Roots

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan gave another happy wiggle of his toes. At the same time he gave a little shrug in R4’s direction. The pebbledrone wasn’t about to get any support when Trextan couldn’t even understand his complaint. He turned to give Choli a small grin. It was quite nice to have some air between his toes instead of sand.

“Of course I don’t. Was just giving them some air,” he said. “If they’re too toxic I can put them away again.” He didn’t think he had particularly aromatic feet. It wasn’t something he had ever noticed before. Now he was the one feeling mildly apprehensive.

“Speaking of which, do you need the mask now?” he asked. Looking towards the entrance he could see a mist of finer sand particles drifting in. “Might have to sleep with them though,” he mused.

For a moment he could imagine that they were back at his uncle’s house. Sitting out in the cool air and relaxing. It was still almost confusion that she would let him kiss her. Trextan put the idle thought away and slipped open the satchel. There was some more perishable bread inside so he took a chunk of that to start with.

Whilst hoping that she would move the mask just so he could see her eyes and hear her voice once more, he let his thoughts drift back to the well. It had almost been like the moment on Skor. Where he had felt so connected to life. There he had felt so many connections severed as they become one with the Force. Here he had felt connections established as some natural order was restored. Everything connected, the Force the mesh that bound it all across any distance, any time. Some of the more outlandish stories he had been told over the years did not seem quite so impossible.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]At the inquiry, Choli couldn’t help but feel slightly abashed at having Trextan point it out that she had her breathing mask on. Not that there was anything wrong with it, it was as much precautionary as it was simply something that she was used to, especially with a sandstorm blowing overhead. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The young woman gave a brief sweep of her head, neck turning from under the folds of her beige scarf to survey their location. From behind her goggles, Choli took stock of the minuscule amount of dust and sand floating around them. Well, we are pretty far in. she mused to herself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][ Sorry,] she began, bringing her hands up to carefully tug at the goggles over her eyes. The large, almost bug eyed lenses rose, setting to perch on top of her head. There was a distinct tan and grime line that almost owled her eyes, framing them against a backspace of olive skin and their distinctive hue. With the little light they had this far back, there wasnt a way to really distinguish the exact color — anything agains the pale blue glow of her halo light would make them appear to be darker than usual. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][ Not used to actually taking them off while I’m out here.] much like when she had been in full Tuskian Raider gear. It was forbidden to. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][ Second nature I guess. ]. She added, bringing her left hand up to unclasp the clip that kept her breathing mask attached to the lower part of her face. The distinct outline of where the grime and sand stuck to her skin was a comical sight to see. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Depending on bad it gets, we’ll both need to put them on again. Maybe through the night.” There it was, her real voice. Not some modulated androgynous tone. Just her husky voice and that shadow of amusement that upturned the right corner of her mouth.[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

There she was again, he thought to himself. His expression slowly shifted from thoughtful to a tight little smile. It showed how pleased he was to see the sound of her voice, but also embarrassed for having asked. Before he’d even thought about it he had reached up and playful run a thumb across her cheek to make a smudge across the clean skin revealed by the mask.

“We spoke about it,” he said. “I mean, spoke about how you lived here. I know I said it seemed to suit you, but the longer we’re out here, the more I realise just how different that life must have been.”

It made the changes in his own life seem quite insignificant by comparison. He had resented such changes being forced upon him, yet Choli had adapted so much he never would have guessed that she had come from the wastelands. Placed back here she didn’t even think to unwrap herself when afforded some shelter.

“You lived here for years and years. Could have been forever without seeing more than a trickle of water. Already I can’t wait for a shower.”

He thought of hot water running down him, washing away the grime. Leaving him with that smooth, sensitive skin you always got after being in sand. Suddenly his imagination twisted and he was sharing that indulgence with Choli. Her long hair out of that braid and plastered to skin blushed from the heat of the water.

His own cheeks went the colour he was picturing and his head turned towards the snacks he’d laid out across his lap.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[SIZE=10.5pt][member="Trextan Voidstalker"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Hey!” the playful smudge of grit upon her cheek was answered by the light bat of the back of her hand against his. They both seemed to radiate a token of mild embarrassment. R4 only rolled his ocular sensor at the pair. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Yeah well, that’s why we have places like the oasis.” Choli added, taking Trextan’s lowered gaze as initiative to eat. Unknowing that perhaps she wasn’t helping matters with her next snippet, “ You could go swimming there. Plus there are a number of deep caverns with smaller pool.” rarer still, but these were considered sacred locations to the Sand People. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“I imagine after three days we’ll both smell so bad that it won’t even matter.” although there were ways to help with that. “Burning sage bush can help a bit with that though.” Remind him that you will stink Choli, great start there. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Anyways-- we are closer to finding your crystal though.” [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

"I didn't realise the oasis would get that deep," he replied. "I guess I was imagining something ankle high."

Trextan tried to picture that landscape they had visited transformed. It would take longer for the vegetation to return than it had to wither and die. Death was[/] part of the natural order of things. Ecosystems could change over time and find a new balance point. But he was so certain that what they had done was right.

He looked towards the entrance at her mention of crystals. The wind howled again and he felt a gentle tug towards the wastelands. The smile that had formed on its own slowly melted away.

"Yes," he said quietly. "Yes I think we are."

He returned to his food and thinking about that kiss. Far more natural than any that had come before. Would showing affection always come so easily over time? Would the building smells be a barrier or would neither notice? He thought in amusement. Even reaching back to wrap and arm around her back and give her a gentle squeeze like so made him nervous.

 

[Kaile Vera]

.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

"Some places it can be shallow, but for the most part some can get up to knee high. Only one or two you can go up to your waist." it was easy to see that 'swimming' wasn't the sort of definition Trextan might share. It was more like dunking. Choli didn't know how to actually swim.

Peeling apart a small ration bar, the Rogue glanced up. She caught the slight twitch of amusement at the corner of his mouth.

"What's so funny?" she inquired, arching a brow. R4 gave a knowing hoot as if daring Trextan to actually say what he was thinking aloud. Choli rolled her eyes and gave the Pebbledrone a flick of her finger against his chassis.

"Quiet you. Why don't you power down and try and save a bit of your own power?" with a wiggle that was no doubt the droids version of a grumble, the Pebbledrone turned his head and tucked himself away.

Well, there was one less annoyance...

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

Trextan chuckled at the droid's escapades. He really needed that software on his arm screen. He was certain R4 was making inappropriate jokes just because he couldn't understand.

"I was kind of thinking, well, that if we both smell it was going to be less of a barrier to intimacy than a cheeky little droid. Not that, you know we're here, I mean we're here to find the crystal."

Trextan took a breath. "Kissing you was nice though," he declared quietly. At least R4 was off. The little droid would have had a field day.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Well he was definitely getting better at speaking his mind.

Choli couldn’t help the wave of heat that turned her cheeks ruddy. Small blessings that it was dark and that the blue glow of her halo stick muted the color that tinted her olive face.

“Hasn’t stopped anyone from the clans from having children,” it was an innocuous comment, one to highlight that scent really didn’t matter when it came to things. Only that a second layer she realized just what that might come out as.

“Not that we’d — well. “ choli hated bumbling over her words. Her face flames and she took the opportunity to shove the protein bar into her mouth to chew at furiously.

Stupid.

The compliment that kissing her was nice was appreciated. Choli just wished she could just speak normally without feeling silly.

“Anyways... yeah. It was nice.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"]

Each of them was now very clearly avoiding the other's gaze. For a moment he thought she was suggesting something and every nerve fired with a mix of excitement and absolute terror. He had absolutely no clue how they would start on... That. He could barely kiss her comfortably.

Her stumble of words was quite a clear back pedal. It was almost funny how much they each minded their words now. He spoke more openly than when they had met and Choli took more care. Some of the time. In a few weeks he would understand more the environment she had to live in with the military and why sometimes she was bold and other times as awkward as he was. He would also meet some of the bad influences on R4.

"I still feel bad for not really understanding anything about them. I guess being far away and also really never seeing their faces, your faces, makes it easy to just enjoy scary stories as a kid. When do they take their masks off?" he asked, thinking about how he'd had to remind her with the one she still had tied to her.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]


“It’s fine. Not many can go up to a member of the Clan and ask for the weather.” It was said rather dryly, with no humor. Choli was well aware of the status quo and the perception that the Sand People have. It wasn’t likely going to change. Not anytime soon anyways.
Choli took another bite of her protein bar, her eyes radiating a pale golden glow in mild annoyance. At least, until Trextan’s inquiry about the face mask. This was a bit more tricky. Well, not tricky as in likely a part of the culture that Trextan might not understand. At the very least, few did.
“We are forbidden to,” She added quietly after chewing her protein bar carefully, watching Trextan. Using her free hand Choli began to tick off the circumstances that would allow such things.
“We can only undress for specific rites. The coming of age Ceremony,” her forefinger extended, “Marriage Ceremony.” Her middle finger uncurled beside the former. “And Childbirth.”came the third.
“And even after that, we can only reveal ourselves to our bloodmate. To do so otherwise is banishment.”
A small wave of fingers gestured to her face, she gave a mild grimace. “Even this is forbidden. So old habits die hard.” Choli outstretched her legs and then brought them in, sitting crossed legged to get more comfortable.
It was a small window at a poorly understood culture. It also managed to place into context the slight warmth that rose in her cheeks then. That first year away from her clan had been… well rather unsettling. Uncomfortable even. Her ability to adapt had honestly been her tether, perhaps, even her ability in the Force to comprehend things just a little bit faster.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Oh.” Trextan returned to chewing thoughtfully. He hadn't expected that. He knew he probably should have as well. There were enough cultures out there with similar rules. He'd seen monks garbled from head to toe in crimson or blacks. He decided to mention that instead. Perhaps it would make it seem less of impact to reveal to her.
“Coruscant does have all kinds of cultures. I guess it balances some of the downsides. I'm fairly sure there were several religions that encouraged similar. It's quite an open place for different traditions and beliefs.”
More open than when the sandpeople were a people spread across kilometres of open wasteland and rarely seen up close.

He tried to imagine living in such an isolated culture and being torn from it. He'd tried to do so on a number of occasions and never really manages it. He'd been pushed into the Sith academy and forcefully reshaped for their needs, but it wasn't quite the same thing.

“I'm glad I got to see where you came from,” he said, meeting her gaze. Did it make her uncomfortable when he looked at her? Suddenly her sudden swings from boisterous and teasing to silent and, frankly bright red in the face, made more sense. There was more he wanted to say about what it meant to him, but he had never been very good at explaining himself.

“So what is the coming of age ceremony?” he asked. He wasn't about to ask what happened during the marriage ceremony. He could well guess and they had already stumbled into awkward subjects more than once.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]Redirecting the conversation over to Coruscant managed to allow some time for Choli to gather her bearings and tell herself she was being silly. Her back drew straight and she rolled her shoulders back. In her mind, she could hear Asmus tell her that this was just a simple conversation. Stop making it anymore than it is. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Oh and kiss him[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]That rogue thought prompted a slight cough from the Rogue, chewing frantically as she did her best to swallow the bite of her protein bar. When Trextan looked at her in alarm, she immediately shook her hand from side to side, as if to say she was okay.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Im fine… just went the wrong way.” The darkness of the cavern and her mild half choke at least would explain the flood of blood to her face. Now this was getting ridiculous![/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Yeah… I can’t imagine that many people on one planet, let alone one place.” She shook her head, bringing and edge of her shawl up to rub over her eyes. They had teared up a bit in her half cough earlier. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Blinking rapidly, the entire encounter managed to at least allow the young woman to answer the Jedi’s subsequent question. Between peeks behind her shawl as she wiped her eyes, her muffled voice added, “Umm… it is when we are considered adults.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A pause and Choli let the shawl fall back into place just around her neck. Her face was a little cleaner, the earlier motion dusting some of the grime away from her face. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“We are not considered adults until we pass our coming of age rites— That is when we are able to don the robes specific to our gender.” Nevermind that the Marriage Ceremony typically occurred on the same day as the Coming of age Rites. Sometimes were even one and the same.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“It happens when we turn fifteen.”[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Oh I see. So it's like you're wearing gender specific robes so you know you're adults now.” And probably available for moving on to that marriage ceremony. A hundred and one other questions blossomed into his mind but he asked the one he really wanted to ask before he could stop himself.

“How old were you when you left?”

Oh brilliant. That's not obvious at all. Might as well have said “did you have any sand people sniffing around your female robes before you got kidnapped.” Moron.[/]

“I mean, that doesn't matter. How did you tend to…”

Oh for kark's sake this question is even worse.

“...are marriages arranged or do you get to spend time with someone first. In masks and robes.”

He offered a one sided smile and a look in his eyes that said: I can only apologise for my stupid mouth. Please don't hate me.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

It just seemed to be getting better and better. Or more aptly, Trextan was improving his ability to stumble over his words. Maybe that’s why Choli couldn’t help the wash of amusement that set over her broad features. The corners of her almond shaped eyes gave a slight crinkle, and she let out a slight huff in a muted chuckle.

“Yeah, the robes for uli-ah are unisex. The masks plain. It has a variation of the eye protection slits and respirator, but pretty much the same. More suited for movement.”

Now as for how old she’d been when she ’d been taken…

“Fourteen.” This was the part where it would appear that Choli was slightly still bothered by it. By all accounts, she was still considered a child.

“I haven’t done my rites.” Another bite of the bar and a vigorous chew. Okay, so it bothered her more than she’d like to admit. She’d been a few months away from turning fifteen.

“Only needed two more moons.” Two months. Seemed like such a lifetime ago now.

“Umm.. arranged, the majority of the time. “ Choli began to fiddle with the wrapping of her bar. “One tends to gain a bloodmate within the clan, so you know who they are. You might even go through the same Coming of Age rites, so it becomes both. It depends on what is best for the clan.”

Choli gave a bit of a shift, fingers coming up to brush her hair away from her face. “It is not a surprise. You know that once you are considered a full member of the clan that you will be paired for marriage then.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan nodded as he ate and she explained. She did a very good job of responding matter-of-factly and glossing over his appallingly garbled questions. Instead of asking questions about her culture respectfully he had managed to make it seem like he was fishing to find out if there were any ex boyfriends walking the dunes that he would have to watch out for. Perhaps a part of him had been.

She would have been married for several years now. He didn't want to ask further but possibly with little sandpeople of her own. But he couldn't go and be glad for her getting pulled out of her life so harshly just because it benefitted him.

“Do you enjoy being back here?” he asked after finishing a mouthful. He reached for the water bottle and took small sips despite his thirst. He hoped it would relieve his parched lips; he was of a mind to try and kiss her again. But for now he enjoyed listening to her talk about life here. By contrast he mostly whined about the path that led him here. She didn't, despite all she had been through and how deeply it clearly affected her.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]


[SIZE=9pt]It was a another moment before Choli replied; not because she was hesitating but because she was mulling over the breadth of the answer. It wasn’t so simple. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I do,” the Rogue began, reaching for her own canteen of water. There was a slight grinding sound at the unscrewing of the cap, followed by a quick rise of the neck to her lips to have a drink. Lukewarm water went washing over her tongue. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Choli enjoyed being back in the desert. In the familiarity there was with the rising of the mists and the baking heat of the sun. However, there was also a bittersweetness to it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“But at the same time, it isn’t quite the same. “ she lifted her head and drew up to meet Trextan’s eyes, seeing him watch her for the moment. “I guess you can say things were simpler then. Chaotic, but simple. There was a rhythm to it. I had my place. I knew what it would be at my coming of age rites. I knew that it meant I had a purpose there. A way to contribute,” as her tribe was nomadic, both women and men worked side by side to hunt and provide. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“However, now I don’t even know where they are. If they are alive.” The dune seas and the vast deserts of Tatooine were too large to scout for their location. It shifted as the dunes with every sand storm, leaving little trace. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“In the Alliance I guess I have a little bit of that. But it isn’t quite the same. “ a thoughtful expression drew over her visage, brows curving forward, “I can adapt to it, but even then, it can still be pretty strange.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Thus the enigma wrapped in a paradox that was Choli. She was an outsider who could try to blend in but never really fit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]As if realizing the rather dour seriousness of the conversation, Choli added with a slight motion of her finger,”So, do you get an arranged marriage or do you get to spend time with them first? [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Without[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] masks and robes?” It was an attempt at humor by twisting his words on what he said earlier about the Sand People being in masks and robes. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Only that it had the added side effect of potentially being taken as the wrong use of phrasing. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan chuckled at that. He had been lost in thought. Would her crew not be the same? He'd been on military sites there was definitely a strict order to everything. If you didn't know your place then someone would tell you quite clearly. But he supposed it wasn't the same as the rhythm of nature here. More importantly it wasn't her family. Her tribe must have been that for her.

Family was different to colleagues and friends. Jacen was his family. Even though when they had met for the first time in years Trextan had tried to kill him. Sometimes he still wondered if he could really have done it if he had stood a chance against the balance Jedi Master. These days he liked to think he wouldn't have but the anger the Sith had cultivated within him had been a powerful thing. It was still there, deep down. Those marks they had left would fade but never leave.

And despite that Jacen did try and care for him, in his own way. He tried. Trextan felt very guilty all of a sudden. He would be eighteen soon. His coming of age. Time to grow up.

Although she had crossed legs he managed to sidle up closer.

“Have to find someone who likes me first. Might not be that easy,” he said with a smile. “Without masks or robes on…”

Trextan trailed off and realised what he had just said. Their gazes met and an understanding that neither of them had really meant to phrase things quite like that passed between them. Both found something else to look at.

“I went to my family's apartment on Coruscant,” he said in a more sombre tone. “It's not the same without them there. I still need to clear it out so we can put it on the market. Share the sale between me and my sister.

“Tell me about your tribe. Who did you know best?” he asked. He was reminded again that he would need to talk to Alenna properly when he got back and sort this all out.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]


[SIZE=9pt]Without [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]masks or robes on. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]With how Choli’s mind was already drifting, it wasn’t hard to consider their current situation and placement. Like the fact that he was sitting beside her, scooting closer still. By now Choli had finished her protein bar, so when she had brought her hand down to rest on top of her knee, she was acutely aware of the proximity of Trextan’s own. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]There were fleeting images in her mind that brought attention to possibilities within a tent shrouded in firelight, but she immediately banished them. Gulping, the Rogue made it appear as if she was looking for something else to munch on, hand outstretched to her bag again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Although, the more serious inflection of Trextan’s voice managed to draw the attention away from wandering thoughts. Her head swung slowly up towards his face. There it was again, the somber almost pensive expression that would saturate his face whenever he spoke of his father or family. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Do you still have to pay a monthly fee on it?” she asked, unsure if that was a proper question. While the Alliance boarded her for free due to her service, she had heard that there were a few in her squadron who actually had homes outside of the base. Janes was one of them. He’d been rather insufferable with showing off holopicture after holopicture asking for opinions when he first decided to use his salary for something other than paying for rounds at the cantina. If Choli ever believed that the Wraith Commander was above quibbling over the amount of light that came in a room, it had been quickly snuffed out during one of his Mess hall diatribes. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Of course, the questions soon came swinging over to her direction. Trextan was a near endless bundle of questions of her past. While Choli didn’t mind, it was a bit amusing to think how little the former broody Jedi had spoken in the beginning. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]However, that one in particular prompted a slow pause from the young woman. Not many would inquire about her past, let alone her tribe or of those within it. No one besides Chloe. Not this in depth. After a moment, she gave a fleeting apologetic smile, “Sorry, trying to figure out how to properly translate it.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“A’Karr,” Choli began, the name rolling off her tongue with a thickly accented tone. It was almost guttural with a rasp at the end. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“He is the one who found me.” this was going into territory few really knew about Choli’s past. “I was taken into his yurt after claiming me.” in hindsight, that made it sound rather terrible. “I was to be his slave.”[/SIZE]