ITHOR CAVERNS
3.00pm local time
Dash needed to think.
The events of Eiram had cast an unwelcome shadow. The Rhinnalian had rescued his boyfriend and delivered his friends from harm, yet the bonds between them almost seemed weaker now than before. Dash and Ez had their first real spat and Ferrin had voiced aloud the disdain Dash had always thought was there. Even Leon's burgeoning electric talents were another reminder the Rhinnalian might be falling out of touch with his friends.
They had delivered the data to the Order of course and even now plans were being laid to petition the Council. Starlight Beacon might yet be repaired and returned to orbit, whole and intact. As a Jedi Knight, Dash was supposed to be leading on it. Yet, it was repairs to his relationship, not the station, that occupied him.
He had barely spoken to Ezra since they left Eiram. There had been reports to make and medicals to attend, all of it useful excuse for not finding time to sit down and talk. Nothing big had really happened, had it? It should have been easy to squash. But Dash was only sure of that half of the time. The other half, he was still angry, stewing on worries, insecurities and above all a frustration that his boyfriend was apparently not doing the same.
He had come back to his quiet place on Ithor, hidden away in the secret cavern behind the falls, to clear his head. Dash put his pack down and got comfy on the rocky ground, crossing his legs and breathing deep. All Jedi were taught to meditate regularly, but he needed the cleansing reassurance of the Force more than ever now.
Dash closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. The rock wall opposite shimmered as a film of ice crept up its length. A frozen viewing pane seemed to form almost every time he meditated now, not that he had really noticed, anymore than he noticed how he took the Casket everywhere. Even now it pulsed gently inside his pack.
He tried not to think about Ezra, but that was near impossible. His boyfriend's impassive face swam before him in his mind and shapes began to ripple in the ice wall ahead. A scene of sunshine and greenery, a pristine world glittering in the heat.
Thyferra.