Continuing the Search

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"That's...impressive." She admitted readily. "Healing honey and force imbued...things." It really was. Made sense. After all, she had a Sith amulet that turned the wearer into a nexu. With the force, anything was possible. For better OR for worse.

Thought her signature was buried deep beneath layers, she felt a warm whisper of something as she touched the items in the shop. Made the idea of using the force again not quite so scary. Almost.

"More gems eh?" She quickly caught up, falling in step with him. Shoulder bumped lightly into his. "Where do you guys get all these gems, anyway? Curious minds want to know." She smiled though her voice was quiet. She could've spent a few hours in that shop. Rummaging and looking at the finer details.

 

[Armaud Eden]

"Maybe..." He responded as they climbed the ramp to a loft. It was a spare bedroom, a fairly simple setup. When he had apprenticed with Gabe, this was where he would sleep when the fires need life for the whole night. There was a bed in the corner, covered in woodland green linens and rough and coarse comforter. A window stood on the opposite side of the bed, with a desk to the right, and looked out towards the streets of Baron's Hed.

The air was dusty and stagnant, like it hadn't been used in quite a while. Though Maud knew that, on occasion, Gabe used it when he had done something to irritate aunt Cera.

He sat down on the bed, after giving the window a brief look, and pressed his hands together. "A lot of them are found during Gabe's expeditions. Others, he mined by hand from Sullust..." He paused and without really looking, he reached beneath the bed and pulled out a hand carved wooden box. Setting it down on his lap, he wiped the dust away and read the inscription.

"For when you're old enough..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Nosy and with no personal boundaries, the explorer sat next to Armaud, bouncing slightly on the mattress. Side pressed against him as she leaned over to look at the inscription. “Well. You might need to wait until Life Day to open that.” One corner of her lips twitched. Even within the sealed room, she could smell the smoke from outside that tainted the air. And if she looked just right out the windows, she could see the clumps of bodies lined down the streets.

But she could tell this place meant something to him. Maybe he’d stayed here at one point. He obviously knew where to find the box.

“Is that from your Uncle? Erm, father. Ah - you know what I mean.” Eyes flickered between the mystery box and Armaud’s freckled face. She was surprised any of this was still here. It was only a matter of time before the Order got troops in this place to ransack everything. See what the spoils of war got them.

 

[Armaud Eden]

As she sat down, Maud didn't do much to move away from her. Instead, he moved the box so it was partially resting on her lap. "I assume so...not many others had access to this place. I don't imagine Elzeban made her way up these stairs just to leave me something." It was a joke, considering the fact that the woman had trouble walking, let alone climbing stairs. He took a deep breath and opened the box.

It was felt lined and the wood was lacquered around the burned inscription. On the left of the purple liner, there was a silver chain that looked almost cold to the touch. In the center, a ring sat and was ensnared by a small knot of twine. Verdant eyes blinked as he immediately recognized the stone, though the aura coming off the ring - he couldn't quite place it.

"A Heart of Fire..." He leaned forward and pressed a finger against the gem.

​

~~~

Snow cut across the open fields in drifts of blue and white. Winds were pushing the small hills along, like mobile dunes against a frozen beach. His breath turned cold as he saw it escape him, a billowing column of smoke twirling out from a small home that sat on top of a humble hill. In the distance, two children carved trails in a frozen lake - chasing one another with skates sharpened by the ice...

The Tap Tree moaned in the soft wind, its leaves shivering on the branch. Water trickled from the trunks, crawling across the roots as they splashed in vernal pools below. A small bird, he thought it a wren, jumped along the roots and picked at the adventitious roots. Frustrated, and shown through the puff of his plume, the wren dived into the water for a mid day bath.

~~~

Maud pulled his finger away from the ring and exhaled suddenly, like he had been holding his breath. Blinking, his jaw clamped shut. He could tell the intent of the ring, to sooth and calm. But now he was only frustrated by images he couldn't understand. Except for the tap tree.

"This ring is meant for me...but I can't wear it. The images are too potent for me right now..." He looked to Kinsey. "Do you think you could wear it for now...for me?" He smirked. "Consider it a hold for our next adventure."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Shoulder leaned against his as they both looked. It looked carefully made and wasn't at all what she'd expected. To think of it, she didnt know what she'd expected. Maybe a relic lightsaber or old set of journals. Or a box FULL of jewels. But a single ring and chain? It was very intimate, in a different way.

The moment when she realized Armaud wasn't exactly there with her anymore was the moment he came back.

And it was a little unsettling. What if he hadn't come out of it? Would she have been able to bring him back by yelling his name? Shaking his shoulders, or worse?

"You're already wracking up quite a bit of adventures on my roster," a small lopsided grin. But his question was serious. It was no small thing to ask considering this ring had been left specifically to Armaud. And clearly, it was special. Force-imbued stuff. Kinsey was worried about something happening to it if she wore it. Her life wasn't exactly safe.

'No' was on the tip of her tongue.

Instead, she asked, "You sure?"

Sure it's okay?

Sure it's what you really need?

Sure it's what you want?

 

[Armaud Eden]

His hand crossed over her lap to pull the silver chain out, delicately and intently looping it through the ring before dislodging it from the felt. Taking the other side of the chain in his opposite hand, he pulled it from the box. The idea crossed his mind that maybe her concern, either for the importance of the ring or for the gesture it symbolized, was worth a conversation.

"It can't stay here...and us carrying an old wooden box back through the starport..." He tilted his head. "That might work but it will probably draw attention. We could hide it but..." He turned to her, gesturing with the necklace. "It would be better to hide it in plain sight. If I wear it, every time it touches my skin, it'll take me to a place that's away from here..." Gabe was apparently a fan of compartmentalization and escape. Maud felt it almost like a burden, running from problems he didn't have.

And he wondered if the Kasha stones would have the same focusing effect for someone who didn't embrace the force as he or Gabe did.

"I'm sure...please?" He could go through a mental list of every word he might need to say to convince her. But he figured he start with the staple.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

It was clear Kinsey didn't take this lightly. But when folk cared for one another, sometimes that meant carrying a burden. Fulfilling a need they had. Maybe she'd been hesitant because she'd been focused on what would happen if something bad happened to the ring on HER watch. Would she lose Armaud?

And that was a silly thought because he of all folk would probably understand. Especially due to the type of situation it would take for something to happen to the ring while in her care.

Sparkling blues watched his face closely and the meaning in his verdant gaze. She saw the sincerity there. No hesitation about his request. And he was right about the risks of doing anything else. And if he wore it, he'd basically be a zombie.

Couldn't have that.

Gaze flickered to the floating ring on a chain and back to find his close face.

"Alright," she breathed, releasing and accepting a weight within the same breath. "We're in this together, though. We'll figure this out so eventually, you can get it back."

She smirked.

"Without going full-on zombie-mode."

A hand came up to pull dark hair up and free as she twisted at the waist so he'd be able to fit the chain around her neck and clasp it secured.

She knew they didnt have all day. First Order would be sending a clean up crew at some point. Not to mention the locales left might start looting.

 

[Armaud Eden]

"Don't worry...I won't let you run off with my ring..." He reassured her, realizing that this was sort of a first for him on many counts. The first being that this possession was something particularly important to him. The second was that he was essentially giving it to someone. And the third was that he was giving it to someone who wasn't an immediate family member.

He took a deep breath as she turned, lopping the necklace around her neck. Letting out a breath, he was close enough to feel it reflect off her neck. "I used to sleep here. On this bed. I apprenticed with Gabe, he taught me how to hammer out a few things..." He fiddled a bit with the necklace. "A little bit of wood carving and things like that..." The clasp clicked and he felt the stress roll off.

And quietly cursed Gabe for picking such a small ringlet based necklace.

"There we go..." He straightened out the necklace on the back of her neck and removed his hands. "Not too shabby."

Waiting for her to check it over, he looked back towards the window and caught a reflection of him and her. And then it occurred to him that they had spent more time in the loft than he anticipated. "Oh, we should grab all those gems before anyone else shows up..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Oh, so you're good with your hands, too," she mused as she waited patiently for the clasp to close. Hair fell back down her neck and shoulders when he was done. Gingerly taking the ring, she tucked it beneath the v-neck of her shirt so it pressed against warm skin. Hidden from view. Folk would only see the glint of a chain if they looked just the right way.

There was that sensation of something pressing gently against the boundary she'd constructed against the force again. But it was hardly noticeable. She turned back to Armaud at the mention of crystals.

"I thought you'd never ask," grinning, she stood. "Looting with permission." Eyes drifted around the room. "Want anything else from up here? That blanket?"

She shrugged. Sometimes simple things held more sentimental value than those things actually worth credits.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Emerald gaze shifted from Kinsey down to the blanket as he stood. Crouching, he pressed a hand on the frayed edges and recalled the vivid memories of sparks and the clanking of metal. For those years, it was a lullaby to anchor him back to sleep. There was a time when he quietly desired nothing more than Gabe's approval, like a child searching for his fathers prideful expressions. A knife well shaped, a handle well carved, anything.

But it never came. At least, not from an angle that could be seen by a young man. As much as Aunt Cera had trouble speaking for years, it was Gabe that had the difficulties with communicating.

"No, I don't think so." He replied soberly as he gestured with a nod for her to follow, back down the ramp. As he descended, he approached one of the metal cabinets on the opposite side of the forge. It looked dusty and old, nothing remarkable. But with three solid hits against a particular divot, likely formed by a few strikes from a roofing hammer, a metallic whirring groaned as locks and gears were activated. The top drawer extended first. Then the next, pushing out twice as far. And then the third, even further out. Like a set of steps. But instead of grip tape, there were crystals and gems.

Diamonds as big as grapes. Emeralds the size of cats paw. Piles of chiseled flame gems, burning vibrant orange. Precious stones filled the top drawer. The second drawer was filled with humming lightsaber crystals of differing varieties and origins, though none were red - for obvious reasons. And the final drawer, the largest, was also the heaviest. Filled with ingots of precious metals - Gold, Silver, Platinum, Meteorite, Trimantium. There was far more than Maud had expected but in his typical cool fashion, an appraising whistle was all that escaped his lips.

"Uncle was storing up for something..." He chuckled as he turned. Something caught his eye, a cabinet covered in canvas against the wall. Yanking it down, there was a new install of metal framing and hand reader. This was entirely new to him but being the curious individual that he was, he pressed his hand against it. Floating green bars assessed his prints and with a confirmed chirp, the cabinet began to creak open.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Hooooooly chit." She smacked his arm and none too gently. "You did NOT tell me you were a kajillion bazillionaire." His uncle's loss and their gain. Apparently. "You are SO buying the next tank of fuel". Roguish grin lit up her features.

"Better not jinx me to be boarded by pirates now."

For how horrible this day had started it was actually ending kind of well. So far. For them. The thought made her feel guilty.

The girl nudged in next to Armaud as the cabinet began to open. Corner of her eyes caught something out the window. Looked like dust kicked up in the distance. She wasn't sure, though.

 

[Armaud Eden]

The metal slid open, shuttering, as it sent dust to the floorboards. The ambient lighting within the cabinet was apparent as it opened, sending a subtle shower of green out from the slowly growing gap. Maud tilted to the right to spy what was inside, uncharacteristically impatient.

"This wasn't here last time I was here..." He whispered to Kinsey, somewhat excited. And once it opened, it was clear that his excitement was well placed.

The backdrop of the cabinet was foam padding. On the left was a lightsaber handle, clearly composed almost entirely of Ankarres wood - the streaks of blue and grey, the metal and crystal inlay. His green eyes trailed over it before shifting to the next three items. A recurve bow and quiver filled with arrows, a mixture of treated leather and ankarres wood. And of the same leather, a bracer rested beneath it.

"Huh..." He stated quietly, almost certain that it was meant for him. After all, Gabe had never favored the bow and Destin - well, Maud wasn't sure the guy knew how to use one.

Maud leaned forward and pressed his hands against the bow, not entirely excited about the lightsaber. "I have to assume this was meant for -..." He heard the hum of repulsor engines in the background, a good distance off. But in a place so quiet, it was hard to ignore. He quickly reacted, pulling his top robe off to reveal a simple linen shirt with the sleeves cut off. Tying the hood into a knot, he handed it to Kinsey. "Grab anything you can carry...hurry."

He started pulling the items out of the cabinet.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

A whistle of appreciation left her lips. Hard to say if it was for the items in the cabinets or Armaud's robe coming off. Heh.

"So much for not having any weapons. If they catch us with these. Well. We'll be sharing a cell for awhile." Didn't stop her from moving. With a crinkle of her nose in distaste, she plucked the lightsaber hilt out of the cabinet, holding it as if it might bite her and dropped it in the satchel. She began moving around the shop, dropping in some interesting daggers, other hilts,and things.

This was more Armaud's thing. All this force imbued stuff. She didn't know if she trusted it, even if she could appreciate it.

Hefting his robe over her shoulder, she edged back toward the door and flung it open.

"Comeoncomeoncomeon. Time to go."

 

[Armaud Eden]

He was busy throwing the bow over his chest, bow side on his back, when he turned to find that Kinsey hadn't actually gathered any of the gems. After he gave a heavy scoff and slung the quiver over his back, he gathered up the canvas cloth on the floorboards.

Quickly scooping out all the gems on to the canvas, he continued on with the lightsaber crystals and the ores. Once everything was in its rightful place, he folded up the corners and knotted it up like a knapsack. Giving it a quick lift, he let out a huff when he realized it was a lot heavier than he expected.

Dragging it across the floorboards, he slowly made his way out of shop and lugged the knapsack into the back of the speeder. Quickly racing around, he flung himself into the passenger seat.

"Not it!"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Blues rolled and head shook as she dumped his robe with the treasures in the back of the speeder. He was, like, twelve.

"Glad you could manage that load on your own," she smirked. "And that's okay. We both know I'm the better driver and that means you're making dinner tonight."

Ha. Which probably meant seeds and nuts or re-heated ration packs. But whatever.

Sliding in, she hit the ignition. Repulsors warmed to life beneath them. The speeder rumbled. Like a professional, she adjusted the rear-view and side mirrors. "Back to the starport or did you want to check out the homestead?"

She wasn't sure anything was left from the homestead, judging the smoke rising in the distance. She was assuming he'd pick the former. In the rear view mirror, she could see a first order insignia on the speeder approaching from the distance.

 

[Armaud Eden]

[SIZE=11pt]He’d like to see her carry a bag of gold and silver and platinum ingots. It was nothing to scoff about, though he assumed that sort of certainty would never keep Kinsey from scoffing either way. Or maybe she was freakishly strong and Maud just hadn’t noticed. “Yeah yeah…”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He craned his head back, looking through Baron’s Hed towards the incoming speeder. It had that cliched sort of appeal, dust trail behind a glinting indication of gleaming silver. From this perspective, it made it look like the speeder was moving awfully quick.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Well, they’re sort of between us and the Starport. Can’t really go around without attracting some attention, so…” He motioned forward. “Lets see if we can lose them en route to the Homestead and Ankarres grove…” One of the few places where there were bogs and lakes, formed from years of development. It was a good place to lose people - tracks disappeared in the mud, it was far too treacherous to navigate with a speeder, and it was too thick to see in from overhead.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He tilted his head as he waited for her to gun it. “I wonder what I’ll make…” For dinner, of course. No potato chips for this one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Kinsey Starchaser"][/SIZE]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Kinsey Starchaser was a teaser. Scoffer? It was all part of the roguish charm. Right? Right.

She nodded and then floored it. Back pressed against the seat and for a moment, a dopey grin of pure joy danced across her face. She loved this kind of stuff. Flying. Navigating. Definitely her love language.

The town whipped by as they quickly entered the countryside.

Grove sounded nice and she thought a maze of trees. Bushes. If she’d known it would be so wet. With lakes? Kriff, she would’ve turned that speeder around and faced the first order by herself.

It was a good thing she didn’t know about that.

The column of smoke was getting closer and she was convinced more and more it was the homestead. A frown tugged at her lips and she cast Armaud a sideways glance. Blues flickered to the mirror.

“They’re definitely interested in us enough to follow us. I think I can keep this distance though. Looks like...,” eyes raked across the horizon. “That the grove there?” Maybe there was a back way. They could cut across some fields or something so it wouldn't be so obvious where they were going.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Kinsey Starchaser was a teaser. Scoffer? It was all part of the roguish charm. Right? Right.

She nodded and then floored it. Back pressed against the seat and for a moment, a dopey grin of pure joy danced across her face. She loved this kind of stuff. Flying. Navigating. Definitely her love language.

The town whipped by as they quickly entered the countryside.

Grove sounded nice and she thought a maze of trees. Bushes. If she’d known it would be so wet. With lakes? Kriff, she would’ve turned that speeder around and faced the first order by herself.

It was a good thing she didn’t know about that.

The column of smoke was getting closer and she was convinced more and more it was the homestead. A frown tugged at her lips and she cast Armaud a sideways glance. Blues flickered to the mirror.

“They’re definitely interested in us enough to follow us. I think I can keep this distance though. Looks like...,” eyes raked across the horizon. “That the grove there?” Maybe there was a back way. They could cut across some fields or something so it wouldn't be so obvious where they were going.

 

[Armaud Eden]

The feeling in the pit of his stomach grew with every misfire of the engine, quickly approaching the homestead and grove. The smoke rising from the background billowed out from the distance, obstructing the view of the Tap Tree as it pierced the heavens and deepened it's obscurity into the precious few hanging clouds. It was an interesting phenomenon, given that the Sullustan heating of the moon prevented clouds except in the rare torrential storms.

Those were a thing to behold, often destroying properties and washing away crops in rivers that carved out trenches in the poorly maintained roads. But this wasn't the case here, the smell of smoke filled the air and carried for miles.

"Yeah..." He looked over his shoulder again and spotted them. Despite Kinsey's anxious desire to push that pedal to the metal, it didn't seem like they had made any head way. "We'll go to the grove first. If they continue to pursue, we may need to run..."

The grove was coming into view and Maud narrowed his eyes, covering his brow with a hand. "Who is that..." A dark skinned figure, in robes not unlike his own, was standing at the wood line on the back lot of the homestead - where wheat should have turned to forest. He could only see it with the aid of the force, feeling the presence as much as seeing it. "Master Relit is still here?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

“Okay,” on instinct, a hand reached out, fingers finding his own for a quick squeeze. She’s release him just a quickly, going to shift the gears. Eyes watered as they went and she was cursing herself for not bringing her goggles. Palm pushed against her face as they slowed, coming to the shell of a structure still smoldering, blackened bones, and ash. Luckily, the road looped around the structure before cutting across the smoldering remains of what she imagined were a crop of some sort.

Squinting, she saw the man Armaud had mentioned. And he definitely looked like a Jedi. Or a force user.

The speeder came to a smooth stop just shy of the tree line. Blue eyes looked at the man and then warily back the way they’d come. Road wasn’t too clear from this angle from the bend and the smoke. Gave them a little bit of time at least.

She thought about running through those trees and she didn’t like it. Not to mention they wouldn’t be able to carry everything. Getting out, she plucked a spanner from her belt and walked to the side of the speeder, popping open a side panel.

Blues flickered between Armaud and the stranger.

“Erasing the logs in case we have to ditch the speeder. We wouldn’t have a ship to get back to if they trace your name.”