Lady Moon

[Jairdain]

It had been a good amount of time since Jairdain had last been on Iridonia. During a point in her life when her emotions were askew and she was falling apart. She had thought running and hiding would solve her issues, then she had turned to drink, drugs and sleeping around. Eventually, something had snapped within her and she had run one last time.

Her journey had taken her many places and now she was whole again, she returned to her familiar home here. Wanting to get everything back into order and repair, she finished where it had started.

The dust of time had accumulated on her items and her property was in disrepair. Setting about cleaning her home first, when she felt it had been accomplished to her liking, she now took a break and sat outside under the only tree in the area. Meditating there, in touch with nature and land around her, she felt the approach of a stranger.

Still meditating, she observed him through the Force and wondered what brought this wanderer to her land. She made no move to hide from him and if he looked he would see the lone form of a human female sitting under the tree.

Wearing what was comfortable, she was in tan pants and lighter shirt. Something that would fit in with desert around them. Not totally blending in, her form would be seen clearly against the bark of the tree. She wasn't entirely alone though. Resting in a pocket of her shirt was a small animal, but even he was relaxing right now and not visible to the naked eye.

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

The search of his mother, brother and sister, the lost members of his pack had got Ronak ravelling the galaxy from one end to other and meeting all kinds of people on the way - slavers and pirates as well as their opposition, rebels and crime lords, Sith and Jedi and many in between those categories. After a life on a planet isolated from other species than his own going out in the galaxy he had so longed to explore and coming across so many hardships he sometimes longed for the peace of his home and the company of his famliy, his pack again. But there was no peace or going back as long as three of them were missing somewhere out there hopefully still alive.

One of his less than legal connections had tipped him off that he should go to Iridonia - a wolfman had been sighted there. Whether this person was hired as a body guard or kept as a slave, male or female, Shistavanen or another canid species they could not tell, but still he followed any lead that would help him. Fortunately, there were far less canids than humans travelling the galaxy, unfortunately they all looked much alike to the human eye. The ship he worked on to gain his flight here, had landed at the capital where he left to continue his investigation.

As usual he was greeted with distrust and little friendliness. Asking questions typically only increased people's distrust. This time was no exception. Finally, a band of three Zabraks responded that they knew the wolfman and agreed to bring him to the location. Bad experiences had taught him to not blindly trust the strangers, but the hope to reunite with at least one member of his list pack drove him forward. Thus, he was not completely surprosed when they were driving out of the city on a speeder, as two of them were drawing their weapons against him. Although he wished for no fight, he still got involved often enough. But here, he did not want to draw a weapon. Instead Ronak jumped at the first man threatening him with a blaster and pushed them over the edge of the vessel.

His plan had been to land on the man which worked out and broke the man's neck in the process. However, the Zabrak had still fired a shot at him and left a nasty burn on his flank. Struggling to get back to his feet and grabbing the dead man's blaster, the wolfman rushed to reach cover in a nearby crop fiels in case the other two returned which they never did. Whatever their intention the speeder did not turn back but rushed away leaving him injured in the middle of nowhere in an unknown world. "That's what you call luck", he growled sarcastically.

Searching the dead man reveiled no further information of who he was and why they had set up this trap for him. Finally accepting his fate, he turned to what he was best at: surviving in hostile terrain. First he dressed his wound as best he could to keep it from getting infected. Shouldering his backpack, the wolfman then held his nose in the wind taking in the scents of his surroundings: the dead man's body, the crops on the field, small creatures living eating and hunting among those crops, the irrigation system speaking of fresh waterand algae growing in it and thenwhen he concentrated to enhance his perception he smelt a different larger creature, possibly another person's scent far away, but still perceivable. Concentrating to focus on this scent, he tried to find the direction from which the wind had brought it to him and then turned to head this way, bending the crops in his way.

The field turned into open unworked land and the scent got stronger. Definitely, it was a person, maybe a female. A tree became visible in the distance and so became the silhouette of a person in pants and shirt, not armour, sitting under it leaning against its bark. One who enjoyed nature could not be a fully bad person was his current working theory for judging non-Shistavanen personalities. And one who wore no armour was not immediately looking for a fight. Aside from her scent which was strong now and spoke of her relaxed state, no stress or fear, he could also perceive something else - an indistinct feeling within him. One he could not quite interpret, but had learned to connect with the force working.

Stepping closer, he held his hand up in greeting and to show that he came with no weapn drawn and no harmful intent. "Good day to you", he growled in greeting, eyeing her curiously.


[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Being in touch with the land and nature around her, the approach of Ronak was noticed. He appeared hurting and when he got close enough to call out to her, Jairdain stood up to return the wave. An unspoken invitation was given to him to join her with a motion of her arms.

She did have her lightsaber clipped to her belt, but her hand went nowhere near to it. The silver of the hilt might have glimmered in the light of the sun above them, but there was no threat in her stance.

"Good day traveller. Please come and join me. Do you need assistance?"

Not asking yet what brought him here, she wanted to know that too. At the moment, she needed to know if he desired healing from her. It was one skill among many Jairdain had and that alone sometimes brought people to her.

The fact his voice came to her as a growl did not scare or bother her at all. Many people had damage to their vocal cords or even just naturally spoke in that manner. There was no thought from her that he looked like an animal for she was not looking at him with any eyes. Her unfocused gaze looked in his direction and the Force touched him lightly. It was through the Force she saw him and not through any physical means. To her, he was human and until he might indicate she should treat him different, that was how he was going to greeted.

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

The stimpak he had used before to numb the pain from the wound started to wear off, leaving a subliminal pain behind, tearing at his thoughts. Although this distracted him slightly, the scout kept his thoughts trained at the current situation. Observing her more closely, the woman [member="Jairdain"] seemed to belong in this environment as naturally, as he did in the forests of Uvena Prime. As she waved her arms invitingly, a silver hilt became visible at her belt. Of course, he had felt her strong connection to the force.

"Do you need assistance?", she asked calmly. Her calm ways reminded her of his friend [member="The Wayfarer"] - he had also managed this calm demeanor in the strangest of situations. Fond memories of days gone by made the wolfman more willing to trust her. Although showing weakness in front of an unknown stranger felt not like the best idea, especially after what had happened to him, something like an inner voice kept telling him that it was alright, he could trust in her.

Casting aside his doubts, he growled with a strained undertone: "I am sorry to bother you, but would you be equipped with a first aid kit or something to help me with a..." Than he hesitated to say the word 'blaster wound'. That would cause awkward questions. "... aninjury?", he settled for instead. "Or do you know a place where I could get some help?", he added as an afterthought. Only when he looked into her face for a bit longer, did he notice that her gaze was not really focussed on him, she seemed not to really look at him at all. Maybe she had visions through the force? At least she had responded before, so she was aware of him and not experiencing some vision taking her focu away from the here and now.

 

[Jairdain]

It wasn't unheard of for people to visit her for different reasons. Word was out that Jairdain could accomplish a great many things. Healing was just one of them.

"My name is Jairdain Ismet and if you wish, I can try to heal your wound."

Even mental damage could be healed, but that would take more work on both their parts. She didn't feel that was the case with him though. One thing she left out of her name was any titles she had. Ally of the King, Master, Grand Master or advisor. It was nice to get away from her other duties, but she did know that wouldn't last forever.

"It is no bother. I am alone here quite often so getting a visitor is something I look forward to."

Tilting her head down to the bottom of the hill she was on, she indicated a home there and started to walk closer to Ronak. If he allowed her to, she would help to guide his steps by placing a comforting, but firm hand on his arm.

"My home is there. I can take a look at your injury easier inside. The choice is yours though."

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

Ronak heard the name [member="Jairdain"] Ismet, but it did not ring a bell with him. However, she seemed friendly and open-hearted enough to put his faith in her, as she offered her help openly. His gaze followed the indicated direction and took in the sight of the house which had neither the appearance of a criminal hideout nor a slave center, so she seemed uninvolved with the people he had the run-in with.

As she stepped closer and put a hand on his arm, his muscles tensed involuntarily which made the wound at his flank hurt again. Grimacing and fighting the urge to snarl in response to the pain, the wolfman regained enough control to not jump back from the touch. "Thank you. Let's get inside, if it makes no difference for you." He felt quite proud of himsself that the words did not sound too strained. Besides, getting inside was definitely a welcome perspective after the long hours of walking here.

As he walked alongside her, Ronak reflected on how this day could have gone so terribly wrong. But now things seemed to turn back towards a rather positive direction. Maybe fate or the force as some viewed it had meant for this to happen. Being so focussed on his inner musings, he did not pay attention to whether her gaze appeared to be more focussed by now or not.

 

[Jairdain]

When her hand connected with his arm, Jairdain felt him tense up and pulled her own hand away from him.

"I am sorry. Just used to connecting with people in such a manner."

Nodding when he said he would rather have her look him over inside, she raised that hand again with a motion for him to follow her. The small animal she had in her pocket looked out at him and Jairdain's look turned a bit focused while they communicated.

"Follow me please..."

It then dawned on her, he had not provided her with a name to call him.

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

As she drew her hand away and even apologized, Ronak felt a pinge of sadness - he had not meant to insult [member="Jairdain"] .

"Follow me please...", as the words stopped midsentence, the Shistavanen nervously looked around fearing that his attackers might have decided to pursue him after all. As no outward source of distraction was forthcoming, the realisation finally dawned to him that she did not finish the sentence, because she did not know how to finish it properly - with his name. The months of being away from home had dulled his social senses apparently - people usually not remembering or caring about and staying with the simplest form "Wolfy". Had he lost all self-esteem to not care anymore?

"My name is Ronak." The first word came out almost like a whimper, before turning back into the growling tone it naturally held. Bad conscience and the gut feeling that she could be trusted drove to taking the next step more boldly. "May I ask you something?", this question was rather rhetoric, as he was intent on asking the question burning in his mind anyways. Thinking of his home had only made it more urgent. "Have you met any of my people here on this planet before - in the past few weeks or months I mean?"

With a look reminding of a lost puppy hoping to come back home the wolfman eyed Jairdain, hoping that she might have any hint for him whether the ones who had lured him out of the city were plain liars or Shistavanen or members of another canid species were actually on this planet in whatever form - employed, enslaved but hopefully alive.

 

[Jairdain]

Her lack of thought on not finishing what she said brought to Ronak some worry. Right away, Jairdain attempted to send him some comfort through the Force. When he did answer, what sounded like a whimper came from him. A name was provided and she nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Ronak."

Until he might request her to not be so formal, she would address him in this manner. It was the polite thing to do to people one had just met. He then gave voice to something and Jairdain gave him a prompting motion to ask. Stopping in the walk, she turned to face him to indicate she was paying attention to what he had to say.

She only hesitated a moment and the reason why would be clear after she spoke. Without any hint of being embarrassed, she did give him an answer.

"I am unsure honestly. I do not know what kind of people yours are. This planet is Iridonia and here the native people are human, Zabrak and Dathomiri. Usually. There are some that might have moved here since though."

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

Mister Ronak. Those words sounded most strange in his ears. Never had he been addressed like that - never would it even have occurred to him to use such a form of address. Probably, that was the polite form of address among her people - Shistavanen cared little about such formalities in their native tongue and were quite unused to it in standard. The wolfman did not wish to commit another faux pas like the one with providing a name however and did not comment on it. His uneasiness also felt strangely relieved by a deep feeling of comfort.

As [member="Jairdain"] stopped walking to face him, so did he in spite of his wish to get treatment for his injuries. "I am unsure honestly. I do not know what kind of people yours are." Now, he actually was surprised. Quite obviously he was not human or Zabrak or even close to be mistaken for them. But he had been mixed up with other from canid races before. Once someone had even thought him to be a Loth wolf. So this might actually need some explanation. "I am Shistavanen. The ones I look for would likely not have moved here out of their own wish, rather against their wish." For a moment, he hesitated, before continuing: "I look for my mother, brother and sister. If they are here, they are here as slaves or something, but not out of their free will. They would have notified their family otherwise." About the last part, he felt absolutely sure, unable to think of any possible reason why they would not call or return home, if they were free to do so. The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack after all.

 

[Jairdain]

There was an aspect within Jairdain that felt the call of family and pack. While she maintained an illusion around her physical form, she looked only slightly different. If Ronak could see through that illusion, he would notice her pointed ears, long black and silver tail and slightly oversized canine teeth. She was of the Zorren race, but to sight, she looked human.

Listening to what Ronak said, she nodded and motioned in the direction of a large city somewhere far out of sight. With the tip of her head, she would continue their walk into her house.

It looked nothing like any dwelling he had seen on Iridonia. She had a connection to the King here and he had her home from Voss rebuilt here for her. He had taken everything that was inside of it and updated her kitchen. It was here she took him.

"The King here does not allow slavery of any kind. If he did, he would be in serious trouble."

Their connection was quite strong and it was because of it, he had turned away from his path as a Sith. She had brought him back to life and ensured he could no longer harm any other person.

[member="Ronak"]

 

[Ronak]

For a brief moment, Ronak thought that [member="Jairdain"] 's appearance had changed from human to something different with pointed ears and canines. These injuries must be worse than I thought, I am starting to hallucinate - the thoughts passed through his mind, as he closed his ears and shook his head to try and clear it. Walking towards the house was definitely the best thing they could do now - he really longed for that treatment by now. Hopefully, that would help with regaining a clear head.

Ronak was no expert for buildings and building styles, but he had seen what the buildings in the city where he had landed looked like and the house they approached now looked nothing like it. For him, any house not located in a forest and integrated into the trees looked strange and felt cold and slightly unattractive, but the cities in his home held enough houses of that kind as well, so it accepted the architecture and was by now used to living in strange surroundings which felt quite unlike his home.

"The King here does not allow slavery of any kind. If he did, he would be in serious trouble", Jairdain explained to him. Who he would be in serious trouble with, she did not add and Ronak assumed that the people living on this planet were against slavery and would revolt which he could perfectly understand having stood up against slavers in the past. "Even is it is officially prohibited, some criminal organisations do not care and might still keep people like slaves", he growled his a sad expression in his eyes. Some things in this galaxy he wished he had never seen or experienced. Drug addicts being forced into doing whatever their drug dealers asked for with the fanaticism of a sick mind was among these things.

"I have no idea where to look and whether this information was true at all, as the ones who gave me the info tried to assault me", the wolfman snarled, some of his anger sounding in his voice. "Probably, you know this world much better to know whether this is possible at all", Ronak added in softer tone, while he observed [member="Jairdain"] 's movements when preparing his treatment.

 

[Jairdain]

Gathering up a rag to wash his wound, she made the water as hot as she could handle and motioned for Ronak to take a seat at the table.

"Please guide my hand to where you are wounded and I will clean that. Once that has been done, I will use the Force on you to heal the wound."

He had told her he wasn't human by admitting his race, but that did not change anything in how she treated him. As his hand guided hers, her focus went to the blaster shot and any other wounds he might have. Cleaning them the best she could, his skin was now free of blood, dirt and any other debris it might have contained.

"There are violent people on this world, but I don't think they would dare disobey the king and bring in slaves. I can look into it though. As for any of your people...I don't think so. None have come to, but Iridonia is more than just this location."

Sitting back on her heels now, unless he stopped her, Jairdain would begin to heal his wounds with the Force. With her focus gone from the illusion she had around her, more of her how she really looked would show through. It was something she was unaware of.

[member="Ronak"]