Childsplay

[Darien Cordel]

Darien was sat on the sofa rucksack in one hand stuffed bear in the other. His Papa was in the other room talking to ... no shouting at someone, Darien's Papa was good at shouting, They had been about to go on an adventure to explore. Darien couldn't pronounce the planets name but his dad said it would be a good place to take a holiday. They had just unpacked when his Papa had been called. He was getting bored and was about to eat the sandwich in his bag when his dad came out. Darien looked up and smiled, they would be setting off now he was sure of it.

"Ready Papa ?" He beamed

He frowned when his dad frowned and came to sit next to him and pulled him close to place his head on his shoulder. That always meant bad news "No, sorry sport" He felt his dad sigh " Daddy needs to work" Darien nodded and tried not to cry. He was a big boy and that meant no crying. " O ... Okay" Darien whimpered in reply "Luke will go exploring with you though and when you get back we'll do something together , something cool" Darien lifted up his head and forced a smile. Luke was his nannie as it were, he wasn't so bad Darien supposed he was good at catch ... Luke wasn't as good as Papa though.

Lucien ushered Darien off with a ruffle of his hair and then went off to do whatever work had taken precedent. Darien didn't know what his Papa's work was but he bet it was boring. Once his dad had gone Darien went to get luke. He found his new adventuring partner by the back door lacing his boots up. Darien saw this as a prime opportunity for fun and ran up to jump on lukes back. It had taken a few days for Darien to warm up to luke, he had been new at first and new people scared Daren but Luke was Darien's best friend know, he didn't know many other children. Luke grunted a the new weight then chuckled "You sir are a cheeky Devil"

Darien smiled "Hurry up I'm bored" he moaned. Luke tied his lace then they set off. They spent most of the morning walking. Well luke did anyway, Darien spent most of the time on lukes back. Dismounting only to look at insects or grab sticks to use as swords. By Midday luke was worn out and they had inexplicably ended up on top of a hill.

"Lets stop here pal, It feels like I've been carrying a heavy weight all day ... oh wait I have"

Darien smirked right before he was pulled off lukes back and onto the ground "Hey" he exclaimed, then it was luke's turn to smirk "eat your lunch" the nannie ordered before laying down next to him. Luke promptly fell asleep. Darien ate half his sandwich and then got bored. It was time to explore again but luke looked too worn out to wake up, he supposed that meant he ought to wait here till luke woke up himself but ... well that seemed boring. Darien reasoned that as the son of luke's boss he was also lukes boss so he could do as he wanted and he wanted to explore so he did.

Taking his bear in his hand Darien walked off opting to journey into the forest, through a hedge ... because real adventures never happened on the path. He failed to note however that off the path the ground was treacherous and promptly tumbled down a hill. He screamed and clutched his bear to his chest continuing to scream long after he had stopped rolling and the soft scent of a lake drifted into his nose.

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Mysa had been sat down by the pools, Éar prancing about the ground grasped within her right hand while her left scrawled aurebesh into a piece of parchment with a bright yellow crayon. The color made the writing difficult to read, yet she didn't mind. Practice was practice and the color was one she had grown to adore. As the small wooden elk-like creature in her hand triumphed over a mountain of insects a sudden loud scream pierced the air.

Jumping in fear the terrified little girl turned her head and watched as the body of a body tumbled down the hill which rested across the water from her. While she would have loved to have hidden she knew that in order to do so she'd have to collect her papers, little figurine and the heavy cloak... And she quite frankly did not have the time to do all of that before the boy was lay at the foot of the hill. So instead she rose tentatively from the ground and peered toward him; the stretch of water between them was relatively thin, able to be waded without reaching higher than her ankles, yet she dared not cross for the time being.

Instead she peered over at the boy, taking quiet note of the teddy bear he clutched to his chest. Knowing how it was to be on the receiving end of pain the child bit her lip before finally asking, in a soft yet audible voice, "Are you okay?" Part of her wanted to rush back home to find Furry or Coci, however she didn't want to leave him abandoned. He didn't seem too much older than she was, though she was likely closer in age to Nina than Mysa. Paper and crayons now discarded on the ground, her hand curled tightly around Éar for comfort just as the boy held his teddy presumably for the same reason.

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

Darien stopped screaming as soon as he heard the voice. he looked over and saw across the lake a very pale little girl. He scrunched up his eyes and pulled his bear tighter. Having never seen an Umbaran before and given her pale complexion Darien became convinced she was a ghost. He didn't like ghosts they were scary ... even scarier that the gardener and the gardener had shears. He whimpered softly unsure of what to do. He might be dead, oh golly he thought his Papa would be rather disappointed if he had got himself killed. But worse still he might be alive then the ghost would eat him and then he would never see his Papa again.

He rolled over to face across the lake and opened one eye "Am I dead?" He called out across the lake, fearful f being rude even to a ghost. The ghost seemed only to be a little girl that was less scary than a big ghost, he supposed he could out run her if he was alive an she tried to eat him. on second glance he noticed Éar clutched in her hand then he looked down to his own bear. She was as scared as he was ... how peculiar maybe she was a nice ghost then she wouldn't eat him. He sat up but didn't make any move to go nearer to the girl. He had gotten muddy the housekeeper was going to kill him ... unless if he was dead he could haunt her. that made him smile he could haunt her and get revenge for all the times she scrubbed him too hard in the bath or tried to make him eat vegetables. If the ghost didn't eat him Darien decided he would ask for ghost lessons, now having decided that he was dead.

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Mysa glanced down at herself. She was tangible, her fingers moved when she curled her hand into a fist and then released them, her toes wiggled in her shoes. There was no doubt that she was a living thing, even if she did have the appearance of an ethereal person. Lifting her gaze back to the boy across the water, she deduced that he was as shaken up as she was. Beginning to wade through the water, she clutched the wooden figure close and bit her lip; each step was slow and tentative, so as not to frighten him. Although deep down she herself was terrified.

"You don't look dead" she whispered, glancing about the clearing for any sign of an adult or.. someone. Surely he wasn't out here all alone? This jungle was practically her backyard, but for a stranger to have happened upon this place - especially someone so young - they couldn't be alone. Right? Finally reaching where he stood she offered down a tiny hand in his direction. "Are you hungry?" she asked, out of nowhere. Mysa herself was ravenous, and knew that he would feel more comfortable if he realised she wasn't going to hurt him. After all, why would she?

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

Darien watched as the little girl waded through the water proving that she was in fact not a ghost. Even Darien who was , by his own admission, not the sharpest tack knew that goes floated and wailed and this little girl didn't float or wail and was therefore rather anti-climatically not a ghost. Neither , it seemed was he dead. This sucked really bad he hadn't met a ghost and he couldn't haunt the house keeper, all in all it seemed at first that all he gained from falling down the hill was a sore butt and muddy clothes. but then the girl approached came closer and offered him a hand "Oh " he said at her declaration of his continued survival sounding just a tad disappointed but then he smiled and added a jolly "OK" he supposed there were some perks to not being dead like sweets ghosts couldn't eat sweets but he could.

He took her and and let her pull him up, she asked if he was hungry and that told Darien he was safe. she wouldn't enquire about his welfare if she planned to hurt him. He smiled "No ..." he replied slowly as he rooted through his bag before pulling out his lunch "But I have this ..." he waved his lunch "wanna share ?" he asked with a smile barely stopping to take a breath. He rarely met someone who didn't scare him but this girl wasn't scary not up close any way "I'm darien by the way " He offered his hand for her to shake then went on "This is Darth Stuffty " he smiled then leant close to Mysa and covered his teddies ears before whispering "He thinks he's the dark lord of the sith but he's really just a toy bear ... don't tell him though or he'll cry" then darien moved back again and uncovered the bears ears and hugged him close "He protects me from scary stuff like ... vegetables and people farms"

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Her brows furrowed in confusion. Was it in her head, or did the boy seem... Upset about his living status? The thought could not help but make her smile, as odd as it was. It was a very childish thing to imagine all of the glorious things which came with death! Yet it was all too easy to forget the dismay and pain it also brought. Mysa had learned that the hard way when her Creator died. Things changed, and never usually in a good way.

Carefully she pulled him onto his feet. At first she frowned when he stated he was not hungry, but then he pulled what smelled like a brilliant lunch from his pack and she perked up considerably. Even more so when he mentioned the name of his teddy. How wonderful! Without a word she turned and ran through the water to grab her own pack, before thinking better of it and gesturing for him to come to her. After all, the thick cloak remained on the ground and would prove an excellent place to sit!

"Come and join me?" she said, voice still not incredibly loud. After all, she respected this place she had found. "I have some we can share too!" Oh this was so strange, she had never spoken to a child before. Nina did not speak, and while she communicated in her own way there was nothing quite like sharing a real conversation! "This is Éar" she announced, holding out her hand to show the boy the wooden figurine. "He's a Vhaanir... Very special, very sacred." She held him close before having him prance about the thick woolen cloak.

"Where did you come from?"

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

Darien watched the girl wade through the water before gesturing for him to follow. He looked at the water then back to his feet then back to the water. His dad would kill him if he came back home with lake water in his shoes. So he took them off along with his socks and ran through the lake to follow here. now this was a real adventure . water had splashed all the way up to the hem of his shorts and although he looked like someone had dragged him backwards through a hedge but he felt like an adventurer, an adventurer with Jam Sandwiches !

now across the lake he sat down on Mysa's cloak. She must have killed a whole bear or something to get this. That made this girl cool in his book even if she wasn't a ghost. He had never really spoken to a child before either some of his daddies servants had children but they avoided him, so he only got to talk to them in little words usually nasty ones directed at him, they thought he was annoying. The cook had told him they were jealous the first time they were mean to him and when his daddy had found out he'd threatened to have all the kids punished and that usually meant a beating if what Darien had seen in the fringe was anything to go by, so he'd stopped telling people he just stayed away.

He smiled when Mysa showed him her figurine it had a strange name and he couldn't see how it could be sacred but it was rude to say such things so he just replied that it was pretty, which it was. "These are my Jam sandwiches they aren't special or sacred but they are secret, Papa doesn't like me to have them in case I ruin my teeth but they are my favorite so I usually sneak some out" He smiled and passed them over. Darien blushed when asked where he came from ...

"Papa won't tell me till I'm older but some of the kids said babies come out of the ground so may be from there but ..." He stopped abruptly when it occurred to him that perhaps she meant a place he smiled and blushed again "sorry I bet that's not what you meant ... we are stopping in a house over there but I was on an adventure with luke, he looks after me when daddy is busy he's asleep at the top of that big hill

 

[Lief]

She watched him as he carefully removed his shoes and socks and waded across to her. Something told her he wasn't encouraged to get wet and muddy like a child ought to. Glancing down to Éar she smiled a little and lifted him up into the boy's view. "The Vhaanir hold Gods within them" she whispered, with a mysterious little grin on her lips, "A King made this for me. The Greatest King of all!" The thought of Thrand made her a little sad, however. Oh how she missed Midvinter!

Opening her pack she extracted some sandwiches, a little meat and some vegetables, including her favourite yellow ones! "You can have some if you like?" she said, settling the food down on the thick cloak for the pair of them to share. "Who's your papa?" He sounded like a very clever man, she supposed, but all the same Mysa didn't really know much about teeth and jam! "Will Luke be worried if he wakes and you're gone?" Mysa made a habit of telling either Coci or Furry where she was going to be.

It was in that moment that the small child remembered that she had been most rude! "I'm Mysa, by the way... And I really like your teddy bear, he's very frightening" she giggled. Then she reached down for one of the vegetables, loving the way they crunched when she bit into them.

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

"Oh so he's a god" Darien smiled, his dad told him that there were no gods but that those who believed there were should be allowed to do so without ridicule so he just smiled politely. "The artist who made him must have been very good " weather making pretty models made a king great he didn't know but if this king was able to earn Mysa's respect then he would concede that he was perhaps the greatest king ever.

He smiled a quick thank you before laying out his own lunch half a jam sandwich, crackers, a block of cheese and a flask of juice. combined together the pair had quite the lunch indeed " My Papa is called Lucien Cordel, He used to be a lord in the fringe territories but he's not anymore I don't know why, he used to be part of a big empire too but that was ages ago" He said twiddling his thumbs he didn't know much more Papa didn't like talking about his work or his life, him and darien talked about school and stories and toys and ... He was letting his mind run away with him again, that happened sometimes.

He twiddled his thumbs a little and chewed on his lip, he hadn't thought about how worried luke would be when he woke up "Maybe ... I hadn't thought " He murmured to himself "I'll go and check on him in a little while ... after lunch" Lunch was important and as luke's de facto boss Darien decided that luke could wait until after lunch, he would probably sleep for a while anyway.

He was glad when conversation returned to things other than luke, he could forget he would soon need to leave that way. The girl finally said her name which was good because now Darien could talk to her properly and better still she liked his bear. he grabbed the bears arms and picked him up 'Grr' he roared shaking the bear a little then he giggled too. Then he picked up a yellow vegtable and bit into it with some trepidation never having had one of this type of vegetable before. It was nice, not Jam nice but still nice.

"So where did you come from ?"

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Mysa couldn't help but giggle. "No, he just represents one. He's even named after one!" Only now did it strike her as odd that she had named him after a Goddess, was it sacrilegious? Especially since he was of a different gender? Mysa didn't want to upset the Goddess of the Hunt! But the conversation carried on despite her panic. "Oh he is, I live with his children and grandchildren!" She was under no illusion, the Heavenshields were not her family although they had in a sense adopted her. At least for the time being.

Curiously the little Umbaran peered over the selection of food; most of it she was unfamiliar with, having eaten naught but rations for the majority of her life. What the boy said concerning his Father also confused her, a lot of the words were ones she had never been made aware of. "It all sounds very odd" she remarked, yet her tone was not particularly unkind. To be honest she quite liked the company of this boy who had quite literally tumbled into her life. "Are you hurt?" she asked, realising that she hadn't even checked to make sure he had no bumps, bruises or cuts.

"I just don't want you in any trouble" she said, of Luke. She wondered who he was, what he was like. There were only three adults that Mysa trusted, the rest scared her no thanks to the scientists. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad with Darien or herself if he found them here! As he lifted up the bear Mysa feigned fright and hid behind her hands... Before giggling uncontrollably. "Such a scary bear!" As she calmed down and continued to munch on the vegetables she was glad to see him giving them a try too.

"I live just back there" she said, gesturing the opposite way to where he had fallen from. "But I came from Midvinter. And before then, somewhere else." She didn't really remember that other planet, but her time there hadn't exactly been pleasant. Truthfully she had only been free from it for at most a year now, probably less. The less she remembered, the better. "I love Midvinter most of all, even the snow!"

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

Darien didn't mind Mysa thinking all the things he said were odd, he thought they were odd too I mean who thought that something they squeezed out of an animal could taste good ... it did taste good but that was beside the point, it was still weird. Darien smiled when Mysa asked him if he was hurt. It was sweet no one ever asked if he was ok except for Papa and the people Papa paid. "I bumped a few things coming down and I might have twisted my Ankle but nothing serious enough to bother about" Of course when he found luke he would tell a different story, Then Luke would feel guilty and give him sweets or ice cream or something. It wasn't that he wanted to make luke feel guilty he just wanted sweets and a guilty luke meant sweets for Darien. He wasn't really mean ... honest.

Darien laughed when Mysa worried he might get in trouble. Not a nasty laugh more of an amused one "Well since my Daddy pay luke's wages I guess I'm sort of his boss so he won't shout at me ..." He chewed on his thumb "But Papa might shout ... I suppose I better go back soon then" he frowned, He didn't want to leave he wanted to stay at the lake for ever and ever and ever ... until it got dark, Darien was scared of the dark and thunder and people. He wasn't scared of bears though bears were cool. He giggled along with Mysa then having tried to rein his giggles in he covered his bears ears and lent forward "Shhh .... It'll go to his head and he won't shut up about it" Darien smiled.

Darien took a mental note of where the little girl lived. Then she started talking about snow. Darien Loved snow "I love snow" He used to play in the snow everyday when they were on Zaadja. It was great he built an army of snow men and he once declared war on the village kids and held the most epic snow ball fight ever. He had had a cold for weeks after and Papa hadn't been too happy but it was well worth it. He smiled at the memory then took a drink.

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Popping another vegetable into her mouth, this one as vibrant green as their surroundings, Mysa shuffled closer to the boy and checked him over by glance. His ankle did look a little swollen, she could see due to his shorts, yet there wasn't much she could do about it here. If they had been on Midvinter she might have grabbed a handful of snow and packed it around the sore spots. But she wasn't. "Maybe you should clean off in the water, all the same?" It might help him out should his nanny or father be angry, if he wasn't so dirty from the tumble.

"The water is usually really nice, not too warm or cool!" She had taken a dunk in it before, when the sun got really hot. She was a child of shadow and ice, after all, the sun didn't bode too well with her! "I wish that you didn't have to go, I haven't met anyone else here before..." As he covered Darth Stuffty's ears and whispered to her, her expression turned very vigilant and stern... Before she giggled again! "Silly Teddy" she said, humoured, before adding, "You should both visit Midvinter one day. It is the best! There is always snow!"

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

"Are you trying to get me ..." He began, sounding coy beyond his years a silly smirk plastered over his face " .... To have a water fight Miss Mysa ?" He was joking of course but in truth going in the water today wouldn't help, his clothes were filthy too and he didn't have time to wash those and let them dry. Further coming home wet was worse than going home dirty. He appreciated the little girls concern though, he'd never met a friend before especially not a pretend ghost one.

He started laughing with her about his teddy. Mysa was funny Darien decided even funnier than Rancor Videos on the Holonet and they were pretty funny. He frowned when she sad she didn't want him to go "I know I don't want to go either but if I don't go now I'll get in trouble" He twiddled his thumbs together then smiled "But it's ok because I'll come back tomorrow and I won't fall over" He smiled, he was however uncertain wether he could get down to the lake without falling.

He packed up his stuff and set off walking round the lake this time then turned back "Bye, I'll be back here tomorrow morning after breakfast" He called over waving enthusiastically. before heading back up the hill. As he huffed and puffed his way up he thought about what Mysa had said about Midvinter and all the snow now that would be cool. Although he was a touch concerned about the possibility of Losing Msa in the snow ... She seemed the capable type though.

When he reached the top of the hill he put on his best Pity me I'm injured voice then limped over to luke. "Luke ..." he said shaking him awake, the older man stirred with a groan and rubbed is eyes "You were asleep and I was playing and I tripped and fell down a hill and now my Ankle is poorly and I bumped some other places .... Will you carry me, climbing all the way back here has tired me out " He fluttered his eyelashes for good measure and watched Luke begin to shown signs of guilty feelings. Perhaps he would swindle double Ice cream tonight.

None the less Darien was promised at the bottom of the hill stood by the lake. This time however he had forgone the dirt body mask, Now he just had to wait for the little girl then ... well he didn't know what would happen then.

[member="Snowflake"]

 

[Lief]

Shock adorned the little girl's expression, before a thinly veiled smile graced her lips. Was she? Mysa had never experienced the joys of such things, owing to the lack of a childhood, but all the same the thought was joyful, if at first a little confusing. "I don't want to fight you!" she said, although the way he had said it suggested it wasn't a bad thing. But all too soon the fun and games had to come to a sudden end, which made her a little upset.

"Are you going to be okay walking back alone?" she asked as he gathered up his things. She wrapped up the last of the vegetables and handed them to him, since he'd seemed to enjoy the yellow ones just as much as she! However, the mention of returning the next day excited her. Oh, perhaps she could bring something for them to play with?

Waving after him the little girl watched him leave, before picking up her own things, flinging the cloak - which was faaar too big for her - over her shoulders and rushing back through the forest toward her home. She wondered if she ought to mention her friend to Coci and Furry? Or at the very least little Nina? But what if they didn't want her to meet with him again in the morning?

Oh the decisions.

Mysa did not infact tell anyone. The next day she got up bright and early, grabbed her cloak, Éar and some food, and rushed out into the jungle. Within her pack was also something to draw with, just in case he was running late. But as she reached the pool she could see him coming down the hill and beamed a smile. Lifting a hand she waved toward him, before throwing down the cloak and settling down into the warm fur. "Hello again!" she said, as she settled Éar down on her knee.

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

"Hello" he said running over, He was rather excited to get back. You see it wasn't everyday that one made a friend and he could hardly get his excitement out last night since he was pretending to be crippled. This had worked to his advantage in more ways than just being given a ton of ice-cream it also meant it was his dad who got him ready for bed so he wasn't flayed with the scrubbing brush like normal. All in all he decided falling down hills wasn't so bad. So now he let all his excitement out, finally reaching the cloak Darien threw himself down "So what are we going to do today, Mysa?"

Darien wanted to go on an adventure, after all he hadn't had one yesterday ... not properly anyway, A big adventure into the forest to find a rancor. A big Rancor with claws then he could fight it ... he bet that would impress all the kids at school 'So what if you climbed a tree ... I killed a Rancor' He thought to himself. He bet he could do as well, how hard could it be?

He rolled over to mysa "Did I ever tell you I can do magic ..." His Papa called it the force but magic sounded cooler ... He didn't understand what it was with old people and taking cool things to give them stupid names. To prove his ability to do magic he made Darth Stuffty float " ... see magic " Darth Stuffty didn't like floating much though so Darien put the bear down again. Dariens Father could do magic too ... not his real dad , he was dead not that the boy knew that. The dark side was a gloriously frightening thing and it came in most useful in planting false memories in children. Papa rarely used it to do cool things like electrocuting bad guys or flying, he only seemed to use his magic to make wine float. He wondered whether Mysa could do magic.

 

[Lief]

Mysa grinned.

"I brought a few things" she said, pulling out the drawing pad, crayons and a pack which had breakfast in it. Then she reached back into her bag and pulled out a box. Settling it against the fur she simply said "Open it", knowing that he would not be able to with any usual methods. Unbeknownst to the boy, it was in fact a special puzzle box; it required an intricate use of the Force to op---

-- There, he mentioned magic. Perhaps he would be able to open it after all! She watched as the teddy bear floated, her eyes widening. While Mysa was capable of manipulating and transferring energy, her tuition in the Force had never really progressed any further. "Is he a Jedi?" she inquired, "Like Furry and Coci?" How interesting, what if they knew one another?

She glanced down at the ornate little box she had brought along, and chewed her lip. Would he find it as fascinating as she had, knowing that he too knew about the Force? Or as he called it, Magic... She liked that. It sounded even more mystical!

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

"oo" Darien cooed as she pulled her stuff out.

He glanced at the box, he tried to open the box, he tried again. The he ran his hands all over the box looking for a concealed button ... there wasn't one. It was odd. He put the box down. He couldn't open it. He tapped the lid "I can't" he frowned.

He might be able to use the force but he couldn't do anything complicated with it. It was hard enough making the teddy bear float. She asked id Darien's papa was a jedi. Darien chewed his lip and shook his head "No ... No he's a sith Lord ... or something like that " Darien only knew from snippets. Lucien wasn't a largely active sith lord, not near Darien anyway. He shrugged his shoulders at her next question. He didn't know who Furry and Cocci were

"Will you help me open the box?" He asked, He couldn't stand to fail. He also had a sudden curiosity as to what the box contained. He wondered whether [member="Mysa Snowstrider"] could do magic too, he bet she could she was cool, he was cool too. together they would be ultra cool.

 

[Lief]

Mysa watched as he attempted to open the box; he was hasty to do so, and quick to scorn the box and set it aside. Patience was the key, she knew that if he focused and perhaps even meditated then even the most subtle use of the Force would open it. Even Mysa, who had very little training where the mystical energy was concerned, had managed to open it when she put her mind to it. But she would not say as much, she would not claim it was easy or gloat, that was rude. Instead she simply smiled and moved to kneel.

"I don't know what one of those is" she said, concerning what Darien had called his Father. Sith wasn't a word used within the Heavenshield household, at least not where the children could hear. Biting her lip the child returned her attention to the box when the boy did. With another soft smile she gestured to the box. "Set it down and then close your eyes." Her tone was not particularly bossy, though it was most definitely imperative. "Then you need to focus on clearing your mind, think of -- well, think of nothing at all!"

Chewing her lip a little she waited to see if he atleast attempted what she said before continuing. "Then feel for the Force-- The magic -- it courses through your veins" Mysa could feel it, the transferal of energy was the only thing her Creator had bothered to really teach and explain to her. "Touch upon it, you don't have to do anything save feel for it." She knew that if he did so, if he really tried to, the box would open. And inside there was something special. She had more or less spoken the self same words her Creator had during their training sessions. Some things she chose not to forget.

[member="Darien Cordel"]

 

[Darien Cordel]

Darien by the nature of his upbringing was not Patient in the least. When he wanted something he got it most of the time. Thats not to say he was spoilt if he was told he couldn't have something he didn't argue or make a fuss, Lucien had taught him better than that, he just hadn't learnt to wait yet. He watched her kneel in front of the box and his stomach dropped ... he didn't have to prostrate for the box to open did he ? That would no doubt displease his father. He was rather pleased to see that there was no need to worship the box. and with a smile he copied mysa.

He chuckled when [member="Mysa Snowstrider"] admitted she didn't know what a sith was. "I don't either that's just what the cook said he was" She had been shouting at one of the kitchen staff who'd fallen asleep in the pantry on his first day ' ... The Gentleman you work for now is a sith lord ... do you want to be exploded ...no? then get back to peeling the veg' Darien remembered it very clearly, by remembered I mean that he made half the memory up ... people were boring so Darien pretended they weren't until he only remembered the pretend things they said.

He followed her instructions, well tried to anyway. He knelt down with no difficulty and closed his eyes ... then he heard a rustle ... A rancor! He wanted to chase after it but that would be rude so he stayed where he was and half closed his eyes. He didn't want the rancor to sneak up on him. He moved on to her next instruction think of nothing now that was hard. He tried and tried, he even stuck his tongue out a bit but whenever he tried to think of nothing he ended up thinking about ice cream and bubblebath. Darien didn't get why one would go to so much effort to open a box but he stuck with it and eventually thought of nothing.

Feeling for the force was easy given that he'd been training with it for 6 years, not that he remembered that of course, whilst he'd forgotten focus he was still well attuned with the force. He felt the force and touched the top of the box. What was inside it? Was it ice-cream ? all very pertinent questions to Darien but the principal question was had it opened.

 

[Lief]

Mysa watched as her new found friend copied her and began to follow the instructions. Were they enough to help him to open the box? Well, she did not know entirely. It was difficult to try and explain it as an adult, nevermind as a child! Throughout his efforts, Mysa's mind drifted to the first time she had been introduced to a puzzle box, surprisingly it was not at her Creator's hands but the scientists who had come after. No doubt the contents had not been theirs, for they had seemed far too happy with the result.

Snapping out of the pit that was that dark phase of her life, Mysa glanced over to Darien and watched as he touched the box. His patience paid off, for no sooner had he done so than a very quiet click could be heard and the lid was released from its inlayed position. Inside was a candy bar and a small stone, which Mysa eyed eagerly, awaiting his reaction. It was nothing grand, but the stone itself was special. At least to Mysa. It was smooth and white, and she had found it on Midvinter when out exploring.

Little did she know that it resembled a certain other pebble that [member='Thurion Heavenshield'] had once gifted to another girl with hair equally as white as hers.

Chewing on her lip Mysa bounced on the spot and quietly spoke. "What do you think..?"

[member="Darien Cordel"]