Black Ice [Silver Watch] [PM for invite]

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Well aren't they all a cheery bunch. The idea of being stuck out here isolated on Rhen Var with them was going to be interesting indeed, but the caves have a strange Way about them and Théo could only assume it was this that had the group on edge, and acting .. odd. "Knight Sykes, I can't answer that question", there straight up, "And the only time I had been here before there had been masters and other knights present such anything go .. wrong".

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Boo vanish? Yet his words still hung on the icy cold air. But only seconds later he saw the orange wrist band thing hit the pile of bits and piece Boo was leaving behind him.

"And ... And on that occasion it was a mission for padawans to find their crystals". Théo's eyes looked up to the ceiling as if to find a set of eyes looking down on them, "The cave has a Way, of knowing .. how I have no idea. But I do know that this area in which we are now standing is a neutral zone, if you will. But once you step foot beyond those doors", he pointed to the several entrances into the belly of the crystal caves, "You are, on your own!". Boo was right of course, even if you walked side by side with another, you were alone, depending on what the Caves deemed for you. But what Boo's intention was Théo had no idea for regardless of shrouding in the force or whatever Boo was using to hide himself through, the Caves could 'see' him.

Although tradition sets the custom of removing weapons of physical nature, this was not a normal situation as they are here to locate a darkness so Théo was not going to remove his lightsaber. Yes, the force is their main 'weapon' and could prove a valuable test for them all, but these are strange circumstances and everything was needed for the investigation, their weapons, their ability to work together and their wits. Now, Théo could only assume that Boo had formed up his own plan to investigate but he thought it more prudent for the rest to pair up at least.

There is something here, the presence of it was much stronger now they all stood on the threshold of the Caves, so for a moment Théo stood reaching and searching for it through the force, the direction is not clear, it knows they are here and seeking it. One moment the presences is felt stronger and directional the next it slips through his grasp only to be sensed elsewhere. As if .. sliding. Oozing .. not solid.

"Nina if you wish to come with me, now is the time to say. I would prefer you did however, we need to stick together on this", he spoke to her mind as this is the only form of communication with her. "I shall go through that door", he said pointing directly to the right, "If anyone wishes to come with me please do".

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[member="Sorel Crieff"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Zephyr Carrick"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"]​

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Boo Chiyo"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] [member="Sorel Crieff"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Máni"] [member="Zephyr Carrick"] [member="Nina Heavenshield"]

Orihime looked at Boo disappear as she remained still and abandoning her equipment at least some of it when they might be encountering a fight was a dangerous idea but Sorel had the right idea in many of the things as she spoke saying something. "Maybe Sorel but still best to be careful." She said it though while looking at the girl who of all them with the exception maybe of Boo she could consider a friend but.... well Boo seemed to have changed now. It had her careful and feeling queasy watching him disappear as she thought about what was in the caves. "Now though we should be able to find our way through.. though I used to run through with my sister when she was here. Should be able to find the way through the caves and seek anything out." She held her saber extending it a little into a walking stick.

 

[Audren Sykes]

The Knight nodded, unperturbed at Théo's lack of an answer. It was more or less what he had expected, and while relevant didn't really affect his decision to keep his weapons. Besides, to get rid of his armor he'd also get rid of most of his thermal gear. Not the best situation, not on this planet. As Théo continued talking, he caught a flicker of pseudo-motion out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, Boo was gone. Not 'running for an entrance to get a jump start' gone, but straight-up vanished. And that just after postulating they wouldn't be together or possibly leaving the cave. Combined with Théo saying something about the cave having a way of knowing...nope, not creepy at all.

"I shall go through that door, if anyone wishes to come with me please do."

The Heavenshield boy pointed to the door at the far right. With a grunt, Audren started walking, but to the left. Not the far left, but the middle left. Anyone was welcome to come with him if they wanted, but he didn't think they should all go in a single group. More eyes, yes, but they would also move much slower. Optimally they'd want any Padawans to stick with a Knight, but he would no means insist on anything or even suggest it. This was a place to learn, and beings learned best by doing. Watching someone else could be useful, but doing it yourself was more so.

Through the door was a spiraling ramp. Halfway down, the ramp ceased to be surrounded by rock on all sides and became a column. In the spiraling tunnel there had been some lichen or something that provided some slight light, but once the walls fell away that light disappeared. He navigated by Force sense only, the open air but lack of light somewhat disorienting. Towards the bottom it became solid again, then let out into a small chamber lit by a waist-high crystal. He walked through the single other opening in the chamber and found himself in a much larger chamber with obvious signs of workmanship, long abandoned. There was more light here than he'd seen underground yet though, and more space to move around in. Not at all like he'd expected.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Zephyr Carrick"] | [member=Máni] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Hello, darkness, my old friend.

Stepping forward, the young Pantoran pivoted on the balls of his feet so that he performed a slow turn as he peered around the inside of the vacant chamber in which he stood alone. The wind whistled faintly through the opening that they had passed through. The chill in the cavern not the pervasive cold of outside, but a more ethereal feeling. The kind of eerie cold that seemed to cut to the bone.

The sound of a crowd cheering caused the boy to look up.

The intense sunlight seemed to stab at his eyes. Tears springing forth, as he raised his arms to try and shade himself from the sudden onset of broad daylight. Squinting, his vision blurry, the boy saw what appeared to be the Pelleon Gardens on Bastion. Lowering his arms, the youth found himself standing there, as though he had suddenly transported across the heavens to a distant world. He felt the warmth of the light against his skin. He felt the loose dirt and sand giving beneath his feet.

His feet...

Dark pools of blood. Rivets and rivers of a burgundy red, spreading out across the ground from the body of a young Togruta woman. That same blood covered his body. He could feel the sticky, viscous fluid dripping from his fingertips.

The clash of lightsabers sang out behind him.

The blink of an eye. He turned, and found the warmth of Bastion's sun replaced by the sterile environment and recycled air of The Wheel. The smoking body of a Sith Lord slumped over a desk terminal where he had been reaching for the boy's payment for carrying out an assassination for him.

Except he hadn't. Hadn't been reaching for the payment. He'd been reaching for the lightsaber he'd concealed in the desk.

Or maybe Boo had been mistaken, and his master had been reaching for the credit cube the entire time. The Pantoran, fearful of his life, hadn't given Darth Scorpius time in which to explain himself. He'd simply killed him, an unarmed, old man.

A gasp made the boy look over his shoulder.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]'s face stared back. The look of horror on the other boy's face making it clear that it wasn't Boo that the young Heavenshield was looking at. When he'd looked forward again, the Pantoran was no longer on the Wheel. This was the space station where Théo had been taken captive. And, there, in front of Boo was the Gamorrean guard that the young Pantoran had killed through telekinesis alone. Bludgeoned. Battered. Ruptured. Ripped apart, as if by an animal.

Kneeling down, the young Pantoran assumed a lotus position on the ground. The smell of blood and death was rank, biting at his senses as the boy took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. "This isn't real," the boy uttered quietly.

He was afraid, and he wouldn't deny that.

And, why would he? Because that was the singular revelation that made the Dark Side so addictive. So intoxicating. There was power in fear. His own, and others. "I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad..." the youngling began, reciting a meditative prayer as he let the fear flow through him.

Anger. Anxiety.

What the Jedi would deny, he wore like armor...

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"] | [member="Máni"] | [member="Zephyr Carrick"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Heavy boots trod on each step leading up to the tunnel entrance of the cave, and with each step the sense of darkness grew stronger. It was odd really, it was not trying to hide, it just .. moved. As Theo passed the threshold and entered the cave proper, the sudden chill of the cold washed over his like a wave. He did not remember that being the case the last time he had visited this place, it was like a hand had touched him, a hand lacking life and he shivered. It was time to light the way, as Theo's lightsaber came to his hand and ignited the white blade, an arcing light spread across the ice and some way into the cave and what he saw before him was beautiful.

​

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​

The mineral deposits in the ice formations coupled with the light thrown from his saber set them to a eerie blue. He could see a little into the distance, a tunnel cutting further into the mountain and formations that looked like teeth pointing to the floor of the cave, he did not know this part of the cave at all, so different from that place he had found his crystal in. This place is very eerie indeed and ever changing, shifting within itself.

Theo pushed onward, taking care to keep alert to his surroundings, the force guiding him to the left and sudden turn in the path that would lead away from the group and the path on the right. He did not question this, but allowed his feet to follow the force and although the landscape of the cave had not changed, there was a thickening in the air. A sudden strange smell that was unpleasant to the senses.

For in each of the caves, was the presence of the dark entity that had seeped into this place and it followed each of them separately. Even Boo hiding in the shadows. The entity was not a solid being, but rather a moving liquid mass of pure sentient evil that stained the white ice to black.

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[member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"] | [member="Zephyr Carrick"] | [member="Talon Sky"] (jump in if you wish)​

 

[Nina Heavenshield]

Nina blinked at Théo's words, as if she didn't quite hear him. Of course she'll go with him! As much as he likes to think himself the guardian, she too is very protective of her little brother. Force knows out of the two of them Théo is the one to get himself in trouble. So, Nina stepped towards him to show her intention before they made their way inside.

At first there was little other than complete darkness to worry about, but just as Théo had felt it creeping up on them, Nina felt it too. It made her uncomfortable, but she was not afraid; she'd faced legions of the undead and lived! Still, once Théo ignited his lightsaber to use as a torch Nina's hand sought his, giving it a soft squeeze for reassurance.

The inside of the cave had an otherwordly blue shine to it, as if one were shining a UV light upon a dark room. Her sensitive Umbaran eyes strained to see clearly, only to recoil once she found the layout of the cave had suddenly shifted so subtly that the mind didn't register it until seconds later. "Théo, are you sure about this?" she whispered into his mind, only to realise there was no turning back. The entrance behind them was long gone, as if having never existed in the first place.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetFZ9AaJf8​

The sound that echoed around the cave, set the hair on the back of Theo's neck stand on end. Nina's sudden touch on his hand felt like fire to his skin as it was so cold, but it was welcomed none the less and very reassuring. But Theo was not however, "No", he whispered back into her mind, fearing whatever was in here would hear his doubting. He turned to look at her, his eyes would show what he was feeling and he only found the same look mirror in her ice blue eyes. He checked behind them, Nina was right in her thinking, the entrance they had just passed through, now closed to solid rock and ice .. they are on their own.

He suddenly felt like he was in a B grade horror holonet flick, screaming at the hero and heroine to not go in there knowing full well what lurk in the darkness, but they do .. and they did. Holding firmly Nina's hand, he lead them both through the tunnel slowly, bending to pass the strange rock formation that cut across their path. For the others that have never been here before, he suspected they would experience something similar or not, who knew in this place.

As he pulled in a deep breath and released it, a thick mist formed in front of him, the temperature had dropped suddenly by several degrees, even this Valkyri blood was being tested. Knowing that Nina does not have this ability or fortitude of her father's ancestry as they do not share the same blood, he let go of her hand and placed his arm around her to pull her close for warmth. He took off his fur and would not brook any protest, he placed the heavy alk around her shoulders. He would now use the force to aid him now.

The bend in the cave that lead them to the left opened into a small ice room, carved by a stream that had probably flowed through the caves for millions of years, the room was smooth with curves and sparkled with cave formations like something out of a fairy tale, the water pure and clear so one could see the bottom of the stream bed. There are crystals down there, just like when he .. "Nina! don't go near the edge". He took hold of her tightly, as remembered what had happened to him when he had done just that, and was taken down to the depths.

​

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[member="Nina Heavenshield"]​

 

[Talon Sky]

Talon Sky had the day off, so why couldn't he relax?

It had been a few weeks now since Talon had come to Rhen Var, officially beginning his life as a Jedi and member of the Silver Sanctum Coalition. Initially Talon had been more than a little irritated by his master, feeling abandoned by her, but over the past few weeks the young man had come to see the wisdom in Master Callista's decision. He had so much to learn, and more teachers made that process easier.

Right now, though, Talon was under no obligation to learn anything. The small temple used by the Watch was nearly vacated, save for Talon and maybe one or two other busy people. The main force of the Watch had mobilized for some mission today, deep in Rhen Var's extensive cave system; Talon had been deemed too 'fresh' for the danger posed by....whatever was in those caves.

That, and he might still being under punishment for breaking that Droid in his frustration a couple of days ago. Talon was getting lots of stuff down, like combat and tactics. But he was having a hell of a time with the 'calmer' things; meditation, sensing things intentionally, and the like. After six particularly frustrating and fruitless hours, the Half-Echani had lashed out and kicked the head right off of the Droid administrating the lesson.

Theo Heavenshield had....not been pleased. Talon's arms still ached from the exercise drills.

At the moment, though, the young white haired lad sat beside a flaming hearth with a rather interesting book of philosophy open on his lap. He'd watched the others depart nearly an hour or so ago, dressed to endure the frozen weather that Talon genuinely despised. Then, he'd been happy to remain by the warm flames.

But after rereading the same paragraph three times with absolutely no retention, Talon slammed the book in disgust with himself. He was restless, uneasy, and....jealous?

"I'm not going out there!" the young man declared loudly, though no one was around to hear. Maybe meditation was what he needed. Yeah, that was it! If he could master slipping into a trance while the others froze their arses off beneath the ground, Talon wouldn't feel like he'd wasted the day. Heck, he was smart for not going with those Jedi-sicles!

Shoving the book aside, the Half-Echani got himself comfortable and closed his azure blue eyes. He could do this. He would do this.

Minutes later, Talon Sky was blissfully dozing off to sleep.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Théo held his saber high to cast as much light around the cave as possible. The sound of the dripping continued and seemed to echo loudly then before, as the light fell across the water he took a closer look and noticed the water stained with something unusual. "Stay behind me", he spoke to Nina before moving forward himself taking care not to get too close to the edge.

​

The droplets seemed to dance on top of the surface of the water, yet there was something odd about it and moving closer Théo could see why. The droplets are black shinning and had an odour unpleasant to the senses. He stood up straight and looked up at the ceiling of the cave and what he found was disturbing, a thick black mass of frozen ice, or so it appeared. But only moments later it moved. Sliding over the surface of the ice to the corner of the cave and down the wall until it reached the ground.

Théo watched for a moment before the black slick began to move toward both he and Nina and at this moment, be began to back away as it approached, but the two had nowhere to go at this point save for finding high ground on some rocks and ice. But he knew that would not be enough to keep them safe. The others in the rest of the cave might experience something similar or the evil might take on another form to them.

"Help me", came a soft voice to the ears of Théo and Nina would hear the same. It was the voice of a child pleading, "Help me please .. I am trapped". The soft voice came from the black slick as it rippled and churned on the ground ever moving forward. Théo shot a look at Nina, his face would show much concern and confusion, but through their connection of touch, "Nina be careful .. there is something wrong here". Although there appeared to be a sense of truth behind the words, the force told Théo otherwise.

​

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[member="Talon Sky"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Boo Chiyo"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] [member="Sorel Crieff"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Máni"] [member="Zephyr Carrick"] [member="Nina Heavenshield"]

Orihime looked at all of them while she was motioning for Sorel to come with her and breathed in deeply the scant of the caves. It wa just a she remembered it from when she wa little walking through all of it before she wa letting the force energies go out as she spoke softly. Boo was somewhere running around and he wa nervou about him... who knew maybe the cave would react to hi darkside presence like she did and sneeze him out side.... maybe that was wishful thinking but she could do with it while walking and crouched down wiping at one of the fork as she revealed the small markers her and Reiko had used when they were little running around in here. "There are larger crytal thi way Sorel."

 

[Audren Sykes]

Across the cavern came a slithering sort of noise, something he might have expected to hear. Or imagined that he'd hear based on the holovids he so rarely watched. Except he hadn't heard it before, and now it was almost constant. When he paused, the sound continued. Slowly, he swept the room with his eyes and the Force. Both agreed that it was a lone corner, one of the very few doused in shadow. There was motion there, a glimpse of light where there had been none before.

Out of that shadow walked...him. Or a version of him, anyways. Shadows wicked around him until they formed solid. Even the hair was the same blond color; the only difference was the eyes of pitch black. And the clothes...the clothes worn were rich, far nicer than anything the Sephi had ever worn. And in the simulacrum's hand, a lightsaber hilt. Black, not a glimmer of reflection off the thing. Until it was ignited, that was. Unlike the Knight's own blade, this one was red. Not crimson like many Sith blades, but a mix between it and his own. In response, he brought his own hilt to hand but refrained from igniting it.

"What are you?"

"I am you."

The voice, when it spoke, was his yet like it was heard through water. Water with bubbles in it. Odd, and supremely disconcerting. And then there was what it had said. It wasn't a reflection, the voice and the eyes proved that. He was almost tempted to play philosophical games with it, claim that if it was him than what was he, but had a feeling that would only make it mad. And if what Boo said had been true, that the cave tested people and weapons would be of no use, he didn't want to start a fight.

Yet as it turned out, he didn't need to start the philosophy.

"To clarify, I am you, but better. What you would be if you no longer held to that silly code of the Jedi. If you no longer kept to the Light Side. If you allowed yourself to expand."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Zephyr Carrick"] | [member=Máni] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"] | [member="Nina Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

As the black ice moved toward them ever pleading for help, Théo backed up until he could feel Nina behind him but soon they would run out of room to move and have their backs to the wall. This was not an option, he needed to protect her as well as himself but mostly they had to rid the cave of this evil. There would be no way to contact the others, no doubt they had their hands full, it was clear now and the whole time this evil presence had lead them all to this. They are divided and so vulnerable .. or so it thought. Théo had more faith in his fellow Jedi then this creature, whatever it was .. did.

In the pool of black, sickly ink in colour movement shifted the surface and before the two rose up a figure of a person, a child. Initially there was no form to it, only the outline of what would appear to be a humanoid, but more and more detail formed and soon the mirror image of Nina stood before them, with her hand stretched out to beckon for help, as if wanting Théo to take it. This was the mistake of the creature, of course he knew it was not Nina, but to use her likeness as means to lure unsuspecting Jedi was it's purpose. "You are a deceiver and hold ill intent in your heart", he said to the creature before them.

"Who is the deceiver but the one that stands behind you? it is she that is not what she seems .. my purpose is to show you, to warn you of her true intent". The visage of Nina moved with great speed across the surface of the pool of water and stood only an inch away from Théo's face and it stood there smiling at him as a hand raised to caress his cheek as if to care. This bond with Nina was enough to inform him of her true purity and there was no lie in her ever. Théo attempted to knock the hand away but only met with the black substance and went through it. The reaction of this was a evil laugh that echoed around the ice room sending chills up his spine.

"Enough of your lies!", he yelled and draw his saber to his hand and ignited the white blade. "I do want to find the truth, so lets do so", he snarled as he began to move toward the black ice. "Lets see if you burn".

[member="Nina Heavenshield"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Orihime Ike"] | [member="Sorel Crieff"] ​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a magpie when it came to crystals. She had a whole variety stashed away now, from famous crystals caves as well as less well known ones. And she'd picked up some she'd yet to classify and had no idea if they would be suitable for using in a saber.

But recently she'd decided to craft a shoto. Too many fights in the close confines of a ship's corridor had made her decide she needed something less unwieldy when it came to using a saber in tight places.

So when Sorel indicated she knew of a place to find them here, and judging by her confidence, Sorel was convinced her friend had travelled these tunnels before, she readily agreed.

"Do you know what sort of crystals? I don't have a Solari, and I know this planet is renowned for them." It made Sorel sound like some nerdy collector.

Which of course she was!

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime watched her while she raised an eyebrow to it and thought about it. Finding solari crystals was possible on the world and the padawan had a few ideas when she was pushing it forward. The bigger thoughts now here as she moved into the tunnels going to the side. "Yeah we can find some solari crystals here on the planet. In the caves it is possible but they are mostly outside in the valley so the sun can show it under the snow and ice." She remained there ready for anything while moving down the cave with her eyes while she tapped the wall. "Though in here it can be a strange thing, some see visions and if you are used to them sometimes it is stranger as you listen to some of the crystals as they resonate with the force."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The disappointment in Sorel’s eyes was evident. A Solari crystal here would have been wonderful — but she was here anyway, so would make the most of whatever the caves had to offer.

“I’ve had visions in these sort of caves before. A couple of times in fact. Not that I’m still entirely sure what the visions meant — so I’ll keep an open mind. Anyhow, what sort of crystals might we find here?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Normal kyber crystals if you want to call them that. Some others might find things as there are tombs and urns with different things wihtin the cave and on the world. The jako beasts bring things everywhere." She said it while walking and she had had several visions in here, the cave itself worked to teach you plenty of things about yourself or your choices and regrets but it was a hard thing some didn't always understand. "We might be able to find you something in here and one of the creatures could have brought a solari crystal." Orhime stayed moving around a little in the cave and reached out with the force while she thought she sensed some of the others in the cave.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel shrugged. "If the Force wills me to find a Solari crystal today, I suspect I shall find one. If not, I shall come across one another day. There must be plenty on this planet, it's renowned for them after all."

She turned to face Orihime. "Tell me, how much time have you spent here before? And what did you get up to?"

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She looked at her and standing there with a look on her face when she leaned against the side of the wall with a nod of her head. "Well when I was little, I would be down here with my sisters. After Mommy Choro passed away and we buried her in one of the tombs here for jedi we stayed close learning how to use the force while mommy Matsu worked on reconstruction efforts within the Citadel above. The caves were a place where we came to visit daily getting to run around and see some of the other jedi who would come here to find their own crystals." Orihime said it with a smile sitting there on the ice while she touched the wall with her fingers drumming on it. "I know where a Solari crystal is here int he cave though."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel enjoyed listening to the story. As a Youngling she was something of a loner and once she was a Padawan she spent most of her time on missions with her Master. It wasn’t until she joined the Silvers that she really made any friends — Orihime the closest she had to family. It wasn’t that she missed her siblings or parents, but she enjoyed hearing stories about family life.

And her smile became a wide grin when a Solari crystal was mentioned. There was no point in being coy about her interest. “Just the one? And it’s growing in here? Really? Close by?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Growing? Ah not so much but Orihime was looking at her with a look as she just offered a smile going through the cave and stoping as there was some stone work that had been cut in with inscribed aurobesh when she looked at it. "Ah I wouldn't say growing." She waited for a moment coming in and standing there while it was revealed a little with her hand going to the wall while she brushed aside some fo the stone to reveal a small panel of controls opening it while the stone moved with a large rumble. A breeze of the air going in when it revealed some urns and a statue of a female carved from ice with white hair and a saber staff whille Orihime bowed seeing the incense holder when she stood there looking over a few of the things. "The ancient jedi crystals in here can be used, I know some rob them but others commune with the spirits to get the crystals from them."