Private Cryptum

[Mykel Dawson]

Continued from Stumble to Refuge

Robes

Following the initial deployment of aid within the refugee settlement, Mykel took some time for himself to relax, simply looking upwards as he enjoyed a light dinner beside his speeder bike just outside the village of Respite. He had been so caught up in his work that it was only now that he could appreciate the ancient installation under his feet, a ring-shaped station that encircled the watery world below like a halo. A lasting testament to the technological prowess of the Rakata at their peak, who still dogwalked much of the modern galaxy several millennia later.

It was tempting to jump on his bike and speed away to explore for a while, but the Jedi could scarcely spare an hour to himself before a new problem cropped up. A busted generator, a mynock infestation on fuel cells, a construction accident with a faulty lifter. New issues were endless and mounting as the settlement was in the teething stage, communicator abuzz with new notifications.

For now, they were blissfully left on read.

Aethelwulf Bergen

 

[Aethelwulf Bergen]

They had been at the village all day long, and Aethelwulf was now bored. She'd spent most of the last few hours playing with her little brother, Wulfric, but he tired long before she did and was already fast asleep. Aethelwulf had managed to slink away from the watchful eye of her mother and wanted to go find something adventurous to experience.

The settlement wasn't large, but it was noisy, full of generators, hissing valves, and the occasional frustrated shout when someone dropped a crate on their foot. It all blended together into a kind of dull hum that made her feel trapped, like being inside a jar full of bees. She wanted out.

So she walked. Past the last row of tents, past the flickering perimeter lights, until the noise began to fade and the sound of her own boots against the dirt took over. Above, the night sky wasn't really a sky at all, but the gleam of the station's great ring. She wasn't yet sure how she felt about that. It wasn't Coruscant, or Spira, or any of the other party destinations where even a teenager from a backwater planet could find somewhere to just hang.

And then she spotted him.

A lone figure sitting beside a speeder ( Mykel Dawson ), a dim lamp marking the spot. For a heartbeat, she considered turning back. Her mother had made her promise she wouldn't wander off, much less approach strangers. But was he a stranger? She'd seen him fixing things around the camp earlier, always surrounded by people asking questions, never stopping long enough to look tired. She thought she'd even seen her exchange words with her mother, but she wasn't totally sure about that.

Now he just sat there, still and quiet.

Aethelwulf hesitated at the edge of the light, curiosity tugging at her stronger than caution. The mud streak on her cheek was beginning to dry, and her boots were scuffed from the walk, but she straightened up anyway and took a few steps closer.

"Hey," she said, voice cutting through the hum of the generator., "you wouldn't happen to know how to stop a survey drone from screaming, would you?"

The blush rose to her cheeks before the question was done. She had no actual reason to ask it, but it had been the first thing that popped to mind. And now she was going to either flourish in conversation, or walk away completely humiliated. She really hoped it wouldn't be the latter.

 

[Mykel Dawson]

For a time, the Jedi managed to shirk his responsibilities, but eventually they grew legs.

Mykel sensed her before he saw her, head tilting toward the direction of the grubby teen just she as stepped into the periphery of his lamp light. Almost immediately, he recognized her as one of Alwine Bergen 's children. That woman had left quite the impression upon him, their first encounter initially marked by a (mercifully) brief case of...exhibition of her part, stirring a small commotion among onlookers. Later, he would learn she was some flavor of shifter.

He could only wonder what the girl wanted from him, but in the end her question managed elicit a small chuckle. Around the village, the technopath was quicky becoming known as the resident handyman.

Still, something about the faint rose tinge now blossoming over her cheeks made him wonder if there was another motive behind the question.

"A ion bolt or two usually does the trick," he replied with a playful tone, "But it also might just be trying to get your attention. We can check. Is it nearby....or is this more of a hypothetical exercise?"

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Aethelwulf Bergen​