[Video]

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[The image moves slightly as though the tablet's been placed on something uneven before it steadies. The red-haired padawan gives a nod from where he stands by some tool bins, and he pauses from picking through them, raising a hand to give a thumbs-up.]

Hey- So I know there's been a lot going on between Temba and the other place, and what all's been happening. I was thinking of setting out to the other city again some time soon, have a better look at the power situation. I know we've already got one city to worry about, but if there's something important to find here, I figure maybe it couldn't hurt to at least get the basic utilities up and running.

Anyone else interested? I think we've got a fair amount of engineers so we shouldn't be running short at least. And if anyone's had a closer look and knows what specifically we might need, you're welcome to give a rundown.

If anyone needs me, I'll be in my workshop while I get things together.

[He nods at the camera again with a 'Thanks BeeDee' and the tablet shifts towards the ceiling before BD-1's head pops up, and he raises a foot towards it before the feed ends.]

Comments

[noch]

Okay, it definitely isn't fair for him to turn things back around on her. She scowls and shoots him a withering look—one that only intensifies when he glances back at her with that... tiny smile. She'd almost describe it as a smirk, which isn't an expression she sees often on his face, especially not directed at her. He doesn't usually tease her like this, and it feels... unexpected.

"I am not saying that." It comes out sounding a little petulant even to her own ears. Still scowling, she crosses her arms and leans a hip against the counter, aiming for lofty this time. "Would you like me to? I could also stop worrying about you."

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It's an interesting shift in dynamic, and her reaction had been amusing. He turns back to her, fiddling with one of the strange Agrii tools. BD-1 looks between the two at this new development.

"Could you?" That question isn't so pointed as Cal has to wonder then how easy it is to stop worrying about a person. A chuckle slips from him at Merrin's scowl, and he coughs into a fist as he tries to school his own expression into something more serious. It's not really happening. "It's only natural to worry about people you care about. Or maybe worry isn't exactly the word. Even knowing people can take care of themselves, we can still be concerned. Happens with Jedi. Maybe even with Nightsisters." And things happen, especially here, that turn out to be beyond their ability to anticipate.

[noch]

Could you? It isn't a pointed question, but it still somehow feels that way to her, because of course the answer is no. She couldn't. Especially not Cal. And it might be the truth, but it's a truth that runs deeper, like roots beneath the earth, down to the very core of her, where she's most vulnerable.

Because she hasn't really cared for anyone since her sisters. Ilyana. She never really expected to again, but here she is anyway, one Jedi survivor lodged firmly in her heart without her ever really noticing until it was too late.

And he completely called her bluff. Finds it kind of funny, even. Maybe she'll rip out some of his hair for a voodoo doll... her eyes narrow like she's genuinely considering it. "Did the Jedi not teach you when to be quiet?" she chastises, but there's no real heat to it.

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Cal bites back another grin at her response, his expression smoothing out as he turns to shift his attention from her and let her have her breathing space.

"You know I mean it though. If you can't find anyone else to go with you, I will. Maybe knowing what to expect will make it easier to be ready for. Or at least having someone there to ground me."

Or maybe they'd help ground each other. He wasn't sure how the crystals would affect her. Maybe going with someone who didn't possess such sensitive abilities would be better, but he still felt better to make the offer rather than completely passing it off to someone else entirely.

[noch]

It just doesn't seem right, how quickly he can make her ire fade, replacing it with a sort of... softness, somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Even after what he experienced last time, he's still willing to go with her to the caves, just to look out for her.

Even if she doesn't think she needs it... looking at him now, with his attention turned away from her, she finds that she still wants it anyway. His worry. His care. Everything. And suddenly, it feels like she's been smacked across the face by a blow she really should've seen coming, and she stands there staring at him for a long moment, the silence stretching.

"I told you. You will not go back there," she says finally, looking away. "I won't go alone," she promises instead, before adding a little cheekily, "Does that worry you less?"

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He steals a glance back at her then, just as she looks away. As she relents, no- perhaps that isn't the correct word. But she does understand his concerns, and even if she recovers with those little snipes he's come to know her well for, Cal can still smile for that.

"It does," he's not afraid to admit. He hadn't thought she'd ignore the potential danger he'd brought up, but all the same, it's nice to have them come to an agreement.

[noch]

An agreement. She's not sure when she started negotiating with him over her own movements, but here they are. She glances back over at him, taking in that small smile on his face, and...

And. Pushes herself away from the counter, her expression shuttering. "You will tell me when it is time to leave." Her tone brokers no room for disagreement. Or agreement either, really, since she steps back and abruptly disappears again, teleporting away in a blink of hazy green ichor.

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And just like that, she's gone.

Cal closes his mouth, glancing at BD-1, offering the droid a rueful smile at the beeping that follows. He turns back to resume gathering the tools he'll need for the trip. "Yeah, you'd think I'd be used to that by now," he says, shaking his head with a chuckle.