Ask Crash Landing

[Maura Starwalk]

Ruz had perfect timing because Maura landed the ship with a solid thud against the landing gear as the Togruta hurried back into the open cave mouth. She jumped out of the ship, and Ruzaan would be able to see that the girl was holding some sort of woven basket in her arms.

"Ruz! They gave us a gift," she called out, elated by the sound of her voice. She held the basket out to him, and if he peeked inside, he would see the hand drum Dsiod had given Maura already, in addition to a pair of carved wooden shapes. "They said this wood is very, very strong and comes from one of their sacred trees," she explained. "They thought maybe we could use it for our lightsabers. Well, that's not what they said, but what they implied." She pulled one out and compared it to her own lightsaber hilt. "See? I mean, we'll probably have to break it down into pieces..."

She trailed off. Clearly, the padawan was very touched by the gift. "Isn't that nice? Oh, and they gave you this." Maura pulled a little wooden bead necklace out of the basket. "Dsiod wanted to give it to you."

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Although the ship thudded down heavily on the floor of the cavern, Maura had managed to bring it back more or less in the same shape that Ruzaan had seen it when she'd left. Ruzaan glanced over the gifts by the snerson community, a smile breaking out across his features as he listened to Maura's report. "That's good to hear" he said, in response to the news of the improving health of the villagers. He'd been worried that there was more to the mission, but no- they could go home. Ruzaan gratefully accepted the beaded necklace from Dsiod, immediately clasping it around his neck. He could immediately tell that a significant amount of time and skill had gone into its creation.

Most exciting were the pieces of hardwood that Maura showed him; with some work, they could easily serve as lightsaber hilts for both him and Maura if they wished. The thought of having a hilt made from organic material instead of metal appealed greatly to the Togruta.

With a little help from Maura, Ruzaan would climb into the cockpit, doing his best to position himself in the cramped cockpit so that when he inevitably fell asleep, it wouldn't be on her. "Maura..." he said, once they had exited the atmosphere. "...Thank you." Words weren't coming easily to his brain, but he did his best even though his thoughts came out somewhat choppy. "For trusting me even after I was mean to you."

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

The two of them squeezed into the ship, with Ruzaan at the wheel and Maura seated in the cramped spare seat behind him. Exhaustion hit her like a brick wall, and she suddenly wished she could melt into the seat and just become an object. To do nothing but sit still and rest... it sounded amazing.

Ruzaan spoke up once they exited the atmosphere, and she barely acknowledged him with a quiet "hm?" His next word surprised her, and she didn't respond right away. He continued like he was a little unsure of what to say, and Maura continued to listen quietly, stroking the piece of gifted wood in her hand back and forth with her thumb. She wasn't sure how to respond. Emotional stuff and genuineness? It was so not her forte.

"...thanks for dealing with me," she finally responded, her voice tired and meek. Though she often ignored others' perceptions of her in favor of her own feelings, she knew she could be a handful.

The girl didn't stay awake long after that, and pretty soon Ruzaan would hear the occasional snore as the padawan slumped over in her chair and fell asleep.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown
/ END THREAD.