Open Dathomir This is Bat Country

[Neeka Wren]

Somewhere on Dathomir...
​

"BLECH! PAHH! YUCK!"


The mouthful of meat that had just been nearly ingested was instead spat out all over a crackling campfire, causing it to briefly swell from the flying drops of fat rolling down it. The main problem was that the meat was mostly fat, yet Neeka Wren had managed to butcher out at least a few mouthfuls from the bat-like creature to augment the rations she had already grown tired of. It wasn't even the animal she wanted to eat. Neeka had wanted one of those large boars that liked to travel in packs and had long tails. They looked like good eatin'.

Another big problem was that she was not, in the strictest definition of the word, a very good hunter. That was half the point of isolating herself on Dathomir like this: to get some experience in what was obviously a well-loved Mandalorian pastime on one of the most challenging planets to hunt on. Except she was already hating it. Neeka now regretted insisting upon a solo hunt like she'd done. Why had she turned down the advice from her Clan-mates, anyway? To try and impress people? That...did sound like her, Neeka had to admit.

The young Mandalorian exhaled through her teeth as she tossed her hard work into the flames and watched the disgusting stuff shrivel up into black, charred bits. The bat had been all she managed to catch today, but her luck had been better earlier. The crude camp she had constructed in the cradle of a large rock wedge sported dried carcasses hanging from poles, interspersed with a pleasant-smelling herb that she had found and attached to her kills.

All in all, it had a very primitive look that made Neeka Wren feel almost like a real hunter. Now if only she could catch some real dinner.

She was forced to nibble on a bit of her rapidly dwindling rations and wished again that it was Dathomiri Boar instead. Maybe tomorrow night. The wind whipped up and howled through her basic shelter, forcing Neeka to pull a blanket of coarse fabric over herself. She was wearing her armor, of course. There was certainly no removing it on this planet at any point. Her helmet lay nearby like a loyal pet lounging near the open flames.

Neeka had to admit to herself that, despite the discomfort, there was a sort of peacefulness to this moment. Her only cares were immediately around her; she didn't have to worry about a whole galaxy or her place within it on a night like this. There was contentment in single-mindedness.

-----

The longer Neeka tried to enjoy her calm, the more she came to frown. Something was...off. It was hard to put her finger on. She looked left and right, but nothing had changed to cause this feeling nor did it truly feel like she was being watched. It was almost...a creeping giddiness, really.

The edges of the darkness near the campfire seemed to deepen and at the same time the luminosity of the flames took on more vibrant colors. Neeka looked at her hands. They were shrinking and increasing in size at random and the ground was swirling like a roiling sea. An intoxicated giggle belched out from between her lips.


"Ahhhh...hahahaha...uh oh! That's probably not a good sign!"

 

[Arla]

Arla had come out with Vanya to investigate rumors of a lone nomad who had been wandering around Dathomir for the last few days. Tensions were high between the Empire and the Sith and the Nightsisters weren't eager for either side to try setting up a base on the recently neutral planet.

Mother had, of course, wanted to just kill the nomad and be done with it, but Arla had talked the Queen out of that... at least for now. Arla still reserved the right to kill the interloper, but as usual, Arla was an endless well of curiosity and would rather pick their brain while they were living.

With her hunting knife on her belt and her energy bow slug on her back, she and Vanya had taken to a set of trees to watch their camper for the better part of an hour when Vanya had, apparently, decided she was bored.

Arla watched the small illusion fluctuate and recoiled her head slightly in surprise only to glance over and see Vanya making spell gestures. She was toying with the off-worlder, and had technically spoiled their element of surprise.

Arla smacked slightly at her friend's hand - not loud enough to make a noise - but gave an accompanying scowl as Vanya shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. She motioned for the other woman to stay in the trees as Arla dropped and silently swung around the small campsite to approach from the North instead of the East where she had originally been watching from.

Although Arla didn't level any weapon as she emerged from the treeline, she was quite confident in her skills to fight without weapons should the interloper move to attack her.

You are trespassing on this world, she said, as blunt as ever. Why are you here? she asked. It was actually quite common for Nightsisters to "kill first, ask questions never" but as it turned out, Arla was in a curious mood.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

She blinked and the hallucinatory effects vanished. Which was, in a way, far more concerning than a bit of bad meat. But hey, Neeka reasoned- perhaps this meant that her stomach wouldn't be attempting to murder her later. Maybe.

The night was still alive with sound, yet there were alarms sounding off in the young Mandalorian's head all the same at the strangeness of the whole situation. Was it some sort of swampy gas that was causing these visions? She knew she shouldn't have taken off the helmet. Neeka was beginning to grow less concerned with the glory of a challenging hunt and more with whether or not she was even going to get off of Dathomir at all. Briefly, she considered packing up camp and leaving right then and there...but she would never be able to find her shuttle in this dark before something crept up and ate her. At least in the light of the campfire she had more of a fighting chance.


She'd been debating the best method of setting up an effective perimeter so she'd at least get some warning before she died horribly when a movement made her head whip to the North.

Pale eyes, dewy in the gentle light, blinked up from Neeka's log seat at the Dathomiran figure that had formed from the shadows like a character straight out of mythology. Her brain was having trouble processing exactly what was happening and unfortunately Neeka's big mouth decided that it would make up the difference.

"Well this is definitely the first time that I've had this dream when I'm awake." She spoke without reaching for her blaster, nor for the knife's hilt that was visible sticking out of her boot. Neeka's hands were still calmly clasped near the flames. "'cept there's usually a pair of stun cuffs- wait... are you real?"


Finally a switch flipped in her skull and there was a visible drop in expression as her numerous errors in judgement dawned upon her. Her eyes flicked left and right, scanning for possible assailants hiding within the trees and detected none; though at this point Neeka just assumed she was surrounded. Her helmet lay on the log next to her, yet might as well have been tucked into a locked safe along with all her weapons for what good they might do her now.

Her movements were slow and unaggressive as the Mandalorian straightened herself out and placed both hands flat on her thighs. "What I mean to say is that I did not intend to trespass. I'm here as a hunter only and I mean you no harm. Are these your lands? I found no markers."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's silvery gaze simply rested on the figure, as she started speaking about the dream she was having. Arla didn't move but just stared ahead and blinked at the other woman.

Her eyes fell down to the helmet, and although Arla didn't actually know any Mandalorians, her time in the Empire had at least familiarized her with the alliance between the two groups. In fact, Arla didn't know where the Mandalorians had ultimately fallen in the war. It was her father who had brokered the alliance, but he was gone from both groups now, and Arla somehow doubted that the Mandalorians would back with Sith without the Empire.

Quite, was her only reply to the Mandalorians first question.

Arla watched as it seemed to dawn on the other woman the situation she was in. Still, Arla stood entirely still for a long moment. She came over and crouched down next to the fire.

All of these lands belong to the Nightsisters, she said, looking across the flames at the other woman. What are you hunting? Are you certain you're not here on behalf of the Empire? she asked. Ever blunt and without reservation, Arla jumped right into the meat of her concerns, gaining a sense in the Shadow's ebb about whether or not she thought the Mandalorian was lying.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

The muscles in Neeka's torso tensed reflexively and somehow she felt more vulnerable with the strange woman nearer to the fire than further away. This stranger's posture wasn't quite aggressive; but nor was it very friendly either. The young warrior's expression grew wry as she reasoned her way back to relative safety. Something told Neeka that she was getting a chance to explain herself and that if this person wanted to harm her, she would have done so already. Which was...sort of comforting?

"The Empire?" She couldn't stop the snort following the word. "I can't imagine it matters to them either way if I poison myself with...whatever you call those flying rodent things." Neeka accentuated the speculation with a sigh as she took apart the stick structure she'd used to cook the thing and tossed all of it a good deal away from the camp itself. "I regret not being able to offer you a full meal, but I have rations to share if you don't mind a certain lack of flavor." She nodded towards another nearby log that held a closed pouch, presumably full of the offered hardtack.

"Have to admit," Neeka continued on. "I've never heard of these 'Nightsisters'. I'm gonna assume they're not a famous cantina band, even though that would be the best name for one that I've ever heard." Her smile was hopefully disarming enough that even if the joke didn't land then at least this person wouldn't take offense. Hopefully.


"As for what i'm hunting...I haven't found it yet. Dunno what it even is. All I know is that Dathomir is known among my clan as a planet to challenge oneself on. That's really why i'm here. Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke, pako kyore." She added a shrug onto the bit in Mando'a while taking up a thin branch to poke at the fire with.

"My name is Neeka. My loyalties lie only with my people and with Clan Wren."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla was left to decide if the Mandalorian was simply playing ignorant or if she really didn't know about Dathomir's history and interest to the Empire.

I am fine, she said when offered the food. Besides the fact that she couldn't be certain it wasn't poisoned, it also looked... somewhat unappetizing. Rather than laugh about the cantina joke, Arla just continued her serious stare, her face barely even twitching as she blinked once and went back to warming her hands by the fire.

You should research the planets you go to more thoroughly, then, she finally said after a moment. The old spacer's saying that Dathomir was "nothing but fog and witches" usually worked wonders for keeping people away, but there were always those looking to loot temples and rob the planet. In fact, were this Mandalorian here to delve into the temples and rob them, Arla probably would have killed her, but simply coming to hunt and test oneself against the mighty predators of a world filled with the most dangerous flora and fauna in the galaxy... it was something Arla could respect.

It is that, she agreed as the woman said the planet was one to challenge oneself.

So when you find your beast, you will leave? she asked, mind now churning with ideas. Ideas that might be able to benefit both of them.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

It was true that she was not entirely ignorant of Dathomir's reputation as a planet to avoid. When she was just a child she'd heard endless tales of all sorts of strange and exotic planets all throughout the galaxy and she had assumed most were exaggerated. There was definitely fog here, yet that much was true of many planets. Time would tell if there were any witches.

The tip of her wooden implement now glowing red, Neeka began scrawling nonsense patterns into the dirt until the ember was extinguished into a dull smoke. She watched it lift and fade into the night around them.

"See, here's the thing...it might be a beast, but it also might not be. I didn't come all the way out here just for a new pair of rancor-skin boots, after all." Neeka snorted. Someone had to laugh at her jokes, after all. Even if it was herself.


"Anyway, to answer your question: yeah. I don't have any other business here- even planned out my refueling elsewhere in case I accidentally overstayed my welcome somehow. But ahh..." Neeka's grin grew a little. "I'm not leaving until I find what I came here for. Which is a good fight, you know."

The words were as much statement as they were a challenge. The relaxed posture Neeka wore was a lie. Her shoulders were taut, her head was held high, and her eyes had become fixated points locked onto the figure across the fire. It wasn't yet a formal challenge as she tried to not make a habit of picking random fights on doorsteps like her father loved to do, but the confidence in her tone was a clear indication that Neeka would defend herself if attacked.


"What kinda Mando would I be if I did?"

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

The more Arla heard, the more uncomfortable she became with the line of thought. Just here for a fight? Arla didn't find the idea of this woman murdering Nightsisters to be amusing at all.

To her own surprise, Arla didn't leap directly to attacking or threatening, though. It was probably only the other woman's levity that indicated that perhaps Arla had misunderstood the meaning.

You are not going to harm any of the inhabitants of this planet, she said, her voice final and simple in how she said it.

If you require a hunt, then I will take you to kill a Nydak alpha, but you will die before you harm a single Nightsister or Nightbrother, she said. Her senses were once again heightened in the event that the Mandalorian made a move. Arla had the power of a Sith Councilor flowing through her, and she had ever confidence in her ability to turn this person into mush with barely a raised hand, but she was not making the first move... yet.

The fact was that the Nydak had been a nuisance to one of the local clans for some time. It had been infected by a plague that seemed to have prevented the Beastwardens from taming it. If this Mandalorian wanted a fight and the Nightsisters wanted it gone, it was a win-win that wouldn't place any of her own people in danger.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

A stiff silence followed the statements that were voiced not as threats, but as simple facts. Neeka's synthleather creaked as she gently flexed and then loosened her fingers, resisting the habitual urge to ponder while spinning weaponry. That would probably not go over well at this tense moment, she reasoned.

Neeka was far from a tactical expert but something about this whole situation was keeping her blaster in its sheath and her tone polite. Although she'd certainly outdrawn others before and felt confident in how the beskar-weave sat protectively on her frame. She was fast. A warrior.

Immediately, familiar words rang in her skull nearly as strongly as a droid's primary programming. Verd ori'shya beskar'gam, di'kut! The armor does not make the warrior! They had been phrases shouted at her time and time again on Krownest. Neeka swore she could almost feel old bruises hurting again at the very thought of her training.

The Scary Mind Mandalorian in her head was right, though Neeka still sort of wished that her Alor ba'jurir were actually here in person to advise her on what to do. She wanted to be hasty; instead she forced herself to be careful. There was still something really bugging her about this person. Like she was having a conversation with an apex predator.

"...look, lady- i'm not a raider or a pirate or Imp or whatever you're used to dealing with and I've no interest in random cruelty. I'm not gonna hurt any of your people, but I'll defend myself if someone starts shooting at me. In fact, my preference would have been asking around in a cantina or something instead of sloggin' through this muck but I didn't even know if you have cantinas or not. Doesn't really matter."


The young warrior leaned in and the light of the dying fire reflected the eagerness budding in her pale eyes. "Tell me about this Alpha thing. Are we talkin' big, terrifying, and hurtin' people? 'cause that'd be ideal, really."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't really move as the Mandalorian spoke, claiming not to be someone who was here to harm anyone, but Arla wasn't really one to just take her word for it. Time would tell, and until it did, Arla wasn't going to let the woman out of her sight.

Yes, they're one of the larger predators on world, she said. While not as large as a rancor, they had more speed and ferocity than a rancor.

It's been causing problems for one of our villages, and our hunters are planning to track and bring it down anyway, she said.

They're very fast and strong, and the Alphas are even bigger than the rest, she said.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

"Now that's what i'm talkin' about!" The girl exclaimed, bursting into a grin. "Fast and strong is good. A hunting party is even better!"

Neeka's mind immediately conjured up images of the galaxy's most well-known predator as well and she wondered just how big this beast was that the Nightsister was talking about. There was a distinct possibility that Neeka was being lied to. After all, the cleanest way to get rid of a hunter one does not want around is to simply ensure the prey devoured them. Was this person misleading her in some key way to make it so the warrior was definitely not a problem? There was no real way to tell, so Neeka figured that her smartest strategy here was to kill with kindness. No one wants to get a nice young lady eaten in a swamp...right?


"I don't need any payment, by the way. I'm not a bounty hunter... most of the time." The Mandalorian continued with a snicker. "Way I see it- me joining the hunt would mean your own people are less likely to get hurt and I get what I need. Pretty good deal for everyone, right? I mean, I'll probably also take a tooth or something as a trophy but that won't be an issue, right?"

A final question occurred to Neeka then after a beat. "Are you part of the hunting party? Is that why you're out here?"

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla had a blank stare at the mention of payment, glad that it didn't seem the other woman was asking for payment since Arla had no intention of giving any on a hunt that the Mandalorian was on for her own personal reasons.

Yes, a see no issue with you taking a trophy, she said. She was sure the Red Swamp Clan would make full use of the carcass and any pieces that were left behind. If nothing else, it would likely be dissected for study to figure out what the virus was.

Arla motioned up toward the trees with a summoning motion and Vanya appeared out of the trees a few moments later.

Go let the Red Swamp Clan know that we're going to be coming to take care of their Nydak problem, she said. Vanya cast a skeptical glance in the Mandalorian's direction but Arla gave a reassuring nod and Vanya disappeared back toward the North once again.

Hunting party of two, she said, turning her attention back toward the Mandalorian, indicating that it would be just the two of them for the hunt.

No, we were coming out here to investigate reports about you, she said, a revelation that the Mandalorian had been lightly stalked since she arrived.

Would you like to wait until the morning or set out now? she asked. Hunting at night was certainly more dangerous, but it was a risk that Arla was willing to take. She had a great deal of confidence in herself and in Vanya who she had also sent into the jungles at night.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

"Good 'cause I was just thinking I could use something to hang in my sh- GAHH!"

Another person appeared abruptly out of the treeline with barely a sound, startling the Mandalorian who had thought herself sharp. Her hand flew over her mouth to muffle her exclamation before it grew too loud but the surprise nearly jostled Neeka clean off her makeshift bench. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat and straightened her armor.


"You know, if you wanted to get me alone you could have just asked." Neeka grinned again, trying to save some face with a joke. She stood up to stretch out her limbs one-by-one, crossing each arm over her chest and pulling enough to feel a slight strain. Then she rotated her upper half only, cracking her back with a satisfying pop!

"Good to hear that you're eager, though only a fool rushes to her death, right? It'd be the beast's own territory under the cover of darkness to boot. I'm just tryin' to be practical unless...wait, can your people see in the dark or something...?"

Despite the voiced concerns, Neeka began untying things and breaking down the small camp regardless of if they left soon or in the morning. Neeka didn't plan on making herself a problem for Dathomir and hoped that her departure would be swift once her task was complete, for this was a planet that bred grizzled warriors whom had little use for the jestery ones that never took themselves seriously. It just wasn't Neeka's style, really.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Hm, Arla said in response to the woman's joke, but she didn't seem bent on setting out now, which Arla couldn't blame her for. Ultimately, they would simply have to wait until the morning.

We will wait, then, she agreed, settling in for a long sit. She could move to meditation if she so chose, but didn't move directly to doing that just yet.

The other woman started breaking down the camp, and for the first time, Arla actually made some conversation.

Tell me about Mandalorians and your culture, she said. Although it was a request, it was given in Arla's typically somewhat gruff way. But in truth, Arla was quite curious. It was one of the reasons she had wanted to actually make her way in and talk to the woman. She knew that Mandalorians were reputed as great warriors, but little more. Her curiosity about other cultures - particularly warrior cultures - ran quite deep.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

She paused in the process of stripping the camp down to its barest bones so it would be better ready for a quick pack-up as soon as dawn arrived. Neeka blinked over her shoulder at the sudden and unexpected request with a quirked brow. Her eyes flicked briefly to the helmet still lying upon the log as she considered how best to reply.

"Ooof, uhhh...Right." Neeka exhaled a sigh and found it easier to focus on her work rather than meet the stranger's gaze. "I don't know if i'm...necessarily the best person to satisfy your curiosity here. I'm what you might call 'new to the lifestyle'.

"What I can tell you is what it means to me to be one." The young warrior made her way to a canteen that lay near a bedroll. After drinking deep from it and wiping her lips with the back of a gloved hand, she looked fully towards the other woman. "My clan found me when I was on my last legs. I was in a million pieces- figuratively and literally speaking, but they put me back together and gave me a way of surviving."

Neeka cleared her throat and began to recite:

"Ba'jur bal beskar'gam,
Ara'nov, aliit,
Mando'a bal Mand'alor—
An vencuyan mhi.

"It's a rhyme taught to us, kinda like a creed. It means to trust in yourself, your tools, your people. That, more than this-" The Mandalorian accentuated her claim with two fingers tapping upon her beskar-weave. "-has kept us alive and fighting. But me, personally?"

Neeka shrugged a single shoulder before re-seating herself back on her log and drawing the helmet into her lap. She looked down and stared at her reflection in the flickering firelight mirrored in the black visor.

"I've been getting kicked around my whole life. Thought i'd freed myself from it...from my past, but I almost died still with it stuck to my back like a dirty sock. The Mandalorians showed me that without improvement, without purpose..."

The warrior looked up at the woman across the tiny flames, her expression finally serious. "Let's just say that I have a reason to fight because of them. No one should have to fight alone."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla mentally braced herself for a questionable explanation based on the woman's initial disclaimer. Well, even if she didn't get a good answer, at least she could hopefully glean something from the explanation.

She considered the creed that the woman quoted, and thought about how it had many similar to beliefs to those that Arla held. You could rely on or trust outsiders. Even the recent falling out with the Empire demonstrated that, and it made her wonder about those other relationships she had held onto: Vahliri and Wodan. Would they turn on her?

Although Arla hd no idea what the woman had experienced throughout her life or what struggles she had overcome, she could tell that the woman's expression had changed from her lighthearted manner to a far more serious one.

Everyone is either predator or prey, she said, mind lingering on the way the woman said she had been kicked around her entire life. Sometimes one could be both predator and prey - a statement that had unwittingly reflected the old "Way of the Mandalore" statements - but the worst thing one could be was only prey. It sounded as if the other woman was finally breaking out of that cycle of being the bottom of the food chain. Good for her.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

Neeka's shoulders lifted and fell in a thoughtful shrug. "Suppose so. Though- you ask me, it's probably a lot more complicated. Most things are, I guess. Person can be both predator and prey, after all." She muttered, unaware she was voicing the other woman's own musings. "Or even neither if someone's deep enough in space. Plus, you know, someone can change back and forth. Just depends on choices made, really."

She spun the helmet between her palms and used her poking stick to stir up embers. Tiny specks of them lifted into the air on the released heat, like a swarm of fireflies dissipating into the night.

"Never told me your name, you know. What should I call you? If we're gonna hunt together, I should at least know that. C'mon- don't make me feel like a sap pourin' out my heart here all alone...tell me about your people. I don't know anything about the Nightsisters or Nightbrothers."

Neeka Wren pushed off the log and sat crosslegged upon the ground, her smile returning as she gave the other woman her full attention.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

True, the galaxy was seldom ever simple. That was something that Arla had slowly come to understand the more she studied the Force. Ever bit that she learned, the more she realized she didn't know. Not just the Nightsisters or the Jedi or the Sith, but there were hundreds if not thousands of other sects spread across the galaxy with their own beliefs and understandings.

Mhm, Arla said, agreeing with the woman's statements. Or at least some of them.

Arla, she said, ultimately deciding that there was no real benefit to withholding who she was.

This planet is sacred ground, and we are its protectors. The immune system that rids it of those who would violate and harm it, she said. And it would begin to make sense why she had so aggressively confronted the Mandalorian.

We live in harmony with the planet and vice versa. The pinnacle of its predators, she said. Though they were smaller than rancors or other great beasts, the power of the Shadow afforded the Nightsisters domination over even the fiercest of animals on world.

@Roobi

 

[Neeka Wren]

Neeka nodded at the name, obviously pleased that she had been trusted with such a thing. The more Arla spoke on, the more the Mandalorian came to feel like an intruder rather than some intrepid hunter. It was like she was an unwitting giant, stomping around without knowledge of what she trod on. Perhaps another planet would have been smarter after all.

Then again, perhaps not.

Regardless of if she was supposed to be here or not, Neeka was here. She craved understanding and abhorred retreat. If she flew away from this planet before the hunt was finished she would not only dishonor and disgrace herself but the thought of what she could have experienced would haunt her for the rest of her life. Death was a more viable option.

She thought of Krownest and wondered at what harmony was to be found on her home. She had not explored much, but as far as she knew most of it was encased in ice and snow. The Wren Stronghold did not so much live in harmony with the planet as it used it as a place to shelter and hide. The wildlife was rugged, consisting of creatures that could survive the eternal freezing.

She thought of Nar Shaddaa, her place of birth. In stark contrast with where she had become Mandalorian, the Smuggler's Moon thrummed not just with the energy powering vast cities but with a constant flow of life that all whirled together like a socially-acceptable maelstrom. Neeka Wren had gone from being unprepared in a world of chaos devoid of peace to a peaceful world where she prepared herself for chaos. Maybe some sort of destiny meant it to be that way. If that were so, perhaps she was meant to be on this world too in some weird jedi-y way. It certainly was beginning to seem that way.


After a lengthy bit of ponderous silence, Neeka stood up and stretched out her limbs before leaning down to take up and don her helm. A soft hiss accompanied the act and she made her way to the simple bedroll splayed out upon the ground.

"Probably best to grab some rest while we can, build up our strength for the hunt 'n all. You can stay, if you like. I'm a real light sleeper, in case any beasties decide to crawl up."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

The woman seemed to be silent for a long moment, but it didn't bother Arla. Silence seldom made the Nightsister uncomfortable, and the fact that the Mandalorian was lost in thought was perhaps telling about her.

I'll meditate, she said as the woman stated that they should rest. Arla had learned to separate her physical and astral bodies, allowing her body to rest even while her mind still worked. It was useful for keeping watch or for cheating one's way out of the wasted hours of sleep.

As they settled in for the night, Arla closed her eyes even as she saw everything through the Force. Her grimoire lay open beside her, reading and flipping pages even as she seemingly sat with closed eyes.

---​

The morning came without issue, and as the red sun began to creep over the horizon and lighten the misty glow, Arla finally rose from her seated position.

Seeing her unlikely partner beginning to stir, she stretched out and let out a low groan herself.

Sun's coming up, so the night predators should be going away now, she said.

@Roobi