Funny You Should Ask...

[Kass]

"...If only they left behind a good cup and plate... I would be served better with proper presentation and a drink..." The young Serennian groggily peered up at his surroundings from the cold floor. He couldn't tell if his eye's were open or shut. The darkness was almost as unbearable as the strong pang in his head. He knew he was hit with something but the cowards had the gull to-

He sat up on his knees, spitting out a wad of blood and saliva on the ground next to him.

"Being angry isn't going to get me anywhere..." The distant sound of water dripping quietly filled the area, the silence almost piercing beyond that. He tried to stand up with some success, though he got a little dizzy on his way up and rested back on one knee. He'd been laying on his side and could feel the wetness creep up the side of his flesh. His boots seemed to slosh with a uncomfortable dampness. His upper body felt stiff and his head wouldn't stop knocking inside his skull. "...Not the best day, I can say..." After sitting on his knee for a moment, he stood back up and reached for his side. He quickly recognized his Lightsaber and ignited it. The area most immediate to him flooded with a faint red light and he glanced around. They at least had the decency to leave him his saber... or thought of him as sport and decided he should keep it..

"...Cavern-like walls..." He looked above him. "...And the hole they threw me down..." The condensation on the rocky surroundings made him feel ill. What a terrible place to end up.

After some thought, he reached under his cape. After frantically slapping his upper body with one hand, he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"...The Schutta took my comlink..." Anger rose in him. Not only could he not call his way off whatever planet he was on, he didn't even have a way to call if he did! He coughed up some phlegm and spat it on the ground. He hit the side of his face hard enough to cut open the inside of his mouth. He could taste the metallic tang of blood slowly filling his mouth. Things were looking grim. He decided to at least not wait, since no one was coming for him. He slowly walked forward, his saber held above his head for light as he entered further in the belly of the caverns.

 

[Iden Farlander]

Slowly opening her eyes, Iden shifted in an attempt to sit upright. A searing pain in the back of her head caused her to instinctively raise a hand to the point of pain and let out a quiet groan.
She tried to think through the throbbing in her head, but the last thing she could remember was exiting the quaint, friendly Dantooine shop and turning the street corner. Past that—nothing.

There was a terrible stench in the air filling her nostrils as she felt the cold, damp wall against her back. At least whoever had knocked her out had had the decency to lean her up against something. It was pitch black, and she couldn’t see a thing. Spreading her fingers out against the rocky wall, she felt her way to her feet and muttered a low “Ew...” as her hand touched something wet and mossy. She wiped her hand clean on her pants.

Now on her own two feet again, if a little unsteady, she could feel that the back of her head was not the only place on her body she had been struck. Her stomach had also taken several blows, and she clutched it as she attempted to regain her strength and equilibrium.

Reaching for her bracer to access her comm link or holoprojector, she discovered that her bracer had been removed. “That’s just wonderful...” she growled, placing a hand to the wall to steady herself. Feeling her hand down to her belt, she found that neither of her lightsabers had been removed from her person. Strange...

Igniting her blue blade for light, her eyes scanned her surroundings, and she found that she was in some sort of cavern. That explained the wet and the ever-growing coldness that was surrounding her.

Hearing footsteps, she turned on her heel (a move she regretted as her stomach let out a pang of protest) and saw a figure carrying a red blade approaching her.

@Kass

 

[Kass]

The young Serennian walked slowly through the dark, only able to see a few feet ahead of him at a time. His senses were dull, the constant waves of numb pain crawling throughout his head made him wince with every step. He cursed under his breath. Unease leapt to his mind. Was he alone here? He knew somebody dumped him in here, but why not finish him off? Though this damp cavern was filled with droning sounds of water tapping along the rocky terrain, there was the slightest feeling of air breezing out of the cavern. A way out...?

As the thought crossed his mind, he heard muttering in front of him. He stopped for a moment. "Somebodies here...?" After the briefest of moments, a blue light burst out in front of him. "Jedi...?" He heard the sound of feet sliding around in front of him. How does he approach an enemy in this situation...?

"I know you're here... there's no use hiding yourself now..." He said loudly through a grunt of pain, pushing through the anxiousness of the situation. That saber means this could change from an obstacle to a problem, quickly. "...Whether you're just playing with that blade or not, state your business here... I have no time for games." His voice was strong but wavered a bit. He couldn't muster the concentration to even feel this persons presence. His mind was clouded but he remained vigilant. He took a step closer and widened his stance in the same motion, getting ready to parry and back away if need be. He was still a handful of feet out of striking distance but he rather not take any chances.

 

[Iden Farlander]

The moment Iden had spotted that red blade, she knew that this situation had gone from bad to much, much worse. A blow to the head, several blows to the stomach, a cold and dark cavern, and a Sith—the perfect recipe for disaster.

Tightly clasping her blade, one hand still supporting herself against the cold wall of the cavern, Iden watched as the Sith took a defensive stance. He had not yet realized that she was hardly in any condition to attack him. That gave her time—if only a moment—to attempt to gather her strength should she need to confront him.

It was surprising to hear the smallest waver in his voice as the Sith spoke. He had yet to draw close enough for her to examine his face, but she could see from his silhouette that he was around her height. That could play to her advantage.

“Why...” Iden clenched her teeth in pain but continued. “Why have you brought me here, Sith?” The last word she had attempted to spit with contempt, but it had come out sounding much more pitiful and far less intimidating than she had intended it to sound.

@Kass

 

[Kass]

So his assumptions were right, it was a Jedi standing in front of him. He spat on the floor next to him. "Brought you here...?" Though he couldn't see the Jedi fully, she was nothing more than a black mass outlined in darkness, he did know one thing... She was hurt. Though she wanted to sound tough, her tone said otherwise. Interesting...

"...You assume I have brought you here... because I am a Sith? So what other reason should a Sith..." He croaked out a chuckled. "...bring a Jedi to a pitch black Cavern, where he himself cannot see..." Though he wanted to toy with the Jedi, sensing her weakness, he himself couldn't get around the fact that he himself was weakened. He continued.

"...So tell me, why have I brought you here? Oh noble mistress?" He was getting angry but knew this situation was a dire one. There was no reason to rush things. Something his master told him when he was young. "An opening isn't an opening, until you seize the opportunity to open it."

 

[Iden Farlander]

“You tell me,” Iden replied slowly, hoping to entertain the Sith with conversation while she got ahold of herself. She had yet to find the strength to relinquish her hold on the supporting cave wall, and her legs didn’t seem to want to support her.

“The last thing I remember is getting hit over the head. Then... waking up... here.”

Briefly, Iden closed her eyes and reached out through the force to the Sith standing before her. He, too, was in a weakened state. He was hurt. He was in pain. Could it be that he had not brought her here as she had assumed but rather that the two of them had both fallen victim to some third party?

@Kass

 

[Kass]

He sighed, wearily. "..." He swung the blade horizontal again above his head slowly and took a couple of steps towards the wall. He leaned against it, his body tired. He couldn't tell the Jedi he was close to collapse but he had a feeling, even without the force, she meant him no harm... yet.

"...I woke up on the ground, same as you... I was heading back from a trip to Serenno. Me and a servant of mine ended up on Dantooine. As we went to re-board the ship, a group of men ambushed us... And I got the same treatment as you did, apparently..." He didn't like where this was headed but dying in a dark damp cave wasn't how he wanted to die.

"...I don't know your situation Jedi. And obviously, you aren't the one who threw me in here... Jedi aren't the type of toy with their food... But it seems like we might need each other at the moment. The current state of politics aside, we both don't know what's outside of this Cavern..." He licked his lips, they were dry and tasted like carbon scoring.

"...We could lean on each other, just long enough to get ourselves out of this situation..." He proposed a temporary partnership.

"...We can settle things after the smoke and fire is cleared, if that is what you wish as well." He looked towards the Jedi, though he could barely see her. A total shot in the dark. What a mess this was. But his words were meant to be sincere. If what she said is true, somebody threw them in here to die... or squirm.

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden considered his words silently, slowly inching her way closer to the wall. She sensed no current deception from him, and there was no denying that he was genuinely hurt and in pain.

“I suppose... a temporary partnership... is our best chance at survival at the present,” she decided, agreeing with the Sith’s assessment of the situation.

Only the Sith’s silhouette was visible to her through the darkness of the caverns, but she watched him as he leaned against one of the walls of the cave, and even in the darkness she could see that he was in a considerable amount of pain.

She supposed if they were going to have to work together to escape this situation alive, there was no time like the present to start this “partnership” of theirs. “Sit... sit down,” she said softly. Force healing had been a passion of hers in her years of training with the Jedi, and she had come close to mastering the techniques she had been taught. With the intention of putting a few of these techniques to use now, she took a step toward the Sith, deactivating her lightsaber.

This Sith would be of much more use to her and her chance of survival if he could walk properly; and, admittedly and to her own surprise, she had some level of empathy for his current state of pain as she had felt it through the force, and it was not a pleasant feeling.

@Kass

 

[Kass]

Kass nodded as she got closer to him, though she probably couldn't see it. He was to worn down to be stubborn. Though he was a little wary, he never thought the Jedi would agree to something like pairing up with someone like him. Times were strange and cruel, the Jedi never seemed to disappoint when it came to living up to their reputation. Though he had no ill intention towards her, in the back of his mind he knew where his standing was in the midst of changing tides. He slowly sat on his rear but kept his lightsaber up for better lighting. Hopefully she wouldn't take this as a sign of aggression.

"Don't be shy. If anything else, I am a man of my word..." He winced as she got close enough to start to heal him. The pain was dull but present enough to slow him down. He opened up his arm from his side so she could tend to his wounds. Probably a few cracked ribs and some bruising. "Reminds me of Korriban..." He couldn't let out the chuckle he wanted. Though, from the looks of it, she needed some healing herself.

"My name is Kass, by the way." He looked away and let her do her work but glanced over to see his new companion. Blonde hair and blue eye's shimmered in the darkness... Quite the looker. Kass had other things to worry about than women at the moment, however. He felt a small breeze throughout this Cavern and it might be the way out... He'd wait for the time being. Waiting for the party to be patched up was probably best for now.

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden hesitated only for a moment when the Sith’s, or rather—as she now knew him—Kass’, lightsaber did not deactivate, instead kept by his side as he sat on the cold floor of the cave. The lightsaber would be needed, of course, for light she reminded herself. They had made an agreement. For better or for worse, she needed o trust him. With this in mind, she no longer hesitated to approach him.

Kneeling down beside him, she ignored the pain originating from her stomach and clenched her teeth as a diversion. “I suppose it will remain to be seen if you are a man of your word,” Iden bantered, meaning no offense with the remark as she managed to offer a small smile in the darkness. She had not met many Sith who were true to their word.

By the light of Kass’ red blade, Iden took in her fellow captive’s appearance, observing that he was around her own age and had dark auburn hair.

“And I’m Iden,” she introduced herself before she closed her eyes and beginning to focus on his wounds. Her hands hovered inches above the Sith’s torso as she quietly assessed the damage. Whoever had thrown the two of them into this cave had seen fit to beat him more harshly than they had beaten Iden.

A light blue, almost colorless orb of force energy began to build around and surround the Sith’s wounds, her mind solely focused on his healing. Once several minutes had passed in complete silence and she felt her work was done, Iden opened her eyes and stared into the brown pair of eyes in front of her. “How do you feel?”

@Kass

 

[Kass]

"Well, it seems you haven't met a Sith of my pedigree... Even in the darkness of this... hole, I am not blind." His mind was elsewhere, lingering on the thoughts of escaping. This damp place was wrecking havoc on his patience.

"Pleasur-." He winced a little, feeling the effects of the healing taking place. It was something he has never experienced before. The pain stemmed from his side but it quickly faded, like a shriveling leaf. After a few moments he could breath normally again. The inside of his cheek was still torn to shreds but it felt like his body had a full nights rest. He sat for a moment, pondering the question Iden asked.

"...Better." He looked back at the Jedi, her eye's meeting his. He sat there for a moment, his cheeks running fresh with hot color, not realizing he fumbled his train of thought.

"Ah... Well... you should take care of yourself quickly. We've wasted a lot of time here... Who knows how much ground we need to cover..." He turned his head quickly and shoo'd her away with his now free hand. It seems like with all his Blue Collar talk and fancy Sith training... He hasn't had much time with the opposite sex. Usually the creatures are trying to swindle better deals on negotiations or flat out use him for their own gain. Something about this Jedi plucked at him... "Was she just... toying with me? These are strange times indeed... He sighed heavily, waiting for the Jedi to heal up.

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden anxiously awaited the Sith’s verdict and was pleased when the answer was, “Better.” Her focus had been on his response, and with the surrounding darkness and red glow of his lightsaber, the color that rose to his cheeks went unnoticed by her.

“Good,” she replied, feeling his pain had subsided and that it was now time to take care of her own. “Your pain was considerable.” She realized that the gash in his mouth had not been healed, but she agreed with his sentiments—they needed to make up for lost time.

Settling on the ground, she leaned her head back against the cold wall and once again closed her eyes to focus. Alleviating her own pain was relatively easy and a much quicker process than it had been with the Sith’s, considering her wounds were not as extensive as his had been.

Slowly standing, Iden regained her balance and let out a low breath of air, pleased with the lack of pain coming from her stomach. “Alright... I’m ready,” she determined.

@Kass

 

[Kass]

"Good." Kass got up and let out a quick breath, feeling a lot better than he did before. He chewed on her words for a moment, considering what she said. "...Some sort of force empathy, maybe?" He looked at the women for a moment and quickly turned towards the darkness ahead of them, forgetting the moment before and lost his thoughts. The darkness came with a cold feeling, the uneasiness he felt about this situation unnerved him. Whatever creature threw them both down here, had a reason. Whatever it was for, the Sith was sure to find out. He figured the Jedi would follow and made haste towards the darkness.

"...Before our meeting, I felt a slight breeze coming from this direction..." He motioned forward from the path he walked but didn't think if the Jedi would see it or not. "...I've read air currents flow towards an opening in caves... If we're going to find a way out, I would bet money it's this way." He walked in silence for a moment, his steps reverberating off the walls.

"...So, Iden was it...? What was that healing magic you just did?" Trying to make light conversation, Kass figured it would be better than listening to his own steps. He gathered the small amount of blood in his cheek and spat it on the ground next to him, hoping it would the last of it. Seeing a wall emerge in front of him, he stopped and waited a moment. Feeling the slight breeze flowing passed his left, he set the pace and walked into the darkness again, his saber guiding the way. "...I've never seen anything quite like it. It was quite impressive."

 

[Iden Farlander]

“As cold as it is, I’m surprised you would feel a slight breeze.” Iden followed the Sith along the dark cavern, keeping pace a few feet behind him and to his right as he led, his red blade lighting their way. Admittedly, she was glad he had taken the lead. The blow to her head had left her brain feeling fuzzy, and it was nice to have a moment to collect her thoughts as she followed.

“But I’m glad you did. I’d hate to spend my final moments in such a drafty cave,” she added, an attempt to find humor in the situation they had found themselves in.
Why were they down here? Why him? Why her? Why hadn’t whoever ambushed them just killed them? What was the point of being dumped down here?

Silence followed. Only the sound of their shoes against the cavern floor and the occasional drip of water filled the air. The silence was eery, and she was thankful when Kass broke it several minutes later with a question and— dare she label it such— a compliment of sorts. High praise indeed, coming from a Sith. It was not like a Sith to have any positive remark about a Jedi. Overall, this Sith seemed different than many of the others Iden had encountered in the past. His mere presence and words were not immediately offensive. Were he not a Sith and they were in more favorable circumstances, she would actually find his company enjoyable.

“It is called force heal,” Iden answered his question, a pleased smile grazing her lips. “It accelerates the natural healing process.”

@Kass

 

[Kass]

"Interesting." Kass commented, looking out into the darkness in front of them. He sat on her words for a moment, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. There was so much the force had to offer in it's vastness. To encounter someone who specialized in healing through the force must have been a rare sight, indeed. Though, whether he should have been concerned over the Jedi having something so useful was thought provoking. Over anything else Kass had learned from the dark side of the force, knowledge might have been the greatest pleasure he had been granted. After walking for a few more minutes, a sharp right and a tight squeeze through a narrow passage, he finally seen some semblance of light.

"...Some sort of glowing moss...?" He said lowly, though it was audible enough to hear. It trickled along the floor of the cave and got brighter and brighter as he went further on. Before he knew it, he realized he didn't need his saber. The moss like fauna covered the cave from top to bottom, radiating a bluish purple throughout it's darkness. Kass stopped as he noticed the cavern passage he was in opened up into a large area. "...It must be a story high..." He deactivated his saber and took a few steps into the room, noticing the moss climbing up a giant pillar. Then studied how the moss climbed up another pillar. The room was filled with pillars like this, covered in a grassy moss that gave off a pleasant light. The pillars were parallel to each other, with enough room between each to fit a speeder bike.

"...A Cistern..." He looked up to the ceiling, noticing an opening. He could tell by the architecture that is was meant for water to come in, though it looked like something was sitting on top of it. He wasn't sure if it was blocked or if they could escape that way but it confirmed his suspicions. He looked behind him and noticed the place they came out of had been blown away, though he couldn't tell if it had been caused by an explosion or some other force.

It was indeed an interesting place... but something was nagging at him. He thought a moment. He looked towards the ground, crossing his arms and gazed into the openness. "Eh... so that's what it is." The thought quickly made him uncomfortable, though he wished he would have connected it sooner. This area vibrated softly with the light side of the Force, making the Sith uncomfortable. Though he felt the need to leave before this place left a bad taste in his mouth, something else called to him here... Something cold... Something troubling... He noticed a shadow move into a dark area about 20 yards away but it didn't leave.

"...I don't think we're alone in here, Jedi..."

 

[Iden Farlander]

Though Iden could not yet see this glowing moss Kass referred to as she followed him through the narrow passage, she commented, “Probably some type of bioluminescence... they thrive in environments with limited light source.”

Following him further through the passage, the glowing moss covered the cave, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, producing a bluish purple light that illuminated their way. It’s beautiful, she thought to herself, her eyes roaming over the moss and reflecting its beautiful colors.

Stepping out from behind Kass and into the opening, Iden examined their surroundings. “A cistern?” Iden echoed her companion.

“This place...” she added quietly, drawing closer to a pillar that seemed to radiate with the force. “It feels like...” Kneeling down beside the pillar, she closed her eyes and tentatively reached for it, her hand hovering inches from the stone’s surface where dried blood had stained its surface. “Other Jedi have been here.”

A further investigation through the force was not possible as she heard Kass say, "...I don't think we're alone in here, Jedi..." Iden opened her eyes and turned toward him, her eyes following the direction of his gaze—a dark area about twenty yards from them.

@Kass