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?"
