Private Secret Tunnel!

[Klar]

A ring of stones to arrest the flame! Sand was basically just little stones. It made sense when you said it out lout, but Klar had spent her whole life in the city or in space. Basic survival skills were still new and exciting to her. She studied intently as Xuko demonstrated the proper way to make a small fire pit, helped gather fire wood and stack it in a useful spot, and kept their provisions secured in the trunk of the speeder bike. It was honestly pretty exciting - making a little home away from home out of nothing! She sincerely hoped that getting to teach her a thing for once was as fun for Xuko as it was to learn from him,.

Putting up her little tent took some doing. All the collapsible rods and catches and holes and such. Klar eventually figured it out, but it wasn't the easiest thing she'd ever done.

As she settled in on the grass with a thermos of iced tea and a bottle of antiseptic, Klar considered Xuko's question. "I kind of want to swim? But I have no idea how." She laughed, dabbing antiseptic gel on the small cuts and abrasions she'd gotten all over her legs and arms down in the cave. "I think it could be fun to walk around the lake, check the area out. We might even be able to get back by nightfall if we go right now, but I'm noooot sure. I guess it depends on how many interesting things there are to look at or talk about."

The Codru-Ji glanced up from her work with a grin. "Sunbathing must sound like the dumbest thing on the planet to you, huh?" She laughed. "I just realized. "Do you think there's any good things nearby we could forage up for an authentic 'roughin' it' experience? Mushrooms or whatever?"

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko considered the options that Klar laid out, glancing out at the lake and trying to estimate it's circumference. She was right, he realized; a walk around the lake would most likely take up the rest of their sunlight, and then some. That didn't rule out the possibility of a shorter walk, but it did knock it down the list for Xuko.

As interesting as foraging sounded, Xuko was hesitant to commit to that as well. "Were this Iridonia I could tell you what was safe to eat and what was not, but I am not confident in my knowledge of Tython's plants" he replied. "Better to eat what we have brought with us this time." If her survival book had a guide they could use that, but he'd wait for her to confirm or deny.

That left swimming or sunbathing. The ghost of a smile appeared on Xuko's face as he recognized the irony behind Klar's statement, but in truth he didn't feel strongly one way or another; this was Klar's expedition, and whichever she preferred he would be fine with. "Sunbathing or swimming" he suggested, leaving the final decision to her. "The feeling of sun on one's skin is pleasant and I would enjoy that" he said, "Or I could also show you what I have learned about swimming" Although open water- especially open water not immediately used for drinking- was exceedingly rare on Iridonia, his father had made sure to give him lessons when the opportunity arose. Xuko decided that he wouldn't emulate his father's method of throwing him into the deep end and yelling, "Varr Shak!"

Probably.

"Which would you prefer?"

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar considered her options, weighing her desire to learn how to swim against the fact that her arms and legs were covered in tiny cuts she'd just treated, and that her shoulder was still a bit sore from being squeezed between some rocks. Going down that 45 meter climb hadn't been too hard, but coming back up in a hurry had been. "I think we've faced down enough elemental forces for one day." Klar decided with a sheepish laugh. "Tomorrow we can look into swimming or a hike. I think I'd like to relax for a little."

Embarrassing herself might be fun, though. "Moonlight swim might be fun, too." She added slyly. "In the shallow bits."

Klar stood, stretched, then offered Xuko a warm smile. "I'm glad we're out here." She promised earnestly, patting his shoulder. "Thanks for trusting me back there, too."

And with that said, Klar departed towards her tent. "Gonna get changed! Find us a good spot to lay out and relax!" The blonde requested cheerfully as she bounced off.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

"Sunbathing it is" Xuko nodded in acceptance of the choice. Given their earlier experiences in the cave system, time spent either prone or supine on the ground sounded just fine with him. The sun on Tython was much less harsh than on Iridonia, making the pastime something to be enjoyed instead of endured. "If you wish to go swimming later, just let me know." Although the Codru-Ji had expressed interest in learning to swim, given his own experience earlier today Xuko wasn't about to force her to do something that could potentially be outside of her comfort zone.

Even if a moonlit swim with Klar sounded nice.

"Thank you for helping me" Xuko found himself replying to the Codru-Ji as she walked towards her tent. "You might have saved both of our lives." It wasn't an exaggeration, he realized; he'd been mere seconds from pulling out his lightsaber and hacking away at the rock, which could've caused all number of consequences; none of them good.

Giving Klar all the privacy she needed, Xuko headed down onto the short beach with a pair of towels and laid them out neatly. He then did a thorough inspection of the beach, water, and the nearby jungle before returning to his own tent to change; content that they could relax in safety. Once there he changed into a pair of black swim trunks. Boring? Perhaps. But Xuko rarely troubled himself with making a fashion statement.

The feeling of sand beneath his feet made Xuko think of his homeworld as he emerged from his tent and headed to the beach. Had it really been only a few months since he'd left Iridonia for the Jedi Order? Xuko decided that despite the distance, the lessons he'd learned on Iridonia would stay with him throughout his life; for example, always having a weapon close by. Fortunately for Xuko, a lightsaber was an easy thing to bring to the beach.


Klar