Private Healer Buddies - Ice Skating Adventure Cont.

[Eenia Vahn]

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TAG: Adelle Bastiel


A gasp parted Eenia's lips, as if she were actually offended, though was of course far from being as such. "As I seem to recall, you are on Zinder too." The blonde pointed out. "So apparently I've done something right in the intelligence department." She waved her free hand as if her word on the matter was the closing argument, and then grinned. Trying out Zinder had been a desperate sort of decision because deep down, Eenia was a social creature. She enjoyed the company of others, and she had been thrilled when Adelle had responded.

The subject of using the Force to help with this whole ice skating thing was a whole other matter. "That actually makes sense in a way that makes me feel pretty dumb." Nia admitted with a laugh. "Not that my Force capabilities have ever been super helpful physically." Not useless, but not super helpful either like she had seen it be for others. Unless teleporting counted...

The tug to her hand brought Nia from her brief reverie, and she made a slightly startled noise. Pick up the pace, sure, she could do that, right? One careful placing of a skate in front of the other - or to the side of the other - and she didn't fight it. If gravity was going to take her down again, it wasn't going to care what speed she was going. She could do this...she could do this!

"Um," there was a wobble to her balance, but she remained upright. "Well, good Healers are needed everywhere, right? But admittedly, even with everything that has happened in the past, I was hoping to find Anora somewhere in the masses." She shrugged her shoulders, not seeming as sad about the idea as she had been about the conversation on the sisters' falling out. "So far nothing, but there are a lot of Mandalorians, and if she isn't among them, maybe she'll eventually show up."

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

Adelle scoffed when Nia pointed out she was on the site as well, but the cheeky grin was irrepressible. “Yeah, that was kinda my whole point about the lack of intelligence. No one’s ever accused me of being smart.”

Yet when Nia mentioned feeling dumb about not thinking about using the Force to help keep herself from falling, Adelle shook her head. “Not dumb. In my old Order, at least, we were taught to do what we could without the Force. It wasn’t until my friend used it in our dance and mentioned a few cheats being handy that I realized she had a point.”

And it turned out Nia had ended up in the Empire much the same way she had: looking for someone. Had they been separated by the planeshift, she wondered. Adelle held Nia’s hand a little firmer, bracing her arm as the other Healer wobbled a bit on her skates. The grooves left behind by other skaters did make it hard to keep the blades steady. Putting her arm around Nia’s waist crossed her mind but Adelle dismissed it almost immediately. It would be incredibly forward and probably not as helpful as her brain wanted to justify.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I used to work as a liaison agent with CorSec’s investigative branch. If you ever want help trying to track her down, I could see what I can find.”

She was finding the balance of being on skates now, the speed honestly making it a little easier to control. The problem would be stopping. Adelle kept an eye out for the more practiced skaters, looking to see how they did it.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

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TAG: Adelle Bastiel


“Yes, yes…” Eenia teased about the intelligence. Truth be told, the blonde was finding herself more and more thankful for using the whole zinder thing in the first place. Silly or not, it had brilliant results.

As they spoke about Force abilities, Nia nodded in understanding. “When I was younger and learning from a Master, he wanted us to use our abilities to enhance our physical capabilities.” Her tongue clicked once, and she found this new speed of theirs easier than the earlier pace. “I was not good in those lessons at all.” She was amused about it, not upset or frustrated.

For a few moments, the blonde's focus was on their skating stride. While others around them seemed to glide with ease, she felt quite good about the progress she and Adelle had made. If only those of her past could see her now, they would probably laugh as hard as they applauded.

As Adelle spoke up again, Nia's attention went to her. Both of her brows lofted and she somehow managed not to stumble at the surprise of this information. “Are you serious?” She was seriously surprised by this news. All this time Eenia had been relying solely on herself to look for her sister. Yes, she had considered asking for help before but had never really approached it. So to have this offered? It was the greatest, helpful offer she had ever gotten.

“That…that would be amazing!” She gushed, and she reached out and wrapped her arms around Adelle from the side, doing her best to keep her skates away from the other's.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

The hug was incredibly unexpected. Na’an had never been one for physical affection unless something finally triggered it, when it was the last resort for communication. And it had been a few years at least since she’d seen Na’an. Most of the physical affection in her life came from Phantom. And a feline couldn’t hug.

Adelle reacted before her brain fully processed the hug, wrapping her own arms around Nia to make sure she didn’t fall. The embrace felt warm and safe. Soft.

“To… softness,” she said. “And quiet company.”

Adelle took a breath before answering.

“Yes, I’m serious,” she said with a small smile. “I don’t have the tools I used to, but I still know how to dig around for things.”

Warmth spread from her chest and out. They slowed to a stop, Adelle unwilling to risk causing Nia to fall. She looked at the barely shorter Healer, mismatched blue and brown meeting a beautiful shade of teal.

“You say the word and we start searching,” she said. Carefully, Adelle helped her stand upright on her skates again and offered her hand once more.

“That does remind me.” Adelle pushed off, beinning to skate again. “I know someone else that can help us look, if you don’t mind me bringing him in.”

 

[Eenia Vahn]

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TAG: Adelle Bastiel


The returned embrace, while just as awkward, was appreciated more than the brunette would ever know. "Sorry for the possible crash causing hug," Eenia gave a soft, maybe even a little embarrassed at herself laugh. "I'm just...I'm not used to getting a whole lot of help from others. I'm always the helper, not the helpee." It was a sad truth, but a truth regardless. "And sometimes I forget bubble space when I get happy and excited."

Not that Adelle had seemed to mind, considering she had hugged back. A fact which made Nia feel warm in a happy way. It had been entirely too long since she had been close to someone, and Adelle had welcomed her with open arms.

When they slowed to a stop, the blonde shifted on her skates to better face the other and her smile only grew more - if that was possible. "If you have people who are able to help, I'm absolutely open to meeting them and seeing if they're willing to lend a hand." It was a strange notion, the idea of another person who might be offering to help. After being abandoned again and again, being left on her own for so long, picking up her own shattered pieces, fending for herself, doing everything on her own? It was pretty overwhelming to just have one offer, much less the prospect of two.

"You have no idea what your offer means to me." Nia said then. She lifted a hand to brush her fingers beneath one of her eyes to wipe at the moisture that had welled in it. Happy tears, if that smile on her face was any indication.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

Nia’s confession tugged at Adelle’s heart. Always the helper, never the helped. She could see how someone like Nia could always be found in that position. Adelle had chosen that life—she didn’t see a way for someone to help her, not without hurting themselves in the process. Nia seemed gentler, softer. Someone that had a hard time saying no. It pressed uncomfortably on her instinct to defend and protect, a reflex created and sharpened by her time with the Jedi.

Adelle’s hands hovered near Nia’s elbows, ready to catch her if her balance suddenly shifted, as the other woman wiped away tears. She gave a small half-smile, in no small way inspired by Nia’s.

“Maybe not,” she said softly. “But I’m an empath so I can make an accurate guess.”

She waited patiently for Nia to seem ready to continue before beginning their slow loop around the frozen lake.

“The person I know,” she said. “He’s one of the Mandalorian Protectors. Good at what he does, strong sense of honor. He looks gruff but he’s a good man.”

Adelle paused thoughtfully. “The kind of person you wish was in your own family tree.”

Her skates hissed with a pleasant sound against the ice, the blades snaking when she ran over a deep groove carved by someone else. It made her wobble a bit but she kept herself upright. She looked over to Nia to see if her momentary loss of balance had affected her friend.

“You let me know when you want to find her,” Adelle said, when she was certain they were both mostly stable. “And I’ll send him a message. If he’s able to help us, I’m sure he will. If not, there’s still things I can do.”

She huffed a sigh. “I get the feeling though that things are going to get very busy soon.”

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Adelle Bastiel


“Ah well, I apologize to your empathy.” Eenia couldn’t stop the small chuckle that accompanied her words. Boy, if Adelle was an empath, the blonde felt bad for the emotional roller coaster she had just put her friend on. Usually Nia was bright spirited, and even now she wasn’t sad, just overwhelmed and happy. But the occasional dips would definitely be a doozy for Adelle to put up with in the future.

She gave a small signal with her hands that she was good once her face was dry, her smile returning easily even as they continued to skate. It was much easier now than it had first been, though admittedly Eenia wasn’t sure how she had been able to stop like she had before…That was going to be the next challenge when they came to it.

“I find that most gruff people tend to be much kinder hearted than people give them credit for.” Her blonde locks swayed some as she bobbed her head in a nod to her own self wisdom. “And I don’t scare easily anyway.” In their line of work as healers? Scaring easy would do them no good.

When Adelle hit the groove that made her wobble, Nia had been ready to help steady her for a change, though the other corrected herself before the chance was given. Which was probably good because they most likely would have ended up flat on the ice again otherwise. Still, sea green eyes watched for a long moment to make sure balance was maintained before she was able to relax again.

“I think whenever you yourself find a time when you’re not savagely busy, you should try and reach out.” Again Nia nodded. “I’m absolutely ready to try and find my sister at any given time.” She paused, then pointed towards the ice. “Aside from right now. We both seem happily busy right now.”

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

Adelle blew off Nia’s apology. It was something she had learned to deal with a long time ago. And when she mentioned that gruff people had kinder hearts than most assumed, Adelle nodded. Itzhal certainly seemed like one of those types. She hadn’t interacted with him very much but his actions and behaviors stayed consistent with what he professed to believe.

“If you give me a last known location or the most recent piece of information you have on her, I can get started and be slowly working on it,” Adelle said. “And I’ll see about getting my friend in on it too. I can’t promise we’ll find anything soon, but we can at least start the process.”

Miraculously, they had managed to make one full lap around the lake without another fall. Phantom had stopped following, opting instead to curl up on a bench near where they had originally stepped onto the ice. Adelle nodded towards the spukami as she coasted then wedged her blades to slow down her speed.

“Well we made it around once without dying,” she said. “I’m good if you want to try to go around again or if you’d like to get some hot chocolate now, that’s good too.”

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Adelle Bastiel


Last known location…that was a question for the ages. “The last time I saw my sister was a few years back. It was on Naboo, and it was brief.” Eenia's head shook a little. “And I can tell you now that she isn't there.” It was a sad truth, but the truth no less.

The pair of healers eventually made it around the lake and both of Nia's brows lofted. “We did it.” She huffed a laugh, then nodded. “I really do appreciate the offer to help.” She smiled as they successfully came to a stop and neither of them fell, or rather Nia didn’t fall, which was a win! “I’ll pass along any information I can think of when you’re ready for it.”

It wasn’t going to be an easy task, considering how long the sisters had been apart, but hopefully that wouldn’t hinder things too much.

The blonde looked around the lake for a moment, then made a thoughtful sound before she smiled at Adelle again. "I think some hot chocolate sounds good right now.” Her fingers wiggled. “Warm cups sound nice too. But we should hang onto the skates, so we can get back out on the ice once we’re warmed up again.”

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

Naboo. Adelle frowned, thoughtful as she stepped off the ice and helped Nia transition to solid land. Last known location was on Naboo, but what city?

“You’d be surprised,” Adelle said, slowly making her way to the bench Phantom was loafed on. “Last known location gives us a starting point for collecting information. And any kind of info, no matter how small it seems, that will help.”

She had seen Nia wiggle her fingers when the other healer mentioned warm cups. Adelle helped Nia to the bench and knelt, taking up one of her hands. “Cold?”

The question was now whether to use the Force or do it manually. Manually might be more intimate than Nia would like so the Force was probably the better path. Adelle focused on the blood vessels beneath the skin and the red cells within, drawing on the Art of the Small to increase the temperature. She brought Nia’s other hand up with the first, switching her focus to that hand. After a moment, Adelle looked up at Nia.

“Better?”

 

[Eenia Vahn]

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TAG: Adelle Bastiel


The transition from the ice to solid ground was a lot more strange than Eenia would have thought it to be. Not quite like getting off of a ship onto steady ground - space or water travel for that matter - but the weight in her legs was both odd and interesting at the same time. It made her wonder what would happen to her if she attempted to jump in that moment. Though considering the skates still tied to her feet, it probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

So instead she allowed herself to be led to the bench and she let out a soft gasp as she spotted Phantom. “Well hello there.” She greet, and while she wanted to reach out and offer pets, she didn’t do as such, just in case it wasn’t currently wanted or welcome.

“I can honestly say that you won’t find her anywhere near Naboo.” Eenia stated with a touch of conviction. “I wish I knew where her and the others went from there, but considering I didn’t tag along, I was left out of the loop.” Her shoulders shrugged. It wasn’t going to be an easy task considering the level of disconnect between the sisters over the years.

But Eenia’s focus shifted when Adelle took her hands. Her head tilted to the side and her brow furrowed as the other woman warmed her hands one after the other. “How...did you do that?” she asked, both impressed and now insanely curious. Her fingers flexed on both hands as if to test their warmth and then she nodded to the question asked. “Yeah, they’re much better, thank you.” The blonde’s eyes then shifted to Adelle. “You’ve gotta teach me that one.”

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

A small amount of pride mixed with pleasure lit Adelle’s face when Nia seemed impressed by her handiwork. It certainly mitigated the bit of frustration she felt when Nia had told her, again, that Adelle wouldn’t find her sister near Naboo. She pushed herself to her feet and stiffly walked to where she could sit on the bench next to Nia and take off her own skates. Phantom sniffed at Adelle’s sleeve as she sat before she returned to sniffing the air around the other healer.

“It’s just Art of the Small,” Adelle said, untying the laces of her skates. “I was taught how to do it alongside Healing. Being able to manipulate the body into healing itself or accelerating its healing lets you not need to pour as much of your own energy into the process, if at all. It’s usually my go to for healing techniques.”

Adelle jerked the bladed boot off her foot and set it down before grabbing her normal boot and slid it on.

“There are, however,” she said, pulling her other foot onto her knee, “two caveats. One, it requires a meditative state. For me, that means I have to hold completely still while I’m using it. The second, you need to understand the anatomy of whoever you’re working on. My old Order made you learn the most populous species in the galaxy at minimum. I had a lot of late nights studying.”

The other skate came free. Adelle set it next to its partner and pulled her other boot on. They both felt cold initially but warmth would come with trapped body heat.

“So yeah, if you haven’t learned Art of the Small before, I can teach you,” she said. “It just might take a while.”

 

[Eenia Vahn]

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TAG: Adelle Bastiel


“Art of the Small…” Eenia repeated the words quietly as she listened, brow furrowed in concentration. Hearing the way that Adelle had been taught to heal people made the blonde look at her hands curiously. “I didn’t have a teacher for healing.” She admitted with a touch of a thoughtful frown. “I had a Master for a while who tried to teach me everything else, and then I kept company of some people over the years who taught me things, but I never had a teacher for healing.”

Her hands lowered and she looked back at Adelle. Honestly Nia had never even thought about someone to teach her how to use the ability she found herself most comfortable with. It had come to her first, before any of her family even realized she was Force sensitive. “Its always just been something I've been able to do.” She admitted again, then started the process of removing her own skates. “The only time I’ve found it to wear on me is during the times I’m needed a lot. Hospitals, healing camps, so on.”

The first skate came loose and she replaced it with her own boot as well, and then did the same with the other before she shifted in her seat to be turned in more towards the other healer. “That being said, I think it might be a really good idea to learn whatever you’re willing to teach.” Eenia had never been one to deny that she could always do better. There was a lifetime to learn everything she possibly could, and if Adelle could help her heal and help people more efficiently? Nia was definitely up for that.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

She’d never been taught Healing?

Adelle stared slackjawed for a second, even as Nia went on to explain. Small though her Order had been and isolated from the larger galactic goings-on, they had a pretty thorough education system, particularly with Healing. Master Sol had been especially firm in her teachings, so that the students knew how to not just heal others but protect themselves. Healing came at a cost.

“That being said, I think it might be a really good idea to learn whatever you’re willing to teach.”

“Before you fully agree, you should know what you’re getting into,” Adelle said, stomping her boots on the ground to settle her feet in them again. She waited for Phantom to hop onto her shoulders before standing up. Walking on solid ground felt weird now. “Art of the Small reduces your awareness to molecular level. Your presence too. It’s why mine feels like I’m a non-Force user. I’m pretty much always using it to avoid unwanted attention.”

She offered her hand to help Nia up before bending over and grabbing the skates. “Because of that, it helps to know how molecules work. So you’ll need to know the science of that scale. And because you’ll be working with people of all kinds, you need to know anatomy. You can feel your way through someone’s internal systems but it helps if you know what you’re trying to do or fix instead of guessing. I use Art of the Small to either accelerate the body’s healing or to soothe inflamed systems. Sometimes block pain receptors, if I need to.”

“But again,” Adelle said, tying the laces of the skates together and draping them over one shoulder to Phantom’s protest, “that means a lot of reading and studying and learning how those things work. I don’t know what all you’ve learned, but you need those basics at least.”

“If that works for you, then yeah, I’d be happy to teach you.”