The Hologram sprang to life as Voph was on the final approach. Fortunately, the auto-docking procedures had taken over, allowing him to devote his full attention to the image in front of him. Not that it made a difference to him. He didn't watch Holograms with the same focused attention as other species did. Let her know if her proposal was of any interest to him? Voph humphed quietly. He didn't see what he would get out of the deal. He had business to attend to. The ship lurched as it set down on the landing pad. He sat quietly in the pilot's seat for a moment. He DID have business to attend to, didn't he?
Voph sighed quietly, picking up the holocron that had brought him here. Did he really need to know the origins of this device? Would it really tell him anything he did not already know? Would this be the one stop on his journey that actually revealed something? He sighed again, pushing himself to his feet, his frustration evident. A soft hoot from behind him signaled that Horace was well aware of Voph's frustration. Voph paused, summoning a datapad from his belt. In response to the girl's message, he sent only two lines of text.
Travel to the Old Promenade. Await Further Instruction.
You'll need an airspeeder.
The sky mansion Voph found himself standing in hadn't seen a visitor in years. More than years, if Voph was being honest with himself. The accompanying landing pad still held a familiar wedge-shaped ship, even if covered with a large tarp. Everything about the manor screamed "Deep Freeze." The Airspeeder landing pad was relatively clean, as it was the only part of the mansion that saw regular use. Voph stepped forward into the vestibule, pausing at the mailbox. Letters upon letters, packages, and all other forms of communication lay littered around the box from where the mail droids had indiscriminately dropped them. Voph frowned. He thought he had cleaned that up the last time he was here. Cleaning droid must have broken again.
He turned, walking deeper into the mansion. In the lower levels, there was still a dojo. It even had most of the training assistant droids still intact. Voph stepped into the dark room, and gestured to the light switch. Nothing. He heard a popping sound in the background. He sighed quietly, turning to look at the butler droid he had brought with him. She simply shrugged at him, and said,
"I'll get started." Voph turned, and walked towards small shrine that had been erected at one end of the room. The Crystals poised about the small circle glowed brightly as Voph drew near. Voph sat down in the middle, and pulled his legs into a crossed formation. As he did so, Horace took flight from his perch on Voph's shoulder, and settled upon a sword rack nearby. ,Voph's datapad was summoned once more, and a transmission without message was sent to his mysterious contact. A signal. If she was worth training, she'd be able to follow it to the old mansion.
For now, Voph waited. He set the datapad to the side, and drew a deep breath. It had been a long time since he'd been home. There was much emotion here. Many ghosts of his past still stalked these halls. Paired with his frustration over the lack of answers in his travels, Voph needed time to cool down.
<<This is your nest?>> Voph's brow lofted as the only physical response to Horace's question. That was one of the reasons Voph liked Horace as much as he did. They could talk for hours without speaking a word. <<It was.>> Horace ruffled his feathers quietly, preening himself so as to look presentable for their guest.
<<Why did you leave?>> Voph didn't answer immediately.
<<Too many memories.>> Horace hooted quietly. <<Bad ones?>> Voph's silence was all the answer Horace needed. As the crystals began to glow brighter, and lift from their pedestals, Horace devoted himself to his preening entirely. Voph was done talking. At least, until their guest arrived...
