First Reply Drowning in Darkness

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

Oddly enough, no one came to the door, but when Braze tried it, he found it unlocked. The building seemed like a large government office, school, or something of that nature, though it was entirely empty. Inside, a cozy sitting parlor awaited, furnished with a few plush chairs and several couches arranged around a glass table with a glowing flame at its center. Braze collapsed onto a couch, grabbing a pillow and pulling it against his stomach as he curled around it. He didn't know where they were or why they'd come, but he knew he needed to regain his strength—and rest was the best way to do that.

The place was oddly well-kept and immaculate, an unexpected find in such an unusual and desolate setting.

"I don't feel well..." he murmured quietly just about mewling at Aris.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"You got sucked into a void plane of some kind and assaulted by some creepy shadow thing. I don't think anyone would feel well." He certainly wouldn't at least. Inside was.. Suspicious. Aris couldn't help but squint at the building, how clean and neat it was. How much it all made sense. So much of everything else didn't follow any rules he knew, so, he was absolutely suspicious.

"Just- rest for now, okay? We'll figure it out."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze nodded weakly at Aris, his breaths coming a little heavier than usual. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he slipped into unconsciousness, as if placing his trust in Aris to keep watch was second nature. Without hesitation, he allowed sleep to claim him.

He lay there, nearly motionless, a quiet figure at rest. Remarkably, the two remained undisturbed as Braze slept. It was as though the building itself were frozen in time—no creatures lurking in the shadows dared approach the soft light spilling from within, casting an aura of stillness and safety around them.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris remained by the windowsill, his green eyes narrowed in focus as he watched for the shadows, for any sort of being that might be wandering too close. Suspicion and the knowledge that he was the one to keep them safe had him completely focused. Until Braze stirred, he'd be still as a statue, as if a single move on his side would some how lure the shadows to them.

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

Every so often, Aris caught glimpses of shadowy figures lingering at the edge of the torchlight. They hovered in the half-light, faceless silhouettes stretching and shrinking in silence, as though considering his presence before slipping back into the darkness. The torchlight's glow seemed like a boundary they refused to cross, as if the strange illumination woven into the structure of this place held them at bay—warding off whatever lurked in the shadows’ depths.

Six hours slipped by. Suddenly, Braze stirred, muscles tense beneath his skin, caught somewhere between dream and reality. His body twitched before he bolted upright, eyes wide, searching. A tremor washed across his face before he saw Aris, and his tense frame softened in recognition. He took a breath—long, deliberate, filling his lungs as if drawing in more than air. Eyes closed, he steadied himself, letting his hands cover his face, masking his emotions.

After a few silent moments, he lowered his hands and turned to Aris, his voice a fractured whisper, thick with sleep. "Are you tired at all?" His tone was rough-edged and raw, as though the remnants of nightmares clung to it. Even in his groggy state, a hint of worry was present, a quiet question unspoken as he looked to Aris with concern: Had he left Aris to face the night alone?

 

[Aris Noble]

"I don't need to sleep, at least for a while. I've never tried staying up as long as I can, just, fallen into habit of sleeping when everyone else did so I wasn't up alone." Was the long and short of it. He visibly seemed to relax though as he looked over to Braze. To see him up and about was.. It made everything right now better. So he wasn't alone in this. Good.

"Did you sleep well at least?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

Braze nodded lightly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I slept well enough... I'm sorry, I was really out of it. Thank you for keeping watch," he said quietly, moving to stand with a slight wobble before regaining his balance. He dropped the pillow back onto the couch.

He stretched, taking a few moments to let his bones pop and click. He could think a little more clearly now. Whatever negative feelings he was having, he was pushing them away, bottling them up for now.

He looked around the building. Braze paused, then asked quietly, "How are you holding up? I mean... for real." He wasn't used to being this open, but he wanted Aris to know he cared.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"It was easy, don't feel sorry."

To sit there? Yes. Actually trying to keep watch in this twisted land? No. His expression tightened for a brief moment, then he sighed. A deep sigh, at that. "No. None of this place makes sense. Everything I hear, everything I see, it's all shifting and breaking like reality doesn't follow the rules. I don't like it at all. It took me long enough to make sense of everything I could hear back home, but the laws were universal."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze wasn't sure what to say. He felt a bit awkward about the situation, but he couldn't deny that he felt the same way as Aris. Maybe it was just hitting him a bit harder. He looked around, unease settling in his gut.

"I think you're right, Aris. This place gives me the creeps—feels like we're being watched. I don't like how everything seems so... shifty." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I'm not sure it's safe to stay here, even if it seems empty. What do you think we should do?"

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"Find a way out, probably."

Aris let out a sigh as he slumped back, let his eyes close for a moment. He had no clue how to get out of here. Neither would Braze, all things considered. His brow furrowed further.

"What that guy said will probably be how we get out. It's annoying he spoke in riddles with it, though."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. His brows furrowed, and he rubbed his face tiredly. "Okay," he muttered, eyes snapping open as he looked over to Aris. "We're gonna get the heck outta here." Braze declared, as he forced some confidence back in to his tone.

"I'll watch your back, you watch mine, and we'll see if we can find that... rift," he added, sounding a bit more sure of himself, like he was deciding to fake it until he made it, adopting a braver front even if he didn't entirely feel it yet.

"If you spot anything before I do, just point me at it, and I'll blast it with light. Whatever had me back there—it didn't seem to like the light much."

​

 

[Aris Noble]

The Light, huh? Aris nodded his head slowly, giving his best attempt at a reassuring smile. The two of them could do this together, right? He had to believe that. Braze's confidence seemed infectious as the taller Padawan stood and stretched his arms overhead. No point in feeling defeated, not while they still had the chance to get out. "Alright. I guess that makes you my flashlight, then? Let's get out of here."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

Braze smiled at Aris's comment, the image of himself as a literal flashlight popping into his mind, chasing away the darkness for just a moment. The humor struck him, and he found himself genuinely smiling—not the tight, wary grimace he'd worn since everything had gone wrong, but something lighter. He had to stifle a chuckle that bubbled up, threatening to slip free. Somehow, even in the face of all this fear, Aris's dry wit made it all a little more bearable.

"Yeah," Braze finally replied, his voice carrying a blend of bravado and warmth, "I'll be your flashlight. You just point me at 'em." He chirped before starting back towards the looming tree line.

They had a way out now. They had hope. That was enough.

Braze raised his hand, steadying his breath, focusing his mind. The maneuver was something he'd been practicing every night before sleep—a combination of Force Healing and Force Light. The energy unfurled from his palm, forming a resplendent glow that cast soft, steady light into the shadows ahead of them. It wasn't perfect, but it was his, something uniquely his own, and it was enough to pierce the suffocating dark.

The forest felt less oppressive under the warm halo of light, but the silence that enveloped them was thick and tense. The kind of quiet that left too much room for thoughts to spiral, for fears to take root. Braze cleared his throat, glancing sideways at Aris, and decided to keep talking—for both their sakes.

"So, uh," he began, his tone purposefully casual, "when we get out of here, what's the first thing you wanna do? I mean, I figure the obvious answer is 'not be in a terrifying dark forest,' but… what else?"

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Humor was good medicine, for them both. Aris's whole demeanor relaxed as he smiled to Braze in turn before letting his gaze shift out to the shadows around them. He was on watch, scanning around, focused. Nothing made sense, but the light from Braze seemed to settle the reality they were stuck in enough for Aris not to feel so unsettled and unbalanced.

"Get some of my mom's hot cocoa." No hesitation. He needed some comfort drinks. Valery Noble 's hot cocoa was second to nothing in this galaxy. Just sitting on the couch, wrapped in his old blanket and sipping hot cocoa like he did when he first was brought home? That'd be good to help settle his mind. The rage this place brought him, he could still feel it.

He hated it.

"What about you?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

"Hot cocoa sounds pretty nice, actually," Braze offered softly. His eyes held a distant, thoughtful warmth. "I think I'd like to take a long, hot bath too. The kind that sinks in deep and warms your bones."

He trailed off for a moment, his gaze growing wistful. "I love just soaking in the heat like that—letting everything melt away, especially when I'm sore. I like adding scented salts to my baths, too." A small smile tugged at his lips as he continued, "I've been experimenting with making my own perfumes and colognes lately. Thought I'd try it with bath salts. I've got this pretty amazing batch I've mixed up, and I'm kinda excited about it."

Braze's voice softened as he looked away, imagining it all. "Then maybe I'll curl up in a cozy bed with a fluffy blanket... and snuggle with Soot."

He seemed to walk as if on auto pilot as the forests leaf litter cracked under their feet as they walked.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked at the thought process over a bath of all things. His body temperature wasn't something he could actually change from outside stimulus. There were extreme cases, but a hot tub felt no different than a lake in the early spring just as the ice of winter started to thaw. But salts? His head tilted in thought and curiosity. Scents and salts in a bath. Showering was all he bothered with, to get clean.

"Didn't think baths could be enjoyable."

He hummed softly. Yeah, that was something he was going to have to look more into.

"I'll probably do the same with Cinder, honestly. .. Who's Soot?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

As they walked, Aris might begin to notice the surroundings becoming... somewhat familiar. The tall grass fields swayed gently in the breeze, their golden stalks resembling grains of some sort—a plant abundant where they had first entered. The scene stirred a faint sense of recognition, as if the land whispered fragments of a memory just out of reach.

"No?" Braze tilted his head, a hint of incredulity sparking in his tone. "Baths can be fun—relaxing even. Add some bubbles, light a few candles, and dim the room. Curl up with a good book, maybe some light snacks. Just soak it all in."

His expression softened as he continued, voice tinged with a kind of wistful enthusiasm. "I love doing that after a long day when I'm sore. Nothing compares to the kind of comfort you get from really hot water—it's like everything just melts away."

Braze glanced at Aris, his expression brightening. "Oh! I have a cat—a little black one. I snuggle with her when I'm home at night, and I've been teaching her all kinds of tricks," he shared. A small chuckle escaped him as he added, "Sometimes I lose track of where Soot is, though. Since she's all black, she blends in with almost everything I own." He seemed grateful for the distraction of happier topics as they made their way through the dark land scape.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"I don't really feel the difference between really hot water, unless it's boiling. And even then, it's not that different." The blessing and the curse, really. Aris's expression softened as he'd listened to Braze talk about the enjoyments of a bath. Or at least, the hot water part. Everything else he could absolutely enjoy, and he might even, if he got the chance to when they were gone from here.

But he didn't tend to get tired. Didn't feel the differences much between hot and cold. There were some things he really couldn't enjoy that he didn't even know about, at least until now. Not until Braze really started to talk about it. Candles, a book. Yeah, he might try that much at least. "That's really cute though. You'll have to introduce me to Soot some time, then."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze shot Aris an odd look, his gaze lingering as if seeing him for the first time in a new, unfamiliar light. "You can't tell the difference between water temperatures?" The question was laced with genuine curiosity, almost disbelief. It was strange to him—an alien concept, really. Hot baths were something he valued deeply, a simple ritual that gave him something he couldn't get anywhere else. They weren't only for cleanliness; they were about comfort.

Braze knew exactly why he craved them. They were a substitute, a poor stand-in for the warmth of an embrace he no longer had. He had no one to snuggle with, no comforting arms to wrap around him. And he understood, more than he wished to admit, that he was a social creature—one who needed touch to feel whole. He was touch starved, and the hot water helped soothe that gnawing emptiness, helped him regulate a need that otherwise went unmet. He couldn't even imagine how much bleaker everything might feel if he didn't have that small comfort. The thought of it left a lingering sadness, not just for himself, but now for Aris too.

"Do you... know why you're so different?" Braze asked, his voice gentle, his curiosity tempered by empathy. He nodded slowly at Aris's response, a thoughtful look on his face. "I would like you to meet her," he added after a moment, his tone softening further.

He paused, eyes scanning their surroundings until they caught on a tree. The bark had been freshly sliced away, a rough, exposed patch on its trunk. "Oh... I think we're getting closer," he murmured, stepping forward to inspect the mark. After a brief moment, he moved confidently in a new direction, as if the tree had provided some clarity—as if he finally knew where he was headed.

 

[Aris Noble]

"No, I can. I can tell you the exact temperature, even. It's just.. No different to me. The change is so minor that while I can still tell something is hotter or colder, it doesn't feel meaningfully different to me. I'm not- sure how else to explain it, sorry." Aris rubbed the back of his neck, frowning for a brief moment. Only for that frown to last longer.

"Dad made me. Alchemy, the Force, cloning technology. I was made to be perfect. A body to survive almost anything. An empty vessel. But at some point while my body was stored away, I woke up." Aris stressed the I, his smile returning ever so faintly. "He doesn't know what changed or what happened. And my body isn't exactly what he'd intended. But he brought me home. Brought me to family."

Even if he couldn't be like the others, even if he couldn't be normal, he was happy. The happiest he'd ever been. He did blink shortly after though, glancing around.

It was familiar? Was it? For Aris, none of this place seemed familiar. Or did it..?

"Are we close to getting out?"

Braze