Boat Behind

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

The knight took Nylea’s hand and shook it with a firm grasp and nodded his head with an amused smile at the two. “Right. Karl. As the lovely lady over there is already well-aware of.” The Arkanian turned around and looked at him with a scrunch of her nose and shake of her head. He meanwhile turned back to Nylea with an amused smirk of his own. “I will stay back for a bit and let you two breathe, but if anything serious comes around or if protocol is broken… Well, you get it.”

Newly-knighted Karl looked at the Arkanian and then Nylea again. “She’s not really in control of that.” He whispered for only Nylea to hear. “This planet affects everyone. Keep an eye on her.”

With that he separated and looked at Nora who had already crossed her arms. Her lips thinned into a small unamused frown as her toes repeatedly tapped in and out of a small puddle from where she had struggled with the dragonsnake. Her head shaking and her shoulders raising in an unspoken “Well?” as if to really broadcast a sense of impatience.

“Secrets?” She perked her brows to question the two of them. “Yes, let’s.” She said and lowered her arms by her side. Her feet turned her towards the stream the dragonsnake had swum up and she began to walk away. “I need something good. Something that sets itself apart from the rest.”

A sense of pride or ego growing on her.

“I need to stand out.” Her jaw clenched in tension. “I need to be better.”

Karl perked his brow and gently nudged Nylea on the shoulder as if to prove his point.

“I need… A perfect sample.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Karl's explanation made everything in Nylea's mind fall into place. Something had very much seemed off about Nora, and the fact not only those sensitive to the Force were affected by the planet's Dark side aura was an answer that perfectly fit the question of what was going on. Turning to the Knight she went to whisper back, an odd sense of relief showing on her face. "I was worried something was wrong with her. I am honestly quite glad it's just the planet, and nothing of her own volition." The echani allowed herself to take a deep breath, now a little less concerned. It did not mean it was gone completely, but she did feel she had a bit more breathing room now. "I hope Nora finds what she's looking for quickly though, this place is draining me." After the entire ordeal with the dragonsnake she had taken a hit mentally, and if she had been here just for herself she would have turned back a long time ago. She was here for her friend however, and she would always have her back. A promise was a promise, after all.

When Nora made it clear she had noticed the two whispering, Nylea turned her head towards the arkanian and gave her a modest smile. "Not really. We were talking about the effects Dagobah's Force aura we have been experiencing. It's very strange." What she said wasn't lied. It was what they were talking about, although the fact she didn't mention they spoke of Nora specifically was no accident. Hearing her speak confirmed what Karl had said once more, the little nudge fairly unnecessary for Nylea to understand. With a small nod she started walking towards Nora's side, trusting the Knight to watch over them. Putting a hand on Nora's shoulder she looked to help her snap out of it at least a little bit, even if it was mostly a vain effort. "I'm sure you'll find something good. I'm right here if you need me, okay?"

What Nylea did not show her however was the fact she was exhausted already. If she never returned to Dagobah it was a blessing, the Dark side that slowly chipped away at her far from a good experience. How she had lived completely immersed in it before was completely beyond her now, having absolutely no idea how she even survived it. There was no doubt it had slowly drained her physically and made her even more dependent on it because of that, but during that time she simply didn't notice. It had all come crashing down the moment she cast aside her Darkness, much like kicking a drug addiction. It had been an awful time, but now that she was freed from it she was feeling much healthier and more balanced. "Anything you are looking for specifically? With some pointers I could help you look."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

There was a slow nod coming from Karl. He agreed, getting off Dagobah as soon as possible would be a good idea for all the parties involved. While it was amusing to watch the Arkanian try and sass her way out of supervision there was still a greater issue behind it and the more they could keep her from being exposed to it the better. Nora meanwhile gave the two of them a questioning stare. The force aura affected them maybe, them and their special little blood cells that- oh dear. Was that what she sounded like? Nora froze up for a second as Nylea touched her shoulder.

“This place is fethy.” Nora wasn’t one to curse, but all the rights ones just quite simply escaped her as she stared at the ground and then at Karl. “I am sorry, Karl. I- I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I know, Nora.” He smiled back and nodded his head. “I understand.”

“Thank you.” She uttered and turned back to Nylea. “We need a sprigleaf. It’s a somewhat uncommon plant, usually found growing within the foliage of other, bigger plants. Sort of like a parasite.”

Nora knelt down by a nearby bush and motioned for Karl and Nylea to find one of their own. “They are named after the many sharp corners that run in a three-way split at its base, like three sprays heading their separate ways with a shared base. What you want to look for is a slight shimmer. There is usually a small coat of deterrent around it that is very effective at keeping smaller insects and vermin away.”

Nora got down on her knees and began to carefully twist and bend the shrubberies around her. “It should change color to a darker purple if you shine a light on it. So if you have a flashlight, which I do not, you should be able to find it by its shifting of color. From green to orange to purple.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea gave Nora a warm smile and a nod alongside Karl's reaction, making sure it was clear that there were no hard feelings towards her. Her own struggles here suddenly weren't nearly as prominent in her mind anymore, she would be fine. Her inner battle with the Dark side was one that was everpresent, and she had been winning. Even with Dagobah's surface making it harder to do so, she would hang on. Nora needed her support, despite how little she was be able to provide. "This planet affects everything and everyone. Don't feel bad, see it as a test of will. Mhm?" She was convinced that there was no point in keeping that information behind after what the arkanian had apologized. "We both understand."

Being the always-prepared woman she was, Nylea took off her backpack and kept one of the straps on her shoulder, zipping it open and ruffling through it for a moment. As she pulled her hand back out it was gripped around a small metal cylinder, and with a click a flash of light shone upwards. Satisfied with the fact the flashlight worked she zipped the bag back up and once again flung it onto her back. "Let's find us some sprigleaf then, shall we?" Crouching down at another patch of plantlife she pushed some of the biggers leaves to the side before shining her flashlight into the revealed plants. As she inspected it a slight shimmer caught the echani's eye, followed by the plant that caused it shifting color. "I may be lucky, but I'm not sure. Nora, could you take a look and see if I'm right?" She turned her upper body as she remained crouched down, moving to the side a little to give her friend room to take a look. "It seems to match your description."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

It was ironic then in a sense that Nora herself had always considered herself rather strong of will when it came to it. It would seem this trip had proved her wrong then and left her ego somewhat bruised under the pressure it left behind. Nora continued to push shrubs and other plants around with Nylea while Karl stood guard above them both. The smell of the swamp was even worse when crouched down like this. The smells of the putrid waters went on through the nose and lingered on the tongue as if to give them a good idea of what the taste of swamp water was like. All in all, not the nicest of experiences, but one that they needed to endure if they wanted that sprigleaf plant.

Nylea called her over and Nora came to check. The leaf sure enough shimmered, and the characteristics did match what they were looking for. Yet a small frown spread on Nora’s lips.

“Yes, this is a sprigleaf, but see these dots here?” She poked against small brown dots that were spread across the entirety of the leaf. “It’s an old plant, the repellent must have started to wear off, or it quite simply can’t produce a new layer for it.”

Nora ran a muddied hand through her hair.

“Keep that at hand though. It will help tonnes with finding a better sample.” She nodded and went back to work. “Oh and, nice job. Not every day we get that lucky, let me tell you.”

Nora kept poking at bushes hoping to find something new. The sprigleaves were elusive after all. They had technically already found a good sample, but if they could find a bigger and more healthier leaf then they could have found a bigger dose for Nora to conduct her experiments with. She did consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in her somewhat new-to-the-galaxy kind of naïvete.

“How are you doing with your training?” Nora poked up from behind a bush to look at her friend. “Heard that some people were starting to look for other places to go and be right now.”

Nora smiled with a chuckle. “I’ve got a few friends thinking of doing the same, technically.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

As Nora explained the dots that only now Nylea realized were there, she nodded along to the words. It made sense, but even then she most likely would not have figured that out on her own. It was oddly fascinating to her, something she had not expected originally. The fact it helped her distract herself was an added bonus. "Ah, I see. I'll remember the spot, and now I know for sure in what kind of places I need to look." She went to stand back up straight, blowing a small amount of air through her nose as she did. "It was exactly what you said, just luck. Can't really say I specifically did anything well. Still, happy to help."

Without much delay Nylea went back to poke around brushes and other foliage, looking for a sample that would do the trick. All she could really do was point out any plants that matched her description, but luckily her friend would be able to discern whether it was a good hit or not. Popping down not too far from where she had found the sprigleaf she started searching again, taking her time due to the density of the brush she aimed to search underneath of. That was when Nora suddenly popped up from the other side, breaking her focus for a moment. "Uh, training..." She mentally shook her head to get her mind back on track, then went to look towards the arkanian. "I've been too busy with teaching to get much learning done, unfortunately." It wasn't really her choice, but there wasn't much else she could do. "The numbers have definitely been thinning. I'm spending most of my time helping with lightsaber practice, and it leaves little time to do anything else. It's all hands on deck at the moment." Despite all this, leaving herself had not crossed the echani's mind once. Monastery had become her home, and she was not going to abandon it. "Some say I'm ready to take the title of Knight, but I'm not so sure. The recent events have stunted my training, I feel I have a lot left to learn first."

After concluding there was no sprigleaf to be found in that spot Nylea looked around for a moment, still crouched down. "How are your studies coming along? Doing well?" Moving to another bit of foliage, she noticed some kind of vine-like plant wrapped around her right arm. It was likely she had accidently done that herself, and unwrapped it from her arm to let it fall back down to the ground. "It's impressive to me, you know? Studying something so complex. Don't think I could ever do that myself."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

Being too busy helping others to get much of your own learning done didn’t strike Nora as a particularly bad thing. Even the act of teaching was to learn even if it didn’t seem like it. Unfortunately it did go with Nora’s own assumption that the Order’s numbers were dwindling. The expedition that the two women, and Karl too, were on was most likely the last one in a very long time, and that alone was reason to feel at least a little disheartened. At least Nylea was getting some recognition for the efforts that she had put in even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it. Under most circumstances Nora would have thrown in a ‘life is all about learning more’ speech, but for once it didn’t feel like it was really in her place to do so.

The force was, after all, forever a mystery to Nora.

“It’s going well, all things considered.” The Arkanian shrugged and knelt down by a new set of bushes and began to poke around. “The Order has been cutting spending in my department, but it could be worse.”

“I know I said my friends are just ‘technically’ thinking about leaving, but…” Nora sighed. “Well, it’s not ‘technically.’ They are leaving for sure to seek out scholarships, and grants and what-not elsewhere.”

“At least I still have Hazel, y’know?” Nora chuckled. “I know she won’t betray me, or leave. By virtue of leadership, she kind of can’t.”

Still no luck finding a better sprigleaf. Nora walked over to another set of bushes and then continued poking. The downside of finding a parasitic species was the fact that it was always as equally hard to know where exactly one would have to search.

“Well, you call biology complex…” Nora grinned at Nylea. “Not sure what that makes the force…”

“Do you think we’ll ever find Kismet and Sardun?” Nora had to ask. “Can’t imagine what all of this is doing to Hazel.” Nora chuckled again. “She must be stressed out of her mind.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

It was a bit sadding to hear that the Jedi weren't the only group experiencing decline, even if it wasn't all too surprising. Cut spending and leaving students was far from a good sign, but that went without saying. At the very least Nora was still progressing despite that however, which was a spark of light to hold on to. "All we can do is just continue doing we are are doing. Make the best of what we have." Nylea tilted her head towards where she had last seen Karl, seeing him standing a bit behind them while keeping an eye on the general area. For a quick moment their eyes met and the echani gave him a half-smile before quickly refocussing on the the task at hand. Moving the brush to the side with her hand she looked at what was hidden underneath it. Once again, no luck.

It wasn't that she distrusted Hazel, quite the contrary, yet there was something that concerned her about the doctor. It was like she wasn't doing well, but on the outside she didn't show it. Nylea hoped it was just her imagination, Hazel wouldn't keep those kinds of things hidden. Perhaps she was stressed out from carrying the load of effectively running the Lotus single-handedly, she thought, giving her the idea to offer a helping hand the next time they met. "Speaking of Hazel," she responded, "do you think she'd accept my help to lift some weight off her shoulders? Force knows she could use that." It was likely she would do so regardless of the answer. Still, she wanted to know how Nora saw the situation.

If she had to be entirely honest however, she didn't expect to ever hear of see anything of Sardun and Kismet. This was especially true for Kismet, somehow it felt like she didn't want to be found. Whatever the reason or cause, they would have to go on without her. "It's... unlikely, I think. I doubt they didn't unwillingly disappear, whatever their reasons may have been." It was perhaps a bit of a grim outlook, but she didn't want to sugarcoat it. "That's why I want to help Hazel. I don't think anyone in her position wouldn't be spreading themselves thin." One person simply couldn't do the work of three people. She was no Sardun or Kismet, but every little bit was something.

"I'm glad you're still here yourself," the silver-haired woman then suddenly said after a moment of silence. "It sounds a bit weird perhaps, but you're the person I trust the most. I've had this... weird, nagging worrying feeling stuck in my head for a little while now, and knowing I'm not on my own here is a comforting thing. That goes further than just Dagobah." Although it went unsaid, Nora's perspective on things had taught Nylea many things that had been very important to her. They were things she couldn't see herself, the difference-maker being the Force. Living without actively feeling and experiencing it seemed to make things much more direct and to-the-point, something she had lost sight of herself. "So, thanks."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

“True that.” Nora nodded at the sentiment of keeping on keeping on. She followed her friend’s glance to Karl and then back again, perking her brow as if to question why she looked at him. A smile crept up on her lips and she went back to rooting through the bushes to find the parasite that she needed for today to be a good day. The mud-stained locks of her hair stuck to her cheeks with a disgusting smudge and with a single sweep she put it all back behind her ears for ease of vision.

“Of course Hazel will,” Nora smiled at Nylea. “I think she would welcome any and all help that she could get with a payload like that.”

As for Kismet and Sardun, well, Nora would keep her hopes up if only for the reason that it would do them all some good to have it. Besides, it was only when hope died that darkness was allowed to spread. She had read that in one of the books that the Jedi had in the library and it had struck a chord inside the young Arkanian. If she needed to be a light in the dark, then that was what she intended to do. To let fear into her heart was the sign of her own weakness, and weakness could always be tamed no matter what. Nora would move on with her life from the Sacred Lotus knowing that she had worked to spread good in this galaxy. There was no higher honor than that.

“I think that sounds like a great idea.” Nora nodded at Nylea’s notion to move up and help Hazel with her duties. “I would too, if it wasn’t-”

“Well, I don’t know. I am still young, I don’t think people would take me all that seriously. Much less in a leadership role amongst a Jedi Order.” She frowned for a second. “I have thought about it, but it just isn’t in the works right now.”

The silence lingered between them as bush after bush was shaken down for the mythical sprigleaf.

“Thank you, Nylea.” Nora shone up with a bright smile at her friend. “I am thankful for having you around too, it means the world to me, and in many ways I sort of think, well…”

“I didn’t have a lot of friends when I grew up? But, I think,” She chuckled at herself and looked down at the mud. “Well, I was lucky to have met you. To make a good friend like this. Someone who would root around through mud and algae for a leaf I want to observe. Someone who hold me back when I get crazy ideas.”

“So thank you too for being there, Nylea.”

“Once we have this sprigleaf, the drinks will be on me.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Not everyone had to be a leader. It seemed Nora immediately thought of the leadership role when Nylea spoke of helping Hazel, but it wasn't necessarily what was hinted at. Simply being there whenever it was needed would be appreciated just as much, of that the echani was certain. That was something she would come back to later however, when there was more time for such discussions. "I am certain she would appreciate any help she could get from anyone. Every bit helps." She would keep it at that for now, however. Once more the search for the sprigleaf continued, for there were many places left to look.

"One good friend is all you need, I have found." Growing up, Nylea was someone who stood out in a good way. Even by echani standards her bladework was of high caliber, something that demanded respect by tradition. After being taken to be forced into the Dark side, and subsequently finding redemption and joining the Lotus however she realized that the respect she had before wasn't a necessity. Meeting Nora was the thing that confirmed it all for her. "I cherish the friends I have, you and Hazel." There had been others, but their stories had met tragic turns. [member='Adron Malvern'] was one of those people. When they first met he still had the Light inside of him, but he fell deeper and deeper into the Dark side. It saddened her that she could do nothing but stand by helplessly to watch it happen, and it had not been the only time such a thing unfolded before her. Despite this she had not lost her faith. Hazel still had her heart in the right place and she was absolutely certain that Nora would never betray her own ideals.

"Once we have this sprigleaf, the drinks will be on me."

"I hope you have already decided what drink you want yourself. You might want to take a look at this."

The timing couldn't have been any more crazy. Nylea's hand had pushed away some shrubbery to reveal a plant that looked just like the one confirmed to be a sprigleaf she had found before, but this one showed no brown spots. "This is a sprigleaf, right?" It could still be the case that she was completely wrong, she was no expert after all, but she was still confident she had found what they had been looking for.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

Nora tried to smile at the thought of Hazel needing her help. It had been a very one-sided friendship so far with Nora relying on Hazel for so many things as if she had been her mother. Or maybe not a mother as much as aunt since in many regards perhaps that was who she had come to see Hazel as. Someone who was there for her with a half-motherly presence. Someone who helped her overcome the hurdles she was faced with. Who’d know where Nora would even have been now if Hazel hadn’t helped her with the whole force-related anxiety.

And that was of course when Nylea found the leaf they needed, without Nora being even close. It went with figuring, right?

“Oh for crying-” Nora groaned in frustration and evident envy. “Does this thing seek Jedi-”

The girl had to take a deep breath and remind herself of what was going on here. The darkside, the way that this forsaken planet acted on you and what Karl had said. Eyes shot out at the guard who had already begun to approach her with a hand out. She shook it off with a gentle wave and looked over at Nylea.

“I’m sorry.” She frowned and looked at the water. “This planet is…” Her head shook before she looked up again. “Yeah, that’s the leaf we need.”

Deep breath disgusting air let in deep and she held out a canister for the leaf to be deposited into.

“We get this back for observation, we place it in my locker, and then I get you that drink.” She seemed awfully dejected all things considered. “I think I want that drink now.”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

It was difficult for Nylea to witness how Nora reacted to her finding the sprigleaf. It was obvious that the planet had once again reared its ugly head, but rationalizing her friend's behaviour was not the easiest to do while trying to cope with the same struggle. She would ask one of the instructors to let a shuttle leave early if their scheduled departure time was still some ways away, not wishing to spend any more time here than necessary. Fatigue had started to show in her facial features, the oppressing aura seemingly draining her of all of her energy. Still, she pushed her own tired state to the side. The last thing the echani wanted was to worry Nora. "No need to apologize. We all know it's not really you saying that. now that we have found what you need, we can go home and shake it off our shoulders."

With a nod towards Karl, Nylea signaled they were ready to head back. After putting a reaffiming hand on Nora's shoulder she started following the Knight back to the landing area. "It really was just luck, finding the sprigleaf. Besides, without your directions I never would've even have known where to... uh..." Once again the fatigue started to get to the echani. Her vision became slightly blurred as she got a bit lightheaded. Shaking her head, she looked to get it out of her system, but it wasn't much help. "Look. Where to look. Sorry." Nontheless, although a bit slower now, she kept on walking. If there was one thing that mattered that moment, again, it was that Nora wouldn't worry too much. Nylea's head tilted upwards for a moment and she took a deep breath, then nodded. "Let's keep going."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

“Ready one of the shuttles.” Karl spoke into his comm device as the two women began to make way towards the rest of the group with the sprigleaf safely stored within the sealed container in Nora’s hand. They were both tired, and it showed more than either of them wanted to admit. By Nylea’s struggle for word, Nora found her arm wrapping itself around the Echani woman’s back and shoulders to offer her support as they continued towards the camp.

“If it’s this easy for me to slip up, I don’t want to know how easy it is for you people.” Nora frowned as she looked up at the road ahead and the lights dancing behind the growth of the swamp. “There’s strength in that though, I suppose.”

“And strength is usually found in the places where you least expect them, I hear.” Nora looked at Nylea and then the road ahead again. “Regardless, you have done very well today.”

“You should be proud.” She smiled again and gave Nylea a gentle shake.

“I am!”

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

As much as Nylea wanted to protest against Nora acting as a support, she didn't have either the physical nor mental strength to do so. She was just thankful that she would be able to get off Dagobah and back to Monastery, where she was going to spend the next day or two in solitude, locked up in her quarters to recharge. The drinks were first, though. "I think I'm alright now. It looks like it was just a passing thing." A nod assured herself that she was actually nothing more but just tired.

"Knowing what's on the other side of where you are mentally does help, though." The terms 'Light' and 'Dark' were subconciously left out, perhaps making it a bit more relatable to those who didn't feel the Force like the echani did. "It's like a warning, a reminder." It had kept her vigilant from the moment she had arrived, even if being forced to remember what she had once done was far from pleasurable. "I would say the way you handled it was much more impressive."

As Nora continued talking Nylea couldn't help but chuckle for a moment, following it up with a contemplative sigh. "I suppose you're right there. And strength is so much more than just raw power. Sometimes it's hard to forget that." Her eyes followed the dancing lights in front of them as she brought her arm around her friend's back in much the same way as she had done. "But I'm sure you already know that. You showed heart today. True heart." It went without saying, but Nylea was just as proud of Nora as the arkanian was of her.

[member="Nora Lithos"]