Change of Plans

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

"I," panic began to creep in. It started as a cold chill within the tips of her fingers and toes, slowly working its way upward. "Sith." Fingers came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. There was a blocked memory there. Something that she tried to grasp but it was as futile as trying to pluck smoke from the air.

Myrtle ellipses widened slightly as she felt the cold press of the table at her back. Restraints along her wrists. There was a blinding light in her eyes - in and out. FLASH. In and out. FLASH.

Voices. Those voices. Two.

Fear like she'd never felt before roared like a nexu freed from its cage within the depths of her emotions. Panic driven orbs looked around, seeing Trex but focusing on the open jungle door over his shoulder.

"I can't. I...," legs pushed up beneath her and coiled as she bolted for the opening. Out. Out. She had to get out of there.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He didn't have to be an empath to feel the struggle building. It might, perhaps, have helped Trextan figure out what to do next. He made no move to stop her as she turned for the door. Trextan did an odd little dance on the spot instead.

"Riggs keep looking!" he called over his shoulder. He didn't wait for an answer. Perhaps she was just going to get breath, but perhaps it was really bad. For Trextan it hadn't quite sunk in yet. He'd seen an image of a woman and Taheera had claimed it was her. Or at least her previous body. But it was just an image. Not a memory for him.

Making his choice be bolted after the mirialan. If she stopped outside he would give her some space, but if she was going to run further he would have to make a move to intercept her and try to figure out what was going on.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Oh. She was definitely running further.

She didn't register Trex's face as she ran past. Or hear Riggs' voice. She just needed OUT. The air was stale and were triggering horrible memories that should've been long-erased. Legs pumped and her form burst through the lab opening and didn't stop. Hair whipped behind her and breath was sucked in and blown out her lungs in a rapid rhythm.

The jungle was a blur of greens and browns.

The healer jumped over roots and ducked over vines. Her clothes were beginning to stick to her skin as she kept on, the sticky jungle-air closing in on her. Clawing like those sith scientists. Poking and prodding. Branches whipped and slapped across her face but the sting didn't stop her or slow her down. She'd run forever and she'd never go back. Never.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Trextan wasn't sure what to do. He followed her. A handful of strides deeper and he realised two things. Firstly, that at this speed through the dense undergrowth they could run into almost anything. Secondly that he didn't have the ability to keep up. He lowered his artificial shoulder and smashed through several low branches, but that took away his momentum.

"Taheera! Wait!" He called. With few other options he reached out. He tried to tug at her attention though the Force, to send some reassurance. Then, feeling desperate, he pulled at her telekenetically. He didn't yank hard, just a gentle tug to slow her up. Rather than a tank she would feel the resistance across her whole body.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

There was a roaring in her ears. It was her own breath and the hammering of her heart. The Mirialan stumbled a few times but kept pushing, kept running. Almost a green blur lost within the jungle itself. For a second, she felt Trextan's mental prod.

But her mind quickly closed off, mentally pushing him out. Her thoughts were too wild. Too scattered. She just wanted to run. Get away. Just keep...

Foot faltered. Then another. She couldn't understand. Suddenly it felt as though she were running through water. It was a nightmare. That horrific realization that she couldn't escape the villain. She couldn't escape the ghosts of her past, no matter how hard she tried.

Muscles protested as she tugged and pulled until finally her limbs shook and she sunk to her knees, hunched over and panting. "No, no, no," she muttered, tears as hot as the jungle air streaming down her tattooed cheeks. In that moment nothing else existed for the healer. She didn't care if an acklay or other jungle predator popped out. She wouldn't sense Trextan's approach. She was lost within her own pain, unable to discern if the weight on her own body was from Trextan or herself.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Trextan was beyond out of his own depth. He didn't need to be an empath to feel the pain and confusion radiation off the mirialan. That he didn't understand what to do, did not prevent him from wanting to do something to help. Trextan could be more like Jacen than he would care to admit.

He came to a halt a few feet behind her. He called out softly to no response. Lips twisted into a mask of uncertainty. With cautious steps he circled around her. It took a few moments to realise she was repeating that one word over and over. He recalled how nervous she had seemed when explaining her past to him. At the time he'd mostly been wrapped up in his own head and not responded to the cues.

Trextan circled around until he faced Taheera. He dropped down to his knees facing her. Her wide eyes and dark lips seemed to convey expression clearly. What he'd felt through the Force was clearly a fraction of the anguish she was in.

"Taheera?" He tried again, just a foot away now.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

Hot tears continued to spill down her cheeks. Lips trembled. She couldn't tell if the ground was shaking or if it was her body. Green palms slowly lowered from her face and her head dipped upwards. Chestnut hair stuck across her moist skin haphazardly, clinging across the ink of her tattoos.

Myrtle-ellipses blinked rapidly, fingers trying to push the dripping moisture away from her eyes. Fingers trembled and her chest heaved. Gaze finally focused on Trextan. Only a foot between them. A foot to fall and collapse. A foot separating some sort of grounding. Without waiting for permission, she collapsed forward and found her arms wrapping tightly around Trextan even if he remained stiff as a board.

Wet, sticky face buried into his shoulder as her shoulders heaved, emotion pouring from the healer. She needed a moment. She needed to feel not so alone. Not so cursed. And Trextan was her friend. And he was the closest right now. She certainly wasn't about to hug an acklay.

"I'm not going back there. Where they made me." She finally blubbered against him, body shaking like a leaf on a breeze.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

https://youtu.be/t2KX0xBlEZI

He tensed up as she moved suddenly. Taheera hadn't seemed entirely lucid or aware of her surroundings and he wasn't certain she wouldn't lash out.

His own shoulders sagged and he closed his eyes, listening to her strained breaths. Despite his awkward nature there was an instinctive response to her. Trextan became aware of his artificial arm as he slowly encircled her in them. Taheera would feel him swap them around so that he could bring his organic hand to gently cradle the back of her head.

He was struck by a powerful urge to do the right thing. Yet despite the wind in his sails he felt rudderless, unsure if what to say. So for a few moments he did nothing more than let her sob into the crook of his neck. He sighed, giving her a slight squeeze before he spoke. His voice reverberated through his chest as much as from his lips.

"Taheera. I'm not going to make you go back there. It will be alright."

To ensure the last pointed was true he let his senses attune to their surroundings. There didn't seem to be anything stalking close by. His left hand stretched up to the crown of her head and softly tracked back down to the base of her neck.