Private Impromptu Spelunking

[Resh]

Wayland
Eloise Dinn
​

Resh tried for only a moment to contain the cascade of boulders headed their way, “It won’t work!” He assessed, diving deeper into the cave, lest he be crushed. He covered his head and fell flat on the ground, waiting for an impact that he thankfully avoided. When the pureblood opened his eyes, it was still dark. “You-- okay--?” He hacked, coughing away the dust that now blanketed them, which only shook more of that dust into his sinuses and led to more coughing.

Fumbling in the dark, Resh finally found his lightsaber, igniting it and illuminating the area in an indigo light. “It’s totally caved in.” He reached out a hand to try and pull at the rocks, but there was too much weight packed on top from the landslide. “It could take us days to dig out of this mess. And even then, we risk burying ourselves further by disturbing the earth.” Resh spoke more calmly than he felt. A few years back, the padawan may very well have gone catatonic in a predicament like this. But he had grown since then. He still had much more growing to do, but progress was progress. “We should look for another way out.”

 

[Eloise Dinn]

When everything else went to shit, Eloise could still count on Resh. So far he was the one person in her life who hadn't died, left, been sucked into the Nether, or gone crazy. He was just there, the last bastion of safety and normalcy, always around when she needed him. Somehow, the Pureblood was the one constant in the universe. He didn't change.

Except he had changed. Eloise didn't see him for a few months (or had it been a year? shit, she didn't know) and suddenly he was several inches taller. His shoulders had broadened, his voice had deepened, and his scrawny, skinny frame now sported lean, agile muscle from hours of daily training. He was still a bit dorky, as teenagers typically were, but looking at him now made her keenly aware of the difference a year could make.

Clearly she had missed out on a lot. It pained her that it had taken them being assigned on a mission together for her to reconnect with him. She'd just been so busy with her healer's work. At least, that was the excuse she told herself, to avoid pinning the blame on Diogo's disappearance and the emotional turmoil that had followed. She would never admit that she had gone no-contact with everyone because she was tearing herself to pieces over an ex-boyfriend.

Before she had a chance to so much as ask Resh about his old interests - was he still reading comics and getting all his dance moves from Spacenite? - they were being shipped off to Wayland. And just as quickly, it seemed, they ran into trouble.

“You-- okay--?”

Eloise groaned, slowly but surely peeling herself up off the cave floor. Throwing herself out of the way of the falling boulders had left her body bruised and sore, but she had no serious injuries. "Yeah," she grunted, blinking as her eyes futilely tried to adjust to the near-total darkness. "What about you?"

Resh soon found his lightsaber and ignited the blade. Bathed in indigo light, the cave-in almost looked pretty.

“It could take us days to dig out of this mess. And even then, we risk burying ourselves further by disturbing the earth. We should look for another way out.”

He sounded much calmer than she expected, given what had happened the last time they got into trouble. "Agreed," she said. "Who knows how long it would take for help to reach us." Activating her own green blade, she held it up, peering deeper into the cave. "You think there's any truth to those rumors about there being monsters down here?" Which was, incidentally, what they had been sent to investigate.

Resh​

 

[Resh]

"Well, uh, let's hope not," Resh cleared his throat, a little more anxiousness creeping through as he became suddenly conscious of the echo of his voice. The sudden cave-in seemed an ill omen itself. These caves had a draw to them. Not overt, but an almost subliminal luring. There had to be something about this place, it was just a question of what exactly. And if it was dangerous, it was up to them to remove it.

Here at the entrance of the cafe, Resh could now see remnants of vegetation. But it had all withered and blackened, "There's nothing about the environment that suggests these shouldn't be thriving. At least, not while the entrance was open." Resh was mostly speaking to himself, but loud enough to keep Eloise in earshot. He stood up, ears perking at the subtle whistling of wind, "There's a current in here. Which means there should be another opening. Let's go." He headed inside, entering a narrow chamber of stalagmites and stalactites, giving the impression they were weaving through the gnashing teeth of a massive beast. What they didn't yet know, was that a very real beast was already aware of their presence.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise didn't know what to think of the caves either - and she didn't like not knowing what she was getting herself into. History wasn't really her forte, but she had learned enough about Wayland before they arrived to realize it shouldn't be underestimated. The planet's dark and strange past twisted like tangled roots, germinating weird tales like fruit on the vine. Secret labs where mutant monstrosities were bred, troves of hidden Sith relics, an insane Jedi ruling over the primitive locals like a demented king... It sounded a lot like her home. And much like Zaathru, every instinct was telling her that she didn't want to stay on Wayland for too long.

Resh seemed just as unnerved as she was, yet he took the lead with exploring their immediate area. She heard his commentary about the plants near the entrance and turned her attention to the withered ferns. They weren't just wilting, they looked like they were rotting, their flesh black and oily. "Could be a fungus or something," she muttered, almost trying to convince herself as much as him. "Something that would infect and kill the plants..."

"There's a current in here. Which means there should be another opening. Let's go."

Eloise followed him deeper into the cave. "So you're taking the lead?" she remarked, ducking underneath a low-hanging stalactite. "Always knew you had it in you." Truth be told, she was proud of him. A year ago he would've panicked. With maturity came confidence, she supposed. Unless something else had changed in the time since their last meeting...

They continued through the caverns, climbing over limestone formations and trying not to trip or hit their heads. Unaware of their stalker, Eloise decided to pass the time by catching up with her Pureblood friend. "So, Resh... What have you been up to lately? Besides training, I mean."

Resh​

 

[Resh]

"So you're taking the lead? Always knew you had it in you."

Resh glanced back at Eloise, an awkward, toothy smile on his face, "Heh-- If you say so." He certainly didn't see himself as a leader. But finding himself in an area that fit his expertise had naturally shifted him into that role, he supposed. Eloise didn't seem to have a problem with it, and he couldn't say he hated the thought of being a leader.

Or, at least the thought of being a trusted figure. Being a leader still sounded a bit scary.

As they continued to traverse through the cavern system, Eloise of all people made an attempt at small talk. Resh had almost exclusively heard from their peers that Eloise was... abrasive. And frankly, she didn't really dispel that notion from most of the times she saw him interacting with the others. But she had always been pretty lax with him. Perhaps it was his background, or just the fact that he seemed to hold no judgement over her. Either way, they both seemed to be one another's only true friends in the Order. Eloise because of her aforementioned attitude, and Resh either because of his shyness or his species.

"Well, I've been exploring more of the galaxy. The Vonnuvi always travels, which leads me to a lot of places, and Master Harth takes me on missions when she gets the chance. It's hard to get a grip on just how much of everything there is." He seemed to get lost in his own daydreams for a moment, reminiscing on the splendorous people, animals, and worlds he had now seen. Resh quickly recomposed himself, standing taller and more authoritatively-- They were on a mission, and he was (apparently) the leader.

"But uh, yeah, I've liked what I've seen so far." He glanced back again, "How about you? Still with Headmaster Serys-Organa?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise mirrored his toothy grin. It was nice to goof off for once.

So he was still training under Master Harth, and still attached to the Vonnuvi Enclave. "Glad that worked out for you," she said. "I know it was tough for me to fit in and find my place." Her restlessness aside, the Vonnuvi was still the closest thing she had to a home. It was where she usually ended up when she exhausted herself and needed to recharge.

"Well, I've been exploring more of the galaxy. The Vonnuvi always travels, which leads me to a lot of places, and Master Harth takes me on missions when she gets the chance. It's hard to get a grip on just how much of everything there is." He seemed to get lost in his own daydreams for a moment, reminiscing on the splendorous people, animals, and worlds he had now seen.

"I'm surprised you have time for sightseeing," Eloise muttered, her smile thinning. While Resh was lost in a starry-eyed reverie, her thoughts turned dark. Because of her work as a healer, she typically only traveled to planets that had suffered devastation. Instead of wonders, she witnessed the horrors of war, up close and personal. But she didn't want to spoil the mood. "Sounds nice."

Resh quickly recomposed himself, standing taller and more authoritatively. "But uh, yeah, I've liked what I've seen so far." He glanced back again, "How about you? Still with Headmaster Serys-Organa?"

“Yeah, sort of. I’ve also been traveling a lot, just… not always with the Vonnuvi.” Sometimes the herdship wasn’t where the action was, or they didn’t always get there in time. Utilizing whatever transportation could get her there fastest often meant she traveled alone. "I go where I'm needed.

"Hey, are you still into holo games and comics and all that?" she asked, wanting to change the subject away from anything work-related. Hobbies were a safe topic. “Seen any good shows lately?”

The sound of a stone falling echoed through the cavern. Eloise froze, listening. It was impossible to trace the echo's origin; for all she knew it was just the wind or the earth trembling. But she was on alert now regardless.

Resh​

 

[Resh]

"Well, it's not really a vacation. It's work. But I usually find moments to make for myself." Eloise didn't go into much detail about her own exploits, but it wasn't hard to fathom the stakes were a bit higher with her. She was more experienced, and was apprenticed to a master who was herself pretty involved in galactic affairs. Add to that all the chaos currently sweeping over the galaxy, Eloise was probably more in the thick of it than Resh could understand.

"Hey, are you still into holo games and comics and all that?"

Resh seemed a little embarrassed to answer, but he didn't have a chance to before a sound interrupted their exploration. The sound of a tumbling rock echoed throughout the subterranean chambers, breaking the silence harshly. The source was hard to trace given the constant reflection of noise. Both Jedi paused, listening for anything that might follow. For a few seconds, nothing else came, and Resh had just turned around to resume delving; Then there was a low rumbling.

Resh swung around, his lightsaber illuminating a large, fur-covered beast just a few yards in front of him. Its hair was patchy and matted, gums blackened and bloody, eyes sulphuric yellow. Whatever it was, this state was not natural.

"Don't move…" Resh muttered, following the precautions he understood when it came to such creatures. But whatever had corrupted the thing had changed its behavior into something much more aggressive. It stood up to its full height, towering several feet even over Eloise. Its distorted roar seemed to reverberate across the entire cave system. "N-nevermind!" Was all Resh could think to say as he turned back and bolted toward his friend. The Dryax charged relentlessly, barreling through stalagmites as it squeezed itself into the chamber. Resh kept running, pushing Eloise along if he had to.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise's darting gaze finally found something to focus on. Glittering golden eyes stared back at her as a massive four-legged silhouette took shape from the darkness, baring sharp teeth. She felt its hot breath ghost over her skin, stinking of blood and rotting flesh.

It roared, a horribly distorted sound that shook the cavern walls. But Eloise was not afraid. She widened her stance, planting her feet on the rocky floor, and raised her lightsaber, ready to engage in sacred combat—

"N-nevermind!"

Resh crashed into Eloise, putting an end to her plans to fight the creature. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she was pushed deeper into the caves. The Pureblood was stronger than he looked. "That thing is what we came here for—!"

She broke off as a stalactite crashed to the ground a little too close for comfort. The Dryax was chasing them, paws landing like thunder with every step it took. The cavern walls trembled, dust trickling from the ceiling. She started running.

Sensing a sudden sharp drop ahead, Eloise skidded to a halt. Though she couldn't see the bottom over the edge of the cliff, the sound of moving water below indicated an underground gorge cutting through the earth. "Stop!" she called to Resh over her shoulder. "We can't go any further!" But with the Dryax still in pursuit, their options were limited.

Resh​