Pathfinder

[out_of_order]

WHO: Cal Kestis, Merrin, OTA
WHERE: The city that is not Temba
WHAT: Finding trouble in Exploring Not!Temba
WHEN: Late July/Early August
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTES: Will match pose preference.



I. Meet Me in the Hotel Lobby
Exploring any place new is a bit overwhelming. The place looks more crowded for all the extra greenery in the form of trees that liberally occupy spaces even taken up by buildings. Cal's suggestion would be to find the city's center and work from there. Ideally somewhere tall would maybe get them a better glimpse of the place so they can have actually see what they're dealing with.

This is essentially how he and BD-1 can be found at the hotel. The state of disrepair is hardly anything to daunt the padawan as he has a look around within. If you don't find him inside, you might find him outside sizing up the stonework or even already in climbing progress as he scales the walls.


II. Not-So Paradise Estate
BD-1's busy scanning every new plant he comes across. There's an abundance of them around this area alone, full of flowers and fruits. Cals picked a few berries as samples, tucking them into a pouch. He'll have to pass them to an agriculture specialist later. But in the meantime it seems that after circling the place, there's really no clear way through to the building framed within.

"Well, I guess that means we cut our own," he says, removing his lightsaber, giving it a lazy spin as he activates it. Eyeing the bushes, he checks with his droid buddy to make sure he won't be accidentally chopping into one completely before he sets to work. Just have to give this hedge a quick trim!


III. There's Always a Bigger...Fish? (For Merrin)
Compared to Temba, this place is absolutely teeming with life. Even without reaching out through the Force, it can be heard everywhere, especially where the trees grow thick. "I wonder how long this place has been abandoned," Cal says quietly as he walks along. The echoes he's come across have been from a time long past, and for how vague they are it makes it difficult to really tell just how long.

His eyes trace the strange stonework that surrounds them. The overall feel of this city seems to be leaning more towards the organic, something artful to the mesh of architecture and nature that's lacking in Temba. Those toppled trees however hardly go amiss.

"Well that's always a good sign," he comments dryly, glancing over at Merrin.


IV. Choose Your Own Adventure
((OOC: Anything else you'd like to do with Cal? Toss up your own starter or ping me to work something out!))

Comments

[noch]

Ichor glows around the talisman in her palms, the green light reflecting off her eyes as she redirects her attention to Cal and the creature. It's made a sort of clearing where Cal has given it the runaround, so while he engages the thing, she slips into that little clearing near the edge, extending her arm so that BD-1 can hop down onto the ground at her feet.

"Cal!" she calls out to him, once the creature has charged past him. That's about all the warning he gets before she teleports him to the space next to her, where she continues in a normal voice. "It will need to come close," she explains—which isn't much of an explanation at all, really, but that's how she is.

This is the part where she doesn't really have a backup plan, but she's completely stone-faced, brow furrowed slightly, as the creature quickly finds them and swings around to face them. She waits while it charges, full tilt, until it's only half a dozen meters away, then she'll say, "Now."

[out_of_order]

His lightsaber hums with every movement he makes, an intricate and potentially deadly dance as he manages to stay just ahead of the creature's movements before he can get caught. He spins to the side like a matador dodging a charging bull, his head turning just slightly at Merrin's voice before things warp around him. It's not as disorienting as before, although he suspects it's because all his senses feel like they're turned up on the dial. While he doesn't say anything he nods as he steadies his breathing, preparing as he watches the massive creature locate them once again.

He feels BD-1's weight on his leg, hearing the little droid squeal anxiously as the thing charges. To Cal it seems like the creature's both moving fast and incredibly slow at the same time. His arms tense as he begins to lift them and his lightsaber, and there's no large delay between Merrin's word and his action as he throws his hands forth, the air seeming to ripple outwards as though solidifying around the charging bulk of the creature.

Its movements slow, impossibly so, but the Force bends many things into possibilities with the right focus.

[noch]

As soon as Cal slows the creature down—it's nearly frozen in place, blurred around the edges—she quickly moves forward and reaches up to press her fingertips against the center of its head, right between its eyes. There, she can feel its mind thrum under the weight of her hand, its instinct to protect, its will.

And its will is considerable. It takes her a moment to impose her own, to thread the spell through the creature's mind. Eye closed in concentration, she clutches her talisman in her other hand, the stone swathed in bright green ichor that ripples like flames. Finally, a strange, bell-like sound echoes through the forest, and she drops her arm and steps back.

When time catches up to the creature again, it immediately collapses to the ground, unconscious.

[out_of_order]

Cal's hands remain before them, lightsaber still blazing, still tightly gripped in case he might have to suddenly make use of it, but it's only a secondary thought as he grips the creature through the Force. Merrin's movement surprises him, but then he hadn't really known what she was going to do until that moment. He can feel BD-1 jump slightly with a start at the strange echoing toll as that green light seems to pour from the talisman the Nightsister grips.

He feels time slipping back along with the tapering of that magick-spurred adrenaline rush, and as the creature collapses, Cal staggers back, lightsaber deactivating more so he won't accidentally slice something off while he steadies himself. Resting his hands heavily upon his knees, he breathes out slowly as he stares at the unconscious beast, trying to calm the thudding of his heart.

"...nice job," he finally manages after swallowing a bit, his mouth feeling weirdly dry.

[noch]

She releases a deep breath, relieved. Not that she ever truly doubted herself or Cal, but—still. The situation they were in was dangerous, and she can still feel her heart thundering inside her chest. It's been a while since she's ever had to fight a creature like that.

Tucking her talisman back into its pouch, she turns to face Cal and BD-1, her eyebrows knitting with concern when she finds him folded over, hands on his knees.

"You are alright?" she asks, completely ignoring his comment.

[out_of_order]

"Y-yeah. Just need to catch my breath," Cal reassures. The boost had given him more of a push than a stim would have. While he's not unappreciative of Merrin's assistance in that, he's not sure about a repeat performance unless they were really in a fix. Slowly he straightens up again, hooking his lightsaber back onto his belt.

"We should probably clear out before any more surprises pop up," he suggests.

[noch]

She casts him a scrutinizing look, not quite believing his answer. Why does she get the feeling that he's leaving something out? "If you are certain," she says, sounding doubtful, but she won't push it.

She agrees to his suggestion with a nod, looking around to reorient herself in this forest. While she's certain that her spell will keep the creature knocked out for a couple hours, there's no reason for them to linger and get caught up in something else. The problem is... they ended up getting turned around, fighting the thing, and all the trees look the same from here. She's not entirely sure which direction leads back to the road.

For now, she turns and follows the obvious path that the creature made through the trees, since that will take them back to the area where they first encountered it. It'll probably be easier to follow their own trail back from there.

"You are alright too, Beedee?" she asks the droid, earning herself a cheerful beep-boop in reply, which makes her smile slightly.

[out_of_order]

He's not lying, really. He's not really sure how to explain it aside from feeling a little worn out, but at least they're in agreement that they need to leave.

Cal starts along after Merrin, and not without a final glance at the unconscious creature. Hopefully no one else would have any trouble with them. Given who knows how long the city's been abandoned, having some strange people suddenly roaming around in their territory is probably more than a little unsettling for the creatures who've otherwise been settled in.

He grins over his shoulder at BD-1 as the droid responds to Merrin. "You did good too, buddy."