Private Shivers

[Xian Xiao]

The young woman might have been chasing a dream when she hired a transport to take her to the wildest world she had ever heard of—a place where the animals were super cute but deadly. The girl also sought a pet to practice using the Force on—something many might not approve of, but Xian didn't care. She would heal them in the end, and they wouldn't be hurt anymore at all. What better place to find a creature than on a planet with animals nobody would want?

Climbing off the ship after it landed, she pulled up the hood of her coat and headed outside. Even though she had spent a few years on Kashyyyk, she was still shocked at how green a world could be. With her jaw about to hit the ground, she turned several times, looking at nearby scenery.

Just as she finished one final spin, she almost bumped into somebody.

"So sorry."

Blushing furiously, the former Jedi wanted nothing more than to disappear.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen danced out of the way of the girl, his feet spinning him away with a near dancers grace. "No, pardon me," he replied, his tail flicking as he looked down at the young woman. He'd been out on a simple stroll through his planet's spaceports, no goal in mind than to observe the people that he ruled over on a daily basis. Though, it was readily apparent that he had stopped doing that and had instead began to get lost in his own world of thought. Apparently, his idle ideations had been severe enough for him to nearly bowl over some poor lass coming out of his spaceport.

Halting in place, he tilted his head, noting the embarrassed look on the girl, but also a few things that were missing. There were no golden eyes, clawed fingers, and no tail. At her apparent age, it was possible that she was a late bloomer, unready for the trials... but something felt off. No, there was something far more likely than her being a Zorren literally wasting away their younger years. "You're not from here, are you? I wonder what brings an outsider to Veradune."

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

Glaring at the ground in embarrassment, she slowly looked up at the man she had almost run into. Starting at his feet, she moved on up, stopping at his tail and again when her eyes reached his. Attempting to take another step back, she was startled by them.

Shaking her head silently, the young woman still looked like she wanted to disappear. After a few more moments, she found her voice. If he reached out with the Force or was trying to feel for her emotions, he might sense some form of guilt within her.

"Nature."

It wasn't entirely a lie, just a very grey answer to his question.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled broadly at her answer. Given the sudden and random nature of their meeting, he figured it would be rude to try and probe into her for more information. This woman was, after all, a stranger and it wouldn't do for the Valde to start accosting the minds of random visitors to his planet. "A good a reason as any around here. Though, you should be careful if you go beyond the walls. The Wilds of Veradune are as beautiful as they are dangerous. You might want to enlist a guide to help you get through, unless you feel like becoming a snack to one of the local teradin trees."

Vulpesen himself had been shocked the first time he had seen one of the aforementioned trees snatch someone up into their branches. Thankfully, that man had already been a corpse, and one that he had felled in the heat of battle. Still, seeing a tree gobble up a person like it was a hungry rancor tended to stick with a person. What's more, with Veradune's new influx of tourists, hunters, and visitors, he'd heard more than a few tales of visitors meeting similar fates. And that didn't even count those that were killed by a pythros gas cloud, a zipher's acid spray, or a gairthix's nasty electrical shock.

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

When he spoke, she relaxed, but the guilt did not entirely disappear. Xian listened to what he had to say and slightly lowered her eyebrows. Not feeling like becoming a snack, she looked up at Vulpesen again.

"I can use the Force and bend the elements. There's no way I will become a snack."

To demonstrate her skills, she lifted the ground under his feet and made it into a small mound.

"See? What could go wrong?"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

What could go wrong? No sooner than the words had finished leaving the woman's mouth had Vulpesen thought of a host of horrible ways for the unprepared to meet their end. Attempting to pet a pythros, spooking a herd of arlusks, getting to close to an elmury, or tripping into a cave filled with Doruvir. "I sincerely hope your talents extend to more than making a hill. Even skilled wilders have found themselves in the belly of some beast or another around here. Afterall, not all threats are immediately obvious. I suppose the worst that could happen depends on your definition. Would you prefer to die by bleeding from every orifice, or having the marrow sucked form your spine?"

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

Even though Xian was almost an adult and might be considered one by many cultures, she was still a teenager. She felt like this man was treating her as a child and questioning her ability to take care of herself.

"Look, Mister...I've been on my own since I was a toddler. A woman took me to Coruscant and dropped me off at an orphanage as if one of those government-run places would give a damn about kids. I can take care of myself."

As she spoke, a storm cloud started forming above his head. When she finished, rain started pattering his hair, and lightning might even have started shocking his ears.

"There's more where that came from, too."

Crossing her arms across her chest, the small woman looked at him defiantly and with a challenge in her eyes.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen wore a bemused expression as the clouds gathered over his head, simply staring at her as rain pelted his hair, soaking it. The lightning, after the first tingle, was no issue as he simply started to absorb it, adding its energy to his own power. All around them, the crowd stopped, then gave a collective gasp. There were a great many double takes, and even a few triple takes. Passing unassumingly through a crowd was often easy enough for Vulpesen when he wasn't wearing any of his royal regalia, but his face was still recognizable enough that any close scrutiny or attention would reveal him for who he was amongst his people.

After a quick glance around where he saw some of the crowd reaching for holsters and dueling canes, Vulpesen began to laugh, a hand raising to calm the growing crowd. "Miss I don't doubt that you're skilled enough to defend yourself," he started, a finger then twirling to whip up a drying whirlwind around himself. "I spent time on Nar Shadaa as a kid. I know what it is to defend yourself from thugs and brutes. But the wildlife of Veradune is a different beast together. Even I respect it, and I'm perhaps the most well defended person on this planet." To illustrate his point, he pointed outwards, directing Xian's attention to the armed crowed which, from which several uniformed soldiers had appeared. "Vulpesen Torrevaso, Valde of Veradune, at your service."

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

Even though the teen had started the rain shower, she soon regretted her actions and allowed it to dissipate. Not before was Vulpesen soaked and zapped a few times by the lightning. For the moment, she was rather blind to the reactions around them. That changed quickly when she noticed the dead silence.

Placing her hands behind her back, the young woman looked down at the ground and held onto her wrists. Looking up when the man she had assaulted started laughing, she started to relax a little. Listening to what he had to say, it seemed she had bitten off more than she could chew when it came to the wildlife here.

"I'm sorry, Mister Vulpesen."

She kicked the ground under her feet and stepped away from him when his guards appeared in the crowd.

"Uh oh..."

Glancing around, her eyes returned to him when he finished introducing himself.

"Xian Xiao. You can also call me Vex, as that seems to be all I can accomplish. Am I in trouble?"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

He shook his head while waving off the apology. Another mention sent his guards melting back into the crowd which slowly started to go back about its own business. "You certainly could be in trouble miss Xiao, considering you just rained on the head of the planet and the local wilder sect, but don't worry about it. Its nice to be mistaken for a common man every now and then."

His hand swirled again, causing a ball of rapidly circulating air which he brought to his clothes to help dry off a few of the more stubbornly damp places. "In any case, I believe my point is made. Here on Veradune, not all is as it appears. Skilled as you might be, the force won't always help you if you go to pet a pythros, only to realize that its puffed up neck isn't a sign of comfort, but rather of lethal consequences. Its why we advise all newcomers to our planet to explore the wilds with a guide.

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

Wanting nothing more than to fade away into nothingness, the teen stood her ground and faced the consequences of her rash action. Luckily, it wasn't anything more than a scolding and some advice. Unlocking the hold she had on her wrist, Xian rested her hands at her side as she listened to what the man had to say.

"What is a wilder?"

The fact that he mentioned he was the head of the planet went over her head for a few moments, and then she paled.

"Should I bow?"

Looking around them, none of the others did, but she was a visitor.

"Where can a guide be found?"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Wilders are the local force users around here. We focus our abilities on the natural world, controlling and working alongside the wilds." Her next question was a fair one, and probably should have required a more thoughtful answer than that which came to mind. "Probably, but please don't." He flashed a small grin at the young woman. "Besides, I think that ship flew off when you dropped a raincloud over my head."

Slowly, the crowd around them dispersed, most people going on about their day, though some did continue to stare and eyeball the pair, a normal affair for the Valde whenever he was recognized. "There's a visitor station at the entrance to the spaceport. Its always possible to hire a guide there if you intend to go out into the wilds. Of course, you could also asked the man that liberated the planet. I'm always happy to show off my home."

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

"Can an outsider be trained as a Wilder? I already have a firm control...mostly, on the elements."

While it wasn't quite the same as working with the wilds, it might go hand in hand. Blushing slightly when he mentioned the rain, Xian regretted acting rashly when he challenged her. Even if he didn't see it that way, when he said she should probably bow, she started to do just that. Stopping when he told her not, she realized adults could sometimes be so confusing. This was one of them...

As he spoke and said there was a visitor station, she almost started to move in the direction he pointed. Then he said the most surprising thing. Looking at him again from head to toe and back up, the girl shrugged just slightly.

"Are you willing to give me a tour and keep me safe from your creatures here?"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen offered a happy nod to Xian's first question, his tail flicking behind him. "We're currently coordinating with the New Jedi Order to do just that. But many sects, including my own, are quite happy to take initiates from other places. Knowledge ought to be shared." Such a sentiment had led him to part with the previous jedi order, and while he had faith in the Order's newest iteration, Vulpesen's belief in he sanctity of learning had been strongly galvanized from those mistakes in his past.

The next question, prompted by his offer prompted yet another nod, and Vulpesen motioned for her to follow him. "With pleasure. Though if you desire to see Nature on this planet, it may help for me to know a bit more specifically, what you're seeking. The wilds are vast and their bounty is more diverse than you can imagine. Plants can be both cure or poison, and the beasts range from pet to predator and often times both." Reaching into a pocket within his coat, Vulpesen produced a small comlink which he clicked on. [Bring the speeder around. And prepare for a guest and a trip beyond the walls.]

Xian Xiao

 

[Xian Xiao]

Drawing in a harsh breath when Vulpesen mentioned the Jedi, she gathered a wad of saliva and spat it at her feet.

"The Jedi suck."

Xian was still pleased to know he might be able to share his knowledge and train her. All of her other Masters had abandoned her. Without any further explanation, she fell silent but listened as Vulpesen asked his own question.

Raising a hand to her chin in thought, she wanted a pet and a guardian—something she could use if the Force didn't work for her.

"A guardian pet. One that keeps me company and is friendly but can be mean if needed."

She fell into step with him and rubbed her foot in the small puddle her spit had made on the ground to further rub in her message.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen rose a brow at the young woman's sudden vitriol, though he couldn't help the small upturn that occurred at the corner of his lips. It wasn't all that long ago that he had shared her sentiments, not to say that a part of him didn't still. "They aren't so bad nowadays. Though I admit, that the order I grew up with was less than stellar. Rampant with the corruption that eventually laid them low.'

'If you want a guardian, then in truth we won't even need to go to the woods. The best we have for that is perhaps one of the tamest creatures on the planet, and an ancestral friend to the Zorrens," he offered. There was a small roar as a closed speeder came around the corner and stopped before them. "We were going to stop by the stables anyways, so you'll have plenty of time to meet the Veran Foxes." Reaching forward, he opened one of the doors, motioning for Xian Xiao to get in before going to do the same on the other side.

 

[Xian Xiao]

Maybe Xian had a bit of an over-the-top reaction to the word Jedi, but she still went through with her action of spitting. Luckily, her new companion didn't punish her for spitting on the ground. Curling her lip at what he said, it did give her something to think about. Over the years, she had changed. Other people had also changed. Perhaps the current Jedi had also changed since she had been active with them.

Thankfully, he switched the topic back to her reason for coming to Veradune—a guardian pet. Climbing into the offered speeder, she made herself comfortable and listened to what he had to say.

"That sounds promising."

Facing him, this was all the young woman said for the moment.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

He shut the door and walked to other side, slipping in afterwards and settling into the back seat with the young woman before they set off, a chauffer racing them towards the edge of the city. Leaning back into his seat, Vulpesen started to feel something rustle and squirm in his breast pocket and he huffed a small growl as he moved to accommodate the feeling. A moment later and a small blue wolf head was poking out from his chest.

The miniature lupin, only about half a foot judging from what was visible, was letting out a tiny rumbling growl as it regarded Xian. "This is Ace," the Valde stated, a hand moving to calmingly stroke between the wolf's ears with a pair of fingers. "Apparently your little rain cloud earlier woke him from his nap," he turned his gaze down to his canine companion, "As if he doesn't spend all day dozing in my pocket, lazier than any lapdog I ever met."

Xian Xiao