Private Of Beast and Man

[Arcturus Dinn]

Sand.​

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Always more sand.​

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Thesh felt like that was all he ever saw these days. And they didn't even get the luxury of warmth to accompany it either. Such was life on Korriban.​

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Still it wasn't all bad. There was much on the world to explore if one knew where to look, and Thesh most certainly liked to explore. So too, it would seem, did Melydia Gold as she had accompanied him out into the wastes of the world in search of lost treasures and tombs! Okay, well, perhaps she was more on the search for wee beasties. But it didn't matter. It was nice to not simply be alone within it all for once.​

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Besides, Thesh also hoped to find some creatures of his own. His foray into biological alchemy had been sorely lacking. He had high aspirations, plans for creatures not yet imagined, but he had to break ground with the basics first. His suite still held the little snowmouse he'd acquired from some traders, and one of these days he would put it to good use. He had his plans for it... But he needed to practice some more. Had to give himself time to truly understand the mysticism he had neglected to nurture.​

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He took a swig from his canteen, and then offered it across to the fluttering girl at his side. Even without the heat usually attributed to such sandy dunes, their venture had him working up quite a thirst. No doubt she'd be feeling the same.​

 

[Melydia Gold]

For one seemingly created without any real purpose, Melydia seemed particularly well-suited for the barren landscapes of sand that made up Korriban. Perhaps that was the territory of Sithspawn as a whole - a long history of being living weapons influencing alchemists of today. Whatever the reason, it meant the large insectoid did about as well as the more traditional insects on the planet of sand. Where some would take issue with the constant buffeting of sand, her coarse skin offered some protection, only to peels away the old skin in leafy patches.

Needless to say, being surprisingly well suited for the environment also meant she was oblivious to many of the dangers. Korriban presented. And thus, upon running into Thesh, the bag at her side was fairly empty save for a notebook and bugs she'd already collected. "So, uh, where are we going again?" she asked him, head poking up after a moment of being utterly distracted by a small colony of beetles. If he'd said anything before, she'd very much missed it.

As the canteen was offered, she stared at it for a couple seconds, half looking for a bug or something else she was meant to look at before realizing it was being offered to drink. She gladly accepted with a quick mumble of 'thanks', taking a small swig before returning it, free hand also holding out a very colorful beetle. "This one likes you," she explained.

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

There was a dichotomy within his companion that both intrigued and horrified the boy the more he dwelt upon it. She held a childlike innocence, almost fae in quality, that could do wonders in leaving one defenseless, underestimating her, and yet she held the darkness and corruption within her with a natural grace and elegance. None could deny she was where she was supposed to be. It was fascinating in truth.​

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"We're searching for creatures, remember?" he said, with a cheerful tone and a smile to accompany it. When she gave him back the canteen he attached it to his belt, so it would remain close at hand, and glanced toward the beetle she held up. His head tilted lightly to one side in curiosity. It seemed as though she had already begun the search on her own. He reached out his hand, so that the beetle could cross from hers to his should it will it, and nodded soundly.​

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"Is that so? I never imagined a beetle to have likes. But if anyone were to know, it would be you wouldn't it?"​

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On they trudged. Down from the dunes toward more of a valley, between great walls of sandstone. A natural formation to be sure. More likely to hold what they were looking for than the great wastes though, the walls of such a valley could provide shelter for predator and prey both, and the rocks could trap in moisture. Yes... If it was beasties they sought, someplace like this would house them.​

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"Well, does it have a name?" he inquired. Why not humour the notion... Sometimes it was nice to pass time with more than just silence for company.​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"Oh, yes, right. We weren't sure if there was more to it than that." So often friend collection was more a side goal to others, something done as convenient rather than as mosts' explicit purpose. Knowing another with that same frame of mind was a terrific find, one Melydia was more than happy to add to her admittedly short list of walking friends.

She'd decided she liked Thesh, even more so when he let the beetle up his arm. They'd interacted a couple times, a venture into one of Korriban's tombs, a trip to the angel-people, and he'd yet to do anything that'd suggest he wouldn't be a good friend. She met his smile with one of her own, nodding enthusiastically to answer his question.

"Oh yes, everyone has their preferences. Though perhaps not as loud as others." Loud was a relative term, not quite an accurate description, but also the only one she could think of in the moment.

On they walked, Melydia with an uneven skip in her step, almost as if whatever force drove her forward was trying to send her several directions at once. Her pace was just as uneven, stopping every so often to contemplate a pile of sand or pick up another bug before rushing to make up a few steps of lost ground. She'd spent many hours among the sands, could spend even more just by herself, just observing sights and collecting friends. Even the valley she'd explored bits and pieces of, though not too much - the sandstone walls that towered above them lead one to feel almost trapped in the bowl shape this valley formed.

When Thesh asked the beetle's name, she paused, head tilting to the side in deep contemplation. "Probably. Or it did at one point. You'll have to ask." she said the last bit with a nod. "They don't always like to share them. Names have power, after all."

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Did you want there to be more than that?" he asked, with genuine curiosity, shifting his gaze over to her as he spoke. Did there need to be more to it than that? Could one not simply explore the landscape while hunting down the wee beasties which lurked within? He supposed there were many within the Academy who might view such as idle work, unnecessary, but if Thesh wished to pursue his craft he needed specimens no? And who better to accompany him than one who also appreciated them at their core.​

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As they sank into the valley he pondered this, as well as the statement she made on names. It was true he knew, there was a certain power in a name. He had often wondered if that was why those who delved into more mystical crafts often named their creations. Swords, and creatures, and the like. In a way it was why he had resisted giving out his new name to those he met, why he fell upon the term Thesh so often as opposed to Arcturus. One had been foistered off on him as a slave, and with those binds broken it held no power over him. The other he had seized for himself. He wanted to keep it that way. His.​

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"What say you, little bug?" he inquired, lifting his hand up so he could observe it as they walked on, "Got a name for me?"​

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If it answered he had no way of knowing. ​

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Perhaps it was better that way.​

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As they delved deeper into that valley a sound was roused not too far from them. It was loud, bestial in nature, and ordinarily he might have felt some sense of fear upon hearing it. But there was a pained edge to it ... Whatever it was, it was suffering. And though those who suffered could often make for a mean foe, he also knew it likely meant they were injured.​

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It was a double edged sword to be sure.​

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He glanced to Melydia Gold and wondered if she'd want to investigate it as much as he did.​

 

[Melydia Gold]

Her head tilted to the side, considering Arcturus Dinn 's question. Did there need to be another goal? And if need wasn't the question, did she want there to be more? "No," she decided, drawing the vowel out into a dissonant note. "No this is just fine. More than fine, actually. New friends are worth more than a side mission." She certainly would like to think so, at least. Just as she'd like to hope that her own friendship was worth more than a side mission.

She glanced back at Thesh as he addressed the bug, a pleased grin and the hint of a chuckle in her voice. The bugs answered, in their own way and on their own time. Whether or not Thesh would learn that would also remain to be seen. Still, watching his attempt a communication was amusing, touching, even. Even if his ears were unattuned to the insects, at least currently, the foundations were certainly there.

The idea of another sharing such talents had Melydia buzzing with excitement.

As the pained sound floated over the sands, her brow furrowed, concern etched into her features. Something was hurt, suffering even. And while certain teachings might encourage relishing in such strong emotion, Melydia's core turned cold at the prospect of a friend-to-be in pain. It seemed Thesh heard it too, judging by the look he cast in her direction. Meeting his gaze with wide eyes, her head tilted towards the direction of the sound, indicating that they should head that way.

She was quick to head towards the voice once the decision was made, running through the sand and taking flight when it'd rather inhibit her steps. Slowing as the wail grew louder, to the point in which they were only meters away, she cast another look at Thesh. "Should we?" she started, cut off by another pained wail. And with that, she advanced without another thought.

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

All focus on names and ulterior motives and tasks were set to the wayside with that pained shriek.​

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He didn't even need to answer the woman, it was as though the two moved as one in that moment, both set into motion at the same exact time as they made their way further on and around into the pass wherein those cries were calling out from. Dust kicked up with each step as they treaded a path which had not often been visited, certainly not by man.​

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And as it came before them in all its majesty, all that Thesh could do was stand and stare with wide eyes at what lay ahead.​

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Terentatek.​

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The largest of the beasts was the one which moaned in pain, writhing on the ground where it lay in a state close to death. They didn't have to be near it to diagnose as much, though without treading closer they had no way of actually knowing the how and why of it. Pitiful really that such a beast be subjected to this, reduced to this. In health it would have torn through the two of them in mere seconds.​

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Now it barely even noticed them.​

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She wasn't alone though. Around her lay a cluster of eggs, some of which had begun to hatch and others which were still trying to wriggle free. A somber realization settled over him then, that without their mother the rest would suffer a similar fate no doubt. Unless they were resilient out of their shells. He didn't know enough about terentek young to answer that.​

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So he looked to Melydia, concern and curiousity mixed upon his expression.​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

Her gaze zeroed in on the pained creature, a sharp gasp tearing from her throat. Wayward dust or perhaps something much more poised several tiny knives into the corners of her eyes as she took in the Terentatek and her hatching youth. While others would shy away, intimidated by the beast's fearsome reputation, the insectoid instead only felt a ping of sorrow for the creature.

It wasn't fair, to see such a beauty of a creature reduced to such a weakened state. It felt wrong, like she should tear her gaze away from the sight. Yet she was utterly transfixed, meeting Thesh's gaze for only a moment before advancing toward the creature with a hurried pace.

She stopped shortly thereafter, slowing herself to a far more calm approach. Hands up and away from her belt with open palms, as if to tell the mother Terentatek that she meant no harm. Any concept of self-preservation had flown out the canyon the moment she realized there was a creature in need, but even then she knew better than to rush upon a dying creature.

"It's okay," she murmured softly, slowing her approach even more as she drew closer. "We seek not to hurt you, only to help." She cast another glance in Thesh's direction, eyes wide and watering in a silent plea. Should she try to fix the creature? Or grant her a swifter rest? And if the latter, what to do with the hatchlings?

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thesh was perhaps more moved by the way in which Melydia Gold reacted than the tragedy of the beast itself.​

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It was a strange experience to be sure, odd and surreal to witness one of the greats brought to such a low, but that was the way of things. Nature, that vicious cycle of life. He walked forward alongside the insectoid, at a slower pace, and thus arrived at her side shortly after she paused.​

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He could feel her eyes upon him, looked her way and saw the way in which she pleaded. Longed for something, anything, to be done about it. He sighed, and stretched the Force out around them. The beast was wounded, and as he stumbled upon the cause of it he could do little more than shake his head.​

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"There's nothing I can do for her" he told the girl, though his eyes drifted to the hatching young. "Though perhaps there is something we can do for the young?"​

 

[Melydia Gold]

There was perhaps just a glimmer of hope as Thesh turned to the creature. Melydia wasn't informed of his skill set, had only interacted with the other acolyte on a handful of occasions, maybe he had something up his sleeve. That spark of hope was quickly dashed, however, when he answered her silent question.

He brought forth another point, however, referring to the small ones hatching alongside their dying mother. Left alone, they wouldn't last long, either fated to starve or be picked off by other predators. It wouldn't be fair, not to these young.

"We could bring them with us," she said quietly, as if to avoid the mother hearing. She cast a glance at the hatching youth, taking note of the small clutch. Taking them with would grant these creatures a second chance, assuming they could survive youth without their mother. They could be added to the ever-growing collection of beings Melydia considered friends. Companions that'd be nearly impossible to gather with their adult temperament and natural strength.

She cast another glance at the dying mother, brow furrowing as she did so. They could help the young, yes. But they also couldn't just take the eggs while she was still awake in so much pain.

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thesh nodded in agreement to Melydia's solution.​

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Bringing them back with them would ensure they had at least some small measure of survival guaranteed. How long they'd be able to be kept by the pair was difficult to say or know for sure, he wasn't well versed in Terentatek biology. How fast would they grow? How soon would they become a threat?​

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"Yes, let's do what we can for them."​

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He didn't approach them yet though. There was a sadness which washed over him in the seconds following that statement, but also steadfast resolve.​

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"We can't just let her suffer in death," he finally stated, "If you'd like, you can gather up the young and head back so you don't have to bear witness?"​

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Hopefully she understood what he meant by this. Mercy wasn't a sign of weakness, though it wasn't something Sith were often want to show. All the same Thesh exhibited it in that moment.​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

With Thesh's agreement, Melydia turned to the eggs with renewed interest, shifting to get a better look at their state, though not touching them yet for fear the mother would worsen her state to defend them one last time. They seemed healthy, at least she thought - she was far from an expert in such creatures in their youth (not yet, anyway). A childish notion of having never seen them super young before would've suggested that they were never in eggs to begin with - just spawning from the ether as small entities of rage. That notion, however, was quickly absolved, with the eggs before her only further proof of such.

At the suggestion that she start gathering the eggs and move on, her brow furrowed, a rare moment of insight catching on to the truth within Thesh's words. She didn't like it - it felt like cheating to give up on a creature so soon - but she also couldn't deny the truth within the notion. It was better to end things than to further the creature's suffering.

She gave a slow nod, steeling herself as she once again turned to the mother. A few bugs flew out from under her sleeve as she moved to place a hand on the wounded creature. Decomposers, those who would usher the process of returning the mother to the sands once the deed was done. "We will watch over your little ones," she promised the creature, the dissonance that followed her voice echoing in a way it hadn't before. "These ones will ensure your quick return to the hive."

And with nothing more to say, she retracted her hand. Shifting away from the mother, she took up two of the hatching eggs in her arms and, casting one last look of sorrow between both Thesh and the wounded one, started to carry them away.

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Though it pained her, Melydia seemed to understand what it was he was suggesting as well as its necessity. She spoke to the creature in a way which made it seem as though it understood, the words uttered for more than the girl's own peace of mind. He waited for her to venture away, offering little more than silence in that moment. What was there to even say?​

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Once she had taken up two of the eggs, and was no longer in view, he turned to the dying creature and frowned rather sadly. "I'm sorry that you've suffered so," he informed the dying mother. He took just a few steps toward it, before thinking better of it and simply reaching out a hand. The air shifted some as he drew upon the Force, and slowly but surely the life faded from the already dying form. Gentle in the end, he could have been far more brutal had he wished it, pulled out his lightsaber and made use of it on some of the weaker points of a usually very resistant creature.​

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There were several more eggs lying around, a couple were hatching and others were not yet ready. He was unsure if the latter would survive should they not begin the process soon, unless Melydia Gold had some sort of incubator or knew of one who did. For now his attention remained upon the mother, one hand slowly reached out and touched upon her hide. It was a sacred act, one he would not have had an opportunity to partake in should these circumstances not have come to be. She was a beauty, despite the danger she had held within her. And truly it was a shame to let her go to waste.​

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Would his companion approve of the thoughts which had come to his mind? Would she want to see the creature celebrated as he did? Or did she simply wish for it to decay back into the earth in totality?​

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Keeping an eye upon the eggs, he set to work all the same. He could only hope that Melydia would approve of the end result.​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She walked the sands, heading towards the entrance of this area from whence they had originated. Her pace wasn't particularly fast, though she certainly didn't dawdle. Better to shield the soon-to-be hatching ones, at least that's what she told herself. Yet she didn't tread too far for fear of losing Thesh and the other eggs to the sands. She set the eggs down, bringing herself down to sit with them and wait.

And waited.

Thesh was taking an awfully long time, perhaps the mother had more life to her than originally thought? Or perhaps another predator had come along. Maybe Thesh and the others were also in danger or already gone. No, that didn't make sense, her insects left behind would've reached out. Still, Melydia grew anxious waiting. So much so that she set about burying the eggs in the sand, hoping to hide them just long enough for her to go back and check on the others, leaving a handful of bugs to watch over them.

The journey back to where they had found the mother was much shorter, wings fluttering to move things along now that she was no longer carrying the eggs. As she drew closer, a sense of relief washed over her as Thesh came into view, seemingly unharmed. But he was doing more than granted the mother a quick slumber and gathering the eggs. With brow furrowed, Melydia continued her approach, keeping to the air with the intent of mitigating the signs of her arrival.

"What are you doing?"

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Slowly, deftly, he worked on removing the magnificent hide of the creature he'd never once seen so close up. He was gentle, careful not to tear at it and risk wasting too much of it. He wasn't the greatest at this sort of thing, but he did have experience. Each time he skinned he got better at it, but he'd never been this focused before. He'd never given the corpse so much attention.​

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So much attention, in fact, that he did not notice the flutter of wings in the air. He did not know that he was no longer alone until the voice rang out, and it was enough to make him jump. He turned his head and glanced at his companion, arms bloody up to the elbows, and frowned softly.​

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"I could not bear the thought of her going to waste," came his explanation, one he dearly hoped she would understand. Though he knew there was a chance she might not. That she might disagree with his decision here, "I wish to honor her, allow her to live on in some form or another... I'm sorry, I should have spoken to you about it first..."​

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He inclined his head some, most of the hide was now free from the rest of the body and he freely allowed the girl's bugs to worm their way inside in order to feast, to return her back to nature.​

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"I simply thought that her beauty should be celebrated."​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

Her head tilted slowly from one side to the other throughout his explanation, contemplated his words with a lacking expression that was often so characteristic of the insectoid. Said explanation was...odd to process. On one hand, there was nothing to be done for the mother. Returning her to nature, using the pieces of her as best they could was perhaps preferable over letting her decay whole.

One the other hand, finding out about it after the process had begun, only by catching Thesh in the act, that didn't necessarily sit well with Melydia. There was some comfort to be found, she supposed, in knowing the creature truly had been doomed to begin with. If that hadn't been the case, perhaps then Melydia would've truly spoken up. Now she regarded Thesh with a rarely reserved expression.

"What do you plan on doing with her?" she asked, drawing closer to the butchered carcass, though making a point to keep it now between herself and Thesh. Amber eyes drifted to his blood-soaked hands and once more to the remaining eggs in the clutch. "What's left of her at least. Or are you done with the harvesting?" She didn't mean to express an opinion on the matter, whatever opinion she might've had struggling to develop itself.

"How does one celebrate the dead?"

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

His companion wasn't so sure about his decision, he realized rather glumly. She approached him but still remained at a distance, keeping the body between the both of them. Her gaze drifted to the eggs he'd been keeping an eye on, each was still safe and relatively in tact, one or two were beginning to try and worm their way out of their shells but it would be a little while longer before that happened.​

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He tried to catch her gaze when she looked back his way.​

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"Terentatek hide is beautiful, it is hardy, there is much we could do with it. The same goes for the tusks..." There was plenty of venom within it too, that could be harvested and utilized. He knew not everyone would agree with his thoughts on such, that the dead should be left to naturally decompose, but it felt like such a waste to him.​

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"Celebrate the dead? By making sure their death was not in vain. By allowing their memory to live on. The tusks could be crafted into hilts, and with them we could create weapons with which to protect the children she unwillingly left behind. The rest... The rest can be returned to the ground. Provide sustenance to the other creatures of this barren world."​

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His gaze dropped, a slight frown playing over his expression.​

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"I really am sorry. I didn't even consider it until she was lay here before me, dead. It seemed so wrong for her to go to waste..."​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She met his words with a long silence, a blank stare offering not even a preamble toward what she might be thinking. And she wasn't entirely certain what she was thinking, either, the thoughts jumbling together. Was she disappointed? No, that would've required preexisting expectations. Hurt? Maybe? But the sort of hurt one would experience from a mild sunburn - mostly dull, lingering but only when addressed.

"What is beautiful?" She at least asked, meeting Thesh's gaze with an intensity not often afforded to the insectoid. "We understand useful, certainly - there is much that could be made of the dead. But you use beautiful in a way we hear associated with very unlike entities. That, we do not understand."

"And what is there to celebrate?" the sithling continued on, gesturing toward the corpse in added emphasis. "The dead are the dead - except for when they wake. Which they do tend to do that quite a bit here." A quick shake of the head returned her from the wayward train of thought.

"You needn't apologize, we think." The last bit was tacked on quickly, as if Melydia herself wasn't sure. "We just don't understand."

Arcturus Dinn ​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

His expression crumpled into one of dumbfoundedness as she posed her questions. It wasn't the questions themselves, they were wonderful and thought provoking, simply that he... well... didn't really have a good answer for them.​

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"Beautiful, is..." how the heck did one define beauty? "Well, you see, it's..." Was there any one way to define it? "It's sort of different for everyone, I suppose. I know most would look at this and just see a dead animal. They'd be saddened, but there wouldn't be much beyond that. Perhaps they'd find it revolting, to be around a corpse. Most would I imagine."​

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A corpse, and a monstrous corpse at that, was certainly not inherently beautiful. Yet he had referred to parts of it as such anyway.​

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"But I'm a craftsman at heart, I see more than just what is... I see what could be. And I see beauty in the future of this hide. When it becomes a nice supple leather, when it can be worked into something new and unique. So I suppose I speak of its potential." Was that a good answer? Maybe not. Not for someone who was confused by the very premise to begin with.​

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He frowned.​

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"Most celebrate their dead for the lives they lived. They build effigies and tombs and monuments in their memory. Sure, I did not know this particular creature, and were it something else - something more mundane and populous - I might not feel the need to celebrate it, would not feel the need in fact... But Terentatek are rare, magnificent beasts. Monstrous, dangerous, deadly... But something special, too, I reckon. I know most wouldn't agree with me on that. I don't expect you to agree with me on that either."​

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Melydia Gold ​

 

[Melydia Gold]

As Thesh went on with his explanation, the furrow of Melydia's brow didn't ease. Nor did the degree in which her head tilted to the side, just shifting sides every so often. "We are, well...We don't know what we are at heart." One hand rose from its resting droop, an object of study as the insectoid tried to piece both the information and her own words together. A collector? No, that was someone else. A maker? Maybe, but perhaps there was another layer to add to that.

"We are, hmm yes we do think this is the right word. We are a swarm," she offered, looking up from her momentary focus as a beetle flew from her palm to land on one of the eggs. Questions of existentialism and words aside, they had young ones to tend to. Especially now that their mother was but a pile of material and flesh. At any time now, predators could catch scent of the spilled blood. They would do well to tend to that and become scarce themselves.

"We still don't understand, but we think, perhaps, that is okay. If you're done with the harvesting, however, we have a lot of carrying to do. More now, with your, uh, crafting supplies." With Thesh's approval, a small swarm of beetles and other bugs would move in on the corpse with the gesture of a hand, ready to consume, to decompose. Something to cover their tracks while providing more energy for the hive as a whole. "These ones may hold an egg or two, but they will not be very fast in doing so. We must be vigilant."

Arcturus Dinn ​