Unexpected Meetings

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Val looked down at the man.

He couldn't really feel anything at the moment, he couldn't feel pain, sorrow, or pity. All that he felt was a deep void. It was an odd sort of place, the abyss. He imagined that it was where everyone went when they were overcome by the situation, when their body was half beaten. In truth however, Val didn't know. All he knew was that right now he needed to kill this man. His fingers slowly curled into a fist, a step taken towards the man who even now was taunting him.

"You'll burn!"

His words rang out in the clearing.

"You and the girl! We'll take her, she'll be r-"

The pirates voice was suddenly cut off as a loud snap rang out through the clearing, followed by a soft thud. Then there was nothing but stillness, nothing but the sound of Val as he slowly breathed in and out.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The snap rang out in the forest. She winced. Palm found the rough bark of a tree. She felt Val's rage, like he was a fire radiating heat. Or perhaps it was the lack of emotion. The blinding white of her visions was receding into spots but she was still blind for the moment. But it looked as though it wouldn't be permanent.

The air felt cooler. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew night was almost on them. One of the pirates might've comm'd in help before they went down. She and Val didn't have much time to get out of there. Voice was gentle as she finally spoke, head looking blindly in the direction she sensed the viking-like man.

"Val. I need help. Can you come over to me?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He didn't snap out of the void, not yet, but he obeyed her demand. Slowly he wandered over towards her. Pain began to spike through the dark Abyss that had been protecting him, the missing skin on his chest began to burn, the cuts began to sting, and the deep gash on his neck began to throb. Blood slowly seeped down his body, but he hardly seemed to pay attention to it. Slowly he wandered over towards Tahira, and then like a gentle giant her helped her.

A hand gently pressed at the small of her back, the other wrapping around her palm.

He was silent as he guided her to her feet, there was no hesitation in beginning to walk her away from the carnage. The supplies she had brought were scooped up along the way as they began to walk. There was no need to stay among the dead, no need to try and save them.

They had to get back to the cave, and quickly.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She gripped his hand and released any further inhibitions she had about manbun and completely trusted him. She needed to, or they'd never reach the cave in time. She remained silent, trying not to think about her own blaster wounds. Footsteps were steady. She heard the burbling of the stream off to their left. She knew the rock wall wouldn't be far.

She wasn't sure how she'd be able to make it up. Blurred images were starting to show up in her peripheral but that was it. Their pace slowed and she knew the wall was before them. "Wait," she spoke quietly, turning her head where she sensed Val to be. With a gentle tug, she blindly maneuvered him so he lumbered in front of her.

"Before we climb. I need to take care of some of your wounds. Come here and hold still."

She'd need help to climb and if she healed him, he could help her up. For once, she was being logical and NOT only thinking of others before herself.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He let out a breath. "Alright."

The word seemed heavy, as though it had barely managed to pass his lips. Blood now covered his chest, is eyes looked sunken, and in general The Warrior looked as though he had been through deaths door. He was still standing though, still peering down at her with those oddly colored eyes. He had never been healed by a Jedi before, and in truth the idea of it was somewhat...well scary. He had no idea what the force was, no idea how it functioned or why.

It wasn't like medicine, not at all.

"Just." He started slowly. "Be careful."

He didn't want to end up with a muscle in the wrong place or with his arm not funcitoning properly. He trusted her...mostly, but this was his body they were talking about. He had lived with it for nearly one hundred and thirty years, and he had no idea how much longer he'd have to live with it. Time flowed differently than it did for others, and if she was about to put him back together...he wanted it done right.

Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

A small smile cut through her own fatigue. "Well, well, well. I never thought I'd sense fear from a man like you." Hands rose in the air and hovered just above his neck. "Don't worry. You'll feel a warm, tugging sensation but it won't hurt. Just shut up and let me work."

She grinned tiredly before chestnut-brows knit together in concentration. Eyes closed even though her vision provided just blurry blobs. She found that steady note of the force, like a flowing stream and all she had to do was dip her hand in. Very slowly, she cleaned out any bacteria, then she began to knit up his cells, muscles, and tissues.

It was nothing fancy, just enough to stop the bleeding and keep the wound sealed and from re-opening. Hands worked their way down to his chest. Without hesitating, fingers reached forward and ripped off the remains of his shirt. She didn't want to heal in pieces of fabric, after all. That would be a disaster.

"Almost...done."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"Every man feels fear." Val said simply. He had long ago stopped denying that he was afraid, the truth was he was very afraid. A part of him at least always was. He had never thought himself ordinary, he had known since childhood that he was different in some way, but he'd never quite found what way. Sure he was stronger, faster, he lived longer, but what did any of that mean? How was he like this? Was it his mother? His father? He didn't know, and that alone scared him. "There's no bravery in trying to hide it."

No, there wasn't. "It's what you do when you're afraid that matters most."

Val half sounded like a motivational poster, but the stern expression on his face told that he was completely serious. He felt the odd tugging on his skin, looking down to watch as the wound on his neck slowly knit shut. A frown pulled at his lips, but he said nothing as her hands gently folded over his chest and worked against his body. An odd sort of tickling sensation followed the run of her finger tips, Val's muscles twitching as the force slowly healed his wounds.

As she tore away his clothes Val frowned.

He hoped that she'd brought something for him to wear, because if not she would have to spend half her night ensuring he didn't freeze to death. Though, the prospect of that might entail didn't bother him too much.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The wound on his chest began to heal like his throat. The others on his body were mostly superficial. They'd be fine. "I was just teasing you," she smacked him softly on his arm. "Lighten up." She grinned and swayed. For a moment, she thought she could see his two different colored-eyes staring intently in her direction.

As soon as she withdrew herself from the river of the force, exhaustion hit her body like that speeder-bike. Head spun lightly. "That wasn't so bad...was it?" She bobbled on her feet further.

"Val?" Her voice felt far away.

"Catch me because I'm about to faint."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

His arms immediately wrapped around her.

She fell forward against him, one hand pressing at her back and the other settled on her hip so that she would fall to the ground like a pile of bricks. It seemed that healing him had taken a lot out of her, or perhaps using the force earlier against the pirates had done so. Either way she was out like a light. He frowned for a moment, looking down at her and then up towards the cliffs. Val let out a sight, slowly scooping Taheera up in his arms.

There wasn't going to be an easy way to get her up into the cave.

Briefly he looked down at the supplies that she had managed to gather within the village. There was a backpack full of stuff, from what he could see there was food, a blanket, a small lantern and probably other things he couldn't quite make out. Glancing down at Taheera he considered for a moment, and then set to work. Within a few minutes time he found some rope, tying a gentle harness around her so that he could carry her up to the cave.

The climb went quickly, Taheera's healing having spruced him up to a point where he could at the very least move like himself. He managed to climb the ridge well enough, though it was slower than he would have liked. Eventually however he carried Taheera up to their little home, taking a second trip to retrieve the supplies and leaving her comfortable resting against one of the walls within the cave. The second trip took considerably less time, and once he had everything up in the cave he gradually moved back over towards Taheera.

He leaned over her, taking a knee besides her so that he could check her own wounds. Most of them were superficial thankfully, though one or two were cause for concern.

"Hey." Val said quietly, reaching to gently pull a strand of hair from her face. "I need you to wake up."

He wasn't a medical expert, and well...he'd rather not go touching her without permission.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She was dreaming. It was a really nice dream but a voice called to her. Lips parted and she murmured in her sleep. "...at the Shadowlands." The voice called out again. Face scrunched up in confusion. It took her a moment to place it.

Val.

Myrtle-ellipses fluttered open. She could make out his eyes and silhouette of his face. But everything else was still blurry. Her vision had a long way to go. The world still seemed to spin and she felt light and airy. It was a good thing she was lying down or she'd certainly pass out again.

"What?" She groaned.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"I need to treat your wounds." He had some medical experience. Enough to clean, give some stitches, it would keep her alive, but it wouldn't be pretty in the end.

"There's one that I need to take off your pants for." He could probably get to it without doing so, but that would mean every few minutes he could be interrupted by a piece of cloth falling into his way or the wind pushing it into the wound, not exactly the best practice. While Taheera had simply torn off his own clothes, he felt like doing so to her would be somewhat...uncouth. Thus he thought it best to ask for permission rather than just go at it. "Is that alright?"

Better policy to ask anyway.

His voice was still soft, much kinder than the usual logical tone that he had used with her. "I promise I won't try anything."

Val joked with a smile.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She could hear the smile in his voice but she couldn't see it. Her pants? She moved her leg slightly and felt the jarring, burn from the blaster bolt at her thigh. "I trust you," she spoke slowly and tiredly. "Do what you need to do."

She was in the medical profession. While some may have squirmed about indecency and privacy, she was used to it and able to look at things from a logical standpoint. Eyes closed for a moment. She was just remiss about losing her favorite pair of pants.

And the tight, little black briefs she wore beneath the pants? Val would just have to get over seeing those. Or had she put on the pink ones? She couldn't remember.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

They were definitely pink, with little blue flowers on them.

Val used a small knife he found in the equipment to cut apart the cloth of Taheera's pants. The Fabric went fairly easily, and he moved the knife with the skill of a surgeon, insuring that not a single scratch ended up on her skin as he quickly removed the clothing.

The blaster wound looked nasty, skin having shriveled and burned, a bit of her muscle beneath sitting exposed. Blaster bolts functioned by searing and burning whatever they hit. The weapons didn't necessarily kill through causing trauma like a kinetic weapon, rather they burned their targets. It was not a pleasant experience, though if you got hit in vital spots it was more often than not an instant death. Shock took you quite quickly. He frowned for a moment and grabbed a bottle of water. "Sorry, this is going to hurt."

Gently, as gently as he could manage anyway, Val began to clean the wound.

The process wasn't a quick one, and he wasn't exactly the best at it, but slowly he began to take away the burned and useless flesh, taking the small medical kit Taheera had brought and putting it to good use, one hand gently working at the wound, the other resting on her inner tight to make sure her leg didn't twitch. Eventually he finished, pressing a bacta patch onto the wound and letting out a slight sigh of relief that he hadn't messed up completely.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Anguish was written all over her face but she didn't cry out. She imagined she had a predisposition to pain. Air hissed through her teeth and her fingers curled against the cave floor and didn't relax until the bacta patch was on. "Oh stars," she breathed, teeth finally un-clenching.

Face was pale.

"Is that it?" She mumbled. Head was still spinning slightly and once again, she was thankful she was lying down. Even if her undies were exposed. Even with the cave and night air, she didn't feel the chill quite yet. "Where did you learn basic medical training?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"You learn a few things over the years." That was certainly true. Time was the greatest ally he had ever had. There were so many things that Val had picked up over the years, medical training, knitting, wood-cutting, half a dozen languages, all of it simply learned because he had not a single life-time, but several. It was a benefit of who he was, an upside of the long life that he had lived without his family, without his wife.

"It's not perfect." He admitted. "You'll have a scar."

That was inevitable. Val wasn't the best doctor, and he was most certainly not capable of leaving things pretty. Even Bacta wouldn't completely heal the wound, though it would allow her to at least walk in a few hours. Before she could do anything else Val pulled the blanket she had brought with from the pack. He still wasn't sure if she had brought extra clothes, but pants probably weren't a very good idea for her right now. Thus the blanket would have to do.
It would compress the wound and make it more difficult to heal. "As much as I hate to hide a pretty thing."

Val said as he swept the blanket over her.

There wasn't much else he could do, and the sun was quickly setting.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"I'm not worried about scars, Mister Val," she forced a smile. Fingers came down and pulled the blanket up a bit higher. The softer fabric was comforting. "I'm sure I'll feel a lot better in the morning." Her body had a way of healing itself. It always had. She imagined it had to do with whoever she was cloned from.

Some jedi master long dead.

"And do you always speak so vaguely and cryptically about things?" Blanketed foot lightly kicked his boot in jest. Face quickly grew serious once more. "What did you see today? When you scouted the camp?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"Mystery is good. Keeps me attractive." Val said with a smile.

He leaned back slightly, sitting down as he let out a sigh. Goosebumps crawled over his skin as the press of cold wind rushed over him. He didn't shake, not one bit, but it was clear that he was getting just a bit cold. His eyes wandered to Taheera for a moment, then into the dark of the cave, eventually they found their way back to her. "It's not good."

Val said quietly.

"We're not dealing with just one Pirate group." He went on. "Maybe two or three, probably more."

He hadn't been able to get an exact count, with no macro-binoculars and no way of getting closer he'd had difficulty checking just how many people had actually been down there. It was easy to guess that the number was well into the hundreds however, enough that he and Taheera had no real chance of actually taking on the Pirates, not directly and probably not even indirectly. They were only two individuals after all, and they could only do so much.

"There's no way we can fight them." He didn't sound hopeless, just simple logic once again.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Attractive or extremely frustrating." She smiled briefly, then listened. Eyes were beginning to pick up more details on everything around her. But things were still blurry around the edges. She exhaled sharply at his admonition and remained silent for a time, thinking.

Frustration bubbled up from her emotions. She doubted the guardians were sending enough to take on a group like he was describing. They just didn't have the resources. Things had changed entirely. "So this has turned into an evacuation mission. The villagers will lose everything."

Lips thinned. Fingers clutched the blanket tightly. Did it always have to end this way? Could she just not win for a change? This was like Kashyyyk all over again but this time it wasn't even the sith.

"Maybe if I was stronger, more trained in the force," she whispered a bit helplessly.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"You would be hard pressed to take them on with a dozen Jedi Masters, much less one." He didn't say that to hurt her feelings, it was just reality. Even the strongest Jedi could only do so much, and the pirates had a literal army. They would have to think of a new plan, something else that they could do to dislodge their enemies.

"Try to look on the bright side." Val said with a smile, reminding himself of what Aerith had always told him. "You're alive, the village is still safe, and you spent the evening getting felt up by an incredibly handsome man."

He smirked at her.

Another gust of wind rushed through the cave, and this time Val couldnt help but shiver. That was the drawback of where they had chosen to make their little base, it was uneniably cold up here and he was without a shirt.

They were lucky it wasnt winter.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Eyes rolled at his comment about a handsome man but there was a small smirk on her lips. The wind blew and she was glad she was under the blanket. Myrtle ellipses squinted at him.

"I do not have the energy to heal you if you get hypothermia. What're you waiting for, an invitation? Get over here. And there's another thermal blanket at the bottom of the pack. We'll need them both."

Head lifted a moment to peer at the cave entrance, then sunk back down. She yawned.