Ask Serenno Field Trip!!!1!!!1!1!!!1!

[Soleil Altan]

Altair's comment on Soleil's drawing widened his grin, the tips of his ears turning red. Sol may have been looking at him- respectfully- which he wasn't shy over, but the sincere-seeming compliment of Sol's art embarrassed him a little.

Everything that happened afterward didn't help his bewilderment. Bits of what had gone on felt clear as river mud. What was, was that he hadn't thought enough before opening his mouth. Figuratively speaking. Should probably work on that, he'd decided. Aside from a signed apology toward Ailis, he added nothing else and spent their time traveling by thinking to himself.

He'd relaxed by the time they reached Dantooine. The air, alight with evening birdsong, scented with grass and trees, helped significantly. Sol never noticed city smog so much as when he escaped it. Walking up with the others instead of falling behind like Taris, he found his eyes drawn to those particular buildings that seemed in weirdly good shape. That plus some blackbirds who nested on roofs and watched the newcomers.

Conversation pulled his attention back with raised eyebrows. The potential of actual ghosts was enticing, but then so was a good joke. Sol smirked and gave an 'OK' sign to the Tiefling when he'd looked back and mentioned playing along. He was also kinda curious about Maerae, glancing interestedly between the other acolytes. Unwilling to randomly interject, he scrawled something on his notepad instead and idly chewed some sour-sweet bubblegum.

@GABA @Sreeya @Altaris @Vicc125 @Arcangel

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat was rather enjoying herself as she once more walked through some of the decaying and eroding ruins of buildings while the acolytes seemed to be hurdled up. She glanced over her shoulder on occasion to make sure none of them were choking out each other over who had the best drip. Her mind though was still eating at the idea of this place being haunted; as so far she didn't see any possible cornfields that would harbor children, but there wasn't to say anything against the possibility of something else that could always lurk in the woods.

The redheaded woman paused, looking at the tree line in the distance, memories of the haunted farmhouse from a world lightyears away still threatened her in some ways. She frowned, turning away to explore other parts of the small village, only to catch something in the corner of her eye as she quickly shot her gaze to the larger temple that still remained standing. In the window a set of eyes looked back at her, their face mostly hidden with a shawl and Tiamat gasped from the sudden appearance, her senses igniting, but nothing could be felt.

She turned to see where the acolytes were, still noting they were nearby and all accounted for, she shot her gaze back, only to see the small figure was gone. A chill ran down her spine, and a cool wind passed through the village, wrapping the living beings that would cause the hair to stand on their necks. Tiamat looked back to the acolytes, then to the window, and back again, realizing suddenly it couldn't be any of them. Flustered and clearly spooked, Tiamat turned on her heel, walking away quickly, but not so much to draw panic or extra questions as she tried to pretend nothing had happened.

"See, not too much of this village I guess," she said as she approached Altair, Mae, Vahl and Sol, "We should make this short and start going back to the ship." the woman pointed in the direction of the ship, hoping they wouldn't start asking more questions. Though as she were speaking, a heavy mist seemed to rise from the ground, hanging heavily on every standing object or individual that was present.

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[Maerae Verdan]

Maerae let out a sigh. It seemed that Altair had falsified this story of ghosts in the corn fields. She hadn't expected it to be true, but oddly enough, she had expected Altair to at least be sincere when he spoke of it. Instead, here they were in a bunch of pointless old ruins, after having been cooped up together on a freighter. It wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind for today.

"Well," she shrugged, "I suppose it's still preferable to Dromund Kaas."

Then the chill came, in the form of a slow billowing of the wind. It ran down her spine, leaving her body trembling for a moment. Maerae turned around to face the direction of the wind, which seemed to be blowing from the ruins themselves. She saw nothing, felt nothing in the Force, save for Tiamat herself. Their chaperone approached them at a brisk pace, likely having figured out that this was all a farce.

Queue the mist. It rose quickly, far too quickly to even be considered natural. Maerae felt a sliver of fear take root in her chest. She held it tight, letting it fill her being, even as she slowed her breath to avoid true panic. Her hand rested on her lightsaber, but she didn't draw it. Not yet.

"It would seem," Maerae forced her visage to remain stoic, even as that fear in her core began to blossom, "that perhaps your stories held a modicum of truth to them, Altair."

@GABA @Sreeya @Altaris @Mr. Teatime @Arcangel

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help the sideways grin that worked its way onto her lips, listening in as Altair revealed the legend of the corn children to be nothing but a story. While she didn’t say anything, there was a clear bit of amusement that danced in the half-Anfynn’s eyes just then, her gaze subtly flicking over to Tiamat just up ahead. Not only was Vahliri privately relieved that corn children weren’t actually a thing, but she was entirely down with the idea of screwing with Tiamat a little bit.

Of course, the half-Anfynn didn’t miss the signed response from Maerae - earning the girl a roll of Vahliri’s eyes. God damn was she dull. “You should try having a bit of fun before you keel over.” She said towards the Acolyte, quiet enough for only Altair and Maerae to hear. She shook her head.

That smile worked its way back onto Vahliri’s when Altair spoke. She felt the tail that playfully tossed her hair and brushed against her back, sending goosebumps across her skin. “In that case, looks like you’re stuck with me.” She flashed him a that characteristic smirk and a wink, giving him one last playful nudge before looking back ahead.

Just in time to see Tiamat practically jump out of her skin. The half-Anfynn immediately picked up on the gasp, but by the time she looked towards the window where the former Sith Lord was staring, whatever it was had vanished. Vahliri blinked a few times, desperately masking the smirk that worked its way onto her lips as she clearly noted how spooked Tiamat was.

Vahliri raised for Tiamat’s back to be turned before subtly reaching out with the Force, flicking her wrist in the direction a door on one of the buildings. It opened with an eerie creaking, carrying unnaturally loud across the misty field. Even if Tiamat sensed the use of the Force, it would be difficult to tell who it had come from.

And even then, could she be sure that it wasn’t the manipulations of the corn children? Or whatever she saw in that window?

“Uhh,” Vahliri pointed in the direction of the building, glancing back at her fellow Acolyte’s as if she wasn’t entirely responsible. “Maybe we should check that out first?” She jutted her thumb in that direction. Vahliri glanced back at Maerae, flashing the Acolyte a coy smirk. Regardless of whatever stoic expression she wore, it was painfully obvious that the woman was on edge.

“What, not getting nervous are you?” Or maybe it was just the stick perpetually up her ass that was making Maerae uncomfortable.

@Sreeya @Vicc125 @GABA @Mr. Teatime @Arcangel

 

[Soleil Altan]

Soleil's gaze flicked curiously between Altair and Vahliri, lips curled into a pensive frown. After a moment he shrugged to himself. He thought the competitive flirting contest people seemed to be having with the Tiefling was kinda both weird and fun, but then again, Sol could be odd or competitive in his own way. Maybe it wasn't that serious?

Maerae so far stayed out of it, very busy sighing and taking life too seriously. Sol clicked his tongue and shoved his pre-written note into a pocket, attention back to the blackbirds with a vaguely distracted expression while he reached out to connect his senses with them. He came back, though, when Tiamat walked back to them looking like she'd seen a ghost. Soleil immediately looked interested.

Which waned when she suggested leaving, then comically returned in full when the thick mist rose from the ground and coated them all in its cool droplets. Now this was spooky! He quickly nodded in agreement that they should check out the creaky door without at all hiding his excitement, stepping forward in support. As if on queue with the door and heavy mist, the rooftop crows joined in with cawing cries that echoed between the buildings. One of the crows hopped over to a roof ledge, staring down at them, head tilted and black eyes shining.

Soleil looked like he was trying not to laugh. Still, the sudden mist was admittedly pretty damn odd. He waved a hand through it curiously to see if it was an illusion or whatever, poking at it with fascination like a paranormal scientist.

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[Altair Din]

Altair simply grinned at Maerae as she sighed and huffed about his complete bullshitting. He wasn’t going to let the fact that she was a stick in the mud ruin his stride. If he could help it, she’d lighten up before this trip was over. He glanced over every now and then, gleefully noting how Maerae seemed to get more and more nervous, even going as far as to touch her hilt. Altair remained largely neutral for the time being, simply observing his surroundings.

After a moment, he broke off slightly to the side to explore the village, pausing here and there to inspect a building. He spotted Tiamat suddenly shuffling back towards them with all the color drained from her face. The tiefling knew he had to act on this at once, and he used the opportunity that presented itself when she was distracted addressing the group. Altair had a level of command of the Force from a young age, and this was one of the ways he pranked his siblings.

She would hear a deep, unearthly voice whispering near her ear, “Tiaaaaaamaaaaaat,” It was horrifyingly eerie in tone and it would sound as if someone were standing right next to her. Altair, of course, looked entirely uninvolved as he walked back towards the rest of the group. He quirked a brow, “What? We just got here,” Altair said innocently.

He looked over at the crows and then pointed at what appeared to be the spire of the temple Tiamat returned from through the mist, “Look how ominous and creepy that looks. It’s just begging to be explored,” Altair declared happily before he began to casually march his ass over.

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[Darth Tiamat]

As she had approached the acolytes, she distinctively heard the sound of a door closing, forcing her to pause, seemingly ready to strike whatever it was that caused the door to shut. Though she couldn't tell, her senses were not picking up on anything odd and as she turned her attention back to the students, she heard her name echo, running a chill up her spine and down her arms. The redheaded sith wanted to absolutely scream and stomp in fright, but the amount of willpower she was investing seemed to keep her nerves steady for the moment.

The acolytes seemed confused and unbothered by the sudden changes in the weather as the mist set in, only it seemed to encourage Altair and the others. The woman's face contorted in confusion and bewilderment to the need to go toward the spooky instead of away. Had they not seen horror movies or the holonet's (junk holo) top 10 paranormal encounters caught on the holocam?

"Are you guys crazy? You don't go investigate, you haul your asses-" but Altair seemed oblivious as he hauled his ass in the opposite direction of the ship. However, as Altair started his march, Tiamat held up her palm as a barrier of energy sprung in front of him, leaving him to hit it if he didn't stop himself first. The mist grew heavier of course and the sky seemed to grow darker with an overcast, the clouds thickening as it seemed like rain was well on its way.

Tiamat looked to the other acolytes, her brow narrowed as her blue eyes seemed to warningly glare at each of them as she waited for them to decide if they were going to follow her orders. Though, unlike Altair's trick earlier, they would all hear a guttural echo through the mist:

Two coins, Sigric

Two coins, Wicing​

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[Maerae Verdan]

"Save your childish goading for Allis, Vahliri. I will not waste my time with it."

Maerae snapped at the Sephi acolyte, not in the mood for her juvenile attempts at provoking her. With her piece spoken, the eldest acolyte took a few steps through the mist. It certainly seemed natural, as she didn't really feel anything other than condensation. But she'd seen it crop up out of nowhere, with her own two eyes. Not to mention, it seemed to be getting thicker and heavier with each passing second. She couldn't even see the freighter anymore.

With an annoyed groan, Maerae unclipped her lightsaber from her belt. She hadn't really wanted to use it, not in its current state, but they were quickly losing visibility. Losing any form of natural light. So she held the hilt up, and ignited its beautiful blue blade. It shamed her, to display her inability to corrupt a kyber crystal so clearly, but Maerae would take embarrassment over being blind. Blindness wasn't practical, after all.

And somebody had to be practical here, what with Lord Tiamat almost panicking, Vahliri not taking anything seriously, Altair walking into danger like a fool, and Soliel doing... something that probably wasn't useful.

She bit back a sigh, this time, and made her way to Tiamat's side, blue lightsaber still held in the air as a light source. She let herself smile, but only a little, as she watched their chaperone impede Altair's progress. She didn't laugh; didn't allow herself that, because in all honesty, she found Altair... charming. In a meathead sort of way. Even if they were on opposite sides of the dispute that was about to crop up, he'd been kind to her so far. It would feel wrong to... laugh at his expense, and betray that.

Great. She was already attached.

"My Lord," Maerae spoke in almost a whisper, not wanting to be heard second guessing their tutor, "is this not what we came here for? To find Altair's "corn children?""

In all honesty, Maerae was content with whatever Tiamat bid of them. Then... Oh then came the haunted whispering that sent shivers down her spine. That fear that she was holding onto exploded, sending tingling sensations across every nerve in her body. Altair's little bed time story about the ghosts had been very real, and she'd been a fool to dismiss it, even if he himself had thought it a falsehood.

"So. How does one deal with ghosts?"

@GABA @Sreeya @Altaris @Mr. Teatime @Arcangel

 

[Altair Din]

Altair skidded to a halt when Tiamat held up her hand. He may have been eager, but he wasn’t stupid enough to ignore when a former Sith Lord was putting her foot down. As if on cue, he heard that guttural echo. It was enough to send a chill down his spine as he stepped backwards towards the others. There was a trace of visible fear on his face that betrayed that he was no longer making a joke out of this. His heart pounded against his chest and the very tip of his tail flicked back and forth not from agitation but from alarm.

He looked over as he spotted Maerae lifting her saber hilt, preparing to ignite it. Altair reached over and almost gently placed a hand over hers before she could ignite the blade, “Don’t,” He said quietly, his eyes betraying his alarm as he looked at her, “It will draw attention to us,” He explained quietly, hoping she understood he wasn’t doing this to encroach, but to look out for them all. Altair withdrew his hand as he looked at the thick fog accumulating around them. It was behind them as well, cutting off visibility to their path back to the ship.

“With our minds,” He answered quietly to Maerae’s question. With that, he closed his eyes for a moment, tapping into the Force. He saw not with his eyes but with Sight. He wasn’t too adept at the use, but it was enough to give them what he needed. He looked even more grim when he opened his eyes.

“We are surrounded by figures in the fog…behind us,” He said without looking back, “Many of them. Not movin’, just standing there,” His focus was on Tiamat, reminding her that whatever she said would go. He knew when the situation was serious and didn’t warrant his usual antics.

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[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help but flash Maerae a sideways smirk, rolling her eyes as the fellow Acolyte snapped in response to her question. The half-Anfynn shook her head a bit, brushing the thought aside as she began to march ahead - honeyed eyes fixed onto the eerie building just up ahead of them. That was, at least, until Tiamat put her foot down. The half-Anfynn skidded to a halt as Tiamat erected a barrier in front of Altair, watching as the Tiefling stopped dead in his tracks.

She blinked a few times and looked back over her shoulder, her lips parting in protest of Tiamat attempting to pull the plug on their entire excursion - only to be cut off by the guttural voice echoing out all around them, stopping the half-Anfynn before she got out a single word.

The sound was enough to cause the color to drain from Vahliri’s expression - eyes going exceptionally wide with fear as her body tensed. Her fluted ears involuntarily twitched and flattened against the sides of her skull as her heart pounded against the confines of her chest, portraying her anxiety clear as day.

“Oh hell no.” She muttered under her breath, honeyed eyes flicking between the others in their group. She gravitated towards her companions, huddling a bit closer than before. Despite her naturally sensitive hearing, Vahliri found herself completely unable to pinpoint what direction the voice had come from. Her hand instinctively hovered at her hip, fingers twitching towards the curved hilt that dangled from her belt. She didn’t quite reach for it yet - especially as Altair interrupted Maerae from doing the same. Instead, she cautiously peered into the thick mist.

She swallowed a lump in her throat when Altair spoke after a few more seconds, revealing that.. Something, was behind them. Watching them.

“Yeah, ship is out of the question..” She said quietly, voice hushed and yet loud enough for the group to hear. Going back to the ship meant going towards.. Whatever was behind them, and Vahliri had precisely zero desire to do that. And doubted that anyone else did. She turned her attention to Tiamat. “We should go for the house.” The half-Anfynn declared, her feet scooting forward a little bit as if trying to encourage the others to follow her. She blinked a few times. “There isn’t anything at the house, is there?”

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[Soleil Altan]

Soleil was having a perfectly good time just poking at the mist right up until that creepy voice crawled through it from all around. A shiver ran down his spine even as he grinned, stiffening and looking around. What were those names, Deucalian? Kinda sounded Deucalian. Weird.

His gaze flicked to Tiamat, then Maerae, then Altair when he spoke of using their minds. Sol's head turned, as did a pair of crows, to look behind them. Eyes wide with focus he stared into the mist, willing for his eyes to see what they should not. Almost immediately he scooted backward toward the rest of the group, grimacing uncomfortably at the figures in the fog. Hearing Vahliri's suggestion, he stepped toward in a surge of bravery to check through a window.

And stopped dead when all the crows began to caw and cry, not stopping until Sol stepped back from the house. He stared at the birds second, then turned and shook his head toward the half-Anfynn, drawing his hand across his neck to signal 'do not recommend'. The gathered crows fluttered themselves closer to the temple in the town's center, hopping from roof to roof farther away from the figures in the fog.

Soleil was inclined to follow the natives on this one, even if they were birds, and pointed to the old temple for his suggestion.

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[Darth Tiamat]

Two coins, Anto

Two coins, Jalia​

Two coins, Weni​

The voice continued, calling out the younglings that were lured to damnation over the centuries. Their presence grew, through the mist as they begun to surround the group. Altair had more sense than he let on most times and had not ventured any further without the instruction of Tiamat. The woman stood calmly, her own senses grasping at her environment, seeming as though she were unbothered by the sudden real apparitions, a quite stark contrast to only moments earlier where the (once was) fake stories seemed more frightening to her. Though she couldn't help to think about one of them getting into her ship and possessing the hyperdrive.

Two coins, Leagh

Two coins, Xlendo​

Altair answered Maerae's question, sensing quite clearly the ghost children that were appearing in the fog and now blocking their path to the ship. "Good, 10 points for Altair."

Vahl suggested they should head to the house for safety, "And not meet the corn children? I thought this is what you all wanted?" she sighed, letting Vahl chose to lead the group if she wished. Though it seemed Sol had picked up on something else and the redheaded woman's own attention turned to the crows that gave a warning cry to the acolyte when he approached the house. The birds seemed to know more about what was happening, gravitating to a temple in the town's center. Tia looked at Sol then the rest of the group, "So I don't think we should stand out here like sitting ducks." she said, hoping it would be enough of a catty hint drop that there was opportunity to lead.

Two coins, brothers, sisters

Before they would decide to go into the house or to the temple, the acolytes would feel an icy chill wash through them as a small child took a more solid form near them, head down, palms closed in front of him. His hair and skin were white, clothes were dark, spotted with the orange mold of his resting place as he lifted his head to reveal his missing eyes. The child's palms opened, one gold coin in each, Two coins... he said lifting the coins to his eyes and resting them upon the sockets. He closed his palms and opened them again to reveal more coins, Two coins for each of the children

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[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help the way her body visible tensed as the mysterious voice spoke once again, causing the half-Annfyn’s fluted ears flick rapidly and her fingers to curl inwards towards a fist. Whatever she might’ve boasted with the others back on Serenno, there was no denying that the Acolyte was thoroughly unsettled at this point and was prepared to get the hell out of dodge at the first opportunity.

She glanced back at Tiamat when the senior Sith spoke, almond-eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly. “Does that sound like corn orphans to you?” She hissed, a bit of irritation and anxiety bleeding clearly into her voice when she spoke. Of course, what did corn orphans sound like? The half-Annfyn shook her head. She looked straight ahead - prepared to take the lead and march directly for the house, only to be stopped by Sol shaking his head. She blinked a few times, staring up at the birds for a few contemplative moments - trying to determine if she should trust the crows as good sources of information or not.

Before she could come to any conclusions, Vahliri was halted dead in her tracks by the icy chill that coursed through her body - eliciting goosebumps across her skin and causing a clear shiver to overtake her for a moment. Her honeyed eyes snapped just to her left, going wide as she fixed her gaze onto the eyeless child that took shape in front of them. She stared in abject horror at the empty sockets where its eyes should’ve been, its stark white hair, and the orange mold that clung to its clothes.

..Oh fuck no.

The moment that the child placed the coins in its eyes and revealed its palms, Vahliri abruptly stepped forward. Without any verbal warning or additional thought, Vahliri raised her hand and drew her fist backwards. The Darkness was drawn into the half-Annfyn’s body as her whirled her fist forward - attempting to slam it directly into the ghostly child’s face and send it reeling backwards - away from her and the people in the group she cared about. Because fuck ghosts.

Regardless of the effectiveness of trying to beat the (un)living daylights out of the creepy-ass child, Vahliri immediately spun on her heels and started hauling ass towards the temple - opting to go with Sol’s suggestion after all. “TEMPLE.” She said without looking back. Without really thinking, the half-Annfyn reaching out to grab onto Altair’s forearm as she passed - physically pulling the Tiefling if he didn’t start immediately moving in the direction of the temple.

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[Soleil Altan]

Soleil looked to Tiamat when she spoke, then nodded firmly. Flying ducks were far better to be than sitting ones when surrounded by children's ghosts, he thought to himself. And just like that metaphor had gotten wildly away from him midway through, Sol intended to get the fuck away from the talking mist and crow-condemned house. He turned around to walk toward the temple just before an actual ghost appeared, stepping warily away from it and stiffening up.

The feeling of shivering cold that joined the appearance of an empty-eyed child was especially alien to Sol, who thrived in low temperatures, adding just that much more creepiness to the whole scene. He stared at the apparition with widened eyes, taking in each aspect of its rotted, mold-flecked appearance with equal parts horror and fascination.

Then Vahliri went to punch the coin-eyed ghost and Soleil, while curious to see if that'd actually do anything what with his zero ghost experience, agreed with Tiamat about not standing around. When the half-Annfyn booked it toward the temple, towing Altair along, Sol was right alongside. The creepy voices and sound of rapid footfalls accented by the crows' warning caws. He'd periodically look back to make sure no one was getting left behind.

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