Unexpected Find (Legion)

[Antera]

Forests, Antera mused, could really use better landing zones.

She hefted herself up and over the ancient bulk of a fallen log, throwing her legs over the top and resuming her jog down the overgrown trail. The ruins had been easy enough to spot on approach, once she knew what she was looking for, but the density of the growth surrounding them had forced her to land four kilometers away. She paused for a moment to check her position. Half a kilometer left, she was nearly there. As she drew nearer, she could feel the growing presence of the dark side in the world around her. It was subtle, a barely felt tingle at the edge of her senses, but present.

Not dead, just dreaming, are we?

At least none of the wildlife had proven hostile so far, but her blasters and sword still provided some comforting weight. She'd spent a lot of time and resources tracking this location down. She sincerely hoped whatever was inside would be worth the effort.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

In the heart of the ruins, Legion looked up from the embers of her fire, listening. She thought she'd heard something, but the forest had many sounds. All the same she rose from the ruined pillar that served as her seat, pulling her dull brown robe around her shoulders.

"Did you h-hear it too?" she inquired of the terrarium resting against the remnants of a stone wall, leaning down to scan the various insects skittering about. "Hmm..."

***​

Something was certainly amiss outside of the ruins. A small but well-tended garden with trellised vegetables and non-native fruits thrived, contained by an almost comically rough fence that seemed to be cobbled together from fallen branches. The nearby well's bucket still rested on the stone rim, damp from recent use.

The place was either haunted by the remarkably placid ghosts of former Sith gardeners, or there was someone living inside.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

A couple more minutes of winding through trees and she was there. She found a gap in the perimeter wall and scrambled her way over and around the crumbling stonework. She came to a dead stop at the sight on the other end. She hadn't been doing this long, but Antera was reasonably certain of two facts. Firstly, ancient Sith did not plant self-sustaining vegetable gardens. And second, she was most certainly not alone.

She bit lightly on her bottom lip for just a moment. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of this development. It was clear someone was living inside the ruins, but the juxtaposition of a small garden and the faint but ever present hum of the dark side in her senses made her uneasy. Just in case, she fell back on her training and began to move much more quietly through the ruins.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Set]

(( DAMN YOU FORUM HOW DO YOU WORK. SEE POST BELOW PLZ ))

 

[Set]

(( For some reason it keeps changing to my writer account when I post soooo please ignore/delete. <3 ))

 

[Legion]

Legion listened for a few moments, looking around the ruined temple. Nothing seemed unusual ... every fractured bit of stone and ruined monument was just the same as it had been for these past few months. She let out a quiet breath, shaking her head as she extinguished the fire properly.

Oh! Maybe it was another blurrg! she thought, perking up. I should check on the garden!

"Not my a-acid-beets!" she cried, the statues lining the hall looking impassively on as the girl rushed out of the winding temple, her robes fluttering around her heels.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

"Not my a-acid-beets!"

The chiss woman couldn't help but pause at that exclamation. On reflex, she dropped down behind one of the half-crumbled pillars nearby, back flat against the stone and head turned to watch in the direction the yelling came from. A young girl in a simple robe on a frantic mission to save her plants was very low on the list of things she expected to find, but it's what came into view regardless.

She continued to observe, waiting to see just what was going on before making any kind of move.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

Legion came to a stop, panting quietly as she scanned the garden with critical yellow eyes. Her brows furrowed. The beets were undisturbed... not a leaf out of place in the mint patch... in fact, everything looked just as it should. She let out a sigh of relief, moving to place her hands on the edge of the makeshift fence.

It must have been nothing... my imagination must be playing tricks on me.

She nodded to herself, her posture relaxing as she gazed out across the forest.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

Antera took a moment to weigh her options as the strange young woman continued to fuss over her plants. She could take the opening to get inside, of course. The gardener was clearly distracted, and the doors were wide open. Of course, she had no idea who or what else might be inside that temple, either. On top of that, despite the ominous surroundings, nothing in her senses recognized the girl as a threat.

She made up her mind and slowly stood upright, moving out into the path between Legion and the temple.

She cleared her throat, holding her arms out to her sides, well away from her obvious armaments, "Ah... hi there. Sorry for intruding, I didn't think there'd be anyone living in a place like this."

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

"Ah!" Legion squealed, stumbling backwards a step. She turned wide eyes towards the new woman - a Chiss? - and strangely enough, her expression shifted into a rather bashful smile. Whoever the intruder was, the girl didn't seem terribly frightened beyond the initial shock.

"H-Hallo... oh, yes, I have not been here very long!" She smiled, smoothing her robe down before thinking to pull her cowl up over her head. It didn't seem to cross her mind that the other woman had plenty of time to take in the sight of her horns and claws. "Do you n-need something inside? I can show you around... oh, ehm, are you hungry or thirsty? There is p-plenty!"

Again she turned a genuine smile towards the Chiss. An odd situation, to be sure, but in truth Legion was ecstatic to speak with another sentient being - and it showed.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

Antera blinked. Once, then again. Her hands slowly began to drop back down from her sides as her mind attempted to process the situation she found herself in.

She'd come to a backwater, no name planet in search of a rumored Sith temple. In this temple, she found a being with a subtle, but apparent, presence within the dark side of the Force. This being was showing absolutely no desire to harm, maim, kill, or consume her. She was also apparently a young girl with a love of gardening and a friendly streak a kilometer wide.

Her final conclusion on all of these facts, was to reconsider her stance on avoiding intoxication.

"I'm, ah... fine," she finally managed a moment later, her body still tense as a coiled spring. She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth once before continuing, weighing her words carefully, "Are you the only one here? No one or nothing else?"

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

Legion shook her head quickly, seeming to notice the other woman's apprehension. She lowered her head, wringing her hands.

"I am th-the only one. I was to wait here for my mother, but I r-really do not know how long that will take." The girl shrugged helplessly, though once again she attempted a mild smile towards the Chiss, this time avoiding her gaze. "Ehm... this must seem very peculiar, but it is the t-truth!"

A few awkward seconds passed before she perked up again, seeming to recall something.

"Oh! I am called Legion. I am v-very pleased to meet you, miss!"

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

"Your mother... huh."

She frowned slightly, not entirely certain just what sort of parent would leave a young girl in a place like this. She wasn't terribly fond of the idea of finding out personally, either.

The sudden introduction shook her out of her thoughts, "The name is-"

Somarae

"- Antera. If you don't mind my asking, why in the world would your mother leave you here of all places? This doesn't exactly look like a corner arcade or study hall."

She turned her head enough to nod towards the fallen statues nearby, but didn't fully take her eyes off the other girl.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

"Miss Antera!" Legion proclaimed, bowing her head politely. Her gaze darted towards the statues before returning to the other woman and she made a little sound, holding a clawed finger aloft. "Ah! My mother is a s-sith lord and wished for me to be safe... ah... perhaps I should n-not tell you this, but ehm... I do not th-think she imagined someone would find me here. It is quite secluded and maybe she thought the experience would b-be good for me."

She ventured a few steps closer to Antera, looking about as intimidating as an ewok in a bonnet, though she clasped her hands again as if to present herself as even less of a threat.

"Why are you here? I d-do not think that you are a Sith..."

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

The claws were still more than a little disconcerting, but it was steadily growing even more obvious this girl didn't intend any harm.

"Yeah... it's real safe to say I'm not a Sith," her faint frown remained in place, "Just how long ago did she leave you here? I don't know if you heard or not, but the Sith aren't... well, their Empire isn't exactly controlling much of anything now."

"As far as what I'm doing? Digging around the rubble, I suppose. Treasure hunting, you know?"

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

Legion's brows furrowed upon hearing this news. Surely the woman wouldn't lie to her ... why would she?

"What? What has happened? I have b-been here... hmm. Five - no, s-six months," she corrected herself, a hand disappearing into her hood to scratch her temple. "It feels like y-years! If something has happened, maybe my m-mother is..."

The girl trailed off, her lips pursed tightly, conflicted about what this could mean for her. After a few moments she turned back towards the temple, looking up at the ancient statues, faces worn away by time and the elements.

"Take what you w-wish. I can show you where s-some of the artifacts are, if you are interested. They are of no use to me," she murmured quietly, the impact of Antera's words at last curbing her enthusiasm.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

This day was simply not going according to plan.

There had been a list of things Antera had intended to do today. She was going to land, hike through the woods, face the dangers of an ancient, abandoned temple, and maybe, just maybe, find something worth selling or guarding out of all this mess.

What she had not expected, or been even slightly ready for, was the possibility of putting a young girl on what looked to be the verge of tears. Especially not over the news of the fall of the Sith Empire and what could possibly even mean her Sith Lord mother's death.

Her jaw clenched, and she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She watched the girl in silence for a moment, reaching a hand up to awkwardly run her fingers through her own dark hair.

"Are you, uh... y'know, gonna be okay?"

Sithspit.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

"Y-Yes!" Legion yelped, swallowing a lump in her throat as she nodded vigorously enough to jostle her hood. "I... I can l-live here for a while more! I shouldn't leave..."

She blinked back tears, shooting a wobbly smile towards the Chiss over her shoulder. Surely her mother had survived. Legion had to believe this; she'd spent so many years of her life alone save for that sole figure that the thought of losing her was too much to even entertain. For now, outright denial would be the armor that shielded her from waves of panic.

"But ah, this is n-not your concern. I am sorry... would you like the artifacts now, M-Miss Antera?" she inquired, her eyes focusing once again on the decidedly uncomfortable blue-skinned woman.

@[member="Antera"]

 

[Antera]

"Look..." she stepped forward, "I'm sure your mother is fine. Yeah. I mean, she's a sith after all, right?"

She spoke with confidence, but she wasn't sure if she actually believed her words or not. Sith lords were powerful, some near immortal, but the fall of an Empire could have easily caught even powerful figures in its grip.

Besides, perhaps the galaxy would be a better place with one fewer Sith, not that she would say as much in front of the already traumatized girl.

@[member="Legion"]

 

[Legion]

"Y-Yes, you are right..." Legion nodded, her posture relaxing as she took comfort from the other woman's words. "Thank you, M-Miss Antera."

For a moment she was silent, studying the Chiss with wide eyes. There was much that she wanted to ask Antera, but since her excitement had been suitably dulled, she bit her lower lip to hold the questions back. Instead she simply searched the other woman's face, wondering what she was planning on doing now.

@[member="Antera"]