Private The Tusken Rain Dance

[Braze Kai'el]

The heat had always been brutal, but now it was worse.

Tatooine was no stranger to suffering, yet something had gripped the sands. Moisture vaporators that once eked out a meager supply of water were failing to produce much. Black melons, the lifeblood of survival for many, had withered before they could ripen. Even the deepest underground wells, those that had persisted through generations of hardship, were running dry. The night air, which once carried the cool breath of the desert and the promise of condensation, now felt barren—absent of the moisture that once sustained life.

And the People of the Sand had taken notice.

Rumors spread through the settlements like wildfire. Some said the shifting sands had swallowed hidden reservoirs whole, sealing them beneath layers of rock and dust. Others whispered that something ancient stirred beneath the dunes, drinking deep from the world's veins. The Tuskens, once wary of outsiders but predictable in their patterns, had become restless, their war parties growing bolder, their eyes full of silent accusation.

Something was wrong.

The balance of the sands had been broken, and the cause had to be found—before the last well ran dry.
Tatooine was dying.
And if the sands dried up completely, there would be no life left to claim them.

Braze had brought Aris Noble with him back towards the canyons where he had left his care taker A'Runda .​

Perhaps having Aris along would make finding the oasis easier.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I keep forgetting the canyons are here now. The sandstorms change them so drastically. We're here to talk to that Warden, right?" Aris was, ultimately, still very unimpressed with how everything had gone down. Why Braze looked so crisp, why Braze was dressed like a child, the like. Whoever this Warden was, they should know better than to bring insult to the Tuskens, right? It didn't help Aris didn't know A'Runda was actually Tusken themselves.

Too much unknown for Aris to properly draw a conclusion, but the burden on his friend's shoulders and the pain clear with every step had filled Aris with annoyance and anger.

Braze Kai'el | A'Runda

 

[Braze Kai'el]

TAGS: A'Runda Aris Noble

​

Braze nodded slowly. He had yet to pull his garb back on. "Yeah... I think you can help us find the Oasis. " Braze offered lightly. "Thank you for coming..." Braze offered in a tiered tone.
The desert did not forgive mistakes.

Braze had been trying to find the oasis—A'Runda's oasis, or at least the one he had spoken of, that distant promise of shade and water, something more than just dust and pain. He had clung to the thought of it. But the truth was, he was running on little more than desperation. The wind had stolen his sense of direction, the heat had eaten away at his focus, and in the end, he'd gotten lost.

The Tuskens did not share their secrets lightly. If an oasis existed, it was guarded. Through whispers and misdirection, trails leading nowhere, rumors spun to keep outsiders confused. Braze should have known that. He did know that. But knowing and experiencing were two different things.

Maybe the land itself had rejected him, letting him stumble further into its grasp rather than toward salvation. Or maybe it had just been another illusion—hope shimmering in the distance like a mirage, promising relief only to vanish when he reached for it.

In the end, it hadn't been an oasis he'd found. It had been the settlement of refugees, of tired people scraping by in a land that wanted to bury them just as much as it did him.

His fingers flexed against the strap of his canteen, though he didn't reach for it. Although the Force was silent to him, it had still granted him the fortune of meeting once more both A'Runda and Aris Noble .

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tags: Braze Kai'el | Aris Noble

Sensing their arrival, A’Runda picked himself up off the ground. Sitting for a bit to meditate and find more inside on where he should be. Concluding that he had to make his way to the oasis to possibly prevent a greater conflict. Grabbing his backpack he hoisted it up onto himself and signaled his dewback, Darwin to follow him.

Walking up to the edge of a cliff he peered down to see two people approaching. A’Runda jumped down again and again to hastily descend the cliff side all the while the old dewback lazily crawled along behind him. Eventually getting close to the two of them.

He first looked at Braze, their head and face now exposed. He’s warned the echani about disrobing. The point of the garbs were not entirely for cultural validation but also to allow his skin to slowly heal on its own. Concerned now that Braze was undoing their progress from the suns and their gross incandescence. There was a silent judgment.

Then A’Runda’s gaze shifted toward the other individual. Another echani perhaps? They looked similar to Braze only with considerably more size. His eyes narrowed some from behind the red lens of his goggles. He wondered if they were a Jedi too, here to retrieve their lost absent member.

Looking back down at the echani he finally spoke. “Have you found what you were looking for, Braze?” He asked.​

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah.

Suddenly the pieces clicked together in Aris's mind as he looked at A'runda. A Tusken. A Warden of the Sky. Those two were mutually exclusive in.. Everything Aris had heard. The Tusken's refused to leave off world, refused to even think about such things as a culture, right? Or was that wrong? All of Aris's reading was thrown for a loop now as he glanced between Braze and this new figure.

Had he messed something up?

Braze Kai'el | A'Runda

 

[Braze Kai'el]

TAGS: Aris Noble A'Runda

Braze felt a good deal better overall, thanks to Aris's help—food, water, rest, and medicine had done wonders. But the moment he caught the look A'Runda gave him, he shrank back instinctively. That wary, silent judgment cut deeper than any words might have, and he sighed, already knowing why.


"No… but I think my friend can help us find it." He gestured toward the taller boy beside him. "This is Aris. Aris, this is A'Runda."


Even as he spoke, he was already retreating, hands moving to pull his wraps back into place. He had enjoyed the brief relief of fresh air, but if it meant disappointing A'Runda, was it worth it? He hesitated only a moment before murmuring, "I'm sorry," his voice barely audible as he refixed the concealing layers, securing them properly this time. They'd help keep the moisture in, anyway.

But it felt too late—the damage was already done.

Trying to push past the moment, he cleared his throat and added, "He can… uh… hear things most people can't." A subtle deflection, shifting the attention to Aris. Maybe that would help. Maybe it would be enough to move forward.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah.

Ahhh.

Ahhhhhhh.

Aris wasn't used to this feeling. The feeling of having sabotaged a friend, even by accident. Guilt? If he had known, he wouldn't have pushed Braze to dismiss the Tusken layers and be treated as he had. Trials were part of life. The Epicanthix had their own rites that were to be respected, even if they seemed harsh. Seeing how Braze dipped back, it was that much more obvious what Aris had done was bad.

He gave a brief smile, though, nodding his head.

"Right. Yeah. I can. Yeah. I can hear water, even deep under the sands."

Braze Kai'el | A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tags: Braze Kai'el | Aris Noble

Hearing things that most people can’t. He could tell that the taller teen was Force Sensitive like them. So he found Braze’s words a bit odd. Did Aris have extra sensory capabilities beyond just that of The Force? “Impressive, but we won’t be searching for underground reservoirs today.” The Tusken explained to the two of them.

“I’ve sensed trouble, or at least impending trouble from the closest oasis and I plan to go there now. I know you’ve been eager to find such natural beauty here Braze.” A’Runda further elaborated, as he did Darwin finally managed to close the distance and approached the tusken from behind before letting out a loud Moo-like sound. He didn’t question the addition of a new face here. Trusting that a friend of Braze’s was a friend of his.

Knowing that Braze was very much still exhausted, A'Runda moved over to the smaller teen and casually picked him up off his feet. With the ecahni boy in his arms he set them onto the huge lizard. Who let out a grumpy groan over getting mounted now by a less familiar individual. [“Oh, So be such a grouch…”] A’Runda said to the dewback in his native tongue as he gently patted it's side.​

 

[Braze Kai'el]

TAGS: A'Runda Aris Noble

Braze didn't put up much of a fight as he was lifted, though his arms twitched slightly in instinctive hesitation. He remained wary as he was placed atop Darwin, his brow furrowing at the uncertain positioning. He knew full well that if the massive creature wanted to, he could easily reach back, clamp those powerful jaws around him, and yank him off like an inconvenient burr.


Still, Braze, ever the cautious diplomat when it came to temperamental beasts, reached down and scritched the big reptile's scales, fingers working in gentle circles. "Easy, big guy," he murmured, his touch light but deliberate, an unspoken peace offering. The corners of his lips twitched as he felt Darwin's warm hide shift beneath his palm. "Guess we're in this together, huh?"


Settling into his new, if precarious, perch, Braze sighed, his fingers idly continuing their petting as he spoke.


"Uh... alright. I thought I saw something, but it was just a town... or at least, I thought it was. The heat was playing tricks on my eyes. Things far away shimmer like water..." He trailed off, resigning himself to the fact that he'd fallen for the mirage. His hand found a particularly scaly patch along Darwin's neck, and he gave it a few absentminded scratches, as if the oversized lizard might appreciate the consolation prize of head pats.


He glanced between A'runda and Aris, shifting slightly to keep his balance. "So, which way do we go then?"

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh no.

So even the fact Aris could hear the waters underneath the sands, the only real justification they had for Braze to have forsaken his trial, was moot now? Aris shifted his weight subtly from one foot to the other. To those who didn't know him, he looked calm as ever. To those who did? To Braze? He was actually panicking. He didn't want to ruin things for Braze, but he had.

And now he was just a tag along.

Grant it, he'd help without a doubt. A threat to this oasis was a threat to everyone. If the Tusken's lost it, they'd have to resort to more raiding. More raids would mean more death. More death, well. Needless death was wrong. He let out a subtle little breath before nodding his head towards Braze to echo his question. There was no time to waste.

A'Runda | Braze Kai'el

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tags: Braze Kai'el | Aris Noble

A’Runda was a bit surprised that Braze didn’t fight him when setting him on top of Darwin. Either because they would be too proud to let himself ride the lizard, or just didn’t like Darwin enough to ride him. “You’re lucky then Braze. Most mirages are little more than a siren’s call. Driving people made with false promises. Tatooine must’ve been guiding you herself to safety.” A’Runda responded to Braze’s explanation.

There was a sense of gratitude in A’Runda’s voice. Grateful to the idea that Tatooine was looking after Braze. Even if the echani child might be thinking otherwise. “But you shouldn’t be testing your luck too much though…” He finally warned.

Looking back over to Aris, A’Runda nodded. “Thank you for helping Braze. I was worried that I would find him washed up once more in the dune sea… Now, follow me. Fortunately the closest Oasis isn’t too far away. Water pools there from the higher elevation of the Jundland Waste canyons. Because of its proximity to the wastes many outsiders can be very hesitant to go to it.” A’Runda explained as he began to lead the two teens and the Dewback.​

 

[Braze Kai'el]

TAGS: A'Runda Aris Noble

Braze leaned forward, nearly collapsing onto Darwin, who felt like a warm rock beneath him, radiating the intense heat of the sun. The temptation to simply drift off into a nap was overwhelming, and for a moment, he wondered if he might actually do just that. The idea of fighting or arguing seemed distant, a thought that held no appeal in the heavy, sun-baked air.

As A'runda spoke, Braze responded with soft, noncommittal sounds—a casual "Mmhmn..." that didn't carry much weight. His gaze drifted toward Aris.

"Mmhm... why... what's so... bad about its location?" Braze asked, his voice light and unbothered, as if the question was more out of curiosity than anything else.

​