Private 360 No Scope

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Ko Vuto

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Rayia could tell that her words had caused Ko some confusion and perhaps even disgust. She always had to remind herself that the external galaxy did not operate based on the Weikian way of things. Honor had its time and place, but survival on Weik had necessitated the tribe grow more vicious than what might have been deemed socially acceptable. 'Honor goes out the window when pirates come down, trick the hunters and huntresses out of the village, seize the cubs not yet old enough to walk by the wrist and try to haul them off planet to sell as strong laborers,' Rayia thought bitterly, 'A trauma inflicted on a whole generation before we had even been born.' She hadn't been old enough to participate in either of the Great Hunts that her mother had called, but she remembered the stories well. It had been the same with the Empire of old, when they had tried to invade the old home world of Felacat. Since the others wanted to make monsters of them, they would be monsters. And it had worked. Both in ages past and the present.

Rayia shook off the melancholy thoughts and her ears dipped slightly as she gave Ko a chagrinned smile. "Never mind that now," She said and pointed towards the river. "Best get to finishing both our tasks before Mentor Jonyna eats everything," Rayia said chuckling as Jonyna issued new assignments to both of them. Ko was to get water and boil it and Rayia was supposed to debone her catch.

Ko appeared a little lost and, whilst she wanted to assist Ko, Rayia had her own puzzle to solve. 'Besides, that's probably the point of the lesson. To grow more independent while improving our survival skills. It wouldn't be too much of an assumption to say that Jonyna was the biggest contributor to our recent victory over Hilal,' Rayia thought to herself. Rayia herself had mostly been incapacitated by the burning gas and the immense restraint she had to muster to avoid shifting. She'd lost sight of Ko several times in the battle, but he had seemed mostly pinned down as well to her.

Deboning an animal she was only relatively familiar with was no easy task either. If she wasn't careful, she might miss a spur or a venom sac and put the others in danger. True, the fact that she was dealing with a snake meant that once she had decapitated it most of the danger was removed. Nor did she have to worry about too many loose bones. After all, with no limbs, the spine and ribs were all connected. But she still resolved herself to be careful as she worked a finely honed fang-knife under the spine and began the slow process of prying the spine away from the flesh. 'I'll probably have to wash my hands too. Who knows if these things carry blood-borne diseases?' Rayia thought to herself.

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Jonyna knew this would be good for them. Survival was one thing, but plenty of strategy went into hunting for yourself. Sure, a Lightsaber was an easy weapon to do so with, she doubted any animal on this planet had a shell made of phrik, but it still meant they had to become skilled in throwing their saber. That was the intent after all. Watching Rayia debone the snake, Jonyna smiled. She was careful, which reflected in her fighting. A careful fighter wasn't a dead hunter. She did ponder if that might hurt her in the future though. Careful could evolve into cautious, and too much caution could get you killed.

As for Ko, he seemed deep in thought. Part of her wondered if he was already cautious.

"Ko, what's eatin' you?" She inquired.

Tag: Ko Vuto Rayia Si

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: New Cov
Tags: Jonyna Si | Rayia Si

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His attention was brought back to his Master who seemed interested in what Ko was wondering about. “Oh I was just thinking about how to actually collect and boil the water. Unless you have a stash of pots hidden in a bush close by. Otherwise the water might be a little murky… unless…” Ko then came to a realization that the force would offer a better alternative than what was standard practice for survival.

“Actually I got an idea. I’ll go get some water now.” Ko said before turning away from Jonyna and Rayia to search for a nearby water source, specifically one with running water since those were generally more clean. Since New Cov was mostly covered in humid jungles Ko was confident that he wouldn’t have much of an issue finding something.

Conventionally wisdom would have Ko crafting a large wooden bowl of water to throw hot stones in to boil it. That generally didn’t make for the cleanest or most refreshing water however. Plenty of soot and could wash up into the water. Ko did not want this for Jonyna and Rayia.

Eventually Ko found himself at a small creek and shortly after located a pretty large rock. Placing his hand on the stone’s surface he felt it through The Force. “Perfect” The Kel Dor muttered to himself before pulling his hand back. It was a moment like this that Ko could distinguish himself as an earth shaper rather than some run of the mill telekinetic padawan. Ko gave a mental thanks to Vulpesen for teaching him. With a swift motion of his hand Ko carved the large stone in half, creating two semi-circles. There he began to start hollowing them out into large bowls. He could use them as improvised pots. He smoothed them out, almost as though they were made of clay.

After a bit of extra time cleaning them up Ko made his way back to Jonyna and Rayia, with two large stone bowls full of water that he carried with himself through The Force. Gently levitating them in the air next to him. Once he was back with the two feline women he set the large bowls down carefully so they wouldn’t spill. “I figured one could be used for cleaning and preparing and the other for cooking with.” Ko explained as to why he prepared and brought two large stone bowls. Once more he seemed as proud as he had been when he brought the poisonous berries.​

 

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Ko Vuto

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Once Rayia had deboned the meat, she set about creating small skewers for which to spit it upon. It reminded her of her childhood in the tribe. The children were often tasked with foraging for suitable sticks within the savannah, or other dried grasses or cane stalk that could be used. It served both to sate their wandering curiosity and to assist in the day to day distribution of food across the tribe. It had also been overseen by one of the tribe's kindest huntmasters that Rayia could remember. 'Old Man Bunta must have had a heart attack the day we brought a kufa'pali back. I think he leapt a full meter off his chair when Huiele shoved it under his nose,' Rayia reminisced fondly, chuckling to herself at the memory.

Kufa'pali were, as most insects on Weik were, notoriously aggressive. Their long, slender body lent itself well to their preferred hunting tactic - pretending to be an ordinary stick and launching acid at unsuspecting prey. Fortunately, the Felacatian's sharp senses allowed him to dodge it. Old Man Bunta had soon grasped it by the neck and twisted firmly until its head had been removed. But Rayia had never forgotten the pale flush that crept into his cheeks as the blood drained away from his face.

Golden eyes glided over to the slender sticks she had selected and paused to scrutinize them. '...They say everything in this jungle tries to kill you,' she thought to herself, taking them in hand. Pressing her clawed thumb into the wood, she continued until she heard and felt the stick splinter at the end. Satisfied, she pushed the now sharpened end through the dense tissue of the snake's flesh and set the skewers upright in the ground next to the fire. When Rayia saw Ko returning with the two stone bowls filled with water, she marveled slightly. "Well, yes. That would be incredibly useful." She responded to Ko's suggestion about their use.

Having worked as a crafter, she could tell that these bowls were finely smoothed. A prospect that normally would take hours if not several days to do so by traditional methods. 'He must have sculpted them from the earth. I believe I remember someone offering such a class,' Rayia thought feeling a slight twinge of regret that she had not attended. And perhaps even a smidge of jealousy as Rayia felt she was floundering in the dark. 'He seems to understand his own skills with these abilities of ours. And meanwhile I...' Rayia thought, trailing away. Why did she always feel so... disconnected when she tried them? An uncomfortable thought wormed its way into her mind. One that rang with truth and demanded to be heard. Rayia hadn't connected to any ability because she was always fighting herself. And still was, for that matter.

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Jonnya gave Ko a proud look as he returned. The boy had slowly become quite the self sufficient clever thinker as the last few months had gone by, and while Jonyna could attribute all of that to herself, she knew at least a little bit of it was. Still she wanted him to learn to apply to to combat. For now though, she had a worry. Rayia had always been unsure of herself, and it showed. She needed to boost her morale.

"Rayia, can you do me a favor?" She asked, "We'll need some spices for this snake meat. Salt, stuff like that. Can you get some? There should be some deposits down the cliff of the temple. Ko, start boiling that water. We'll cook the stew the long way."

Tag: Rayia Si Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: New Cov
Tags: Jonyna Si | Rayia Si

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After his blunder with the berries Ko was feeling much better now with his large bowls of water. The Kel Dor went over to the little campfire that Jonyna already had. Once more he used a bit of earth shaping to create three crossing little pillars of stone that stretched over it like little tepee. That way they won’t burn away from the fire like if they were sticks. Afterwhich Ko hoisted one of the bowls up onto the little stone pillars over the fire.

After the first one was settled Ko moved over to start working on making another little campfire for the second bowl. Even if it was just for cleaning they would still want sanitary water for it. After making a little campfire and collecting the wood for it. Ko would try to light it with the Force. Perhaps if he was really gentle he could-​

POP!

Once more Ko’s pyrokinesis manifested as fragokinesis. Instead of lighting the wood on fire, it all just blew apart in every direction from his tiny explosion. Letting out a sigh Ko gathered up some more wood to fix his little mistake so that it could be lighted properly.​

 

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Ko Vuto

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After Rayia had finished erecting the spits by the fireplace, she watched them for a moment. She could already see the juices' sheen on the meat. Pretty soon, they would bead up threatening to burst and run down the surface of the muscle. 'Good, they are cooking properly then,' Rayia thought to herself. Rayia could already feel the blood growing filmy beneath her claws and between her fingers.

It almost felt like a thin lather of soap as she squeezed her thumb to her index finger and ground them together. She decided that she should probably wash off the blood now. Rayia took some of the water prepared for the cleaning and cooking and let it trickle over her fingers. She was grateful for the distraction from the miring, self-deprecating, and honestly ignoble thoughts that had risen to the surface in the face of Ko's success.

One ear swiveled towards the sound of Jonyna's voice as her mentor called her name. '...Disappointment. I mean really, what have you learned?,' Rayia couldn't help thinking before she could stifle that little, mocking voice in the back of her head. Rayia did not look at Jonyna as she turned towards her, setting her gaze more towards her mentor's feet. She heard Jonyna's request to gather up some salt, and evidently she wanted it fresh from the deposits upon the cliff face.

Rayia hadn't actually gathered rock salt before, but she had seen climbers ferrying the spice back to the tribe. 'As I understand it, there's a thin layer of compiled material that forms on the rocks over time. This is then shaved off to create grains of salt,' Rayia thought to herself. Nodding, she'd say, "I can do that. I will be back soon!" Turning, Rayia started to head back towards the descending stone steps of the temple. She trailed the faint scent of lingering salt that weaved its way between the trees of the densely populated jungle.

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Jonyna smiled as she watched Rayia decend down the cliff. The Cathar knew how to fight off anxiety, through small victories. Just the act of doing something simple, achieving it, and then going from there.

Jonyna then turned to her son, pouting slightly. "You gotta work on that, bud." It was playful in tone, but still a sign of reassurance. "You tried using that offensively yet?"

Tag: Ko Vuto Rayia Si

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: New Cov
Tags: Jonyna Si | Rayia Si

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As Ko collected some more wood and sticks to fix his little mistake he listened to Jonyna’s words. “Yeah, even just a tiny burst seems unfit to light things practically.” Ko said as he pulled out his shoto. Activating it to very gently singe and some of the wood against its plasma blade. Creating a fire with that rather than attempting once more through The Force.

“Well, yes… But not against anyone in live combat or even in sparring. To be honest Master Si, it’s hard to imagine using an ability like this for anything other than offense.” Ko expressed, detailing a possibly some lack of imagination on his end. After all, Jonyna primarily used her pyrokinetic talents for mobility.

Ko somewhat felt a little envious of his peers. Some of which seemed to be more gifted with more useful skills. Rayia was a huntress, Shan Pavond was a healer, Loomi could craft and weave things together in The Force. Ko’s knack for annihilation seemed rather lame in comparison. Then again he did a lot of good back on Nubia after honing his skills with Plant Surge.​

 

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Ko Vuto

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The faint scents of salt and moisture unfurled through the trees like stretching fingers. As Rayia darted her way through the underbrush, she could smell the way in which the faint scents were growing more potent. The soft burbling sound of moving water had joined the scent, steadily increasing in volume as Rayia neared. ‘There must be a source nearby. But I don’t remember reading about any oceans on New Cov,’ Rayia thought to herself. ‘So, it must be something else. Perhaps a cave with an underwater pool?’

Rayia would get her answer soon enough as she burst from the tree-line. Her claws burrowed into the fertile, loose soil stopping her from darting over the edge of a cliff. Just a short distance away, the ground before her dropped away into a large cavern. Mist-like water vapor poured from the mouth of the cavern. The burbling sound had intensified to a full on roar, as a stream cascaded through the air and collided with the glinting pool at the bottom. The moisture hung in the air and tickled Rayia’s fur as she gazed on the pool.

Her sharp, feline eyes pierced the dimness obscuring the bottom of the pool. She could make out dull, tan colored stones at the bottom. ‘Is that limestone?’ She asked herself, looking at the porous rock walls and the hue of the stone. ‘That’s perfect! Plenty of salt in that… now, how do I get down there?’ Rayia asked, casting her gaze about the cavern.

The sides were pockmarked, no littered, with dimly lit crevices. Glancing back at the trees, Rayia blinked. She could see several large vines draped about the trunk of a tree nearby. “If I use those as a rope, I can climb down,” Rayia muttered to herself as she drew back her arm to cast Light Fang forwards again.

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Sometimes it's just a matter of being creative." She smiled. "For me, I first learned to use hydrokinesis when I was messing around with pyrokinesis." She held a hand out, slowly creating a bubble of water just above her hand, pulling the moisture from the air. "At first, you think, what can water do?" She picked up a stick in her off hand, floating the bubble of water over to it, and creating a sort of 'water-club' "But then, you think about it. You get creative." The orb of water suddenly flattened, into a sharp blade, Jonyna then using it to cut up the snake meat. "Just gotta use your head, ya know?"

Tag: Ko Vuto Rayia Si