Plate of Escargot

[Liliane]

"Hmm, yeah, seems logical."

She looked at the area Micah had pointed at, after which she took a deep breath. This was going to be a crazy fight. Sentient beings were able to think logically and therefore it was actually easy to tell what they would do if they were attacked. But that snail was definitely not sentient in any way, which of course meant she had no idea how difficult it would all actually be. All the unimaginable ways it could react made her feel a little bit odd inside.

But if Micah knew how to do these things, she figured they were safe. At least until she did something completely stupid.

She was actually mostly afraid of using the Force. She didn't know about the young Talith, but she was definitely terrified as hell when she thought about having to use her powers in front of a friend. It could have been a good thing, of course, because then a complete stranger wouldn't see how untalented she was... But still...

Anxiety was a weird emotion.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

One didn’t have to be an empath to register the waves of anxiety that was coming from the brunette. A thick eyebrow perked under the mop of long bangs that constantly fell over his eyes, concern setting upon the scruffy faced teenager’s face.

“You okay?” he asked her, tightening and securing the straps of his glove. The Lorrdian let his gaze appraise her body language, reading her apprehension like a book. No, it didn’t have to do with their would be bit of Escargot. This was something more.

“They do roll quite easily.” he assured her, a crooked grin brightening his expression in his attempt to soothe her.

“Maybe a bit too easily once you get them going, but they won’t be too much trouble.”

 

[Liliane]

"You think so?" Lilin asked, still lacking confidence and radiating an aura of anxiety and fear. She didn't know how much these beast weighed or how much Force she would have to use for them, so she thought her fears were completely justified.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply as she looked at the boy and nodded, her eyes saying, 'I'm a powerful woman, I can do this'.

"Alright, we can do this," she said after understanding there was actually nothing to be afraid of.

She really needed the shell pieces of the beast and she wouldn't back down anymore. She'd been too doubtful already, now was the time to act and do what she can to actually get her armour done.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]


“There we go!” Micah would exclaim with light hearted approval. His fingers gave Lilin’s chin a slight upward rap in encouragement. “That’s the spirit.”

Cheeky grin, he flexed his gloved hands and swiveled towards their objective. The Greater Calama.

“Right, let’s get a bit closer and then we’ll start.” he would inform her, motioning for the younger brunette to follow. He took a step forward, walking across the pitch black pebbled ground towards the edge of the basin. The heat would rise up in waves, scattering mirage illusions across the basin. A few slow moving rivers of lava edged it, and Micah would caution Lilin to watch her step.

Finally, they came to a halt about twenty meters from the snail.

“Okay,” he spoke low, glancing at Lilin from the corner of his eyes. “We do this together. At the count of three.” He took a deep breath.

“One.”

HIs hands rose up.

“Two.”

The bright orange of his eyes began to glow as the Talith summoned the Force.

“Three!”

Telekinetic tendrils would cut across the din towards their objective. A slight grimace and then a sharp tug that would work along side Lilin in an attempt to roll the snail onto its back.

 

[Liliane]

Following the Talith boy's lead, Lilin made it across the pebbles and burning fiery lava, barely bearing the heat. But she couldn't give up however uncomfortable she felt -- the goal was something far more superior than the little moment of discomfort she would feel at that moment.

She looked at the boy and was sure together they'd be able to get the shell pieces they needed.

She smiled, which was followed up with her head turning towards the huge snail. They could do it. Lilin could do it. Micah could do it. Together, they'd be strong enough.

The girl had to admit, she had never, at least to her knowledge, used the Force together with somebody else to make the effects of the power stronger. She'd only worked alone, so she didn't quite know how such a telekinetic teamwork would go.

But she had to be optimistic about it.

When the boy made it to number three, she gave her best to move the snail. She could feel the air around the two shaking in patterns she'd never sensed before. Both of them using their powers for a common goal must have made the ripples even stronger than they would have been if a single Force user used their powers.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]


The massive snail sunk into its shell as it suddenly began to move. The two teenagers managed to heave the the Greater Calama right onto its back, where it landed on a small little divet in the black, cooled lava.

“Whoa, whoa… okay..” he added, hands extended to make sure the snail didn’t continue shifting. “Let’s steady him out.” he told her, maintaining his connection with the Force for the telekinesis required to do this. His feet stumbled a bit, moving forward over the steaming black ground and closer to the snail.

“There we go, steady…” he encouraged Lilin. After a few moments, the wobble of the snail slowed into a stop. It’s inhabitant already shoved its foot upon the entrance, keeping himself locked in.

“Good job!” he told her. Now came the tough part.

 

[Liliane]

Lilin could feel the energy of the Force empowering her -- it was a feeling which she'd never felt before. Not because she did something extraordinary nor was it because of using the Force along with somebody. It was more of a feeling of success. Y'know, Lilin was really bad with the Force and that's why she was a fighter, not a seer or anything. For the first time really, she felt like she was able to do something.

She looked at the snail and its fragile, innocent, helpless look. There was this spark about it that made the girl feel a little bit like a barbarian for having to destroy it. Was getting an armour really worth all of that? Well, yeah, maybe it was. But the crippling feeling of heartache remained inside her.

"What now?" she asked. Yeah, she was not a professional at such things. She was no hunter or a gatherer -- all she did was wander around and light up the darkness the Sith produced. So there were was much for her to learn about life. And about making an armour, perhaps.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

Micah was much like his father in this. There was no hiding the fact that for what they required they needed to get its shell. How much well, that was dependent on them both.

"Well... that depends." he told her. The shell of the Greater Calama was strong, much like hijara stone. Some similar species simply left their shells and produced another. However, the Greater Calama was not the sort to do that.

"You said you were looking to get enough for one piece of armor?" These creatures could live hundreds of years, simply creating more and more hoops for their heavy shells. Sometimes a few pieces could get chipped off, but doing that took time.

"I'm looking at about the same." his brows drew together, and he narrowed his gaze upon the helpless looking Greater Calama. "This is a small one," small one being that it was still relatively larger than both of them. Starting out towards the upside down snail, Micah called out. "We only take what we need; and use all of it. " waste not, want not.

"I'll take care of it." he looked back at her. "We'll need to take the rest back to the ship. I can prep it there. Can't quite do that out here." a finger gestured at the volcanic area they were in.

 

[Liliane]

"Yes, for some details on the armour," Lilin replied, looking at Micah. She feared just bare glistaweb wouldn't have provided her all of the protection she needed, meaning she would have to strengthen some strategic areas. The stomach area, mostly, but shoulders and some other body parts as well. So that she could really fight, not be afraid of getting hit.

"Agreed," she said as a reply to Micah's decision to only take as much as they needed and use all of that. She didn't really know how to work on the rather durable and odd material, so she would gladly leave the work to Micah.

However, she didn't necessarily feel good for letting the boy do the work she should have done.

"If you want, I can help with that. If I am of any use," she said, referring to her complete uselessness at doing anything productive. Oh well, at least she was a good fighter, so she didn't really care that much about daily actions which she managed to fail at.

Had it been months ago, she wouldn't have felt that insecure about her skills. Oh how she missed her teenage years when she didn't care about anything.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

Micah gave a pause, tilting his head to the right a bit. The Lorrdian in him caught the subtle nuances that detailed that perhaps there was more than met the eye with the offer. He frowned a bit, but it was quickly replaced with a half smile.

"You can help." he told her, beckoning with a crook of two fingers. "But we'll have to put him down as cleanly as we can." it was not only practical but ethical that way. For Micah, he was well used to hunting and trapping. Times spent on Onderon with the Beast Riders taught him much in that aspect. They may be hunting for natural materials, but Micah wasn't cruel.

"Have you ever tracked an hunted any other creatures?" he asked her, curious. "For your own food or anything of the sort?'

 

[Liliane]

"Uh, well, not really," Lilin was being honest. "Not much of a person to hunt animals."

Lilin was not a vegetarian, nor was she a huge animal lover to the degree that she would march with fanatic posters on the streets. She just didn't like killing animals, just like she didn't really love killing people. In her heart, she was a fragile little girl, not a merciless warrior she was supposed to be. Form time to time, she would tell herself it was alright that she would never be like the others, but every time she did so, she had to admit to herself it was a lie.

"You are a hunter?" she asked from the boy. "I know you travel and adventure a lot. I've seen you do stuff."

She tried to focus on the snail as well, but she just couldn't remain silent as if she was a poor shy girl. She was nothing like that.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

He gave Lilin a crooked smile, keeping a pace to match her stride as they came up to the Greater Calama rolled onto its back. "I guess you can say that." he told her plainly.

"Spent some time with the Beast riders at Onderon." he'd explain, giving her a glance through the corners of his eyes. "Then learned a bit more when I was on Yavin." his time spent there with is mother let him experience Mandalorian culture, the witches, and that wasn't even including the rest of his family.

"Just fun to track things I guess." he was good at that. It had come late in his life, considering his sisters all managed to find the things they were good at first. They came to a stop in front of the great shell. It was a good two and a half meters tall and just as wide. A lightsaber would take some time to go through the shell; which meant he had to come from above. He learned that from working with his uncle Dissero at the Marrow & Illkins shop. It was where he'll be taking back any extra shell for his uncle to sell. After seeing the creations Micah made, his uncle had offered him a part time position at the shop to not only learn and promote his trade, but to also feel as if he was making a contribution. Now, where ever and whenever he went off to hunt, anything extra that he brought with him or trinkets he made that he wanted to sell, he would sell through that shop.

"Although... never had Calama snail before." he said, flashing the young girl a half smile. A second later, he took the Tir stunner from his hip. Typically, the setting would knock a creature unconscious. Dial it up any higher, and it could kill them. A far more merciful kill.

 

[Liliane]

It was interesting to hear somebody talking like that about the things they liked. Lilin loved the enthusiasm and deeper understanding of things people had when they talked about a thing they either loved to do or which they were good at. She could only hope she was like that when she talked to people about lightsaber swiping and dueling.

"I didn't even know they existed as of late. So..." Lilin replied to the man's comment about never having had a calama snail before. Many species in the galaxy were rare and yet to be discovered. And even though the existence of such snails was documented, much too many people had never learned anything about them. Lilin had been one of them before she started researching potential material for her armour.

She didn't love killing innocent people and animals - or even generally hurting them - but sometimes she had to do things she didn't like to do. This was one of these moments.

Her eyes moved to the snail. A large one, probably a little bit too much for her to handle. But Micah looked like he was doing his thing and knew exactly how to handle such a beast. Thank goodness Lilin had thought to come to this adventure with this Talith.

She couldn't even imagine coming with anybody else.

Looking at the weapon the man had taken out, she only had one thought running through her head. "You are not going to kill it, right?"

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

"Kill it?" he echoed her, bright orange eyes glancing down at her. "Nah." he shook his head. Although he could very well have done so. "This guy has been alive for some time." he gave a pat to the snail with his hand.

"I'm gonna knock it out cold. It will take a few hours to get the amount of shell we need." he told her. "He'll grow it back, use his secretions to start stimulating growth." this close to the snail gave off a rather wretched sensation in the pit of his stomach. Just a side effect of what was the snail's natural defense.

"But i need him unconcious or else we'll be spilling our guts into floor with him constantly giving off that aura." he told her. With that, he pointed the Tir stunner at the snail and gave it two quick shots. The snail gave a twitch, then sunk in deeper into the shell, revealing a good half meter ring around by the foot that they would be able to cut out.

"Now for the long bit." he said, taking out his lightsaber. "We'll have to take turns... otherwise... arms will hurt."

 

[Liliane]

Lilin nodded. It was pretty easy to tell the shell was too resistant to lightsabers to just cut through it. She had no idea how long it would take the two to get through it, but she was sure with the help of the Force, they could manage. If they didn't drain their energy and used their powers wisely, they could keep up for long.

And it was especially good that Micah still had no intention to kill the creature. It had done nothing bad to the two, so Lilin completely supported keeping it alive.

"It is quite a giant shell," she said. "I truly hope the shell grows back well, because I think we could make two sets of armours out of it. I mean, I have enough of the glistaweb for that."

Oh how she hated herself for having said that. She was the one worrying about animals' lives, yet now she was the one to say that they should grab more than the material required for one armour and whatever Micah was doing with his portion.

"Uh, so I could give the other to somebody else or something."

She took a look at her lightsaber and then at her current clothing. Soon she would be jumping from mission to mission with a real protective layer, not just a simple set of clothes. Her tailoring skills weren't the best, but with the help from the locals of her home planet, perhaps she could make something fairly decent.

So that she would be protected. But she had no idea whom she would give the second set to.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

Hearing her as she semi awkwardly went through explaining what she was planning. Lilin was an expressive girl. She wore her emotions on her heartshaped face, in the stance of her body, in how she rocked her heels and bit her lower lip. The mischievous crooked grin was back upon the Talith's face.

"That you could," He agreed, giving a small grunt and a bit of a sigh of relief as the aura around the snail began to fade with it now unconscious. He tucked away the Tir stunner in its holster.

"Guess it depends on how giving you are feeling," he teased her, trying to get her to relax. His saber came off his hip with a small tug from the magnetic clip. A second later, he began to adjust the length and the power output. He wanted a shorter blade and a hotter core. It would make it easier for him to work.

"So tell me about the armor you are planning on making." he asked her, wanting to keep her talking. She did have a nice voice and well, Micah was terribly nosy when it came to crafting things. He liked tinkering and was curious what Lilin was planning.

 

[Liliane]

Lilin took her own lightsaber out, adjusting the settings. She didn't know if she would have to use her own blade or not, but she could feel a Force user would never want to lend their weapon to anybody else, so it was safe to assume she would have to use her own saber. Micah seemed to go for a short hot blade, so the girl did the same, although hers couldn't really get short enough.

"I have done some research, as much as I could," she started talking about her armour, hoping that the boy wouldn't tease her about what she had planned. He looked like a very mischievous person. "I want quite a skin-tight thing so that it wouldn't get in the way. So glistaweb."

She finished working on her lightsaber's setting and looked at the Talith. He was working on the shell, seemingly having a difficult time getting through the resistant shell. How much force she would have to use to work her way through that, she had no idea. But it looked very hard.

"It should still let me move freely," she added.

The mental picture of the armour was most likely completely different from what she could make, considering her skills levels. At least she would have two chances to get it right, if she truly was going to make two of these armours.

Maybe she could make the second one a male version of that?

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

"Glista web?" Micah gave an arch of his eyebrowsd. "Vongtech?" the fabric in question was actually a biomaterial crafted by the Yuuzhan Vong. He knew that AEL sold the material, but it was an interesting choice.

"Why Glistaweb?" he asked her, moving up close to start the cutting. He plopped himself on top of the foot of the snail. It had made a rather sunken if not sticky perch for him to work with. His voice would echo due to the acoustics within the shell.

"Are you just looking for the blaster protection?"

 

[Liliane]

"Yes. Vong tech," Lilin said. She was definitely not a supporter of the Yuuzhan Vong, especially because of what she'd learned from history, as well as because of their allegiance to the One Sith. At least, most of their allegiance. She didn't know if all of them worked for the government. But a very specific violent branch had done so.

That meant Lilin tried to avoid anything Vong-related. Up until this point in time. She had to note this material was incredible for what she tried to achieve. She was not an armoursmith or a real tailor or a scientist, but she found the interesting unique properties of the material extremely irresistible.

"It is durable. For what it is, I mean. A simple piece of cloth, but blaster-resistant," she said, doing her best not to say anything wrong. Micah probably knew a lot about different materials. He was an alchemist (or enchanter or however they called these) from what she had heard, so he must have known something about these things.

"But..." she started to add to her comment, blushing sightly at what she was going to say. She was a woman, so she had some specific needs, right? "... it's also quite beautiful."

She had seen glistaweb. It was stunning. And if it were able to give her an advantage in battle - turning enemies' attention to her armour, not on herself, that is - she needed it.

[ [member="Micah Talith"] ]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

The small bit of pleasure in Lilin's voice at describing the fabric made Micah smile a secret smile. Living with four other five other females - his mother, sisters,and Vexen - made the Talith all too aware of the bits of fascination they could have at something that looked pretty and shiny. His mother collected crystals and rocks for that reason. Maleah enjoyed trinkets. Aela with her pretty dresses and of course, Kai was ecstatic over anything that had to do with shiny bits of metal and electronics.

"That it does." he agreed, his voice echoing from his seat. The hot blade of plasma slowly cut into the shell. It would take a while and a steady hand to do this. Likely be hours before they were done.

"Flows like water, and it is pretty strong. " he added. "There's also simmersilk or shell spidersilk if you are looking for any other options. They give you blaster protection as well."

A thought.

"So you are going for a more lightweight armor?' he asked.