Private Where Snow and Stars Fall

[Mysa Snowstrider]

Odiir's circling caught her attention as he flew overhead. The darkly feathered bird was silent as he prowled the sky in search of prey, each beat of his large wings a mere whisper on the wind. Her gaze drifted from his languid form down to the dense woodland below, and with a gentle nudge through the Force she bid him to remain where he was. It would be difficult to see him from the ground, but she knew his presence well by now.​

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At her side Felix prowled. The frír clung close at hand like an inseparable shadow, his white fur blending him perfectly into the snow-pressed trail they followed. One of her hands lowered to brush against the back of his ear, before she reached to the quiver hanging down by her waist and loosed an arrow from within. It was soon notched within her bow, and this time when she drew upon the Force she did so with a slow intake of breath that served to heighten her focus, while also mitigate her presence in the world. Her already light footsteps became feathery, even the crushing of snow underfoot was muted.​

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Similarly, her body seemed to blend more readily into their surroundings.​

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Another gesture had Felix slowing to a halt, and after another step so too did Mysa. She drew the bowstring taut, gaze drifting down the length of the arrow, and took one more steadying breath. She held it, listening to the sound of soft steps in the snow, and watched as a fleet-footed rabbit hopped into view. At least it wasn't a Vhaanir, she would never look to hunt one of the blessed creatures of this realm.​

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The arrow flew through the air and lodged itself deftly through the rabbit's throat, keeping the main body of meat, and the fur, in tact. It dropped immediately, lifeless and stiff in the cold snow. A whistle drew Odiir down from his lofty domain, and she slipped the bow into the holder attached to the quiver as she made her way forward to collect her felled quarry.​

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It wasn't much but it would serve her for a meal. With any luck she'd cross paths with an elkki... Now that would lend itself toward a feast of great magnitude!​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin was looking for the College of Enlightenment. He'd been there before... once... over a decade ago... but he had a good memory, so clearly he didn't need to ask for directions. His aversion to requesting help from the locals had absolutely nothing to do with finding them intimidating. Oh no, their massive size, indifference to the biting cold, manly beards and extensive tattoos were perfectly non-threatening.

Eventually he found himself in the middle of a wintry wood, having no idea where he was or which way to go. Breathing a sigh that turned into fog as it left his lips, Starlin looked down at the ground. His boots had made tracks in the snow. He should be able to follow the trail back the way he had come. But retracing his steps still wouldn't solve the problem of not knowing where to go. He hadn't just taken a wrong turn somewhere. This forest was probably nowhere near the College, and he was wasting time...

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

She'd just got done tying the rabbit onto her belt when she heard it, the approach of footsteps far heavier than any critter could make. Bipedal, too, so not a Vhaanir or elkki. A person? They sounded light for a Valkyri. Mysa always trusted her senses when it came to such things, it was one of the few things she really had.​

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For a moment her heart leapt into her throat as she worried whether or not she'd somehow stumbled upon one of the last Vinterbound still roaming the world. The majority were long since gone, killed in the battle which had taken Grandpa Thrand from her. Great hunts had followed his death, the eradication of that wintry scourge had been highly sought after and even the Jedi who had participated in that battle saw nothing wrong with extinguishing them. They were not sentient men, they were a deadly blight.​

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Felix's ears drew back, and a snarl was loosed from his sabertoothed maw. Mysa drew the sword from her back, holding it within her left hand, and signaled for silence with her other hand. As the stranger wandered into view, Odiir came to land upon her shoulder. Perched as he was, the bird tilted his head to one side to observe the newcomer.​

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Neither of the animals moved to attack or defend, though they primed themselves for the first sign that Mysa wanted them to. The girl however? Well, she held her sword in a defensive ready stance. One could never be too careful...​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

The endless white made everything look the same. Starlin kept his eyes on the ground, retracing his steps. Hopefully it wouldn’t start snowing again. The last thing he needed was for the flakes to cover up his tracks before he got back to Heavenheim…

…was that a snarl he just heard?

Starlin looked up and immediately came to a halt. A figure stood before him. Even swathed in furs, he could tell it was a woman with white hair. There was a bird perched on her shoulder, and some sort of feline animal with big fangs sat on the ground at her side. She was holding a sword, and looked poised to strike.

Warrior instincts kicked in. Starlin’s lightsaber flew into his palm, his fingers clutching the cool metal hilt. His thumb hovered over the activation switch, but didn’t press it. Nor did the woman or her beast companions move to attack him.

Well. Were they just going to stand there and stare at each other menacingly?

“Hi,” he greeted, not really sure what to say or how to proceed. “So... Do you come here often?”

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

An offworlder stood before her.​

​

Mysa blinked, what a peculiar and unexpected sight. Sure they were more common these days, the Heavenshields had certainly put the planet on the Galactic map, but to find one wandering so far from the warmth of civilization? Out here, in the wilds?​

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"It's not safe out here" she warned in the Basic tongue, her once smooth accent having long since been honed toward a more Runian edge. She spoke the tongue of the Valkyri and Beorni far more frequently than her Umbaran mothertongue or Basic these days, "You wander far from Heavenheim, Outlander."​

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A lightsaber was poised within his grasp though he did not move to ignite it. She could sense the Light in him, practically taste it on the chilly breeze which drifted through the woodlands, and see snippets of it at the edge of his being. All at once she sheathed the sword, and dismissed her menagerie with one simple gesture; Odiir took flight, back to hunting down critters for them to stalk, while Felix skittered off to play in the deeper snow drifts.​

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She slipped aside her cloak, to reveal a leather-wrapped lightsaber hilt on her own belt, then dipped her head into a low bow. "Seeking out the Dawnguard, Master Jedi?" she inquired, "Or perhaps it is the College which calls for you?"​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Yeah, I noticed.” Starlin gestured to the woods around them. “I thought I knew the way, but… I got lost.”

It all seemed pretty stupid of him now. He should’ve just asked for directions.

“Uhhh, Dawnguard…?” He didn’t even know what that was. “The College! Yes, the College of Enlightenment. That’s where I was going. To visit the library and read some books.”

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

Her head tilted curiously to one side as he confessed that he was lost, that he had confused the path he needed to take. Certainly when it came to light that he was indeed in search of the College that much could be deemed an understatement.​

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"They are the protectors of our great lands," she said of the Dawnguard, "Those touched by the Force who stand in defense of the three Kindreds of Midvinter." Mysa had never been formally inducted into the Dawnguard, mostly because she'd been absent, away on Aurum, but perhaps she would speak with Thurion Heavenshield about such. Papa likely wouldn't deny her a spot among them, but it would be wrong of her to simply presume. Disrespectful.​

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"It is the Heartlands you seek, friend, yet you have wandered into the Westmark. Understandable, it was once the mighty City of Tháinbroek which welcomed Outlanders, but now the Heartlands belong to the Ancient Beorni and their Holy City of Beornstead. Come, we should return to Heavenheim. From there we can find transport to the ten-thousand steps, unless your feet must be fleet and hastened."​

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There were landing pads within the mountain reaches which held the College, but Mysa was a puritan in many ways. If she was to visit the College she'd prefer to do so by foot. It didn't even cross her mind to ask if he wanted company, nay she would not have it said that she let a guest of these lands perish in the snow.​

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She shrugged out of the oversized cloak which lay over her shoulders, and upon stepping closer to the man she brought it down around his shoulders.​

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"Felix, här" she called, listening for the heavy patters of her companion who raced through the drifts to return to them. "Hem, min kärlek."​

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With the frír now leading the way back home, Mysa turned back to the Outlander and gestured for him to follow.​

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"I am Mysa Snowstrider, of the Heaven and Hearth, and you are?"​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"It is the Heartlands you seek, friend, yet you have wandered into the Westmark. Understandable, it was once the mighty City of Tháinbroek which welcomed Outlanders, but now the Heartlands belong to the Ancient Beorni and their Holy City of Beornstead. Come, we should return to Heavenheim. From there we can find transport to the ten-thousand steps, unless your feet must be fleet and hastened."

Starlin blinked. He only understood about 66% of what she’d just said—lots of funny-sounding words for places and things—but he decided to just take it all in stride. “Yeah, pretty much,” he said. “Thanks for the help...”

He trailed off as she walked over to him and laid her heavy fur cloak over his shoulders. “Cold doesn’t bother you, right?” he asked with a lopsided smile. Unlike so many of the people here, she wasn't a giantess compared to him. His gaze was drawn toward the line of blue ink splitting her lower lip and running down the length of her chin, wondering where it stopped…

She introduced herself as Mysa Snowstrider. “Cool name,” he said. “I’m Starlin Rand of, uh, Coruscant.” He didn’t mention that he was a Jedi Knight. There wasn’t really any need.

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

"Unlike my Valkyri kin, it does bother me... But not so much as it would for one unaccustomed to these lands." Beneath her cloak were leathers and more furs to stave it off, at any rate. She returned the swords sheath to her back, adjusted the quiver down by her waist, and then set off on the heel of Felix. His lopsided smile was met with a warm one of her own, she'd been out here for several days it was nice to finally have company once more.​

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"Coruscant" she hummed, "Very busy, bustling place, Coruscant... No doubt Midvinter is quite the change, no? Have you visited before, Master Rand?" It may have been a little presumptuous of her to assume him a Jedi from aura alone, but her keen senses and gut hadn't steered her too wrong yet. Not since Joon and her trickery.​

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One hand gestured toward the bird overhead, then pressed it forth toward the frír. "Odiir, and Felix, brothers mine. No doubt we'll encounter Raé on the way back also. Odiir, märr.," She sent the words skyward with a soft whistle, and watched as her beloved avian drifted off in search of the snow-white horse. Every now and then as they walked she set her gaze toward the sky, watching for signs that he'd found his quarry.​

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"Might I ask, what is it you seek within the library?"​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Well, if she was going to insist that he take the cloak… “You’re not a Valkyri?” Starlin asked, hoping for elaboration. But then he looked away when she smiled back, like a bashful dork. Hey, she was nice and cute. A killer combination. You’d be blushing and avoiding eye contact too.

“Heh, yeah,” he said. “I grew up there, so I’m used to it. Midvinter is a nice change of pace.”

She asked if he had visited before. Starlin nodded his head in answer. “Once. I visited the College when I was a teenager as part of a… field trip.” Professor Nimdok had accompanied him, along with an eight year old Miri. It was a good memory, if a little melancholic to him now.

It took a few moments for him to register that she had called him Master Rand. “Oh, I’m—I’m not a master,” he stuttered. “Not rank-wise, at least. You can just call me Starlin.”

Had she figured out that he was a Jedi that easily? “Sir Starlin if you wanna be fancy,” he added with a goofy smile.

So the bird and the kitty had names. And they were well-trained, luckily. “I’ve never had any pets,” he announced for some reason. Were they still considered pets if she used them for hunting? She had called them “brothers”... ah, chit. Hopefully he hadn’t already offended her.

“Uhhhh, books and scrolls and all that jazz. I’m actually doing a tour of all the best libraries in the galaxy.” He smiled proudly at that. People tended to assume he was just some goofy moron, but he actually did genuinely love to read and learn. He’d gotten his start as the Professor’s assistant, after all.

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

"The late, great Dawnbringer ascribed as much to me," she explained, setting her gaze as close to the sun as she could without burning her overly sensitive retinas, "I am Valkyri in spirit, but Umbaran in body. I do not think the Gods would stunt a true Valkyri's growth so." That last statement was said with a mirth filled chuckle, and a simple enough grin to boot. "My Fathers are strong Valkyri, my Mothers fearsome outlanders in their own right. Regardless of my blood, it is here I call home, it is these I call my people."​

​

Mysa was fortunate that she'd had two sets of parents to watch over and guide her, a far cry different from how things had started out when she'd only a Creator and their menage of pokey, proddy scientists. Some days it was hard to even see Kära Hearthfire as her mother, it was difficult to separate her from the Creator of yore.​

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Still she was not one to hold a grudge. If nothing else in her first death she'd seen fit to send Mysa to someplace safe, if chilly. Into the arms of her childhood friend. Under Furry's watch she'd grown into a mighty woman, strong of body and mind. How would things had been had Kära not faded into the Force? The woman who returned from the Great Beyond was not the woman who had kept her locked away. This Kära had a heart.​

​

"It has been some time since I last visited the epicenter of the Jedi" she mused, "Perhaps I ought return, with the Silvers' presence shrinking it might do me well to rekindle my place alongside Ashla, though I'm not too familiar with the ways of the Alliance."​

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Another smile graced her lips as he spoke of his past visit. "Ah, then you are no doubt familiar with its lofty positioning. I wonder, will you walk the path or would you rather cut the trip short and arrive by ship?"​

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Not a Master he claimed, but he did not deny that he was of the Order. "All Jedi deserve such honorifics," she stated, "They are owed such respect." What came next though had her smile turn into a toothy grin. "Sir Starlin, how poetic. I believe Knights should wield swords, good Sir, have you any not made of plasma?"​

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Pets. They were companions, not pets, but all the same she found no cause to be angered or upset by his statement, instead she softly shook her head. "Never? Their loyalty and companionship is unmatched, and Felix certainly staves off the cold on a good hunting trip."​

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A tour he claimed. "Mayhaps I should introduce you to my beloved Sister, she is quite the lorekeeper and I daresay she won't talk your ear off like myself." Nina Heavenshield had never been one for oration, but that did not mean she did not have wisdom to pass on, nor words to share. "Is the cloak helping, good Sir Knight?"​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Boy, did she talk funny. Her staring dramatically at the sun also forced Starlin to stifle a giggle. He was confused as to whether she was half-Valkyri and half-Umbaran, or fully Umbaran but culturally Valkyri, or… well, did it really matter? At the end of the day, she was just Mysa. Just like he was just Starlin, not that one half Balosar, half Human dude from Coruscant.

So she was a Jedi too. Well, that explained how she had pegged him so easily. Unless she had seen his lightsaber earlier and put two and two together. “I used to be with the Silvers,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Now I’m with the New Jedi Order, the Alliance's Jedi.”

"Ah, then you are no doubt familiar with its lofty positioning. I wonder, will you walk the path or would you rather cut the trip short and arrive by ship?"

He snorted. “I took the steps last time. It was a pain in the—er, in my feet, but I managed. The people I was with had a harder time.” Warm-blooded Errik was half frozen by the time they reached the College, and little Miri had to be carried most of the way.

“Heh, nah. No swords.” Starlin adored lightsabers, both in terms of their usefulness and as symbols of the Jedi. He had grown up watching, hearing, learning, fantasizing about wielding one of his own—and his dream had come true, that was what was so crazy. He probably made lightsaber sound effects in his sleep. “I was Padawan Rand, and someday I’ll be Master Rand—but Knight Rand doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as easily. Sir Starlin, though.” He made an ok symbol with his fingers. “Now that sounds dope.”

He shrugged. “Wasn’t enough room in my family’s apartment for animals. And if you don’t grow up with ‘em… you don’t know what you’re missing, I guess.”

Starlin had actually met Nina Heavenshield during his last visit, but he didn’t realize Mysa was talking about her. “I don’t mind you talking. Beats an awkward silence.” He flourished the cloak as if it were a majestic cape. “Yeah, thanks ba—Mysa.” Was she worthy of being called baby? That remained to be seen.

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

"And how go things in the Core?" she inquired, when he made it known that he had transferred to the New Jedi Order, "It is quite a ways away from Midvinter, I hate to be so far from home but duties matter regardless of how far they lead you." That was how she'd ended up on the opposite side of the Galaxy, after all, amidst the jungles of Aurum. A duty to her younger brother. So many duties, each tearing her in different directions.​

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It was a wonder she hadn't melted from the pressure, or turned into a crystalline structure.​

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"Will you be headed back that way once you are done here?" Maybe they could help one another find their way, she by bringing him to the College, and he by ferrying her to Coruscant. It wasn't as though she had her own ship, after all, and she would not leave Theryn stranded without.​

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He didn't give a decisive answer as to whether he wished to walk or fly, but she reckoned he'd let her know in due time. ​

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No swords, just lightsabers. "Have you ever wished for steel of your own?" Once more she reached up and over her shoulder, retrieving the sword from its place at her back, then turned the hilt toward him so he could get a feel for it. "The weight distribution is much different to that of a glowstick," she couldn't help but grin at the silly way that Thurion Heavenshield had once referred to lightsabers, "but there's something much more primal about wielding one. What say you, Sir Starlin? No doubt you'd be better suited to a rapier, but I don't find the creatures out here all that receptive to the notion of a duel."​

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No, out here it was much more chaotic, rules did not apply. You needed weight behind your blows, not finesse.​

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"Perhaps Felix will help change your mind" she offered with a loose shrug, insofar as animals were concerned, "But then, the responsibility isn't for everyone. They can be tough taskmasters at times."​

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She paused for a moment, turning to regard him all decked in furs as he was, and gave an appreciative hum and a nod of her head. "It suits you. Once we reach the City, I'll fetch you one of your own." She would not part with the one around his shoulders, it held far too much sentimentality. The small sun embroidered over the left breast could not be replaced. Not in her eyes.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“There’s always something happening over there,” he said. “Can’t think of anything in particular, but…” Well, she’d probably at least want to know about the latest star wars. “We defeated our enemies. Or rather, our enemies weakened and faltered. But now there are rumors of a new Sith Order rising in the Outer Rim.” He sighed. “The conflict never stops.”

"Will you be headed back that way once you are done here?"

“Prolly, yeah.” He couldn’t think of a reason to stay longer. “Why, do you want me to stick around?”

"Have you ever wished for steel of your own?"

“Nah. I mean, swords are pretty cool, but it’s just not practical these days. Most people shoot at me, and I need to be able to deflect those blaster bolts.” He positioned his hands as if he were clutching a lightsaber and moved in imitation of blocking, only to pause as she tried to hand him the sword. He took it out of politeness, hefting its weight and swinging it a few times, then handed it back to her. “Only time I’d need a sword would be if I ran into somebody with a cortosis blade and a ysalamiri. I don’t think I’ve ever run into anybody that extra.” Well, maybe once. That House Io freak, the one who looked kinda like Eliphas…

He didn’t really say anything with regards to animal companions, merely shrugging his shoulders. She offered to get him a cloak of his own once they reached the city. “Hell yeah dude,” he said excitedly, a bit of a bounce in his step as he walked.

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

"Things have quietened over this way too" she remarked insofar as the great Galactic game was concerned. Of course it wasn't just the scoundrels and ne'er-do-wells who had dispersed, but those who strove to fight for justice and peace too. A shame... Still if there were Sith rising in the Outer Rim then who was she to hide from the call of duty?​

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"I wish to join you" she said, though she did find herself cheekily smirking to the notion of having him stick around, "You remain here long enough, and you'll be wearing furs, wielding metal, and shooting bows in no time, my friend. We might never see you returned to the Jedi."​

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He didn't seem at all interested in swordplay though. Why would he, he'd been raised to wield a blade of pure energy and the Force, to deflect fragments blasted his way, and rend his way through anything. Comparatively a sword was far too mundane.​

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And yet she favoured hers all the same.​

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The sword was handed back, and she sheathed it over her shoulder as he made his excitement known insofar as a cloak of his own was concerned. "There's one I recently finished, lined with elkki fur. Warmer even than the one you currently bear. It will suit you well, and serve you on other such worlds." Ilum came to mind, though there were plenty of other iceballs out there too.​

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They walked a short while further before Mysa caught sight of Odiir circling overhead. With a beaming grin she hastened her step in the direction he hung, and soon came upon a small clearing wherein Raé was grazing. She'd stomped at the snow ladened ground to reveal soft, sweet spring grass beneath.​

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"Hej, sakta Raé, sakta..." She held up a calming hand, then approached the snow white mare adorned in blue beads and feathers. She grabbed the reins, then touched a hand to the bridle. "God..." Her soothing words and touch kept the horse from being spooked at the sight of Starlin. "This is Raé, still holds a wildness in her blood. Unbroken..." Such was the way of the Hearthfires. She worked alongside her animal companions, not against them. She did not force their hand, just lightly guided.​

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Without waiting she swiftly mounted the beast, and then offered a hand down to Starlin to help him up too.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"I wish to join you."

That startled him—though her assertion that if he stayed on Midvinter too long he’d go native made him chuckle. “Hey, you know what they say. When on Naboo, do as the Nabooians do. When on Midvinter…” Did they call themselves Midvinterians?

According to Mysa, a handmade cloak was waiting for him. He grinned at her, then stopped walking as they came upon a horse. Amidst all the snow, it was easy to miss the white mare if not for the brightly colored adornments on her harness. Mysa mounted the horse, then reached down to help him up.

“Oh boy,” Starlin said. “And here I thought we’d be walking the whole way…” Grinning cheekily, he took her hand, climbed into the stirrup, and straddled the saddle behind her. He’d never ridden a horse before, and wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. Eventually he settled on awkwardly hugging Mysa’s waist, his touch light. “This is what you’re supposed to do, right? Hold onto the rider, while the rider holds the reins?”

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

His surprise was obvious, though she didn't call attention to it. Instead she figured she might well humour his notion of Nabooians and "Valkyr..." she paused for a moment, before realizing that such a demonym had changed in more recent times, since her Father the Unifier had worked to bring the Three Kindreds together. "or Children of Midvinter... We don't have a fancy term."​

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He joined her up on the horse, settling down behind her in the saddle, and as he fumbled around unsure of where to place his hands she reached back to help guide him. Around her waist indeed. "It's the safest way, yes," she agreed, as she lightly pressed her heel into Raé's side to spur the horse on. "Walk to the Heartlands? Nej, that takes weeks. Possible, but..." It occurred to her then that he meant Heavenheim, and though he couldn't see it her cheeks glowed lightly in embarrassment. "Ah, well, even Heavenheim is quite the trek too my friend. Best we reach home before Lord Thrand casts the world to night."​

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The ride was surprisingly smooth, though for one not accustomed to riding a living mount it no doubt felt bumpy and unstable. Mysa rode the mare effortlessly, their connection innate by now, and soon enough they were free from the woodlands and out within the far chillier plains.​

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"I would seek to rejoin the Order," she finally explained, insofar as her reasoning for joining him was concerned. On reflection, she felt as though she owed him that much, "I have no ship, and since you are here that means you must have some form of transport, no? If you could bring me to the Core, I'd be in your debt, Sir Starlin."​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Midvinterians.”

He fell silent as she took his hands and guided them around her waist. She smelled of leather and something herbal, like grass and wildflowers. All natural. Meanwhile he probably reeked of cigarra smoke and that spicy cologne he used to try and cover up the stench.

“Lord Thrand—oh.” The sun. That’s right. They had gods for everything.

Starlin bobbed up and down in the saddle, the knees of his long lanky legs jutting out comically. “You do? That’s great. We could use the help.” But then she asked for transport. He considered it briefly, wondering if he (or she, for that matter) could tolerate yet another passenger on the Bright Knight. “Sure, why not. Although I don’t travel alone anymore—er, not in space, that is. The others stayed behind or went their own way after we got here. My ship is pretty big though. Lots of room for more people.”

Mysa Snowstrider​

 

[Mysa Snowstrider]

She cast her gaze over her shoulder as he offered out a new demonym, and grinned brightly. "Midvinterians... Perhaps I should bring such a suggestion before the High King." There was a coy cheekiness to her words as they slipped from her tongue. His grip of her was a little loose at first, so she brought a hand down again and secured his arms in place. "You won't hurt me" she assured him.​

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Then they were off.​

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At the mention of Thrand seemingly, briefly, confusing him, she set her gaze up to the heavens above once more. "My Grandpa, the Dawnbringer, God of Light..." She let out a soft and mournful sigh before refocusing on the road ahead. ​

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"I do, though whether they'll take me as I am will remain to be seen." She'd been a Jedi once, she'd fought in their battles, and trained under their Masters, but much had changed when the Hearthfires and the Heavenshields returned to their ancestral home. Things had become a little... mudied. At least where she was concerned. Would they have her start over?​

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Would she even mind if they did?​

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Probably not. She'd denounced her rank and title long ago now, a refresher would be most helpful.​

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"Will they mind?" she inquired, only now thinking that perhaps it was best to actually ask about whether she could join him, and how that might affect his plans. Not to mention the plans of those he traveled with. "I don't take much space, Sir Starlin, and I'm more than accustomed to ground sleeping." So long as she had her cloak, she could make anything work really.​

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Slowly but surely Heavenheim and the great cliffs it sat upon came into view, and soon enough she wasn't even the one guiding their route. Raé was doing that of her own accord, no doubt eager to return to the stables where she could be pampered and rest. Mysa's eyes drifted to sea gates which were etched into the cliff itself, to the two titans standing guard over the harbour and bay. Brothers in arms, Fathers to she. The Great Unifier, and the Lion King... She could feel the markings she had inked into her skin in their honour tingling slightly, and with another gentle press she hastened them on toward their destination.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“I’m not afraid of hurting you,” Starlin blurted. “I just don’t want to, er…” Overstep his boundaries. But she’s already established boundaries, and touching her waist clearly ain’t it, he reminded himself. So he tightened his grip, receiving a face full of billowing white hair in the process. He huffed to blow it away and perched his head above her left shoulder.

“Your grandpa is the god of light.” He blinked. “... Okay.”

She seemed a little uncertain that the Jedi would take her back. “I think they will. They were willing to take me even though I did some pretty bad things.” He seemed reluctant to get into what exactly he had done, however.

“Hey now, no sleeping on the floor,” he protested. “Unless you really want to… But you won’t have to. Like I said, I got plenty of room. Nobody should complain.” Upon giving him the starship, Syd had called it a “mobile base”. The Bright Knight had enough space for a small army.

All conversation fell away as the city came into view. Starlin had been there before, but he hadn’t quite viewed it from this spectacular angle. “Whoa,” he muttered. “Nice.”

Mysa Snowstrider​