for her.

Azrael had come to completely at this point, no doubt sniffing out the food, so she took some of the leftover meat that had yet to be cooked up and placed it in his bowl. He'd grown quite fond of the fresh things she brought home. Sometimes the silly cat would even snatch produce from her garden, wolfing it down before she could notice, but it never ended too well when he did that. He only had a small stomach, after all.

Once she was done, and her hands had been thoroughly cleaned, she returned to the table where her guest was finishing up his own meal. Slipping into the chair she glanced his way as he came up with a sort-of battleplan, to which she could only nod.

"Then we'll want the Lower City market. The ones closer to the Palace are a little more extravagant but in a more mundane sense. Regular old riches. The Lower City though? That's where the local's work truly shines."

From there? Well, there was plenty of the City she had yet to explore. Maybe they could just let their feet guide the way, as opposed to their mental sense of direction.

[member="Armaud Eden"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

His eyes lit up at the mention of the different locations of the market. "The Lower City Markets, huh?" His eyebrows raised as he cupped his hands around his chin, scratching at the beard that was having some obvious difficulties growing in. He liked the sound of such place, it had an allure to it that appealed to the very fibers of his being. Not that he had any sort of preference towards whether something was upper or lower, but more that it seemed to get the meat of things.

Not the pale veneer of something hiding in plain sight, but the true heart of a place. And, speaking of meat...

He set his eating utensil down on top of the bowl, indicating that he was finished, and interlocked his fingers on the table. "That settles it, then. We'll start there and we'll dabble in a bit of bartering. See what sort of trouble we can get into."

Baubles, rocks, rare plants and all sorts of trinkets. One could make their days need in simple wandering at the market, acting as courier between vendors and filling whatever needs they may have. And while that idea seemed to work well with Maud's intent, it would be secondary affect. He was going largely for the act of discovery. And, obviously, making new friends.

"I'm ready to go, whenever you are." His eyes drifted to the cat, expecting that their timetable might also depend on him. He wasn't looking to impose on cleanup duty, knowing that some people had preferences in how things were washed. But soon enough, it would be afternoon, and he hated the idea of the morning escaping them.

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Aurum, The Outer Rim Territories // Asha's Hut​

Heading Out To Azar City // With [member="Armaud Eden"]​

♫ // Yes, there are two paths you can go by​

But in the long run​

There's still time to change the road you're on​

______________________________________________________________​

"Oh, I haven't bartered in so very long," she said, with a slight hint of longing to her tone, "Not since Midvinter, I reckon..."

That had been a glorious visit, not only because she got to meet with the famed Thurion Heavenshield, a man who was her Uncle in all but name, but also because of its vibrant culture and welcoming natives. She had spent quite some time in Fridheim, exploring its people, walking through its markets, exchanging possessions and time for wares. It wasn't something she was inherently good at, but on a world where it was the only form of 'currency' she'd had to make do.

By comparison, Aurum had an economy based around credits. How far they would get on a more archaic system Asha could not tell - but she was excited and nervous to find out.

Seeing that he was finished she carefully added the leftover meat into Azrael's bowl, the cat was honestly not that fussy when it came to meat and would eat it cooked if he had to, before settling the bowl atop the other in the makeshift sink where they were left to soak.

"Let me fill up a canteen, and then we should be good to go. Do you have water of your own? It's a little bit of a walk til we'll reach the city."

Whether he did or did not she sorted out the drinks and then stepped toward the doorway. Azrael looked up, and then went back to eating, apparently content to remain behind. In response she propped the door open just enough that he could squeeze through, without any of the larger wild animals of Aurum taking advantage, and then they were off down the path that led deeper into the forest.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Walking had never bothered him. And while he did have his own water, the truth was that he often didn't need it for long walks. The forests, unlike barren open lands, provided ample shade to prevent dehydration. On top of that, the woods seemed to provide a decent breeze, cutting idly through the understory.

He stood up, slinging his satchel over his shoulder, and pulled his walking staff to his side. The traces of blue metallic veins in the wood shined subtly as he ran his calloused hands along the surface. Peaking an eyebrow as the fire-haired woman propped the door open for the cat, he squeezed by and sauntered slowly through the mid-thigh ferns.

"I'll make do." He responded confidently. Though where his confidence originated, it was hard to tell. Maud had gotten lost numerous times, admittedly on purpose, and found himself without water. Tapping trees, slurping off condensation or rain water from waxy leaves, or drinking straight from the swamp or puddles. His body, along with his connection to the force, gave him a formidable resistance to sickness and illness. But even thinking about that swamp made him queasy, spending a day and a half retching the black water back up.

"It's rare to find others who enjoy walking and taking their time." He confessed openly, looking towards the slivers of sun breaking through the tall pines. "It's nice." A stamp at the ground with his stick proceeded a slow trudge through the thickets as he moved towards Azar City.

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Aurum, The Outer Rim Territories // Asha's Hut​

Heading Out To Azar City // With [member="Armaud Eden"]​

♫ // Yes, there are two paths you can go by​

But in the long run​

There's still time to change the road you're on​

______________________________________________________________​

With just the one canteen to fill, Asha made light work of that task, and before they knew it the hut was at their back.

As predicted Azrael lingered behind, happy to explore the garden which was beginning to flourish, and spend a lazy day both in the sun and in the cool shelter of their home. He was a fat cat at heart, even if his outward appearance tried to claim otherwise.

"Too many seem to get caught up in the rush of life and duties," she responded, breathing in some of the sweet, fresh air, "I know for some it's a daily fight for survival, but even those who can afford to enjoy a few quieter moments rarely do. Life has become fast paced. But I never bought in to all that."

She likely had [member="Jericho"] to thank, because while he'd had duties to tend to, and their two person family to keep afloat, he'd always made time to enjoy the places they stopped off at, to provide her with insight, and intrigue. Life was as much about the journey as it was the destination.

"Of course, I'm fortunate enough that I don't have to worry so much about the intrinsic things. I've learned to live mostly by what I have, what I can procure, I'm not tied down to a job" - unless you classed her duties within the Je'daii, which while they may not have paid still provided her with other benefits - "Besides... I couldn't imagine not enjoying the walk down to the City. I'm... Not a huge fan of such busy spaces; the last thing I want to do is get there any faster than I must."

That last statement had her grin, partially a joke with just a hint of sincerity. Asha couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like had she been born on a world, born into a system which was stacked against her, rather than raised by a nomadic Father who instilled that independence and free-spirited nature within her.

But truth be told, it wasn't the kind of thought she wanted to sour her day, so she dropped it as quickly as it came and pressed on through their jungle surroundings, along a path forged by foot-traffic alone.

"What do you do? When you're not off seeking trade routes?"

 

[Armaud Eden]

He was happy to not be afflicted with duties or responsibilities. Perhaps he had tasks that seemed to mimic such notions, but the truth was that it was far removed. Coming to this place to establish trade routes, for instance, may have just been his mothers way of getting him out of her hair. Or maybe she sensed something coming and needed him extracted from the potential distractions. Either way, he was as close to vagabond as possible - while still maintaining some form of mission.

For him, it was simply to wander.

"It's important..." He injected amidst the conversation of being rushed. "To stop and smell the roses."

Maud wasn't raised in a place like Azar City. He wasn't born amidst the stars or in some metropolis, he wasn't reared in the hull of a ship - coursing through the galaxy. He knew a simple life, in a homestead, surrounded by family and removed from most conflict. While he found a way to cause trouble were he could, at the end of the day, he had been fairly sheltered. And for some, that would have left them unstable and unsociable. But for him, through reading and studying the minutia of life through the crypsis of a butterflies wing or the variegation of a plantain leaf, he had discovered a hunger for things that he had never known.

A nostalgic romanticism with the exotic.

"I rather like busy places." He admitted with a smile, recalling the way the streets of Baron's Hed teemed with activity during the weekend market sales. So many people to watch, so many stories to conjure. He quirked an eyebrow at her question, smirking with a scratch of his chin scruff. "Not off seeking trade routes..." He purred the words, as if the question was nonsensical, like he would spend his time doing anything else. "I inspect shiny baubles. Climb mountains..." The edges of his lips lowered, as if frowning, but he was simply thinking. So much so that he nearly tripped over an unearthed root, though he recovered nimbly and proceeded as if nothing had happened. "I look for new species. I talk with people, I watch them. I meditate. Contemplate life and all that."

He nodded as he bypassed a tree. Though how much of that was literal or metaphorical, it might have been hard to tell. He couldn't count the hours spent hunched over, inspecting the fractures of a broken quartz. "You?"

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

"Indubitably," the young woman agreed, grinning at his choice in words; it seemed as though her companion had a way with concise-yet-flavourful words, where she was more prone to waffling statements that were, more often than not, irritably cyclical in nature. Truth be told it was not often these days that she had much in the way of company, much less company she could hold a meaningful conversation with, even belonging to the Je'daii, and seeing the faces from the Order that she did, Asha remained a little more aloof and reserved than most, coming out only when needed and traveling most of the other time.

Maud, it seemed, was much too easy to talk to.

"After being on a ship with just one other person for most of my life, I guess the solitude rubbed off on me." Most of the time, even though [member="Jericho"] had never left her for more than a couple of days at a time, Asha had been left to her own devices, permitted to explore the strange worlds they visited, encouraged to be independent, and find her own way. It made sense then that she had gravitated toward the quieter places, the wilds of those foreign lands, to discover what made them unique, the unusual inhabitants they housed in the way of flora and fauna. Cities? They were much too noisy, filled with the wrong kind of stimuli. More often than not Asha would find herself disoriented, and on the verge of sickness, if she remained for too long.

Of course, an afternoon would do no real damage.

"Baubles, you say?" That sounded intriguing, and only made her argument for visiting the lower markets all the more prudent, "And, truthfully? Mostly the same. Explore all that there is to be discovered, though more often than not I remain off the beaten track. Ever in motion. In fact, you found me in one of my rare moments of stoicism. Had you visited Aurum even just a week ago, or a few days in the future, I likely would not have been here."

Not that it would have made much of a difference to him directly, he had not come in the hopes of meeting some random forest-dwelling woman. No, it was the city which he strove toward. And it was that same city that could now be seen through the trees up ahead, a faint shimmer of white set against their verdant surroundings. Already she could sense the myriad of lifeforms which made up its populace, and in response she drew in a tender breath and set her mind at ease.

After all, it was not her first time in Azar City, and it would certainly not be the last.

"There she is," Asha breathed, gesturing to the hint of the city they were presently nearing. Quite the contrast, indeed.

[member="Armaud Eden"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

"Well I imagine that makes me fortunate..." He replied confidently. "To catch you so stoically...Fate, you think?" He pressed the question, in response to her being there at the same time as he, and he thought casually on the subject. In some ways, the universe felt entirely random and without true purpose. But if he dwelt on it for too long, sauntering into the often unused parts of his brain reserved for analytics, he might wonder what the odds were of them meeting in the woods as he chased an animal that had stolen his goods. The odds seemed astronomical...

He let out a whistle as they came in view of the city, though he saw it on his inbound flight. That and the scars left by former force wounds, though that still remained unexplained his mind. He fashioned the city as some sort of romanticism towards the environment, the constructors doing their very best to meld the city into the surrounding forestry. Large buildings, likely complexes for government, commerce, or religion were erected in offset pyramids constructed of gun tinted durasteel or blanched duracrete. Between the buildings, duracrete walkways painted in grey sandstone connected the facilities and gave some semblance of traffic pathways.

He hadn't seen much of flying or roaming vehicles but even from afar, the foot traffic was noticeable. He wagered it was a good day to get out and see the world.

Coming into the city, the size of the buildings were deceitful. More wide than tall, polygonal spires erected from the tops like miniature versions of the skyscrapers seen in other more popular metropolitan locations, such as Coruscant. The spires, descending into the meat of the buildings, were covered in lattice frameworks of large panes of glass - where Maud assumed people either worked or congregated. It was hard to tell, given the deep blue tint that the glass had been given.

That settled it, he thought. Definitely for work.

"Oye." A voice echoed out sharply as they approached the fringes of the market. "Lovely staff there, quite lovely. You mind if I hold it?"

"I do." Replied the young man, smiling.

"Ahh, yes. Sentimental value, am I right?" The man pointed to the staff. "How much, would you say, sentimental value is worth?" The man looked out from beneath a haggard hood, eyes of grey were tracing down the staff, paying particular note to the veins of blue and black that seemed to fill once vital weak spots of the grain.

"I'd wager the value is priceless..." Maud retorted as he reached into a pouch. "But I have some seeds and rocks that I'd like to trade."

"No seeds. No rocks. I'm only interested in...relics." The man hunched like he had an eternal wound across the top of his back, but he seemed sincere enough. Reaching into his pocket, he held out a card and Maud took it. "If you change your mind."

Maud nodded and slipped a seed into his mouth as the figure hobbled away. "See..." He looked towards Asha. "Always interesting. He might have some baubles." Maud nodded again, chewing on the seed. "I'd bet on it."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

Fate? Was that what she would call it?

While it was true that Asha was more often than not guided by the whims of the Force, and truly believed that it held a great purpose in leading her through her life, she had never really regarded it so much as fate. Being one who wandered those sacred strands of time, she had seen first hand how the subtlest of changes in the present could alter the course of the future in innumerable ways. There were infinite futures, and nothing was ever set in stone, to believe otherwise removed all sense of autonomy, and that wasn't something Asha could believe in. There was too much chaos in the Galaxy, even if she hadn't seen those strands first hand.

"Fate, or simply luck," she grinned at that, hankering back to their previous conversation on the matter of luck, "or pure coincidence. Either way, I am glad it came to be." Of all those infinite possibilities, this was the one which had been conjured into being. The odds were always stacked against such, and yet it had happened regardless. Truly it was mesmerizing to her.

It was true, as they entered th Azar City, that vehicles were few and far between. Every single building looked virtually brand new, with just very minor signs of age, after all the reconstruction efforts were still ongoing and if they were to approach the lower districts, which was where their feet were leading them, he'd see more evidence of that. The same disaster which scarred the land from the sky had leveled the city and most of the folks within it. Only through sheer hard work in the prior years had prosperity returned, and most of the scattered settlements throughout the world had been forced to reconvene here at its heart. There were a few outliers of course, such as Levia Village, men and women firmly set in their ways, but for the most part it had become a city of refugees.

Togorians, who had been hunted to near-extinction by the God-King of Panatha during some old crusades, roamed freely, a splattering of Umbarans busied here and there, and men and women who fled the First Order's hold of Bakura at the urging of their former governor, made up the main bulk of beings, though over the years more had migrated over as the city grew.

While Maud and one of the street peddlers spoke, Asha let out a soft sigh and glanced around at the not-so-towering buildings. Some were taller, of course, but the majority had been built to a more manageable height initially due to the dwindling population. It had not made sense to rebuild the city to be gargantuan when so few had remained to inhabit it. Those larger ones had only come about after. She could still recall the way it had looked before, all of the devastation which had remained, the sick and malnourished Togorians who clung to the hope that their Queen would return. What a drastic difference there was now.

"Seems like he really liked your staff," she remarked, only now really giving the object a real glance, perhaps there was more to it than there seemed. The lower market, which they had just entered, was the only real buffer between the main city and the slums which had yet to be rebuilt. That was a ghost town, as any who had been residing there had been moved over to the bustling white towers and buildings of the main city at the Queen's behest. Still there were wonders to behold if you were to walk through it, remnants of the past, of how things had been before the Vong.

"I haven't been here in the longest time," she remarked, glancing over each of the stalls in turn. Some held great hand-woven rugs, others glistening jewels of strange hues and different styles, some were stands of hot food, or preserves, honey, and cheeses, and fruits with wonderful aromas. One held piles of dusty old tomes, well-thumbed and raggedy, while another had odd bits and pieces that didn't seem to have a coherent theme. What some might regard as rubbish, while others relics of the past. "I forgot how busy it gets..."

[member="Armaud Eden"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

"I've never liked fate anyway..." He admitted, though it felt like assurance. "Chance seems more fair...or luck." He facially shrugged as he raked chewed fingernails against the side of his jaw. It was all nails and scruff, he hadn't done well to keep up with the appearance of hygiene. Though he knew he was fine as is, most people seemed to worry about appearances. But he wasn't the sort for that. "Aye..." He agreed, the peddler seemed to hone in on the staff. Which caught him off guard, considering that the item looked almost normal.

Maud took in the views of all the vendors, the construction, offering glances to the fire haired woman that stood at his side. "Stay close?" He offered with a smirk. "I don't want to get lost." He had a good head on his shoulders and living in the woods, he had a good sense of direction to boot. And when that failed, dead reckoning to the lone tree in the woods would get him out of a tight jam. The very same that he spotted upon entry, that towered above the rest and showed very little in the way of foliage. Except at the top where a crow nest of spruce stood vigilant, gently drifting in the wind. Nevertheless, if she didn't like busy places, this probably wouldn't have been enjoyable alone.

He approached the first stall, hand-woven rugs of vibrant colors strung from metal rods that swayed in a way form cyclical walls of cloth. Like a maze of complex patterns, Maud looked on in a silent awe. A women walked out, fair skinned and lithe. He couldn't tell if her clothing was the same shade of her skin or simply thin and nearly see through, but the dress seemed closer to gauze than fabric, like she had been adorned in a seine net once purposed for trout in the nearby brook. Glancing at Maud and then Asha, blue eyes fluttered beneath locks of raven hair, as she gestured to the rugs.

"We're having a sale. Every third meter is half off."

"So..." Maud pondered. "Buy five meters and get the sixth free?" The woman nodded and Maud chuckled softly. "Why not just say that then, instead of the other way?"

"I don't know." The woman shrugged and smirked. "Da' ordered the slogan for the day. But free does sound better."

"Hmm." Maud smiled, brushing a hand against a rug of red with gold embroidery and white designs that seemed to show the events leading up to a sparrow building a nest in a hollowed out tree. "It's lovely."

"Thank you. I made that one. Are you interested?"

He shook his head as he looked over. "A forest floor is no place for a thing like that. Thanks." Leaving the woman with a raised brow and confused expression, Maud moved forward, hoping that Asha would keep up. Though, at this point, he felt tethered to her.

"What happened to this place?" He whispered, feeling the subtle hints of darkness that seemed to linger in the cracks.

[member="Asha Hex"]