King and Lionheart

[Makai Dashiell]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Bosph | Scarred Grasslands | Theme[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Mountains loomed large in the distance, looking down over the scarred grasslands below. Hundreds of years ago the lands had been bombed from above, by the old Galactic Empire who hated the natives. The Force-sensitive native species continued on as if nothing happened, but the land still bore the signs of the massacre long ago. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=14.6667px]Makai stopped on his path, taking off his pack and looking around. He reached down in his bag, pulling out a bottle of water. Sun beat down in the mid-afternoon with only the barest of breezes to cool him off. At this point, he had been to three different villages in search of an elder who could help him. Some wanted to help. Some pointed him the wrong direction. Some shut the door in his face.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=14.6667px]An elderly woman selling fruit had finally given him the right information but only after he bought enough fruit to satisfy her. He still wasn’t sure if he believed her but there wasn’t much of a choice. According to local legend, the man lived up in the mountains, far in the distance. The exact location was unknown. He was a bit of a hermit who wasn’t seen around often. For all Makai knew, the man could be dead. [/SIZE]

 

[Makai Dashiell]

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[SIZE=14.6667px]Juice dripped down his chin as he bit into the pear-like fruit, his journey slowing as he ate. The sun had moved in the sky and was sinking closer towards the horizon. Makai knew he would have to find the man soon or risk being in the open alone for the night. Last time he had camped in grasslands with [member="Matthew Robinson"] ,a strill had attacked him, leaving three pink lines that ran across his stomach. The claws had cut and even taken some scales, a few of which looked as if they were doing their best to grow back. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=14.6667px]Booted feet continued through the knee high grass, towards the large jutting mountains. Fruit core got tossed to the side far out into the grass as he neared the mountains. Iced azure gaze searched for a path, a sign someone or something was living in the hard rock and gravel. He searched but his eyes weren’t as deftly trained as say [member="Elpsis Elaris"] or another soldier. Part of him liked to think he could have though. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=14.6667px]Another swig from his water bottle, this time at the base of the mountain. He craned to look up, wondering how long it was going to take. At least he was out of the grasslands and the mountain could provide a measure of cover. It also provided a measure of cover for predators too. Wasn’t much he could do about it now besides start climbing.[/SIZE]

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Mountain climbing was hard work. Makai had expected it to be difficult but he didn't expect it to be so challenging. He had expected hard rock and ledges. Not slippery gravel and near constant dead ends. As he slowly made his way up, not path seemed apparent. There were small nooks and crannies but no sign of a cave or any other type of dwelling a person could live in.


If this man did exist, it was clear he didn't want to be found.


Sweat began to dampen his curls, driftwood locks starting to stick to the base of his skull. Even with the sun going down, heat was still an issue, especially with the rocky mountain beginning to radiate off warmth collected throughout the day.


"Why couldn't this be an ocean? At least its hot..."


Uncertain steps carried him higher. He had to be careful, gravel trickled down with each step. Eyes looked unsure as he scanned the area for the next way up. It was getting narrower and harder to pick which way to go. Gingerly he stepped onto a narrow path, edging along and a slow clip.


Well,a slow clip until a pack of small, furry creatures emerged from their hiding spot, clearly annoyed. It had seemed he had disturbed their nest. Despite their adorable-at-first nature, the creatures seemed anything but. Trying the shoo them off the narrow path, one clamped down on his ankle with razor sharp teeth.


In an attempt to kick the little furry off, Makai merely ended up losing his balance. All well and good until he fell down the ledge and slid down the gravel, slowly sliding to a stop against a berm of larger rocks.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

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Makai laid on his back after the fall, staring at the sunset. Bright hues littered the sky, turning the clouds above him bright orange and dusty red. Chest puffed up with a held breath before he exhaled it in a whoosh. Warm rocks assuaged his hurt pride and his sore back. One minute he was making progress on a narrow ledge and the next he was being attacked by a pack of overgrown furry rodents.


Probably best to leave that bit out if someone he knew asked about his journey.


With a grunt, he found the motivation to move a better position without his backpack digging into vital organs. Makai wasn't sure what to do next. Night was going to be falling soon. He was going to have to get off his scale-speckled behind and figure something out.


Wallowing in his own hurt pride, a shadow fell across him. An elderly Bosph man peered over him. A cane came and poked hard at his side.


"What are you doing down here Fish Boy?" He grunted and gazed at the sky for a second. "Not safe here. Get up. You come with me."


Another jab to his side before the old man began to limp away.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

'Fish Boy' had slowly gotten up and followed the elderly Bosph. The sentient ahead leaned heavily on his cane, grunting along a predetermined path. An old man who could barely walk was showing him up in terms of navigating the treacherous loose gravel. Talk about a second (and possibly third ) blow to his pride.


Elderly Bosph man was generally quiet the entire trip, beyond the grunting. It made Makai even more curious as to where they were headed, or if he should even be following. The limp could be an act. Someone could be waiting to ambush him around every bend. Yet he didn't have much of a choice. It was follow the elderly Bosph or get attacked by furry rodents once more.


Stars were beginning to appear in the sky by the time Makai was led into the home of the elderly man. A wood door led to a large-ish room carved in the mountain. A motion with his cane to follow, hurrying indoors and into the warmly lit room.


Fire crackled against the far wall, a pot of stew or something similar bubbled above the flames.


"Eat first. Then I will answer your questions."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Makai had his choice of floor seating as the Bosph elder sat at the table built for one. He finally settled on a spot near the fire, cross legged and eating a thin soup out of a wooden bowl. It wasn't horrible, he had ate worse on nights when he had to cook for himself. Bosph man was silent for the most part, only stopping to grunt here or there, as if agreeing with the mental dialogue in his head.


"Fish Boy, why are you here? You are wandering across stretched of nothing. No man does that unless he is in search of something."


Swallowing the last bit of his soup, Makai nodded, wild curls falling against his forehead.


"Yes. There is a....rumor, I suppose....of a man who can do things to objects. Using the Force. Nothing bad...the fruit lady said he was hard to find though. Apparently he isn't seen by many."


"Hmph" The Bosph elder put down his spoon. "You can find only who wants to be found."


"Thats true. If this man doesn't want to be found, or doesn't exist....I'll just keep trying. If not here, elsewhere. " Shoulders shrugged. " I appreciate you taking me in, by the way. You didn't have to."


Elderly Bosph waved him off.


"Who are you here for?Yourself?"


Makai immediately shook his head.


"No...I kinda messed up with a friend. I owe her and this idea sprung into mind. I hope she likes it. Probably will....hopefully will...." A long pause. "Hopefully."


"That's a lot of worry for an object meant just for a friend. Maybe you should stop fooling yourself and kiss this girl already."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

There was a half laugh, half choke that caused his neck and face to turn bright red in embarrassment. It took a moment to get under control and to get lungfuls of fresh air back down into his lungs. Once he felt the heat subsiding from his face did he dare attempt to answer.


"Uh..Uhmm...I would like to. Not completely sure she shares the same sentiment. What if I kiss her and she feels its like her older brother trying to cop a feel? Heck, she'd probably hit me. Got a mean right hook...."



"Maybe you should take a chance and risk getting hit now. She won't wait forever Fish Boy. Then what will happen? You'll look back on this and realize old Boru was right." A bit of a wheezing laugh from the elderly Bosph. "Never want to listen to Boru until you realize he's right. Then its too late. Do yourself a favor and listen to a crazy old man now."


Boru the Elderly Bosph tapped his cane hard on the stone floor for emphasis.


"You think on what I tell you Fish Boy. For now, show me this object..."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Piece of metal sat on the table,black and oddly glossy. Makai had snagged it during their raids since it found it to be interesting. Who didn't want a piece of galactic history? It had sat in his room, sitting on a shelf until he decided what to do. Seemed a waste and a bit odd to just have a hunk of metal collecting dust. An odd,one off conversation finally gave him the idea.


Alchemized metal. Force users could do things to metal, imprint it of sorts. Considering his friend/crush had some real issues with crowds and anxiety, Makai figured he could kill two womp rats with one stone.


Boru picked up the piece of metal. It was unshaped but that was of little concern. The elderly Bosph had worked with metal for decades. Even though he hadn't seen something like it before didn't mean he couldn't make it work. With a grunt, he motioned for Makai to follow him, headed over to the fire. Boru began to work the metal into a bracelet shape, working the heated metal with fine instruments.



"Trick is to be careful, this is getting brittle, see?Everyone thinks shaping is about brute strength. Not so."


The elderly Bosph kept removing the metal from the fire, hitting and returning. Small, calculated shaping was slowly turning the uncommon metal into something resembling a bracelet or bangle. Boru brought the red hot metal close to his face, looking for small imperfections.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Makai was certain Boru was going to burn himself. The metal was red-hot and dangerously close to the elder's face. Mouth opened to warn the older man but quickly closed. No doubt old Boru would tell him that he had been doing this well before the boy had even thought of being born. Instead he fell quiet and half-sat across the old weathered table, watching as Boru went to work.


A few finishing touches went into the bracelet, small taps and gentle scrapings in order to get the smoothest quality in the object. There would be a few hammer marks but overall it was fine craftsmanship. Boru had been muttering over the bracelet for awhile now, every so often closing his eyes or going strangely still. A few times Makai thought him dead.


There was another long stretch of time, Boru's fingertips on the bracelet and some silent moving of the lips. Finally,Makai had to speak.


"Are you praying over the bracelet?"


One eye popped open, Boru a mixture of amusement and frustration.


"Yes and no. Infusing the bracelet so to speak. This is why you came to me, no? I am famous for this. Give the wearer certain properties. Very useful."


"Right....you just looked....dead. Making sure..."


Boru gave a hearty laugh that echoed around the cavern turned home before returning back to his work, chuckling every so often.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Pack back on his shoulders, Makai was preparing to leave the elderly Boru and head back. Credits and a bit of rare metal had been exchanged for the services of making the bracelet. It was safely wrapped inside one of his shirts deep inside the pack. He would have to get the enameling done at a jeweler, Makai didn't think himself so talented to do such a thing. Hopefully [member="Myra Elspeth"] would end up enjoying the gift after all the trouble he had gone through.


With a firm handshake he was ready to depart from Boru.


"Pleasure meeting you Boru. Thank you for everything."


The elderly Bosph grunted with a bit of acknowledgment, squeezing the boys hand a little too forcefully. As much as his time had been amusing with Fish Boy, he was in no rush to see the child return to the area.


"Safe travels Fish Boy, do be careful."