Private Footprints in the sand

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She gave a nod to that as sitting there she would be able to focus. her legs crossing for the moment... breathing in before she exhaled. The force breathed through her nose and then exhaled. In and out, in and out, in and out... she allowed more of the force energies to swirl around herself so that she would be able to focus on healing. "Good, I was worried for a moment I might have to convince you." She said it but offered the place next to her where they would have the best position to observe and protect themselves. "We do not need to take long, I have learned sometimes with the force a little can go a long way."

She said it but was also looking at Seren for a moment while she held her hand outwards. The force was there when she allowed the force to pool in her hand so that she would be able to heal and aid in it. Her eyes scanning. "Plus, it is good to share the burden." A small chuckle in many things that they would be able to do. "This will make a hell of a song though, never know maybe holorecord sales will somehow to skyhigh and we'll return to everything and mountains of credits or awards that we are able to collect." Not that she needed it but there was always the joke to be had about the possibility here and there... plus they had had fun on Coruscant.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren accepted the offered space without hesitation, settling beside her with the same measured calm, her movements economical and practiced. She mirrored the posture loosely, not to imitate, but to align. When she closed her eyes, it was not to retreat inward entirely, but to listen more carefully to what lay beneath the noise of pain, surf, and tension.

She felt the Force gather as the other woman worked, not invasive, not overwhelming, but present. Purposeful. Seren did not interfere with it. Instead, she allowed her own awareness to broaden just enough to support, to steady the flow rather than redirect it. Shadows lingered naturally at the edges of the space, not summoned, not commanded, simply responding to stillness.

When she spoke, her voice was low, even, and carried no strain.

"Convincing is rarely necessary when survival and sense agree," she said quietly. "You chose the practical option. That tells me enough."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward the jungle line, then back, eyes half-lidded but alert.

"You are right," Seren continued. "The Force does not always require grand gestures. Often, it responds better to restraint. A little, applied well, changes more than excess ever could."

She extended her own hand slightly, not to take over, but to share the work. The shadows around them softened, drawing heat inward, dampening the sting of salt and strain. Not healing in the dramatic sense, but easing the burden enough that the body could do the rest.

"Sharing the burden is not weakness," Seren added. "It is efficiency. Pain isolates. Cooperation preserves clarity."

At the joke, the corner of her mouth lifted faintly. Dry, understated, but genuine.

"If this ends in holorecords and accolades," she said, "I will consider it a strange but acceptable side effect of not dying on an unfamiliar world."

A pause, then softer.

"For now, focus," Seren finished. "We can decide how to tell the story after we survive it."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She looked at her and gave a nod of her head to that. "Hopeful future or anger are easier motivators. Holotales about survival and for some they will press that there is love or lust and us going native. The scandal, the tell alls, the embellishment." She laughed and it was more clear with the motivation, using it as a means to focus on something verbal.. rather then trying to lose yourself into something in your head. She remained there where she was seated but moved a hand while she was focusing the force energies into it. Allowing the energies to pool in the palm and then come out in a cone towards Seren... channeling and focusing the force energies into mending her wounds.

She breathed in and then outwards, the force mending, knitting, infusing. Her eyes tracking and senses expanding outwards so that she would be able to sense danger but she was also sensing for wounds on a deeper level. There was always the chance of slow internal bleeding that they might not notice right away. She was then dividing the energies into her own body to enhance the healing processes and knit the cuts.... the bruises still looked bad but not nearly as much before she was checking on the better parts of it. "There we go, we'll be good as new in no time and able to make morre progress." A small smirk on her face as she used the force to satiate her hunger.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren did not pull away as the Force gathered and flowed toward her. She remained still, receptive, her posture relaxed but attentive as the healing energy washed over bruised muscle and torn skin. She could feel the work being done, not as a sudden relief, but as a careful correction. Threads drawn back together. Pressure eased. The ache dulled into something manageable, something survivable.

Her breath steadied as the worst of it passed, her shoulders lowering a fraction as tension released that she had not fully acknowledged carrying.

"You are not wrong," Seren said quietly, her voice even, grounded. "Hope and anger are easier stories to sell. They move faster. They demand less honesty."

She glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers slowly as sensation returned more cleanly, then lifted her gaze back to Jesse.

"People prefer narratives that make survival dramatic," she continued. "Scandal. Romance. The idea that hardship must always be accompanied by spectacle. It lets them keep distance from the truth of it."

A faint, knowing curve touched her mouth at the mention of holotales and embellishment.

"Endurance without performance rarely interests anyone who has not lived it."

She shifted slightly where she sat, testing the mended areas with subtle movements. Not pain-free, but functional. The difference mattered.

"You did good work," Seren added, genuine and unguarded. "This kind of healing requires restraint as much as strength. Knowing when to stop is as important as knowing how to begin."

Her eyes narrowed just a touch as she felt the secondary effect of the Force being used to blunt hunger, not eliminate it, but quiet it enough to move forward.

"Using the Force to sustain yourself like that is effective," she noted thoughtfully. "But it is not meant to replace living needs forever. It borrows against tomorrow."

There was no judgment in it—only awareness.

"Still," Seren said, meeting her gaze again, "for now, it buys us clarity. And clarity is worth more than comfort in a place like this."

She drew a slow breath in, then out, settling fully into herself again.

"We will make progress," Seren finished calmly. "Not because the story will be dramatic, but because we are paying attention."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

"Also because I don't really want to be stuck here... the sand and sun can be nice but will totally mess with me and eventually I will need a few of my medical treatments to maintain well all of this." She said it as she finished and brought the force energies back to herself. She breathed in and then she was breathing out as she rose up. Looking upon it when she started moving towards the treeline. Entering it as the light filtered down on the sand and roots. SLowly Jesse was moving while heading along the tree line as much as could be to keep the shore in sight and keep mentally mapping it herself. She listened for anything that she would be able to find as a threat but there was nothing there for now. She could see where parts of the ship crashed and streaked into the trees as there were fires and it would likely have driven things away for a time. She stopped where the larger pieces had come down and left large debris of trees into the jungle. Streaks and flames were there as she could follow it.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren inclined her head in quiet understanding as she listened, not interrupting, not challenging the practicality of what was being said. There was no judgment in her expression, only recognition.

"That makes sense," she replied calmly. "People romanticize survival far too easily. Exposure is not the same thing as resilience, and neglect is not proof of strength."

She waited until the Force finished settling back into Jesse's center before moving, matching her pace as they approached the treeline. Seren let her awareness stretch outward, not aggressively, not probing, just present. The shift from open beach to jungle was immediate. Light fractured through leaves and branches, turning sand and roots into a mosaic of shadow and gold.

As Jesse mapped the coastline, Seren mapped something different.

She read the absence.

"No active pursuit," Seren murmured after a moment. "The fire did its job. Whatever lived close enough to be displaced has not returned yet. Predators remember pain."

Her gaze followed the scars left by the crash, trees torn open, scorched earth, debris embedded deep enough to suggest violent momentum. She moved closer to the larger wreckage, careful where she placed her feet, eyes tracing the streaks burned into bark and soil.

"This trail will pull attention eventually," she continued, voice steady. "Not curiosity. Opportunity. But not tonight."

She paused near the largest impact site, studying the way the jungle had already begun to reclaim the damage—vines creeping, ash settling, new growth pushing through scorched ground.

"We can work with this," Seren said thoughtfully. "A fixed reference point. Salvage here, shelter closer to the edge where retreat is easier. And when we leave…" a faint, knowing tilt of her head, "…we leave before the island decides we belong to it."

Her attention returned briefly to Jesse, assessing, not physically, but holistically.

"And we will not stay long enough for your body to pay the price," she added quietly. "That is not a failure of endurance. That is wisdom."

Then Seren turned back toward the jungle path, one hand brushing the hilt at her side out of habit rather than expectation.

"Lead on," she said. "I am with you."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

"More biology." She said it and didn't need to go into it while she was moving with her eyes scanning more of the debris. To find whatever they needed or could use. Larger scraps to block an entryway were helpful but heavy... but if they could find rope or cord or strong enough vines a sled they could pull would allow them to carry more supplies as they salvaged them and have the duel use that they would need for protection. She set it in an open area and was putting other things to check on it before she managed to get one of the larger pieces open. The smell of burnt wires was there but no fires left. She was checking on more of it as getting in there she found some survival packs and a cart as she pushed it out.

"If there are any wires we might be able to braid them into a stronger cord to make aa sled. If there is enough supplies we can pull that easier instead of just being worried about what we can hold." She crouched down inside as she looked where there was some bodies. One dragged off but she knew most of them were burnt from the char. "I imagine the smell was horrible enough to drive some things away afterwards." She said it but was closing it back up, if they were trying for that then they wouldn't go after something healthy... most beasts at least went for the easier option. She would work with that before she was coming around and looking at the meal packs. "These might not be the most healthy but they can fill you up."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren moved with her, unhurried but attentive, letting the other woman take the lead in the physical work while she read the space around them in quieter ways. Her gaze tracked the debris field with a practiced calm, noting angles, scorch patterns, and where wreckage had been displaced rather than fallen. That alone told a story.

"Biology explains more than people like to admit," she said evenly, not dismissively, just factually. "Fear, hunger, and effort shape decisions long before malice ever does."

She stepped closer to the opened section, careful where she placed her weight, eyes briefly closing as she extended her senses outward—not searching aggressively, just listening. The absence of lingering heat, the way the air moved, the lack of fresh disturbance around the remains.

"You are probably right about the smell," Seren added. "Fire and char tend to mark an area as already spent. Most predators prefer certainty. This would have offered very little."

Her attention shifted to the cart and the salvaged packs, assessing their condition rather than their contents.

"A sled would be efficient," she agreed. "Braided wire reinforced with vine or fabric would distribute weight better than rope alone. Less strain. Fewer trips."

She knelt briefly beside the packs, opening one just enough to confirm what was inside before closing it again.

"They are not ideal," Seren said of the meal packs, a faint note of dry humor in her voice. "But survival nutrition rarely is. Calories now are more valuable than preference later."

Rising again, she glanced toward the treeline and then back along the coast, mentally mapping the routes the other woman was already charting in the dirt.

"Between these supplies and what we can reinforce," she continued, "we buy ourselves time. Time to choose where to move next instead of being forced into it."

Her eyes returned to the debris, thoughtful rather than grim.

"That is usually the difference between surviving and reacting," Seren finished calmly.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

"Well that." She said it with a look grabbing some sticks while using the silk to tie them together into a thicker staff. Then pulling a jagged and broken piece of debris over as she checked it. "And we have pointy things." A grim grin on her face when she secure the debris in the sticks and tightened it up. Looking over for grasses and vines that could be used to reinforce the head and keep it intact if she stabbed something with it. No wire as she motioned to it for working with what they had. The braiding and the reinforcement would be needed as she had a spear now and could use it. Grabbing a few other pieces that they would be able to use as a weapon to defend if they needed it.

She continued to work on the survival aspects and the other boxes, kits, anything that looked sealed or had weight to it. She was bringing it over so that they would be able to check it. They would still need fresh water where they could look... but this was a start. Jesse was moving but she took one of the packs and opened it aas she ate some of it and... it tasted exactly as you would expect travel food to taste. protein rich in every color of the rainbow but it would keep you going. Herr senses finding a smaller place when she got a med kit that was dent and not opened... if anything she was looking at it being dented inwards enough it would remain closed if they didn't pry it.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched her work for a moment before moving to help, her attention tracking each choice rather than the weapon itself. She crouched near the scattered materials, fingers brushing over a length of vine to test its strength before adding it to the growing pile.

"Improvised, but effective," she said calmly, eyes flicking to the reinforced head of the spear. "The binding matters more than the point. If it holds under pressure, it will do what it needs to."

She gathered a few more grasses and stripped them with practiced motions, braiding them together to reinforce the haft where the stress would be greatest. Her movements were efficient, not rushed, the kind that came from long familiarity with making do.

"I prefer tools that don't pretend to be more than they are," Seren continued. "This won't win a duel, but it will keep something at a distance. That's usually enough."

As Jesse dragged over more sealed containers, Seren shifted her weight and helped sort them, separating the intact from the compromised. She paused at the dented medkit, examining the way the casing had buckled without splitting.

"This one's worth keeping," she noted, setting it aside with care. "Pressure bent the shell inward instead of tearing it. Means the seal probably held."

She accepted a ration pack, took a few measured bites, and made a faint face at the taste before washing it down with a breath.

"Unpleasant, but functional," Seren said dryly. "I'll take sustenance over preference right now."

Her gaze lifted briefly toward the treeline and then back to the scattered wreckage.

"We'll need water soon," she added. "Fresh, not just filtered runoff. But this gives us options. Weapons, supplies, leverage."

She straightened slightly, brushing her hands clean.

"You're right," Seren finished, quieter but certain. "Pointy things help. Planning helps more."

Then she reached for the next crate, already thinking several steps ahead.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

THey had a plan and a plot now... the next step after she finished checking and loading was securing it aas the sled was given some grooves and then some more vine and wire. To secure and tie it down once she had things on top of it. Jesse tested the sled as she was looking over parts of it with a nod of her head that they had a lot going on. SHe finished and and started moving as she spoke. "Planning will be good and we can use this now to search for water. Usually best way is to look for a stream and follow it but we don't have testing equipment for problems." She said it but there was ways, they had some bottles and with the right rocks they should be able to improve and make a filter. "We should be able to get a few other things now." She said it before as she slung the wired vine over a shoulder and started to drag it. The sled weighed down but it moved smoothly overr the sandso they had their supplies.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren worked through the last checks with quiet efficiency, testing each knot and groove before she trusted the sled with their weight. The vines and braided wire had been set carefully, tensioned just enough to hold without cutting into the wood beneath. When she finally leaned her weight into it and pulled, the sled slid cleanly over the sand, leaving shallow, steady tracks instead of digging in. That earned a slight nod of approval.

They had something workable now. Not elegant, but functional. And on days like this, function mattered more than polish.

She straightened and took a moment to look over what they had loaded, mentally cataloging supplies and gaps alike. Then she began moving, already looping the vine harness over one shoulder as she spoke.

"Planning helps," Seren said evenly, her tone calm but purposeful. "But water dictates everything that comes next."

She glanced toward the treeline and the subtle changes in terrain beyond it.

"The most reliable option is still a stream," she continued. "If we find moving water, we follow it upstream. Fewer contaminants, fewer surprises. We don't have proper testing equipment, but we can work around that."

She tapped one of the bottles lightly with her fingers.

"With the containers we have, layered stone, sand, and charcoal should give us a workable filter. It won't make it perfect, but it will make it safer. Boiling will do the rest."

The sled shifted behind her as she started forward, its weight noticeable but manageable, the grooves doing their job as it slid over sand rather than fighting it.

"We can gather more as we go," Seren added. "Cordage, fuel, anything that can be repurposed. Even small finds matter when you stop assuming rescue is imminent."

She adjusted the harness on her shoulder and set a steady pace, eyes already scanning ahead for subtle dips in the land, changes in vegetation, anything that hinted at water or shelter.

"For now," she said, quieter but certain, "this gives us mobility. And that gives us options."

The sled followed smoothly behind her, supplies intact, the first real sign that they weren't just surviving the situation anymore, they were starting to shape it.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She gave a nod to that.. they had a plan and circling the island looking for a stream would be the best bet first.. and if they had to look towards the other closer islands for streams then they would. She Pulled at the sled and with both of them it was moving smoothly and without the full weight on either. It made getting out of the crash area easier.... and then the beach and shore lines were there. She didn't need to stop but was looking over the sands and trying to line it up so the sand went over their foot prints... if anything it would obscure their feet but a long line would be there. She knew that couldn't be helped but they had a chance to get anything that seemed like it would be useful as she debated the best way to go. They would still need to factor in something of a timetable. "I don't suppose you recall what time it was. Moving around in twilight and night it not advisable."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren adjusted her grip on the sled line, matching the pace without breaking stride, the weight balanced cleanly between them. The movement was steady, deliberate, and she let the rhythm of it settle before answering, eyes tracking the shoreline and the way the surf erased what it could of their passage.

"Twilight is forgiving," she said calmly, "but night isn't."

She glanced briefly toward the sky, gauging the angle of the light and the length of their shadows as they stretched and blurred across the sand.

"If we're lucky, we still have a few hours before full dark," Seren continued. "Enough to circle the shoreline and look for runoff. Streams like to announce themselves before they're seen."

Her gaze dropped to the ground again, thoughtful.

"Footprints will tell a story no matter what we do," she added. "Obscuring them is about buying time, not erasing evidence."

She adjusted the sled's path slightly so the wet sand and retreating water did most of the work for them.

"If we haven't found fresh water by the time the light starts to turn," Seren said, "we stop. We mark the spot. We don't push into unfamiliar terrain in the dark unless we have no other choice."

A brief pause, then a faint note of dry realism.

"Survival favors patience more than bravery," she concluded. "And I'd rather be tired and cautious than fast and injured."

Her eyes flicked toward the distant line of the other islands.

"If we need to cross later, we will," Seren said evenly. "But tonight, we let the light work for us."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She offered a silent nod, eyes scanning the horizon. They had a plan, and that was enough. "Alright, we'll search and keep at it," she agreed. That signature smirk played on her lips, staying with her as she marched forward, the supply sled tracing a line in her wake. As the beach rounded a jagged cliff, the view transformed. The scorched remnants of their ship faded, replaced by the pristine stillness of a hidden lagoon. The sand here stretched out white and pure, dipping into water so clear it looked like glass. Sunlight danced across the coral beds below, illuminating a kaleidoscope of colors and the flash of silver scales as fish wove through the reef.

Jesse was trying to get herself into a position so the pair would have safety, or at least the best chance for it. Her eyes drifting to the sand as it extended outwards onto a rocky outcropping but it seemed better suited for them. She motioned with her hand as the inside of the lagoon had some more debris but that wasn't it. The drop pod on the outcropping was what she was looking at. "Jesse started moving along the sand out to it and the rocks as it wasn't large but she was looking arr the level of salt on the rocks. "It doesn't look like it gets submerged with the tides. Which is good and for now it can provide more protection and isolation. We'll either hear something approaching or only have to watch one direction.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren slowed as the landscape opened before them, the abrupt shift from wreckage and ash to quiet, luminous water giving her pause. The lagoon reflected the sky so cleanly it felt unreal, like a pocket of calm the world had forgotten to disturb. Her gaze swept it in, not lingering on the beauty, but on what it implied—visibility, isolation, limited approaches.

She followed Jesse's line of sight to the rocky outcropping and the drop pod beyond it, watching the waterline mark the stone.

"That's a good read," Seren said after a moment, nodding once. "Salt staining, but no deep scouring. If it hasn't been claimed by the tides yet, it likely won't be unless there's a storm strong enough to make everything else irrelevant."

She adjusted the sled's strap and stepped closer to the edge of the sand, testing it with the toe of her boot before committing her weight.

"One approach is a gift," she continued calmly. "Especially when we're carrying supplies and don't want to waste energy watching shadows that aren't there. Sound will travel across the water, and anything coming over the rocks will announce itself whether it means to or not."

Her eyes moved to the debris scattered farther inside the lagoon, then back to the pod.

"We can clear the pod, set it as a temporary anchor point," Seren said. "Inventory whatever's intact, strip anything useful, and use the outcropping as a vantage. If there's a stream feeding this lagoon, we'll spot it faster from elevation."

A faint, approving curve touched her mouth as she looked back at Jesse.

"You picked well," she added simply. "It's defensible without feeling like a trap."

Seren started toward the rocks beside her, pace steady, already mentally mapping angles, lines of sight, and fallback routes.

"Let's secure it," she said. "Then we can decide whether this becomes a stop…or home, at least for a while."

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She gave a nod of her head to that when she was checking on a few things. A small grin appearing as moving towards it she climbed and held herself to adjust the strap so that they would be able to lift the sled up with them the few feet. Getting over it the pod was there and they had a small area they could set things in while she moved the sled into it and took the straps off of her shoulders. Taking only a moment to sit and find a good place to look around now as the outcropping gave them a good view of the water around and she could see coral but also the waters were clear blues and greens even with the waves.

Jesse was taking in some other parts but she moved towards the pod and the first thig was the smell. She noticed it as the body was here in the heat for hours. It hadn't burned so she moved and found some emergency blankets to wrap it in. They would have to clean it and air it out more yes but it looked like it had been painless compared to some. They were still strapped into the seat and had been killed quickly. The straps still biting into his body but the neck showed where it had snapped forward in the seat. Then she was moving it off to the far side near the waterr for the body while she pulled at the rocks to bury it in an alcove. The wrapping and the stones being used to close him in.

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched the last stone settle into place before she turned away from the alcove. She did not linger. What needed to be done had been done, and dwelling on it would not serve the living.

She returned to the pod and the sled, rolling her shoulders once to work the tension out before moving with quiet purpose. The outcropping gave them height and visibility, and she intended to use both. She began immediately unpacking only what they needed, setting heavier crates closer to the rock wall, where they would be shielded from wind and spray. Lighter supplies were stacked near the pod, within reach but out of the way.

After a moment, she crouched and began arranging stones in a shallow ring, choosing pieces that had already been warmed by the sun. Driftwood and dry plant matter followed, sorted by thickness and length. Her movements were practiced, economical. This was not her first time building a fire where comfort mattered less than control.

"We'll want heat after sunset," Seren said quietly, more observation than instruction. "Not a large flame. Just enough to cook, dry things out, and keep the damp from settling into our bones."

She sparked the fire carefully, coaxing it to life rather than forcing it. The flames caught and settled into a steady, low burn, smoke drifting upward and away from the лагoon rather than across it.

Seren sat back on her heels and scanned the waterline again, eyes tracing the reef, the open water beyond, the narrow approaches they would need to watch. Satisfied for the moment, she shifted to setting up a small perimeter, marking lines in the sand and stone that would help them notice movement after dark.

"This will do," she said at last, calm and certain. "We have shelter, visibility, and a way out if we need it."

Her gaze softened slightly as it returned to the camp, to the fire beginning to glow warmer as the sun dipped lower.

"Once everything's settled," she added, "we'll eat. Then we rest. Tomorrow we worry about what comes next."

For now, the camp held. And that was enough.

Jesse Organa

 

[Jesse Organa]

Seren Gwyn

She gave a nod to that, they had the makings of a plan.. the prep work and well they had focus... she had resolved herself to being at the moment and now for a moment as she looked at the fire and relaxed. her body was able to lose much of its tension... much of its steel in the muscles when she sat in the area rather then crouch. Learning over to mostly lay and let all the time since that first moment when she was laying on the beach come to her with small shakes. "It will do for now, tomorrow we'll search for more and at least have some rest and energy." A clear moment to herself as she just let everything hurt in that moment. Even her jaw was sore from how tight she had been holding it or grinding her teeth. "Oh just need to... I just need a moment."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren didn't rush to fill the silence or correct the moment. She shifted closer instead, movements slow and deliberate, making herself present without crowding.

"You don't have to justify that," she said quietly, voice low and steady. "Holding everything together takes more out of you than most people realize."

She settled down as well, not mirroring the posture exactly but matching the intent, letting the firelight wash over both of them. The crackle of it became something solid, something real.

"Plans are useful," Seren continued after a moment, "but they don't mean much if the body never gets permission to stop bracing for impact."

Her gaze stayed on the flames rather than on her, giving space where it was needed.

"This is what rest actually looks like," she added softly. "Not sleep. Not recovery. Just letting the strain surface instead of forcing it back down."

A pause.

"Take the moment," Seren said. "Nothing is chasing us right now. Nothing needs solving tonight."

She leaned back slightly, grounding herself against the stone.

"Tomorrow we move again," she finished calmly. "But for now, it's enough to sit, breathe, and let your body remember that it survived."

She stayed there with her, unhurried, letting the fire do what it had always done best—hold the dark at bay without asking anything in return.

Jesse Organa