Private Rivaling Legacies

[Mathieu Brion]

R I V A L I N G . L E G A C I E S

Location: Forests of Myrkr
Local Time: 18:45
Tags: Palm-Imer

They were finally going to meet again. Ever since Mathieu had spent those eventful three months on Geminidae with the Soller Navah, he had not met his teacher and mentor. It would be good to see her again - while he had learned much under her tutelage as well as under the other members of her order, he was eager to show her how much longer he had come during the past few months. The Morellian was unsure of whether she would approve of what he had learned and how he had used his powers so far - but deep inside, he felt confident that he had at least tried to stay true to the core tenets of the Soller Navah.

Snapping out it, he returned to the controls of his freighter. The green planet seemed to grow larger the closer he got. It was always such a wonderful experience to approach a new planet. There were so many possibilities - so much to explore and discover. The vessel soon pierced a thick cloud and with that, the former Mercenary soon appeared on the other side, now flying close to the treeline as he looked for a good spot to land at. It was not easy - because they needed a good spot for both of them and with the dense vegetation, he expected to be looking for a while. The tree tops were all in different nuances of green - at least it would make it easier to spot where emptiness laid as he could keep an eye out from brown trunks mud or dirt and grey rocks. Eventually, he found a good spot to set the ship down at. There was another clearing a few hundred meters away, slightly larger than the one he had found for himself.

The ship gently set down on the rough ground below, damaging a few roots and blowing up dust and shrubbery which had probably laid in peace for years. The Padawan had his ship-bound scanner active, checking for nearby life-forms. It was a rather useless task - seeing as the forest was brimming with life. Insects, birds and land-based animals of a wide range of sizes were there. Mathieu was actually pretty interested in seeing what the planet had to offer but the stories from the planet were few, and with that, his knowledge was limited. Not a fan of reading a factual book, he often picked up things through stories which was rather unfortunate in this case.

Once satisfied that nothing of interest was nearby, he sent out a signal to her.
"I have arrived on Myrkr and will put down a signal by your clearing. See you soon.
-Mathieu"

He did not stay around to check for a response, instead, he promptly started shutting the ship down. He would disembark soon. Clad in the matte brown robes of a Jedi Padawan, he looked similarly to how he did when they had last met and he wore the robes of the Soller Navah. He would have wore them here too if they weren't stowed away on Commenor whilst he had travelled from Kashyyyk. With his practice sword on his right hip, hanging by his belt, and the stun baton by the left, he felt rather well prepared. Like always, he had his EMP-emitter in his pocked but if that would come to use on Myrkr, he would be very surprised. Despite his broad shouldered frame and tall posture which could have given him a rather stoic appearance, Mathieu's youthful appearance ensured that he maintained an aura of humility to him.

Walking down the ramp and making sure to have it go up again with all systems locked, the former Mercenary took a deep breath before letting out a relaxed sigh "Welcome to to Myrkr, Mathieu" he said with a low voice - he was the only one who was going to hear it anyways. Like so many times before, he carried a backpack too - it was filled with sandwiches, a few bottles of water, some rope, a hook, a couple of tarps and a flashlight. Enough to sustain them both if something went awry. With a bounce to his step, the Morellian ventured into the forest, listening to the birds chirp and leafs making low tussling noises as the wind graced them.

Once he arrived, a problem emerged - a large boulder laid in the middle of the rather rocky clearing he had found for her. Mathieu shook his head, beating himself up over not looking more thoroughly before telling her that he had found a spot. Still, it was not something which couldn't be fixed and with that, he sent her the signal of where to land. Taking off his backpack and draping his robe over it, he looked up at the large stone, clad in his simple beige tunic. Rubbing his fists together, he then started pushing. The former Mercenary's long arms gave him a good grip but even rubbing the stone required inhumane amounts of strength. It was fortunate that he had trained in enhancement, both with the Soller Navah and with the Jedi. With deep concentration and a tremendous amount of effort, the boulder slowly started to move until it became easier and easier. And then, finally, it was done as he had managed to slide it over to the edge of the clearing. With that, he grabbed his belongings and sat down by a tree to wait for Palm to arrive.

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

Since the day she first left Geminidae, Palm had been to all kinds of places. However, it was in very few of them that she had made friends. An Ambassador's life was a solitary one, but solitude - albeit something she was used to - was not in her nature. It went without saying then, that she was very happy about the idea of meeting again with a friend. Mathieu had been her pupil for a short while, yes, but the ex-mercenary-now-Jedi's easygoing nature, their closeness in age and the circumstances of their meeting had led to her perceiving her more as a friend than a student.

He had chosen to follow a different path, and although Palm would have loved the idea of seeing him become part of the Soller Navah, she knew he belonged with the Jedi. It was simply written all over him. It was, in her opinion, were he would truly be happy. Maybe he wouldn't come to find the balance that was the goal of every soll'nav, but she was sure he'd find a purpose that no other Order would be able to give him and Palm was glad for him. Just as the Stygian Vagabond entered Myrkr's atmosphere she received his hail.

Maro and Nekran, the two geminian hounds, rested near her occupying floor space in the cockpit. It was a good thing that it was relatively spacious. Of course, the hounds would be staying aboard the ship once she finally landed, but they would surely want to greet Mathieu before it was time for the two of them to begin their little expedition. Word of some forgotten ruins that seemed to harbor ancient artifacts had gotten to her, and since Myrkr was in Silver Jedi space Palm didn't think twice before reaching out to Mathieu. Rumors were the ruins had to do with the Jedi of old, and that of course would interest the Padawan.

It didn't take her that very long to find her way to the clearing thanks to Mathieu's signal, and as the ship approached Palm could see through the transparisteel as he pushed a boulder out of the way. She chuckled, getting ready to disembark soon. The Vagabon descended smoothly until it safely landed on the clearing, its gate opening and the ramp coming out to allow the geminaie to make her exit. But the hounds beat her to it, swiftly jogging down the ramp and towards the man that sat by a tree. A bad thing it was to be seated when the two furry giants were excited about seeing you.

As Palm came down, a bright, wide smile decorated her face, laughing as she saw the hounds sniffing, pawing and aiming the occasional lick at Mathieu. It was as if they were expressing both their content for seeing him and examining him, making sure he was okay. "Well hello there," she singsonged, walking towards him.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The former mercenary watched as his friend's ship made its final approach. He was happy to see her again and could soon feel her neutral presence through the force. It was familiar and reminded him of their days on Geminidae. Another thing which reminded him of their time on the planet was when he saw the hounds. "Nekran!" he exclaimed before the second dog appeared next to the first one "And Maro!" If he had not seen them before, it would be rather intimidating to have them charge at him like they did. But now, he was just happy to see them again.

Mathieu had planned on getting back up to greet them properly but he was a tad too slow and soon, the two hounds were all over him. Endless laughter seemed to escape him as they showed their affection to him. But even then, he did notice how they seemed to take turns - while one was all up in his face and pushing him around - the other went around to ensure that he was safe. If he had not seen it happen to others back when he was still training with the Soller Navah, he would have been clueless to it all. "I see you Maru" he said with a playful and lighthearted tone as the hound neared his pocket with the EMP-emitter. He figured that he might as well let them know when it became too obvious - if nothing else it might serve as training.

Still wrestling with his two friends and getting a real core workout as they pushed him about, he could soon hear his third friend's voice. "Greetings, Nast'av" he said, sending her a teasing smile as he went rather formal on her. He finally managed to catch the two dogs - one under each arm. They had probably finished their security check as she arrived which meant that he could just rub their necks. He looked down at Maru and then Nekran "I've missed you guys" whilst pulling them a little closer before letting them go and getting back to his feet. He looked to Palm with a bright smile "And you too. How have you been?"

Soon, he started to notice that the pocket with the EMP-emitter still had Maru's attention. The Padawan couldn't help but to let out a chuckle "Here, let me show you what I've made" he said, bringing it out and holding it low for them to see "This device can produce an EMP. So it can knock out electronics. You know, robots, computer consoles, parts of a ship. But it is harmless to organics like yourselves or Palm." He held it a bit lower yet to let them get a feel of it and only added "Just don't lick it too much. I haven't given it a proper water test yet"

It was not clear how they would reach their destination - but spending a fair amount of time on foot seemed probable. After so many years, it would probably require some good wayfinding skills too, considering how much a dense forest could change over the years. It was bound to get dark after a while but they still had time. And for now, he just wanted to spend a little more time with the hounds and Palm in the peaceful clearing they found themselves in.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

The hounds seemed more than content to remain under Mathieu's heavy arms, tongues slightly out as they panted calmly. Now that they had satisfied their desire to greet him, staying calmly by him was enough to please them. Of course, soon enough they'd have to return to the ship where they would wait for the Ambassador to return. There was no way of knowing how long this would take them, the information she had been given about the ruins' location was a bit...vague, but even then, Myrkr was bustling with life and not all of that life would be happy to welcome them. This, like many of her 'adventures', was an expect the unexpected kind of deal.

It was all the better then, that she had Mathieu to partner up with. Her smile quickly fell into a frown, a purposefully exaggerated one, as she lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, looks like this Nast'av is going to have to reach out to some Jedi Masters and tell them Mathieu Brion should spend some extra time in the library before more field work." She said, her tone feigning seriousness and the glint of a jest in her amber eyes. Being called 'Master' made her feel so terribly...old. She wasn't, at all, but the seniority she associated with the title was unavoidable.

Soon her smile had returned, and she quickly checked him over to see how he was doing. Much like her hounds had done, really. She could feel him through the Force, his presence strengthened and more refined than the first time they had met. He was growing and improving, and Palm had no doubts that he had found his calling. The galaxy needed more people like Mathieu, sometimes she wished she could be one of those people.

"Busy, as always. But okay, I've seen some...interesting things." She said, for lack of a better word. Swiftly, her mind wondered through some of the memories. The things she had been shown by Adron Malvern in Illyria, her two weeks reconnecting with herself and her balance in the deep wilderness of Odessen, the horrible creatures, poor experiments, that she had encountered alongside an Antarian Ranger in Irith. Maybe Mathieu knew him, perhaps a story for the way to the ruins. "What about you? Are the Jedi feeding you enough?" She asked, now taking her turn to taunt him back with a silly smile.

Then that momentary mischief got lost, replaced with just a happy look. It was good seeing him again. "I missed you too, Matt." She said, and Maro gave one short groan while nodding his massive head once as though expressing he too had missed the Morellian. Palm chuckled at the sight. Then he stood up and the dogs finally moved again, and content after inspecting Mathieu's EMP disruptor they took a moment to walk around the clearing, sniffing their surroundings.

"I've heard its been eventful days for the Concord," She said, referencing the news of the Senator of Duro's assassination, the ever growing threat of the Bryn'adul and general political changes brought about in the recent months. "How are you holding up?"

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Palm was good at producing a convincing frown and a tone to go along with it. Of course, Mathieu knew that it was all in jest but he still played along between laughs "Oh, no! Nast'av, spare me! My weakness!" She still remembered how he often lacked interest in pure studying and it didn't surprise him in the least. Playfully, he produce a stern face himself "Palm, if you do that, I'm gonna have to seek refuge at Geminidae"

Her answer to how she had been doing was vague. Of course it was - as an Ambassador she was bound to have many duties and adventures about which she could not speak of extensively. A soft smile formed on his lips "Good" his response was short, just as hers had been - but they had conveyed what was important - she had been 'okay' which at least meant that she had not been too bad. And for that, he was happy. What came next surprised him as he let off an amused chuckled "Palm!" he said, feigning insult "Are these Jedi robes covering up all my gains?" The Padawan was hopeless at keeping a good poker face and within a few short moments, a happy smile grew on his lips. Retaining the good mood, he continued a little more seriously "They have been treating me very well. I enjoy my time with them and the people I meet tend to be nice." he could barely suppress how glad he was for his current circumstances.

Both Palm and Maro reciprocated him saying that he had missed them. He shot a quick look to Nekran but quickly returned his attention to the other two. "Oh, you guys" The Morellian took a step closer to his friend whilst keeping a hand rubbing Maru's forehead "Come 'ere" he said, raising his free arm and wrapping it around her in a hug. "It is good to see you guys again" he confirmed before letting go whilst his other hand still lingered on Maro's head. Looking over to the other hound, he let out a more cool "Hey, you" as he playfully challenged Nekran "What about you then? Did you miss me too?" If the dog replied affirmatively, he would kneel down and welcome it into a hug too. If it replied negatively, he would inevitably feel a little disappointed but still welcome it into a hug with a "Well, I missed you"

A more serious expression spread across his face when she mentioned the Concord having had an eventful time. The former Mercenary nodded for a while as his gaze fell. Soon it returned to his friend "Yeah. But they've kept me out of most of it. I'm still pretty green so I've been spared, mostly" It was a relief that they had not called for him to part take in the battles - for if the call came, he knew he would answer it.

The sun kept going further and further down - but it was not yet covered by the horizon. Still, their shadows kept growing in size and despite not being too keen on coming to terms with it, he knew that they needed to get going. Letting out a sigh, the large Morellian looked to her "Can they get out of the ship on their own?" he asked. While he didn't think that they would leave it and run off, he was unaware of how dangerous the wildlife was and if things deteriorated enough, chances were that it might become necessary.

Mathieu was still set on saying goodbye to his two four-legged friends, but he would let Palm give them her instructions in peace. Instead, he reached down to his backpack and took out a map. The temple's area was marked on the old thing, but so much had changed since it was written. He wouldn't be surprised if it had been decades or perhaps even a century and those instructions were not always accurate. He mumbled whilst repeating what was written in the first paragraph of the instructions "The Temple of Serenity was located on an island in the middle of lake Stockr but a breach has caused it to drain. The water is instead flowing downstreams to lake Harg. Generously, Stockr may be called a pond, most of it is a swamp by now." Mathieu's gaze rose as he considered what was written. He wondered what it could look like now, such a long time after it was first written.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

A clear laughter came from the Ambassador at Mathieu's comeback. Well, realistically robes were not the best garment to display any form of physique, that much was truth. Still, one look at the Morellian was enough for anyone to know he was a force to be reckoned with if it came down to sheer physicality. Once her laughter died down she smiled again, "I'm happy to hear that. All jokes aside you know you'll always have place in the Navah Xaes if you ever need it." She believed Matt already knew this was on the table, but she wanted to reassure him of it just in case. If anything went wrong in the core and inner rim, or even if he just needed a little get away of his Jedi duties, the soll'nav would be more than happy to welcome him for as long as he wished to stay.

Then he moved in for a side hug, and Palm welcomed it with a content smile. Looking at the hounds as Mathieu addressed them again. Nekran remained silent, golden eyes set on Mathieu with a sort of blank look. But Palm knew what was up. As soon as the Jedi knelt down to greet it anyways, the dog swiftly moved in, placing his heavy paws on the Morellian's shoulder and aiming a big lick at the side of his face before yapping, as though he was laughing at the man for falling into his trap.

Palm then adopted a slightly more serious tone, "That's good. Be sure to keep an eye out, Matt. I don't doubt the Silvers good will but trouble has a way of getting anywhere, specially were politics are concerned." He was her friend, and even if she couldn't afford to be around with any form of frequency, she still worried for him. Alas, she didn't want to sour their meeting with her worries, so she quickly let the topic fall and allowed a small smile to blossom once more on her lips. Her eyes settled once more on the Hounds.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. If anything, I'd even say they can take better care of themselves here than we can." A chuckle followed her statement, but there was truth to it. The jungles of Myrkr would be a perfect environment for a Najax Hound. A command was issued in Nexilis, and after going in for a last pet from each of the near-humans, the two dogs returned to the ship and climbed up the ramp. As they made use of the system that allowed them to control the gate from the inside, the ramo quickly receded and soon the Vagabond was closed and safe.

Palm adjusted the straps on her backpack. As usual, within she carried her climbing tools, survival essentials, a medpack and empty containers. She was more than used to the weight by now, it didn't bother her in the slightest. Her gaze went to the map as Mathieu explained, nodding every once in a while. Luckily for them, she had a good guess about where to start their search, "When I was nearing the clearing in the Vagabon I saw a strip of eroded soil. Looked like a stream or river could have been there in the past, maybe we could follow that and see if it leads us to Pond Stockr" Not only did it sound like a fair shot, it was also a relatively clear strip of rock and dirt with far less trees and vegetation, easy to travel, easy to keep an eye out for...well, anything.

If Matt agreed to the plan, the soll'kai would begin leading the way towards the location. They did need to traverse a bit of thick jungle before getting there, hopefully finding their way through it wouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Jedi Padawan had remained pretty quiet when she told him to keep an eye out. Despite not wanting to to be true, he knew that she was probably right. It was only after a while that he had nodded, looking her in the eyes and responding "Yeah, thanks." his voice was rather low but there was a sincerity behind them which did not disappear. The Morellian's eyebrows rose a bit "I suppose I don't need to tell you the same?" he said - she was probably rather well aware of the risks of being a diplomat and Maro and Nekran was there as a constant reminder of it. But then, even if she was not in danger through her job, he would be surprised to see her and the two hounds parting ways.

Mathieu had been looking at the map for a while when he saw that his two four-legged friends would be leaving, causing him to rush up to them with a quick neck rub and a short comment "See you when we return!" he said before taking a few steps back and returning his attention to the map as she adjusted the backpack straps. "That sounds like a good start. If it is the right one, we might not have to search for the temple for long" his words were almost naively enthusiastic.

"In what direction was it?" he asked before letting out a short "Lead the way" It was good for both of them to know in what direction it was - because if she missed a good path which he spotted, he wouldn't have to be afraid to point it out which might have been the case if he did not know in what direction they were going. In soon became rather clear that she was taking the Geminian route - not that there were many choices.

The jungle they passed through was thick with roots often making it necessary to climb over them in order to get past the tree trunk. It was rather fortunate for someone who's entire species was built on climbing - although he was a bit unsure as to how trees and roots would compared to the rock they were more used to climbing back on Geminidae.

It was not long before a particularly large system of roots had to be climbed up onto. In truth, the large Morellian rather enjoyed walking on the roots instead of the ground which often times seemed rather wet. "Hold up" he called out for her from below as he studied the structure to figure out how to best climb it for a normal mortal who had not spent quite as much time climbing as her. Finally, he took hold of a vine running down along the tree trunk and pulled a little at it to make sure that it was stable. Satisfied with the results, he pulled himself up along it with his arms whilst he used his feet to gain whatever friction they could on the large root whilst making his way up onto it.

From the top of the root, it was possible to see a bit further into the jungle - the thick vegetation and heavy shrubbery still made it hard but the elevation ensured that a person could see over much of the shrubbery whilst still not having the sight covered by leafs. Mathieu let out a satisfied sigh "I see we're taking the scenic route" he joked - there was probably some truth to it, seeing as how beautiful it was. The varying shades of green was pleasing to the eyes and seemed to have a rather soothing effect. And then there was the size of everything as the large trees and vegetation of the jungle had an amazing capability of making a person feel small.

"Is it far from here?" he asked rather casually whilst looking on ahead, enjoying finally being able to see more than nine meters ahead. Squinting his eyes, the Padawan seemed to see what looked like some very thick vegetation up ahead and leaned a little closer to her whilst pointing at it, dragging his finger from left to right "Look, that almost looks like a wall" he said. His spirits were high - perhaps too high, considering that the 'wall' of thick vegetation and shrubbery also happened to be something they would have to overcome.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

A soft smile was present on Palm's lips as they made their way through the jungle. Palm enjoyed climbing, maybe even more than the average geminian which was saying a lot. The roots and branches were somewhat easier than the rocks, easier to grab on to although the downside is that she had to be even more careful when checking that whatever she chose to grip onto was actually solid enough to sustain her weight. It was fun, and her she enjoyed the challenge. Of course, she also kept an eye on Mathieu to check that he was still behind her and not tangled up in some vine.

Myrkr's jungle was a beautiful thing. Palm could feel through the Force how life buzzed around them with an intensity that only these nature-covered planets could have. So, when Mathieu finally climbed through and leaned to point at the vegetation wall, she couldn't help but chuckle. Was this a jungle, an obstacle course or a labrynth? Maybe the three? "Well, depending on whether we find somewhere wide enough for you to slip through or not, you might have to take the scenic route again, big guy." She smirked, taunting him once more.

Of course, they could also cut through but Palm often preferred to leave nature undisturbed when it could be afforded. It didn't take them very long to reach said vegetation wall, it was even taller up close than it was from a distance. It looked as though the trees, the vines that hung from them, the bushed and plants that grew on the floor and leaves that had decided to make the very wall their home had knitted a net. A very troublesome one at that. Palm had already eyed some places where she could fit through, but finding one for Mathieu was the real challenge.

Luckily enough, she could find one so chopping at the wall wouldn't be necessary. "Please, Jedi first," She said, doing a little bow as she stood besides the slit with an amused grin on her face. She'd keep her eye on the surrounding jungle as Mathieu made his way through before following. After all, no matter how beautiful and peaceful the jungle and the vibrant life felt to her it would be unwise to forget this was the home of dangerous predators too, and they could very well become tasty morsels to any of them if they didn't take care.

"And no, it didn't look very far. Then again, everything looks close by when you are on a ship." She trusted her instincts, but didn't feel entirely comfortable to claim it was only a little ways away. Her answer seemed to be the right one, for in the end it only took them a bit more to finally break through the thick treeline into one that was significantly scarcer, with a rockier floor. Palm immediately set her eyes to the task of exploring it, looking for something. It was as dry as jungle floor could be, but the way the rocks were eroded and the very, very slight inclination in the terrain made it easy to determine in which direction the water had flowed. It was a good thing that Geminidae was a watery planet.

"It's that way, if I'm not mistaken" She looked at Matt, and would continue moving if he agreed. However, night was beginning to close in one them and therefore there was another topic they needed to discuss. "If it gets too dark, should we camp until the morning or press on?" Both had their goods and bads. Usually she would have wanted to continue, but since they didn't know exactly how far away they were from the ruins, or even if they were heading the right way, it might have been a bit reckless.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The young Morellian felt his cheeks redden upon hearing her comment. This was indeed a time where his size might be a bit of a problem which he couldn't help but to feel a bit embarrassed for. "Sorry!" he said in a rather tuneful fashion. While it was a bit embarrassing, they were far too good friends for him to care much for it.

It just continued as they arrived by the 'wall' because it was obvious that they were looking for a path which would fit him as he had seen several spots which she could have slipped through already. A bright smile beamed up as she indicated that she had found something. "Why thank you. That is not something you hear everyday." he said before once more taking off his backpack and his robes. While rolling up the robe to fit better on the backpack, Mathieu peered into the gap which he was supposed to go through. It was a tight fit, especially towards the end, but it would work. "I better not eat too many sandwiches while we're on the other side of this thing. You might have to go on ahead and pick me up with the ship if I do" he joked, knowing that getting through would be problematic if he expanded a bit in size.

Slowly but surely, the former Mercenary started to make his way through the gap. He could move upright as long as he took careful steps to make sure that he didn't stumble upon the heavy shrubbery and vines below. It would probably have been easier to just walk on top of the vines but that would have forced him to bend either forwards or backwards to compensate height-wise. Finally arriving at the more narrow part, he threw his backpack through before letting out a heavy breath of air and throwing look back at Palm "Okay, here we go" he said before starting to try squeezing his way through. At some point, he stopped moving, feeling immense pressure from both sides making it hard to continue. Mathieu managed to squeeze out the words "I'm stuck" Pressing both hands against the trunk in front of him, he tried pushing a bit. Hopefully, with the help of a push from Palm and plenty of wiggling, he finally fell through.

Mathieu fell out from the wall and landed sideways on his back, laughing uncontrollably at the situation that had just transpired - practically to the point of curling up to minimise the bellyache that it brought. Welcoming her out with a partially torn tunic by the chest and corresponding area at the back, he pointed back at the gap "That thing proved to be more of a challenge than this Rodian Trio I faced on Ord Mantell" he said whilst still laughing, just barely managing to make it clear and intelligible - or at least intelligible.

Lying around on the ground all-day was not an option, of course, and Palm soon studied the terrain to determine in which way the water had flown from when it still ran where they currently were. He looked at the rocks, already being very close to them as he had not yet risen to his feet and her conclusion seemed sensible. "I think you're right" he said, slowly getting back up to his feet and taking on his backpack. He was still hot from the climbing and wiggling and rather enjoyed the new ventilation system his tunic had.

"Screwed if we push on and screwed if we stay" he mused upon hearing her question. To him, it felt like they were out hiking and as many people his age, he felt rather invincible at the moment. Naturally, this was not how he felt on the field of battle, but now, they were just out and about in the wild. "Well, that spot should be pretty dry by now and it is far away enough from trees and stuff for them not to catch fire. Might as well use it, right?" he said with an amused voice whilst pointing at where he had just been curled up on the ground. It was pretty dry to begin with but what wetness that could originally be found on there was now all soaked up in his clothing. "If you could slip back in there and grab a few dry branches, I think we could make a fire. I brought to tarps so we don't have to get wet" he said, thinking that a little bit of camping would be pleasant.

With that, Mathieu started to unpack his bag, bringing out the tarps and laying them out on rocks which looked as even as possible near the fire. It was not very hard as the water which had once run across them had long since eroded them to the point where they would have rather soft shapes. Once she got back, he would be seated on one of the tarps and would help to make a good firepit. "I didn't really bring anything to keep us warm. but if the wind gets harsh, we could share tarps and make the other one into a wind shelter" he said before stretching out a hand to lend her his robe with a kind smile "This holds heat pretty well though" he said, whilst looking to her to see if she accepted the offer.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

The geminaie couldn't help but laugh at Mathieu's predicament and commentary. Having his size certainly had many advantages...but there was always another side to every coin and they had just witnessed it. For a moment she remained there, enjoying the very last rays of the sun before she heard some muffled words from within the passage.

"I'm stuck."

A lazy, amused smile stretched her lips. "Ha ha, come on now..." Initially, she believed that this was just a continuation of his previous joke. And just as she was about to continue relaxing, she realized she was no longer hearing the rustling of the leaves as he pushed through. "Oh wait, you are being serious." She said, as realization dawned on her and she started laughing once more before unstrapping her backpack and beginning to make her way through the wall to help push him through.

Once they were both on the other side, she looked at him what a lopsided grin. "Sorry about that I thought you were joking." He'd have to get another pair of robes once he was back with the Jedi.

XxX
​

She listened attentively as he explained, agreeing with him that waiting the night out would be probably for the best. A fire was a must, otherwise she was sure they'd have any and all kinds of creatures breathing down their necks. "Sounds like a plan. I'll go get us those branches." She said, leaving her backpack near Mathieu before returning to bury herself within the vegetation until she could find loser, dry and slightly decayed branches or pieces of bark. Those would burn faster. Then she grabbed some more solid pieces of wood, to keep the fire alive for longer.

When she returned, Palm took to building up the fire and getting it started. Survival skills were basic training for an Ambassador and Palm specially was a fan of the wild, so it didn't take her too long until they had a good fire going. Then, she grabbed her own backpack and took out two roll mats, laying down one for herself and one for the Morellian. The surface Matt had found was perfect, but something a bit less hard than rock to sit or lay on would be a bit more comfortable. Then he offered her his robe and she declined with a sweet smile by placing her hand on top of his wrist and slightly pushing it back. "Keep it. This thing is made out of Zenith-mesh, it could be freezing here and I'd be none the wiser." Even if she was, she could always use the Force to keep the cold at bay.

When they finally finished setting out the camp, Palm plopped down on one of the roll mats and allowed her back to fall until she was laying down, knees bent and a hand resting lazily across her midsection. "Now would be a good time for those sandwiches, you know?" She said, smiling at him as the feeling of emptiness in her stomach made itself known. Reaching out to get her backpack but without lifting herself to a seated position still, she pulled out that trademark orange plastic bottle that no geminaie was ever seen without and two water bottles. Iron pills. Palm would be pretty much useless if not dead without those.

She then finally returned to a seated position, her amber eyes meeting Matt's. "So, what new things have you learned with the Jedi?" She was curious. Of course, Palm wouldn't judge him if he had begun learning skills that were forbidden to the soll'nav. He was in his own path now.

Then her eyes fell to his training saber. "And how excited are you about getting one of these?" As she made the question with a smile on her face, the hilts of her guard shotos came forward to rest on another, smaller rock that was in front of her. Lightsabers were given as much importance, if not even more, in the Art of One as they received from the Jedi. They were a spiritual thing. That said, Palm could still remember very well her own eagerness at the prospect of having her own, even if she understood it was so much more than simply wielding the weapon of a soll'nav.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

His arm slowly came back to its owner as she declined his offer whilst taking out a couple roll mats. He looked at them curiously and hopped off of his own tarp when she put it down onto it for him whilst explaining how warm they were. He looked at it with sparkly eyes and almost whispered her name "Palm!" His lips formed a beaming smile "Why didn't I think of this? Look! Geminians are amazing. Look at this!" he exclaimed while making his way onto it and wiggling his feet once fully laid down straight "Look, there's so much room!" The Padawan had started to look for roll mats made for Trandoshans and Wookies, seeing as how the ones for humans often left much to be desired in regards to feet space. It was easy to forget that Palm wasn't human and when she had first brought them out, that was what he had expected - human roll mats.

Sitting back upright centrally on the set-up, he crossed his legs and let out a satisfied sigh before looking to her as she spoke. "Oh yes" he said, rubbing his hands together. The backpack contained a plethora of sandwiches, but he didn't need to look at it to know what he had. "What would you like? I've got meat: Ham, porg, bantha. I've got fish and I've got a few vegetarian ones too." Handing her sandwich packed in foil of the sort she asked for, he soon brought out a bantha sandwich for himself. Opening the package, he started eating and seemingly ignorant of what he had said before, would eat two more sandwiches before feeling content enough to stop.

While eating, Palm asked about the new teachings. They clashed with the teachings of the Soller Navah, at least partially. During the time there, he had bought into the concept of how immoral it was to use the force to affect the outside world. Still, for educational purposes, he felt that it was alright - but he felt a bit of shame too, because during their recent expedition to Taris, he had used the force to affect the world not only once, but twice. His gaze fell and silence ensued. It took a few moments before he could recompose himself. A meek smile grew on his lips - he would take the easy part first "We learned of telekinesis. You know, getting things to float, for instance." he said before using the force to make himself float a few centimetres above the ground before setting himself back down again.

And then came the hard part "And aerokinesis" his voice was small - the respect he held for his friend was immense and he didn't want to disappoint her. Instead of telling a coherent story, he went right at it "We were standing in the sewers, all drenched in water. Someone threw an electrical grenade and I pushed the water away" He could have made more excuses for why he did as he did, but instead, he remained quite for a few moments before moving on to the second instance "And then, men and this girl tried to rescue someone from a band of rakghouls. They were all trying to get into the apartment, so I created a whirlwind at them." Carefully, he looked back up at her to see what her judgement was. For a few moments, he just wanted to disappear.

As the night went on, things returned to normal and she asked about if he was excited to get his sabres. An eager smirk formed on his lips as he nodded "I can't wait" he said, barely able to contain how excited he was. He let out a cool whistle "And boy, do I need something." The large Morellian chuckled "I try to follow the Jedi traditions, but without heavy armour, I feel so vulnerable whenever someone points a gun at me" he spoke as if telling a funny story - he was still alive and had figured out how to get out of the trickier situations so far. It was nothing which phased him enough to weigh him down.

Suddenly, a few quick movements could be heard coming from the wall, causing his eyes to snap to the location. It was rather dark by now, making it hard to pinpoint what it was. He kept his eyes fixed on the location until a lizard-like creature darted out from one of the Palm-sized holes. It completely ignored the two sentients and darted to the other side "That can't be good" he said, standing up and letting his hand wander to the pommel of his stun baton.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

Palm couldn't help but laugh again as she saw him marvel at the roll mats. She wished she still had the energy and sense of amazement that he had seemed to retain. At least, it was somewhat contagious so she could enjoy it on these occasions when she got to spend time with her friend. "You can keep that one, Matt. Got plenty of these back at the Vagabond." Palm often spent time in strange places, and not all of those strange places had hotels to crash in if she wasn't close enough to her ship to return before nightfall. These roll mats had been her saving grace on more than one occasion.

"Hard choices, hard choices." She said, one of her hands going to rest for a moment behind her own head as she contemplated her options. Many people would have probably made some comment on the fact that he was packing quite a lot of food. But not a geminaie, definitely not a geiminaie. Those who knew a member of the species, knew they had appetites that would put even the largest of humans to shame. "It'll be fish for me, haven't had that in a while." It also reminded her of home, fish was a popular dish in Geminidae with all its rivers, lakes and marshes. Much like him, she'd eat three before feeling satisfied. Matt was really good at making sandwitches.

Then, she moved to sit in a cross-legged position on top of her roll mat as she heard his reply. Palm could easily see that he was apprehensive about sharing with her, but also knew that he wouldn't lie. As he pressed on with his stories, it was not difficult to see why he would have felt bad about telling her. It was not what he had been taught by the Soller Navah. However, she did not allow guilt or worry to plague him. She leaned forward to place one of her hands in his shoulder in a reassuring manner, "It's okay, Matt. I taught you what I believe in, but you have your own path now. I trust you to walk it, however you see fit." Palm had learnt a long time ago to not judge others, she had chosen her own path and had her own opinions. He was entitled to have his own, and knowing him, Palm was sure he'd find his way and not abuse his gifts.

A chuckle ensued as he mentioned the lack of armor, remembering that big plastic box she had had to carry around when they had retrieved him from the train wreck the first time she met him. "Well, you'll have to get used to it." There was really not much else to it. Although, in her opinion, the insistence on settling for robes 24/7 was absurd. She could say this both of the Jedi and the soll'nav. The concept of uniforms was nice, but nothing that couldn't be replicated with a bit or armor. Force-users weren't immune to damage after all.

She was about to make another question when she too heard the rustling, and her head turn to analyze what she could see of the vegetation around them. Palm quickly began reaching through the Force, trying to sense their surroundings and find any threats although the task was made difficult by the sheer amount of lifeforms that were around them, even if most were harmless. And then the lizard like creature ran across the area they were in, and realization dawned on Palm the second she felt her connection to the Force dissipate as the creature passed them near. "Kark. We've got company, Matt." As she spoke, the geminaie stood up, taking her sabers with her readying her grip on the hilts as she kept an eye out.

Vornskr.

A moment after, four of the creatures jumped out from among the vegetation, the reflection of the fire flickering in their hungry eyes as they began to circle the pair. Palm ignited her sabers, which made no noise whatsoever because of the nature of their crystals. The first one of the Vornskr jumped in to attack, lunging at Mathieu who surely looked like the larger threat. The only reason why they didn't attack at the same time was because they were testing them out. Vornskr were vicious creatures, after all. Palm kept an eye on the others, ready to aid Mathieu should he need it. But soon enough, she had to fend of attacks against herself.

Just as she struck down a Vornskr, two more seemed to come out of the bushes. And soon the situation began to look grim. They were outnumbered, they needed to make a run for it. "Matt we have to go!" She shouted, her eyes locked with those of another vornskr that was getting ready to jump at her. Their attacks were beginning to become more coordinated and difficult to evade.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The happiness of getting to keep the roll mat she had brought or their small talk when having the evening sandwiches together seemed to have faded almost completely from his mind as he awaited her judgement. It was odd, because he could not feel any anger or resentment coming from her and soon, her words confirmed as much. His gaze went from her hand on his shoulder, following her arm to finally meet here kind eyes. His smile, albeit a soft one, soon returned. Still, he had not really turned his back on it all and he wanted that to be made clear "I agreed with you, Palm. And I still kinda do. It's just hard sometimes, to really follow through." His soft smile shifted into a slightly goofier one "I was at this diplomatic meeting a while ago, and whenever I had a hard time figuring out what to do, a small thought was 'what would Palm have done?'" Mathieu looked up to his friend, or his Nast'av if she'd let him call her that. In his eyes, she was wise, intelligent and most importantly, had her heart in the right place. While she did not follow the light as he did, she did always seem committed to doing what was right. At least that was the impression he had got so far.

"I sure hope so" he said as he eyed her weapons. "I have seen a fair amount of action during my time as a Padawan. And you know, I don't like having to kill people, so I use these" he said, speaking calmly as he patted his sides where the practice sabre and stun baton sat. "The problem is that, when I can't stun something with them" The large Padawan trailed off for a moment, thinking of the time he fought a Gamorrean before continuing with a pause "..I kind of need to bash it against them a few times. It is brutal." he clearly didn't like thinking about it much but like he often did, Mathieu soon brightened up again. Chuckling, he smirked whilst saying "But usually, hitting them once is enough"

It was then that the four-legged beasts appeared. He had felt weird for a moment after the little critter had appeared but to someone as new to actual understanding of the force as Mathieu, it had been hard to comprehend what was happening. But the beasts - they were easy to understand. Being as tall as he was did have advantages at times. The bolder of the animals jumped up to get a tasty bite at the Padawan's neck. He was fast, however, especially thanks to his Ashla's Wristguard. Quickly, the former Mercenary dodged down whilst pulling out his stun baton with one arm and stretching out the other. With the force on his side to slightly bolster his attributes, it resulted in a rather nice catch. For he had managed to grab the animal's hind leg in his hand, killing all the momentum it had and causing it to dangle from his arm. Naturally, the wild foe wouldn't relent and flailed and bent in order to get a bite in on its captor but Mathieu was quick to react. With one quick thrust, he sent the stun baton into the Vornskr's abdominal area, effectively stunning it for the time being. He quickly dropped the beast, feeling its weight bearing down on his arm before looking to Palm.

The Diplomat had already taken down one of the predators and was now calling for them to run. Seeing how they had increased in numbers, Mathieu could only agree. Surely, many Jedi colleagues would have felled a tree in between them to give the animals an obstacle or perhaps used the fire the create a scary distraction. Both of these required the use of the force and so, none of the options were satisfactory to the Padawan who wanted to follow the ways of the Soller Navah "Running" he exclaimed as he turned around to begin the journey. He concentrated and used the force to imbue his legs with more power to run with and increased the speed at which they pedaled. The result was a drastic increase in pace.

The chase wouldn't die there. While the two force users were fast, the force imbued beasts were fast too. It was eerie, because Mathieu could constantly feel the aggressive animal's presence behind him and whenever they made a sharp turn to get out of their line of sight, they still knew where to follow. Before long, the two humanoids were back at the stony area where the river had probably used to run. It had seemed like the best path to run via until he saw what looked like a natural stone wall in front of him, standing perhaps 5 metres tall. His best guess was that it had been a waterfall in the past but now, it stood dry. This was Palm's element but Mathieu was not quite as good of a climber and in order to not injure himself crashing in against the wall, he would have to slow down too. He knew that he'd have to climb the distance and that was precisely what he was going to do.

The former Mercenary arrived just a few brief moments before the Vornskr did and jumped up onto the wall with the beasts biting, below, just a few milimetres away from catching his foot, A good leap and he'd be in much trouble. Hopefully, his friend was doing better.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

A genuine, bright smile stretched her lips at his comment. Palm didn't see herself as someone worthy of looking up to, but knowing he did anyways instilled a warm feeling within her. Palm saw in Mathieu an endless hope. She had never met someone as easy going, as good natured as him in all her travels. He didn't shy away from his feelings, and his ease with honesty was unmatched. It was as though he had been built for the Light, and Palm had no doubt that he'd grow under it and become someone not only her but the whole galaxy could be proud of.

"More often than not we can't choose the outcome of certain things. Its better not to think much about it." Palm didn't enjoy killing or hurting people either, yet the Force knew she had her fair share of blood in her hands. Much like him, these meories often haunted her or at least left a bitter feeling within her, but she could rest with the knowledge that they had never been born out of rage or malice. She was simply protecting herself, just as he had.

XxX​

It looked like the promised roll mat would have to be left behind, as did most that had made up their camp. Palm had managed to snatch her backpack before beginning her run, arms moving forward and backwards as she sped through the trees with unprecedented coordination. She knew how Vornskr hunted, and therefore knew that trying to lose them would be simply useless. If she had had a piece of geminian marble with her she might've been able to use it as a decoy and throw them off her trail, but alas, this was not the case.

Palm made sure to keep an eye on Mathieu whenever the vegetation allowed her to do so, and reached out through the force to lock in on his presence as they moved. Soon enough she managed to get back on the same path with him, and as she did, she saw the rock ahead. Palm wouldn't even need to climb it, at the speed she was running, a geminaie could easily jump that distance. So, a few meters before to rocky wall began rising, Palm jumped and was able to propel herself upwards without the need of using the Force as an aid. As soon as she was up, she lowered her body and reached with her hand towards Matt, intending to help pull him up the rest of the way before a Vorsnkr could make a snack of his feet.

Once they were both up, Palm checked him over quickly, they didn't have a lot of time to catch their breaths. "Are you okay?" She asked, breathing heavily. If his answer was positive they'd need to keep moving. It wouldn't take the Vornskr long to find their way to them again, they were relentless hunters and force sensitives were their favorite dish. "We need to keep on moving."

Ysalamiri. They needed Ysalamiri. The Vornskr wouldn't be able to find them if they were within a Force null bubble. But then again, how where they going to find the Ysalamiri? "Keep your eyes out for lizards in the trees Matt, when you find them, go as near them as you can" Just as she finished speaking, more growls and snarls started to be heard coming from within the jungle. They were catching up. "Come on!" And once again, she began running, trying to keep to the outline of the dried river.

At some point, Palm ran next to a large tree and it was then that she felt it. Or rather, not felt it. The Force had left her, and as she looked up, she could see what looked like an couple of tails dangling lazily from a tree branch. "Matt, here!" She called. The tree was truly enormous, and the higher it went, the thicker its branches seemed to get. Palm opened her backpack and quickly passed him her climbing gear, she wouldn't need it. They were on a timer against the Vornskr that would certainly still be looking for them, and right now they could be seen. "Do you think you can make the climb?" She asked, for the first few meters until the first usable branch were pretty much a vertical climb with little to hold on to besides the climbing tools, it was a tree after all.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

It was a desperate struggle against gravity and the law of physics. The four-legged beasts below him kept getting higher in their jumps and leaps towards the former Mercenary's feet. Mathieu kept leaping for new ledges and little irregularities in the stone to hold on to but it kept getting harder and he was forced to take increasingly large risks until he finally saw Palm's hand.

Grabbing on to it - well aware of the woman being deceptively strong - he soon found himself on solid ground once more. The large padawan stood on his hands and knees as he panted heavily with his face just a few centimetres from the ground. Despite his need to recover from the effort, Palm made it clear that they couldn't stay, and knowing how predators like these worked, it was most reasonable to believe her. And with that, the two took off once more, hopelessly trying to outrun the Vornskr.

Palm had seen something, however, and when she deviated from their path to the tree, Mathieu followed suit. He took the climbing hear she threw him. It was most fortunate as it was his only hope of getting up the trunk. And with that, he started using it to climb up the tree, making a few ugly marks on it as he kept going higher. Maybe the beasts had grown fond of the idea of munching on his feet, because once more, they leapt to get a good bite in. But yet again, their hunger would not be sated as he managed to make a narrow escape. Once the Jedi Padawan could climb via the branches instead of the climbing gear, he would do so. Not only because it was less destructive to the tree, but also because he didn't want to scare away any of the animals who were in it.

He kept going up. The Vornskrs were waiting for them below - they may have stopped sensing the two force users, but they had just chased them up the tree, so they had a good idea of where their potential dinner could be hiding. Once high up in the tree, Mathieu sat down on a thick branch with one leg on each side, looking onto his friend who was already seated on it. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. While fighting and running were things which he could keep doing for a long time, climbing did not seem to be his strong suite. Still, he tried to breathe as quietly as possible, still not wanting to scare away the Ysalamiri or cause any of the other animals to cause a ruckus.

Time kept ticking as they sat up there, playing a waiting game with the Vornskr below. At some point, they would have to leave to find other prey and unlike Maro and Nekran, these weren't highly intelligent and were unlikely to create a trap for the two explorers. Mathieu silently raised his hands as his jaw fell open - although he had lived large parts of his life without knowing that he had the force, he was still very much used to it and now, he got to experience what it was without it. The Padawan didn't like it one bit - for without the force, everything seemed disconnected and empty. He could no longer feel the branch he sat on or all the little creatures who were around him. When the breeze blew through the tree, he didn't feel any vibrant dynamism - but instead it rang hollow. And when he looked to his friend - he could only see her, but the pleasant sensation of her presence could no longer be felt.

It was horrible and he quickly started feeling rather anxious as his senses calmed from just having been chased by the Vornskr. Mathieu had always been a rather affectionate person. He liked physical contact and would always be glad to give someone a warm hug when they were sad or a clap on the back when they needed encouragement. What he did next was purely for himself. Slowly but surely, the large Morellian started to slide closer to his friend on the branch and turn to the side so that his feet would dangle over the same edge. He gave her a careful look, seeking her approval as he raised his arm a little. If she agreed, he would wrap it around her in a hug.

It would not be the same as having the force again, but it was leaps and bounds better than the vast emptiness he felt when sitting there all alone. After sitting like that for a while, he would whisper "You're a good friend, Palm. Thank you"

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

Palm closed her eyes for a moment as she caught her breath. Climbing the tree hadn't been the tiring part, but the adrenaline of the chase was coming down from its peak and making itself known as sudden tiredness and tenderness in her muscles. She had moved further along the branch, away from the tree's trunk, to give Mathieu space when he finally reached it. Not having the force was jarring in many ways, and she wasn't sure if Matt had ever experienced it before. So, when the Jedi Padawan settled himself on the branch, her eyes quickly went to him once more to see how he was holding up.

She recognized the expression, she had felt it herself in the past. Palm was about to offer comfort when he moved in to wrap her in a hug. A smile settled on her lips as she welcomed and returned the gesture. In many ways, Mathieu felt like a piece of home away from Geminidae, even if he wasn't even geminian in the first place. She took as much comfort from the gesture as he did, even more so after his words broke the silence, making Palm feel warm and simply happy. Friendship was a powerful thing, and she considered herself lucky to share it with him. "An rahia'txe ver seran, xe ver tihar ir'ser" She spoke the words in her mother tongue, an old phrase shared among friends to express their affection and the value one saw in the other.

Palm remained in the hug for a moment, only pulling back once both felt ready to. Then, almost forgetting about the hounds below them, she offered him a soft smile. "Close your eyes and breathe in," She was repeating the words that one day Master Artem had shared with her, on a day she had strayed too far near a marble mine and been affected by the force nullifying objects that protected it. "Listen to everything around you, the insects, the wind on the leaves, the paws on the floor. Hear my voice and the voice of the jungle. You cannot feel the Force, but the Force is always there. It hasn't truly left us. It never does." When he opened his eyes again, he'd be met by Palm's as she pulled out a single water bottle from the backpack. After opening it she passed it first to Mathieu. It was the last one she had, and after that persecution she knew they could both use the drink.

There was nothing left to do but wait, and soon the hours kept on advancing. Eventually the hounds would leave them, and the rays of the sun began to very shyly climb up the horizon again. They couldn't see it, of course. The vegetation kept that from happening, but they could see how the shroud of darkness began to be lifted and visibility returned to the jungle. A restless night after, it was finally time for them to get on the move again.

"After all that running last night, this Jedi temple better be near." Her tone wasn't serious, even if it jested at being so. She truly did hope it didn't take them long to get there, but if that wasn't the case she wouldn't complain...too much. She climbed down the tree with ease, and as soon as her feet touched the ground she quickly scanned her surroundings to make sure danger was no longer near. When he was ready, they'd resume their journey towards the Temple of Serenity.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

His eyebrows perked up as she spoke to him in the language he had come in so much contact with during those fateful three months. It brought back good memories which he held close to his heart. At least those weren't affected by him no longer being able to sense the force "You too, Palm. You too" he whispered calmly, having heard the phrase in the past and knowing the gist of it, he could do nothing but reflect its sentiment back at her.

The two remained in the position for a bit until both started letting go. It had been nice to have some sort of connection to her when he did not feel it through the force. Curious as to what she wanted, Mathieu complied, closing his eyes and causing his chest to rise as he took a deep breath. And then he did as she said - he reached out. It was similar to what the Temple Instructors told him to do when meditating and slowly but surely, he listened. It was not the same without the force - he could no longer pinpoint small sounds far away or envision their position and circumstances, but he could hear it and faintly but surely, also sense it. The force was there. It just wasn't where he was.

A slight smile formed on his closed lips - he enjoyed the state he was in and she had at least brought him a little closer to his preferred state. After a while, he opened his eyes again and let his chest fall as he let out a heavy breath. The smile grew brighter "Thank you" Mathieu's mood had become much better and while he could not feel the force now, he had hope that he would be able to feel it soon again.

It was fortunate that Palm had managed to grab her backpack - his had been left behind at their old camp site along with his robe. Unfortunately, it meant that his sandwiches were probably all gone by now, at least if the beasts had managed to figure out that there was food inside the foil-wrapped sandwiches. The former Mercenary took the bottle with a nod and took a small sip before handing it back. He drank to keep hydrated - not to quench thirst. Hopefully, the trip wouldn't take too much longer and if it did, he certainly hoped that they'd find a good fresh water source.

Sleeping in the situation they were in was dangerous - still, he gave her the offer of sleeping in shifts, for he knew that he could probably hold on to her if she was about fall in her sleep and considering how thick the branches were, she could probably do the same to him. Regardless of what they did, none of the rest he got would have been particularly effective.

When the night eventually started turning into day, both realised that it was time to get back on track. Of course, Palm would arrive at ground level sooner than him. So when he eventually got down, he trusted that she had checked for threats. He raised an amused eyebrow at her comment "You're assuming we ran in the right direction" he joked, smiling at her teasingly as they continued walking in the same direction as they had been running.

It was yet another rather beautiful day with a few light clouds littering the otherwise clear blue skies and with a quire of different birds singing from the treetops. "Ahhhh" Mathieu let out a sound of utter satisfaction as he could once again feel the force for real. It was all there again. Once more, he could feel the life around him, he could feel the how there was once more a connection to the winds, trees and rocks. And once more, he could feel his friend's presence next to him. The Morellian had a hard time keeping his smile down and even let out an involuntary chuckle "I guess you don't know what you've got til you loose it, huh?"

The rocky path they were taking started to feel more and more like a valley. "I think we're getting close" he said and was soon proven right as the valley 'walls' started to widen at a sharp angle, indicating that they had just entered what had once been a lake. The ground had slowly shifted from being rocky to being littered with increasingly much shrubbery. The area inside what had once been a lake resembled the jungle in many ways - but it was more lush. The trees weren't as tightly packed but the ground between them were covered in bushes and other shrubbery.

"It said in the middle, right?" he asked as he looked into the area they were about to head into. "If it was on an island, I guess it should be elevated too." Soon, Mathieu started walking and pushed his way into the jungle. It was difficult to move and before long, bushes and other vegetation would reach his waist-level. "What fertiliser were they using? We could've used this back home" he joked, pushing on in the hopes of finding the temple, or at least the beginning of a hill which would suggest that they were at least getting closer to it.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

Her eyes widened a bit as though Mathieu had just said something utterly offensive. Of course, the aggravation did not come from the words or the man himself but from the mere idea that he could very much be right, "Matt, if we ran in the wrong direction, you are carrying me the rest of the way." No more than joke, she was not known for being lazy, but the Force knew how much she'd hate it if they realized they had chosen the wrong route. Palm was young and full of energy, but the incredible amounts of stress she dealt with on a daily basis surely made her act as though she was several years older.

She chuckled, and out of reflex reveled in the feel of the Force just as he was doing. It was something beautiful and calming, there was no denying that. She often wondered if it felt the same to all those with gift of sensing it, or if it was slightly different depending on...well, each individual soul and its alignment and outlook. One thing she was sure of, judging by the bright smile, was that it must have felt wonderful to the Morellian. "And when it comes to the Force, we never know anything." Palm had always thought the way people saw the force was very reductive. There was so much more to it that not even the grandest of masters could know. If anything, even when they could feel it and draw on it, Palm believed it was still more hidden than it was revealed.

As they finally reached the area they had been searching for, Palm smiled at the greenery that seemed to grow everywhere and made sure to watch her step. If there were this many plants, there was bound to be humidity and she knew mud could be very traitorous. Slipping, stepping on a hole, never being entirely sure if what you are standing on is just a log or something scary...Yeah, it was better to keep her attention up. Mathieu had been right in his assumptions, it looked more like a swamp than a lake by now. And the geminian was very well acquainted with terrains with more or less shallow waters.

As they went deeper into the shrubbery, the smell of the air and the increasing softness of the ground confirmed her suspicions. "I hope you don't mind getting wet, Mathieu." Her guess was that as the lake had dried, the waters had receded and given way to fertile soil. But just as the grasses and bushes were getting tall enough to surpass them and block their view of anything but the sky above, Palm stepped forward and felt her leg plunge deep into mildly cold water until it reached ground again. The temperature contrasted a lot with the humid heat of the air.

The water reached up to her waist, and now both the plants and Mathieu who still stood on solid ground dwarfed her. She looked up at him, grimacing a bit since she hadn't expected to fall into the swamp so soon. "Yep, looks about right. Make sure to stay near. I don't think there will be any ysalamiri in the swamp but if there are, I don't want to lose you in the grass." This place could easily turn into a labyrinth if they were cut from the Force. Without mentioning they had no idea if any creatures called these stagnant waters their home. She waited until Mathieu was in too, before she continued moving in a straight line, stepping carefully since the dark water and the vegetation did not allow them to see the bottom.

Some parts were deep enough for Palm to have to swim for a bit before reaching ground where she could stand again. She had never been happier about having made her lightsaber waterproof. After a long while, the water level began lowering and the grass became sparser. Eventually they reached dry ground again, and in the middle a hill began...leading up to the place they had been looking for, covered in vines and barely visible but distinctly there. Palm placed her hands on her hips, soaked in swamp water and with a spludges of mud here and there. "Thank the Force, we are here."

She began walking towards the ruined temple, it looked fragile and solid at the same time which was disconcerting. Its walls were made of rock, blending in better with the overall landscape of Myrkr, and three dark gates led inside it. There was no knowing if they all went to the same place or not, and the geminaie was a second away from reaching to the Force for guidance when a step forward saw her cut off from it again. "Looks like we'll have to rely on luck, Matt." Her hand went to the back of her head, trying to ignore the discomfort that wet clothes were and focusing on the task at hand instead.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Palm joked that he might have to carry her if they had run the wrong way. He chuckled - without his armour or chaingun or even packing, carrying someone on his back didn't seem like it would be all too bad. "Sure, can't be that hard" he joked, not truly believing that she'd want a lift. A few moments passed by before he looked to her apprehensively "But wait - aren't you Geminians deceptively heavy? I know you're packing some strong muscle in there" he said, nodding to her shoulder. A smirk spread across his lips "I guess we'll see who grows tired first. Maybe you'll be the one to carry me"

* * *​

It was a swamp. At least it didn't seem to deep as his knee-high boots still kept the water out well enough. "This seems alright" he said upon hearing her mention the risk of getting wet. His gaze was fixed a few decimetres in front of where he walked, trying to see where he was setting down his next step - but it was nigh on impossible, for the water was so discoloured by the mud, dirt and vegetation. Then all of a sudden, an almost violent sound came from Palm's direction. Mathieu turned to see what was happening - the world seemed to stop for a moment as his friend was suddenly falling.

Despite always aspiring to be a good person, the large Morellian often found himself struggling. He had struggled on Taris, twice, and he was struggling now. As soon as he had seen her fall, the Padawan had turned around and stretched out his hand, fully intent on reaching out through the force to keep her from drowning or being pulled down - but her fall had stopped sooner than that. His eyes told the tale of how guilty he felt as he stood there frozen with his arm stretched out. She looked funny down there, her size dwarfed in comparison to all the bushes and himself - but it was hard to give it a good laugh when struggling with a seemingly impossible moral struggle internally.

Softly, Mathieu's lips formed a meek smile as he looked at her, bending down to give her a hand back up to the more shallow waters. "Yeah" he said, answering her - staying close to each other was a good idea and it would allow them to help each other better. Help each other better without reaching out through the force like he just had. The Jedi Padawan remained relatively silent for the rest of their journey to the temple. His attention was mainly focused on the moral struggle he had. Still, the journey craved some attention and so did keeping an eye on his travelling companion.

In the end, it had been an almost therapeutic journey that had forced them into a few different modes of travel. His clothes were soaked by the time they arrived by dry land with his tunic and pants clinging tightly to his body whilst water was still dripping off of them. "Yeah" he nodded before looking down at his wet clothes to remove a wine that had stuck to his wet shoulder. Looking up the hill, he smiled "What are the chances that they'll have a drycleaner at the Temple?" he joked before starting the climb up the hill. Walking up the hill would be an arduous journey in the soaked clothes.

When they got half-way up, he thought of when they first met the previous night and turned to her and held his arms out in a wide angle "At least this should show off my gains more than the Jedi robes" clearly, he had once again refound his good spirits after loosing them earlier. A happy smile came with the joke before he turned to continue the walk up.

Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed. He could sense something. Or someone. It was a familiar presence which he had not felt in a very long time. But it couldn't be, could it? For a few fleeting moments, Mathieu thought that he sensed the faint presence of his friend, Caden Evesa but decided to concentrate on it further once they reached the temple. Throwing his friend a glance, Mathieu started speaking "I think-..." but quickly trailed off as the building came into sight.

"Wow. It is beautiful" he said, observing the structure. It soon became apparent that it had not been a very grand temple, but it was beautifully designed and from the outside, it looked peaceful, despite the many years that had passed since it was still in use. He took another step, at suddenly, the force no longer seemed to be there for him to reach. It was those Ysalamiri again, it had to be. "For now. I hope there aren't more of them inside" he said whilst walking towards the middle entrance. Beginning from the main hall seemed like a good idea and while all three ports may have lead to the same destination, this seemed like the safest bet.

Vines and other vegetation had already made the walls, ceiling and floor their home. The air inside was refreshing, contrasting nicely to the dampness of the swamp. Mathieu took a deep breath in the corridor "I thought I felt a long lost friend before. I wanna reach out, see if I can sense him once we get into the main hall" he said, looking back at Palm as they walked through the corridor.

But the longer they went on, the more it started to dawn on the young Morellian - it seemed like the place was infested not only by vegetation, but also by the Ysalamiri. Suddenly, he stopped as a clinking sound could be heard after he had accidentally kicked it. Squinting his eyes, he took a step forth and kneeled down to pick up a triangular item. "Palm, will you look at this" Mathieu held the object out in his palm, either for her to pick up and study for herself or to just look at. "I think this is the corner piece of a holocron!"

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Location: Forests of Myrkr.
Wearing: XxX.
Equipment/Armament: The Wraith Blades.
Tagging: Mathieu Brion

Palm was perceptive of people, not only because it was a quality her species was known for but because she had been specifically trained to be. This was even truer when it came to her friends, those she cared about, whom she willingly kept and eye out for and strove to see them happy. His extended arm towards her was enough for her to realize what had just happened, or didn't happen, more precisely. He had just almost used to Force to pull her out of the water.

In any other scenario, the geminaie would have felt hurt or offended at someone else trying to influence her through the Force. After all, he had been raised to believe this was something that should never be done, but she knew Mathieu. And above all, she knew his intentions could never be ill-willed. He had wanted to help her, and he no longer walked the path of the soll'nav. For the time being she allowed him his silence as they walked, contemplating on her next words. A part of her did not want to validate such use of the force, but the other, her curious and determined nature, was understanding and accepting.

It was when they where midway to the temple that her hand set once more on his shoulder. "You did not take my vows, Matt." She said, referencing the vow of restraint that all soll'nav took upon formally joining the Order. "I will not think less of you for using the Force. You are a Jedi now, and as your friend, I am proud of who you are and I will always be." The soll'nav frowned upon those who would use the Force to freely influence the galaxy around them, but Palm simply couldn't bring herself to do this with Matt. Not when she had enough trust in him to know that he'd use his influence for the right reasons.

XxX​

She laughed at his comment. "A drycleaner or some new clothes entirely. I don't think I'll ever get the stench of stagnant water out of these." That was the key difference between Geminidae's swamps and regular ones. The ecosystem in Geminidae had made them become dynamic water bodies, evaporating and renewing themselves quickly enough to never turn green and smelly and overall unpleasant. Luckily, if they managed to explore the ruins swiftly enough, she wouldn't have to stay too long in this outfit.

A smile stretched her lips at his joke, happy to know he was no longer deep in sour thoughts. As they made their way towards the temple, Palm had a feeling that something else had found its way to Mathieu's mind, but trusted him to let her know if it was anything she needed to know about or that he wanted to share. She followed him to the entrance in the middle, and being welcomed by the fresh air and the cool shadows that were nestled within the ancient walls was a blissfully well received by her warm skin. "It is, its also very well preserved taking into account how old it is and where its located." Water had a way of eroding anything if given enough time.

Her attention then shifted away from the temple in itself and back onto her friend as he told her about this presence he had felt. A long lost friend? Of course, a lot of questions surfaced in her mind but for now she nodded, agreeing that he should try to reach out once they could. However, each step taken into the temple made her feel as though the Force was more and more cut off from her. Eventually, several lizards climbing on the walls and resting on elevated surfaces came into view. No wonder. It seemed as though they had made a nest of the abandoned temple.

"Looks like that may have to wait a bit longer until we get back out, Matt." She said. It was unfortunate, but she would gladly help him look for whoever this person was when they were outside again. Palm had finally decided to ask about this person but was interrupted by Matt's discovery. A holocron? Looks like there was even more to be found here than she had originally expected.

"That's amazing!" The exclamation came accompanied with a smile as her amber gaze explored the piece on Mathieu's hand. "I'm sure scholars at your Order will be ecstatic if we find ancient Jedi holocrons here." She knew how soll'nav scholars got every time someone came back with a holocron, like children receiving the most precious of toys. It was no surprise though, given the knowledge these things could carry. They were invaluable. Looking at Matt once last time, she picked up her pace a bit towards the main hall. The quicker they could sort through the temple, the quicker they could get back out and search for Mathieu's friend.

"What happened to your friend, Matt?" The question finally surfaced, although her soft tone made it clear that he could brush it off if he didn't feel like sharing with her.