Back Where It All Began

[Connor Harrison]

Connor knew it sounded ridiculous, and it was. He didn’t know why they got on so well, him and Keira, but they just seemed to feed each other with the challenges and confrontation they needed to stay on the side of good and improve their own ability as a Jedi and person.

But her bubbly shout broke the mood, and Connor had to look hard to identify the waterfall she pointed out. It did LOOK like mist, quite heavy. Was she right? He squinted and walked forward, but she was already running down the other side towards it.

Looking back to Theed behind them, Connor shook his head at her energy and set off after her,

The grass was light under his feet and the ground soft, the green hill rolling gently towards the forest lip and the high mist. There was a few times he felt a gently spray of water – it meant the girl was right, with the closer they got to the waterfall.

"I take it you’ve been here before?"

He slowed and followed in a brisk walk, parting low hanging leaves and moving through the forest as they arrived at it.

"It’s places like this I could stay for hours and lose myself in thought and meditation."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"All the time!" She replied, slowing up to walk beside Connor. "It's a quiet place. I've never seen anyone else here." Jamie shrugged. "Maybe it's luck, or maybe people have more important things to do than investigate waterfalls." Another shrug and a bob of the head. "Either way, it works for me!"

There was a small path that had been made from Jamie's constant trek through the woods. Some of the grass was matted from the water trapped beneath her shoes as she'd walked back and forth time after time. Branches were pulled back and cleared of the walkway. Leaves were conveniently scattered away. Jamie had been here a lot.

"I made this pathway. I suppose if anyone was looking for an easy way, this would be it. I already did the work for them." She laughed, stepping beneath a low hanging tree branch that was far too large to break or relocate. "It gets pretty loud at the falls, the water almost sounds like thunder." She explained, guiding Connor through the path like some kind of tour guide.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

This was like the Isolated Gardens - a little cooler, a little darker, a little more...isolated. He took slow footsteps across the soggy ground, sidestepping shallow puddles and ducking low vines.

"A secret garden?" Connor smiled."I hope I'm not keeping you from anything, I feel like I've already taken you away from the celebrations and wasted your time with sightseeing when you should be riding rides and having fun."

The water WAS getting a little louder, but it was the sound of nature, and thus the sound of the Force. Connor didn't mind at all. He looked through as they cleared the path to catch a glimpse of the falls. The sight teased him - it was amazing, and it didn't look real.

"Well...wow."

Hands went to his hips, and he stood in awe at the raging sight before him. He felt miniscule before Mother Nature's work.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie swatted her hand lazily towards Connor in response. "Don't be silly! This is just as exciting to me! I love this place, and sharing it makes it all the better!" She smiled warmly, pulling Connor along closer towards the raging falls. The edge was solid rock, barren of grass, stable. It would take substantial shifting or effort to destabilize centuries of water-crafted rock and stone. Jamie looked over the edge as the mist and air rushed upwards, leaving small droplets on her cheeks and forehead. Laughing she pointed down towards a tiny little rock near the bottom that was actually much larger when at the basin. "That right there leads inside a cave. The water is only about waist deep because it is slightly higher, so the water rushes out instead of in, unless there's a flood or something. I can show you that when we get down there, but it's a bit of a trek."

The whitewater rapids that rushed over the edge of the falls captivated Jamie. The blonde could sit and stare at the sight for hours on end just watching it pour over and pool into the basin. Animals would occasionally feed nearby on the opposite side where the forest was much denser. "In the winter season a portion of the falls freeze, and it looks even more beautiful, though it gets quite cold."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

"We - "

He didn't have chance to say anything, and she was off again, dragging him to the next point, nearly falling over his own feet in the damp ground. She was talking, and he had to strain to hear over the raging rapids. Coming beside her, he narrowed his eyes, feeling the moisture coating his face and followed her line of sight, nodding.

"Jam - "

She moved again. He sighed and rolled his eyes, before carefully edging forward to be close to her and hear what she was saying. The beauty of Naboo was certainly a risky thing to see. Why couldn't they stand at the bottom, by the fields, or at the city edge? Then again, they wouldn't get this rush and thrill of nature at it's finest!

Jamie stopped. So did he.

"Where are you taking me? Some Jedi cavern you've made your own you want to show me? "

He smiled, wiping the moisture from his face and slicking his fringe back that was dangling down.


"You never imagine places like this exist when you're standing on the wreckage of a Star Destroyer on the sun-baked plains of Jakku. This is what the Force is all about. Nature. Living. It's beautiful."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde laughed when she finally stopped, shaking her head.

"No, silly. There's no Jedi cave here on Naboo. At least not one I've found yet."

Wouldn't that be exciting to find! A secret Jedi lair! She would likely be famous for a find like that! Jamie listened to him speak of this other world and massive ships that were left to the sands of time, as well as salvagers. "Follow me!" She said, though explained very little as to what she was about to do, simply expecting the older man to tag along.

Turning so that she faced Connor Jamie crawled slowly over the edge of the cliff, stomach pressed against the stone as she felt for each foothold in the aged rock as she slowly lowered herself down. It was apparent she had done this a time or two in the past, though to any sane person it might look like certain death.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Turning back to look where they had come from, it was like they were starting to make their way into the bowels of Naboo itself. From a simple Theed parade to lost popcorn and a gash on the head, to now near enough spelunking – he couldn’t have predicated this. Connor lowered his head for a second, slicking his hair back now damp with moisture from the water in the air.

"Lead on."

Looking up, Connor watched her intricate footwork over the cliff, wincing a little at the daredevil in her taking such a risk. He let her move down more before he hesitantly stepped out, feeling with his boots for a secure hold and spent a good minute using his hands to suss the strength.

"Give me strength."

He looked down, seeing her making good progress, and so followed.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The water rushing past the two just a few feet away made conversation a bit difficult at the best, and nearly impossible at the worst. A steady spray of mist would quickly engulf and dampen the two as they made their descent further down the face of the gorge. The water was cold, having runoff the mountain peaks far above, but it was some of the most pure one might find, untainted by industry or pollution. The blonde looked up a few times as she scaled lower to ensure Connor was doing alright. She had climbed back and forth a number of times, and so had a good recollection of where the safest places to place one's feet and hands, making the climb a bit less risky.

Still, a person would be wise to watch for moist rocks where a hold could give way. "About halfway!" She shouted as loud as she could, hoping Connor could hear her. A time or two she felt her feet slip from the rock, but was able to quickly regain her grip. A few times she looked down to the watery pool below, ensuring that they were on track to reach the platform at the basin. "Not much further!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor near enough mirrored her feet and hand positions. Slow and steady, and like he was taking a shower fully dressed. While he had scaled a waterfall before, once, years ago, it wasn’t anything like this on a world and with a person he didn’t know.

Glancing over to find her in his sight, she was making good progress, and he couldn’t hear her but saw she was saying something. Watching her posture, the Jedi made sure to feel his was carefully to gauge the stronger holds and not where the water and weather had eroded away the grip.

What if this was some nasty little honey-trap? No, of course it wasn’t. Was it?

Luring a Jedi away from public view, into a place hidden away, for what? Kidnap? Murder? Was she some rogue agent? Was she acting on behalf of someone had had scorned before?

That was called “paranoia” – never used to just following a stranger across a beautiful world. He looked at everything and worried about anything.

They were descending, and the only thing Connor thought about was how the hell were they going to get back up?

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The last few feet to the platform the blonde let herself free fall. A small splash sent droplets of water outwards as her feet hit the puddle that had accumulated from the constant mist and surrounding water. While she waited for Connor to reach the platform Jamie knelt down and dipped her hands into the cold water, rinsing them clean of the dirt and mud from the climb. Pulling a clasp from her pocket the girl went about tying back her hair to keep it away from her face and from sticking to her neck and cheeks.

"There!" She'd shout to Connor over the roaring of the waterfall just mere feet away once he'd reached the rock platform. "See it behind the falls? It's enormous inside!" She hadn't explored the entire thing yet, there were far too many passageways to traverse them all, and being so incredibly dark she worried about getting lost inside for days. With company though, maybe it wouldn't be as dangerous.

"Come on!" She yelled again, tugging on his hand as she leaped through the wall of rushing water, thus immediately drenching her from head to toe in cold liquid. "The faster you go the less wet you'll be!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded - well, half nodded, half shook the water from his face as he neared the platform below. How had she not died yet doing this alone? Her blurry figure started to move away, and so Connor edged along once...twice...and then he pushed his feet down and out to leap across. A near perfect landing were it not for the crumbling foothold that caused him to stumble forward.

That would have cost him points if this was a gymnasts landing.

Wiping his brow with the sodden tunic sleeve, he rolled them back up and walked forwards, hands on hips, taking his time. He was worn out, which was unlike him, but this was something he wasn't ready for. Connor glanced up at the majestic waterfall and around at the enclosved cavern they seemed to be in.

"I'm sorry for being slow," he called, "but the Theed fair seemed a little boring so I wanted to take my time climbing waterfalls with a mysterious girl."

So he looked back along the way, not rushing despite her eager shouts.

"You need to go on a holiday I think! Take a break," he shouted, finding it hard not to smile at her infectious enthusiasm.

And he couldn't help be a little enthusiastic too, and so started a slow jog to catch her up.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"If you take too long you'll miss out on so many more things in life!" She let out a small bit of laughter that echoed off of the cavern walls into the distance, traveling for what could be miles before it dispersed entirely. The thunderous roar of the waterfall behind them would begin to slowly die down the further into the darkness they wandered. A hand dragged along the smooth stone that made up the wall, feeling each divet and crevice. A light sloshing beneath her feet could be heard as each step pressed down on drenched boots. "Ack." She halted her pace, stepping in place with each foot. "Water got inside." If there was one thing she hated it was walking in wet shoes!

"Just a moment." Jamie took a seat on the cool ground, fiddling with the laces of each boot before managing to free herself from the soggy footwear and socks before remembering that Connor had mentioned going on holiday. "As a kid I never left Naboo. Not even once. I guess that allowed me to kind of find my own way of keeping entertained." Tucking each sock into the respective boot the blonde then stood back up.

"Okay! Now we can go. I'll grab them on the way out."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor reached Jamie while she was de-watering her boots, sploshing out onto the ground. He looked down at his own, and there wasn’t much water inside actually – the perks of well-made and tightly fitted footwear. Perfect to keep out water (mostly), sand, dirt and other loose terrain and elements that came his way.

"I recommend having a look out there," he said as he joined her when she stood. ”There are some magnificent places out there full of areas to traverse like this for adrenalin junkies like you. One day I’ll take you to the desert world of Jakku and race you to the top of a downed Star Destroyer skeleton.”

He looked at her and gave a nod.

"You’ll have sand in your boots for sure then."

And remembering her first comment, one that people often said to him, he walked on and held his finger up to silence her.

"And I have lived plenty thank you. Seen lots of strange things. Don’t let the grey hair fool you – this is Force manipulation, not age The amount of people who think I’m older than I am."

He shook his head ever so slightly – his old acquaintance, Jedi Master Seraphina Shel’tah, was the one who got under his skin most about THAT particular topic.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh it wasn't for lack of desire. It just wasn't allowed." She said, ducking down beneath a portion of the low ceiling. "Until recently my life was pretty set and structured. I mostly took it upon myself to leave, when Keira offered to teach me." If that hadn't happened she would very likely still be on that path set before her by her parents. It was a tip of fates that Jamie took head on with enthusiasm. She could hardly repay Keira for that.

The rock beneath her feet was certainly cold, though it was by far more comfortable than feeling the sloshing of water beneath her feet every step of the way. "Sand is easy enough to be rid of. Water has to dry. Much worse I think." It seemed like everyone she met had been to some kind of desert world. Jamie wondered what the draw was to these incredibly hot, barren wastelands that everyone seemed to be in love with.

"My boyfriend is from Tatooine. He likes that kind of dry heat desert life."

Force manipulation? She wondered. Does the Force age people faster? Strange. "You can never live too much! Careful of the stalactites! They are many in this area."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was like Jamie knew the stalactites were a hazard to Connor as he swerved for a low hanging one as they moved into the cavern, the cool air and surface of the rock immediately sweeping over him compared to outside.

"A boyfriend? Surely there can’t be anyone who can keep up with you? He deserves a medal."

Connor wandered to the side, brushing damp hair back again and ran his hand across the cool surface and down to the ground, feeling the contours and the energy in the elements under his fingers. The Force thrived around them.

"Everyone has a path to walk, and there is nothing to say what path it is, and I can believe that Kiera certainly made it clear there is more out there than a life of politics and governments."

He stood and ambled along to her.

"So you have a boyfriend and want to dabble in the Force. Can you see where that path may lead you?"

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie laughed, the echo of her voice tumbling from wall to wall as it traveled along into the distance beyond. "Believe it or not I'm the reserved one in that relationship. He's far more daring than I, I just happened to be comfortable with this after years of coming here." Kurt was far more adventurous in the dangerous sort of way. He'd been a podracer, a military pilot, and lived his life on Tatooine. Any one of those paths was far more threatening to one's life than a quiet nobility on Naboo.

"I'm not sure where I am going." She said, a bit of carelessness to her voice. "I just want to learn, experience, and live."

As the two rounded the corner the blonde paused, squinting her eyes just a bit before placing one hand on Connor's chest to stop him from continuing. With one foot the girl inched forward to feel where the incline began. "Yea, it's here." She said, gesturing in the near total darkness to the massive incline in front of them. "It's very steep here, it goes down this way for about two kilometers." She stepped forward, hearing the damp rock beneath her feet lightly crunch and give. "Don't slip, at the bottom it's either very muddy, or it will be partially flooded. Best not to get your whole body drenched if it's not necessary."

The blonde stepped forward, her bare feet feeling her way down the slope at a slow pace.

"I'm not sure what causes it to flood, but the water is very bitter cold."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Walking forward as much as her palm allowed him to the incline, Connor pushed his sleeves up again and gently bit on his tongue as he craned over to look down into the darkness. He could hear the echo of the water around them coming up from below so it wasn’t a bottomless a cavern, but he couldn’t see anything.

And Jamie, as reckless and adventurous as she appeared, lead the way inch by inch down the incline. Side-stepping was one way, but there was really only a good way of getting down something like this with enough power to stop yourself or brace for a surprise landing.

Connor sat on the edge, a few inches away from Jamie and edged forward, knees up and boots on the ground acting as brakes. Each foot that went up, he slid a little more, hands by his side also acting as a brake.

The incline was dry and offered little grip, but there was no apparent danger.

"I’ll see you at the bottom, Tipsy."

Connor smiled to himself and made quick work with his feet, turning on his left thigh so he slid a little faster down the incline, hands out and heel scuffing the rock to ease the speed.

The darkness swallowed him up, and seconds as his vision adjusted from the light above to the shadier interior, the glistening bed of mud and water greeted him, and Connor winced, sticking his boot out and forward as he impacted on the ground at the bottom of the wild rock slide.

A thick squelch, and a couple of inches into the cold mud, Connor stopped. The left of his lower body and arm coated in the cold, wet slime. With a sigh, he shook his head and stood, feet sinking in a little and pulling the clothes stuck to his flesh.

He turned to the silhouette of Jamie coming down to the cavern and pointed to the ground.

"Bit muddy here. Watch it.” The sarcasm in his voice was evident.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie watched as Connor glided himself all the way down to the bottom, shaking her head as he used the incline as a makeshift slide, knowing full well that he was about to find himself knee deep in thick, heavy mud. On the other hand she would take her time, not simply because she was afraid of getting muddy, but because she'd removed her boots, thus anything that could potentially be jagged along the ground would make for a terribly long and deep cut if she simply slid over it on the way down.

"Be there in a minute!" She shouted from where she was.

Shuffling step by step down the cavern was a slow process, with little in the way of things to maintain one's stability, but with a steady pace and a few additional minutes she made it to the bottom, stepping lightly into the mess of watery soil beneath her feet. In the darkness Connor could perhaps see the uncomfortable expression appear on her face as she sunk into the mush. Into her pocket her hand went, to pull out a small datapad which she fumbled with for a few seconds until suddenly a bright flash of light sprung to life, illuminating the area around them. "Flashlight app!" She said with a smile, shining the beam outwards and down the muddy tunnel.

"Shall we?" Walking would be uncomfortably slow for her, given the depth of the mud and the thickness of it. "I wonder what's down here..."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Hands on hips, waiting, Connor in mild amusement at the app. He'd never heard of it. With a sweeping gesture, he indicated the way forward in the dank, but large cavern, now illuminated for them pair.

"What, you mean you've never been in here? So this is the unknown for you?"

The mud clung to his boot and leg with each slow, heavy step.Only the sound of their hindered footsteps could be heard, with the occasional grunt from a clearly un-impressed Jamie Pyne. Connor turned and held out his hand.

"And all this because I wanted somewhere peaceful to teach you how to heal yourself. I get the feeling I've bitten off more than I can chew with you."

Glancing around the cavern, he continued, the hand there if she needed it for balance and grip.

"So tell me, how did you and your other half meet? Did you drag him into swamp caves too, or am I lucky to have that honour when I was happy enjoying a parade on land?"

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Never been this far down, no." She was brave, sure, but she certainly wasn't stupid. Traversing something like this was no task for a person alone. If she'd found herself somehow trapped or caught on something, it was likely that nobody would ever find her. Having someone brave enough to follow along was something new. Or maybe Connor was just as out of his mind as she was when it came to this kind of thing. The further the two wandered in the dark the higher the mud rose until it settled just beneath her hips. "Maybe." She said with a laugh. "Most people aren't crazy enough to follow me down here."

"With mud this deep the water must find its' way in here pretty regularly." Up ahead was a small cone of light that cast down on what looked to be some kind of stonework. "There! Up ahead is light." Likely the result of a hole in the stone ceiling from above piercing through the cavern. "Oh, and how I met him? That's....Quite a story. The short version is that my parents had him arrested for suspecting he had kidnapped me, when in fact we hadn't even met yet. Some things happened and we ended up finding one another by sheer coincidence."

[member="Connor Harrison"]