Private Edge of the Abyss

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't argue with Aya.

She fell in step instead, her pace quickening just enough to match the urgency without breaking into something careless. Her attention stayed forward, tracking the markers, the path, the structure they had already confirmed, rather than the chaos behind them.

"Topside first," she echoed quietly, more to lock it in than to question it.

The Twi'lek's voice cut through the tension, bright and chaotic in a way that didn't fit the environment, and Ana's gaze flicked to her briefly, processing the words without reacting to the tone.

Jungle. Mudslide. Impact forces. Unknown entities. None of it aligned cleanly.

"That's not random," she said after a moment, her voice low, thoughtful. "Too many variables converging at once."

Her eyes shifted briefly to the woman being carried, checking for movement, for stability, for anything that suggested they were about to lose her mid-run.

"If something's driving this," she added, quieter now, "it's not localized to the fortress." A small pause as they moved.

"Which means getting outside doesn't necessarily mean getting clear." She didn't slow. Didn't hesitate. "But it gives us more room to move."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

"I told you bad things in the ruins and Kono knows to stay away." Aya said it while she was moving with the others. Following the markers until the upper stairs were there and the sounds of fighting remained. "This is not going to be fun." She looked at the woman she was supporting and gave her a look. "YOu had better be worth it." Seastone looked at her with a look though. "We got this, we're like the good guys and awesome. We can take one of their boats and escape." The shark woman looked while she was supporting but stood there. "Where is Mistral?" SHe asked and Aya looked back. "He is distracting whatever is chasing us. Until we know differently treat it like a crash, we secure ourselves first and then get him."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana didn't slow as they reached the stairs.

Her eyes moved once over the space, not searching for enemies, just confirming structure, exits, what still held and what didn't. The sound of fighting below registered, but she didn't linger on it. That wasn't something she could influence from here.

"Aya's right," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the noise behind them. "We don't solve two problems at once."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward the direction they had come from, not looking for him, just acknowledging the variable he represented.

"If he's creating disruption, then he's buying us time," she added, more measured now. "That only matters if we use it."

A small pause.

"We get out. We stabilize. Then we decide how to re-engage."

Her attention moved to Seastone for a moment, then to the path ahead again.

"Boat works," she said, not enthusiastic, just practical. "Movement is better than being pinned here."

Then, quieter—

"And if he's still moving, he'll find a way back to something that makes sense."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Aya gave a nod as they were moving now and she could see the rain and lightning. Meanwhile Mistral had moved up the stone with the wookiee as they pressed against the fortresses wall with a small area to stand. His mind was more looking out where he would be able to go along the side. The wookiee standing with him as they were almost back to back while holding on but he looked up. The shout coming over the rain and thunder just barely so the large wet furred guy could hear him. "There isn't a lot of options, we got to climb around or up." He pointed with a hand and the wookiee gave a nod of understanding to it but they were moving as something started climbing up and Mistrals hand came up holding the wookiee back. "Wait for it." He said it and as soon as they got up higher with both hands on the top he moved and kicked at the shoulder quickly sending them back and down into the waaters below. He was movign with the wookiee so that they could get around slowly.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stayed close to the wall.

Not because it was safer, but because it was something solid she could understand. The rain made everything uncertain: the stone slick beneath her boots, the drop beyond the edge too far to ignore and too loud to think past. None of it behaved in ways she could predict cleanly.

Her eyes flicked once toward Mistral as he moved, then away again just as quickly, focusing instead on where her next step needed to land.

"I don't like this," she said quietly, more to the air than to either of them, her voice tight but controlled.

She shifted her footing carefully, testing the stone before committing her weight, one hand bracing against the surface to keep herself steady as the rain ran in thin streams between her fingers.

"Just tell me where to go," she added after a moment, not asking for control, just direction.

Her gaze dropped briefly, catching the movement below, the fall, the water swallowing shapes without hesitation, and she looked away immediately, forcing her attention back to the path ahead.

"I'll follow."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He had to agree as coming as looking out at the wall he was being careful. "We'll be fine, the worse part is behind us and the others are inside the fortress with the others." He said it as a mixture... he was trying to be convincing and convince himself in the same time. He was moving carefully while looking for a way to get back inside and away from the massive drop off. The wookiee roared over the sound of the thunder and he spoke. "Yeah well, I don't know how many there are coming after us but standing there they will eventually learn to not climb up and likely going over the wall at us." He said it but sheathed his blade while using his daggers to dig into the wall to stay steady but he had a look. "There isn't likely to be as many openings along this wall, no tactical advantage and they would have wanted to take attention away from the drainage escape."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana listened, though her attention stayed fixed on the wall.

Her fingers pressed into the wet stone, testing each point before she trusted it, her movements slower than theirs but deliberate. She wasn't trying to match their pace. She was trying not to slip.

His words settled somewhere between reassurance and uncertainty, and she didn't challenge either.

"That makes sense," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the rain cutting across it. "If the drainage path was the intended exit, this side doesn't need to be efficient."

She shifted her weight carefully, finding another hold, her eyes flicking briefly along the wall rather than down into the drop.

"Less access means less traffic," she added, more thoughtful now, "which means fewer predictable entry points."

A small pause as she adjusted her footing again.

"But it also means anything that is here was chosen," she continued, quieter, the implication left to sit in the space between them.

Her gaze lifted slightly, tracking the line of the wall ahead, searching not for a path she could fight through, but one that simply… worked.

"So if there's a way back in," she said, her tone grounding again, "it won't be obvious."

She didn't look at him.

"We just need one that holds long enough."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He gave a nod in agreement to what was happening here.. they needed to look for a way to get back in. A place to try and dry off would also be helped as he used the dagger to anchor like a pinion so he would not fall back. The rock was slick for where they were but he was wanting to get it as they moved. The wookiee still going at the rear until he came to the edge of the fortress wall. Looking around when he swung himself up and over to another ledge but was using some of the blades to be able to be grabbed and used. He crouched while looking over. "Be careful, we have one more wall and there is a lot of it but we'll be back at the main island soon enough."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana followed his movement a second later, more slowly, more deliberately.

Each step felt like a calculation she didn't trust, her fingers pressing into the stone before committing her weight, her boots searching for purchase that didn't want to be found. The rain made everything worse, turning solid ground into something unreliable.

When he pulled himself over the next ledge, she paused just long enough to steady her breathing before forcing herself to follow.

"…Thank god for small miracles," she muttered under her breath as she reached the edge, her voice tight but holding.

She pulled herself up with less grace than either of them, but she made it, settling low against the wall for a moment longer than necessary, one hand still gripping the stone as if letting go might undo the progress she'd already made.

Her eyes didn't go to the drop.

They stayed on the next stretch of wall.

"Just tell me where to put my hands," she added quietly, pushing herself upright again, ready to keep moving even if she didn't like a single part of it.

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He gave a nod while they were moving now. He could see between the flashes of lightning the pathway and the rocks until he kept moving. Still looking at the wall and keeping it secured. The wookiee benefitting from his claws before he was checking over some places now. He tried scaling but couldn't get a good purchase to pull himself up so he didn't step up and lose his grip. Mistral was moving as he allowed himself to relax and press against the wall so that he would be able to help Ana if he needed to. Staying there for a moment longer but leaving the best areas to step marked and where to grip. He had more interest as the sounds of blasters continued to be able to be heard around, flashes more in the darkness and faint screams but he didn't hear Aya or Seastone... the large shark he was more then certain wouldn't scream so there was that as they were still moving. "You know the real trick it going to be getting to one of those boats that they brought."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana followed the marks he left without question.

Her attention stayed fixed on them, not the storm, not the flashes of light, not the sounds echoing across the fortress. Those were variables she couldn't control. The placement of her hands and feet was something she could control.

So she stayed there. Focused.

"One problem at a time," she said quietly, her voice steadier now that she had something concrete to follow. "I'd like to reach the wall before we plan the boats."

She shifted her grip, testing the next hold before committing, her movements still careful but a fraction more confident now that she understood the pattern he was setting.

The distant blasterfire pulled her attention for a moment, the flashes reflecting faintly across the wet stone, but she didn't look toward it.

"If they made it inside," she added after a beat, more thoughtful than worried, "they'll find a way to keep moving."

A small pause as she climbed again.

"We just need to do the same."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He gave a small nod but was moving now as they went. Driving one final dagger in high as he looked over. "There is a gap." He said it and was looking at it while he moved to get there with the wookiee. "You go first, you are going to be easier to catch us." He said it and the wookiee roared but he was staying there and pressed close to the wall as the wookiee moved and Mistrral was pushing into the wall as he moved an arm to hold and help Ana if she needed it. The wookiee being able to get across and he spoke looking at her. "You are next, you are going to swing across and he is going to catch you." He said it with a look and a nod of his head... yeah this was a good plan.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stared at the gap. Then at the Wookiee across it. Then back at Mistral.

Rain ran down her face in thin, cold lines as she processed the plan with the same expression she might have given a terminal announcing imminent failure.

"Yeah," she said slowly, voice dry despite the storm. "That's totally a good plan."

Her eyes shifted once more to the Wookiee waiting on the other side, broad enough to make the catch at least theoretically possible.

"At least the Wookiee should be able to catch us."

She exhaled through her nose, then looked back to the gap as if hoping it might somehow have become smaller in the last few seconds. It had not.

"This is going to be a story to tell any children that are in my future," she muttered, more to herself than either of them.

A brief pause followed as she wiped one wet hand against her jacket and stepped closer.

"Assuming this doesn't remove that option entirely."

She glanced once at Mistral, then squared herself to the jump.

"Tell him to catch carefully."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Yep totally good plan and he was prepared to execute it while looking at her. "He will catch you, just don't look down, or to the side or at the handle of the blade when you jump. If you try and grab it the rain will make your palm lose the little traction you will have." He said it but was looking at her before he was looking at the rest and only turned to look towards the cliffs. The sounds were still there but maybe they weren't trying to sneak around on them. "We also might want to move, I don't know how effective a throwing knife would be here since can't move to use different angles." He said it while he was looking at whaat they had. "Though we are going to want to get over there."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stared at him for a long second. Rain ran down her face, dripping from her jaw as she processed the advice with the expression of someone being told the safest way to survive a terrible idea.

"So the guidance is not to look anywhere relevant," she said dryly. "Comforting."

Her eyes shifted briefly toward the gap, then immediately back to him as if even acknowledging it too long was unhelpful. "Don't look down. Don't look sideways. Don't touch the knife." A small pause. "Excellent parameters."

She exhaled slowly through her nose, forcing her shoulders to loosen before they locked themselves in place. The sounds in the distance did not help. Neither did the rain.

"You're right about one thing," she added, voice quieter now as she stepped closer to the edge. "Standing here only gives bad ideas time to improve."

Her gaze flicked once to the Wookiee waiting across the gap, broad and ready. "Tell him if he drops me, I'm haunting both of you." Then she set her feet, drew one controlled breath, and nodded once. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He looked at her and motioned with his hands. "Yes lets." He said it and a large discussion was good.. he was for it but pressed against the wall was tricky as he spoke. "I'd say go quickly, don't think about it and then don't overthink just move. Cause this is only going to keep getting more and more rain swept while they are moving towards us.. and we have a danger of them getting around while we discuss things on the side of a fortress on an island in a storm." He said it while staying there but giving herr a little more space to move. His hand on a knife as he kept it dug into the wall with a small look but he was more pressing himself close to stay there.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana looked at him, then at the gap, then back at him again.

The rain did nothing to improve the proposal.

"You know, when you add context like fortress, island, and storm," she said dryly, "it somehow feels worse instead of better."

She shifted her footing carefully, drawing in one measured breath as she tested the edge with her boot. There was no good way to do this, which at least simplified the analysis.

"Go quickly. Don't think. Don't overthink," she repeated, as if cataloging deeply flawed instructions for later criticism.

A small pause followed.

"You really do specialize in plans that sound terrible until they work."

She wiped one wet palm against her jacket, immediately realizing that solved nothing, then set herself again.

The distant sounds behind them made the decision for her more than courage ever would.

"Fine."

Another breath.

"If this kills me, I'm going to be extremely annoying about it."

Then, before she could think any further, Ana pushed off and moved.

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He felt her shift saw the push off the wall out of the corner of his eye and she was still over thinking things. She was great at logistics but at the moment he really could use some movement before he slips off the side of a fortress and rocks into a raging storm tossed ocean. He spoke while holding a hand to the wall. "I specialize in plans for moving, worse place to be when getting chased is stationary and the more you impede that the worse it can get. That is why I was trying to get you down the corridor with Aya and the others. I had a plan for myself." Or the beginnings of a plan... right now he was just wondering how good his offhand throwing skills were with the blade. She was still talking and he spoke. "Noted again, jump."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana gave him one last look.

It was the kind usually reserved for systems that had failed catastrophically and were somehow insisting they were functioning as intended.

"Your communication style needs work," she said tightly. "Though your timing is apparently excellent."

The stone beneath her boot shifted just enough to remind her that debate was no longer the stronger option.

She inhaled once, sharp and controlled, then shut her eyes. Not from courage. From efficiency.

"Right. Stop talking. Jump."

Her fingers curled once at her sides as she searched her memory for any deity, saint, machine spirit, probability engine, or benevolent force that might owe her a favor.

"To whichever god handles bad planning and momentum…" she muttered under her breath.

Then she pushed off the wall and leaped.

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He looked at her leap through the air as the wookiee roared reaching out to grab and catch her... Then he was moving as he debated the best way to do it. THe wookiee working to pull Ana in so she could be out of the way and Mistral launched himself into the air as he grabbed the daggers hilt to pull himself up with his momentum and get that extra height. A snarl coming as he turned with the blade out of the wall and flung it down into the head of a beast. With its gray head and fur, obsidian skin before it was falling down. He landed on the stone and rolled with it driving another blade into the stone quickly as he was pulling himself up to speak. "RUnning time, lets keep it going."