Private Sorry to Bug You

[Melydia Gold]

She didn't want to let go. She wanted to keep going, keep applying energy, all in hopes that somehow it would jumpstart something within the creature. But she'd been constructing and deconstructing all day and she'd already poured so much more of herself into the bird than she had anything previously. And once she started to recognize it was too late, even if she herself didn't want to admit it, her hands slumped to her sides, fatigue beginning to take its toll.

The projected comfort and kind words were things Melydia leaned into, at least in the mental sense. It was a bit hard to lean on an entity without a body. That and, personal space was a thing she had been told people liked to observe (she wasn't quite sure on that herself).

"But if they're just puppets...they can't have fun that way, can they? That sounds so very lonely." And if there was one thing Melydia didn't want, it was to be lonely. "Loneliness isn't a friend."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Finally admitting defeat, his new friend seemed to visibly deflate, whether due to sadness or fatigue or a mixture of the two.

<Afraid not, puppets are just tools, not friends. Necromancers seem to be... cold people, more often than not.> Some would argue it a result of the vile art they practiced, he knew, but Kal was of the opinion that it was a matter of commitment - any fool could raise a zombie or two, an expert practitioner could probably raise a horde, but only a true master could be counted on to rip a soul from death's embrace and restore it to life.

Unable to physically comfort her, he nonetheless did his best, extending a shadowy hand to hold a shoulder as he'd seen some do in the holovids, the limb seeming ever so slightly corporeal with focus, almost like a little bundle of feathers. More importantly, he attempted to relay good feelings.

<It is not, no, but I can still be your friend. I am sure you have or will have many others too. You are nicer than most I've met.>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"But what's the point in making things if they won't be your friend?" It was perhaps more rhetorical than a question to actually be answered. The near-insectoid being was, well, tired and that fatigue was starting to weigh heavy all at once. Her knees and chest were becoming very well acquainted as she hugged the knees close.

Necromances sounded like awful beings, maybe even sad ones. Nevertheless, Melydia found herself curious. Perhaps they were someone she would have to seek out, if only to expand her own skills based on what they might offer. Not to mention, a Necromancer friend would still mean having at least one more friend, even if their creations were just puppets.

The slight weight on her shoulder had her looking up to her new shadow-friend, the ghost of a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth, almost reaching her eyes that were still glistening with sorrow. "We'd like you to still be our friend, yes yes. Shadow-friend-er Kal you've been nice too."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

She was seemed quite singleminded in her pursuit of friendship; it could have been annoying, but instead it was more endearing than anything else.

It was certainly very different from how most people, Kal included, viewed the world. He wanted attachment and people to call friends too, but most he met were but temporary acquaintances. People he might use or talk to but who would rarely cross his mind after they left the spotlight.

Nodding eagerly at the spark of happiness in her sadness and the words that followed, he once more projected encouraging thoughts alongside his reply. An advantage of telepathy, that. <Glad to hear it, Melydia. Perhaps you should conserve your strength now, this world has many predators.> While his attention remained directed at her, he idly wondered whether she would wish to dispose of the dead avian in a specific manner.

To him and most other Shadows, dead things were just slabs of inert meat, but he knew organics often held peculiar convictions. He had even met the shades of those who believed material wealth transferable to the Netherworld - they tended to be sorely disappointed, of course.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She nodded, grateful for the encouragement that Kal provided. She'd known him for 20 minutes at best yet his kindness was one that she'd seldom experienced by others.

She reached out once more, unable to bring herself to touch the avian creature again, but hovering her hand over it and reaching out once more. The foliage around it rose up, wrapping around the body and dragging it down into ground. While the poor creature could not thrive on its own, it would serve to make other things grow in the future. It was a harsh cycle, but a cycle nonetheless. Reduce, reuse, and maybe someday, reanimate.

"There's a lot on this world," she noted, head cocking to the side as if lost in thought herself. "Life, not-life, some things in between. Maybe some things no one else has seen before." She shrugged. "Maybe that's why this world is such loud."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Recycled biomass, the endless circle of life and death that defined mortal existence. Very sensible, much more so that the space-intensive graveyards in use by some species, doubly so for those who for whatever reason favoured caskets unlikely to be broken down in a sensible timeframe. As if leaving a stale hunk of dead meat in the ground for extended periods of time had value beyond the inanely symbolic.

Quirking his head to match his new friend's movements, Kal was pleasantly surprised by what her rambling revealed.

<It is quite loud to me too. Here and on the other side - the sheer scale of life and death present weighs heavy on the tapestry. Much like the great city-worlds of Galaxy, but in a very different way.> Most organics were unable to see much beyond their limited visible spectrum, but he should have known her to be different. As a shaper of life, it made a great deal of sense for her senses to be fine-tuned to its secrets.

<Is that what brought you here, same as me?>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

Her brow furrowed as if she hadn't quite considered the question before. Where and how were often on her mind, if only in the background. What and why, however? Well, those were questions that tended to come up after she started, usually posed by someone other than the insectoid. She tended to just go, follow whatever path or flight pattern that called to her (with the exception of when others suggested a path).

But following what was loud did make sense. Loud often meant more creatures to discover, more friends to make. It might've been more subconscious but now that Kal had asked...She gave something that was in the in-between of a nod and a shrug. "We dunno, we guess so? We haven't been one to question the flight pattern."

Amber eyes studied Kal for a moment more with a curious gaze. "Were you searching for something in particular? Or just the loudest thing around?"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

The flight pattern? For a moment he thought she might be referring to some sort of schedule or transportation system designed by another, but context made him think it more likely that it was her own instincts. Certainly not that unusual, for a Force User. Might as well make sure, however.

<The flight pattern?>

His curiosity matched by Melydia's, the strange white orbs Kal called eyes met hers, telepathic communication flowing more freely the better he came to know her. Alongside his words flowed the sense of amusement from before, perhaps his way of chuckling. <The loudest thing around, I suppose; I like to be out there, exploring new places, seeing new sights, meeting new people. It seemed as good a way as any.>

It made him seem a bit arbitrary, but then he supposed he was. How many of his acts and ventures were just attempts to satiate his curiosity?

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She blinked for several long seconds, mouth opening and closing, processing where Kal's confusion might be and how to best explain herself. "Maybe flight pattern isn't the word. A calling? The Force? We do not know the proper word."

She gave a slight chuckle, one that sounded of bells if they were rusted and decayed. "You won't find too many new people out here, we think. The beasties scare them off. As do the bugs. And the ghosts." She shrugged at that, wide eyes casting a glance at the area around them, not really focussing on anything in particular. "We think something was here once, something that scared some friends off and made the others cold. We're hoping to warm them."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

A sense of assent and acknowledgement projected from Kal, it was clear he understood what he meant - and had possibly experienced the same.

Waving a shadowy appendage in acknowledgement of her statements, he nonetheless had a comment or two to add. <Not many people, but perhaps interesting people. I met you, after all!> Much more interesting than ghosts, in his opinion. More often than not they were woefully singleminded, too concerned with the remnants of their lost lives, obsessed with what little was left of the people they once were.

Lost potential, shattered dreams.

Yawn. A story he had heard a thousand and one times, oftentimes by those fleeting masses soon to fade away into the Force.

Glancing around as she had, he silently observed, then tilted his head as if listening to whispers unheard by most. Slowly turning, he seemed to look off a distance and downwards, as if zeroing in on something buried away by time or intent.

<Yes, a great darkness once strode across this world and its greater twin. Other, smaller, ones too. Traces yet remain.>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

The ghost of a smile pulled at the edges of her mouth. "And I met you!" she said, pleased with the fact.

Catching on to Kal staring off in one direction in particular, Melydia's brow furrowed, gaze shifting to see if she could see whatever had his attention. When it became clear she wouldn't, she shrugged, unbothered by the fact. She was no shadow-friend, nor did she know how shadow-friend senses worked. It was entirely possible she was just blind to whatever it was he saw.

"Do you wanna find them?" She asked a moment later, head cocking to the side, curiosity once more sparkling in her gaze where sadness had previously pervaded. "If they're so dark, they're probably lonely, too. Whatever's left, at least." She'd seen many a dark cloud of a person in her day, though seldom had she spoken with any. They didn't seem particularly interested in talking to her, either, for reasons the insectoid couldn't seem to fathom.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

His various comments had succeeded in raising her spirits somewhat, though it was the offhand mention of old and hidden things that finally replaced her sadness, in this case with curiosity. Perhaps the desire to comfort dark spirits was ill-advised, but at least it had her focused on new opportunities. What remained couldn't be all that dangerous, surely; he had handled the unruly dead before, they tended towards te predictable.

<I do not know exactly what lies beneath... but I am curious, yes.> Agreement obvious, he drifted towards what had caught his attention, examining the general area for quite a while before pausing in front of a fairly normal-looking bush of some size.

<It is beneath this, whatever it is. I believe the roots touch at least part of it. Is that of some assistance to you?> She certainly had a far greater gift for understanding and manipulating natural life than he did, even if she too had much to learn, as their shared experiences made clear.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"Then let's find them!" Melydia fluttered to her feet with a soft buzz, eager to put the clearing of sadness behind her. A couple of the small creatures, and some of the slightly larger, followed along, some clinging to her ankles until she paused to scoop them up into her satchel. Loyal friends were always welcome, no matter how small the journey. No one deserved to be left behind if they didn't want it.

When Kal pointed out the bush in question, she gave a thoughtful little hum, studying the bush, reaching out to visualize the network of roots below. "Hmm it is hollow down there, we believe." She said, kneeling as if a closer proximity would give better results. "A cave, perhaps? If we follow roots, we might find the entrance."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Hollow? Could be a cave, yes, but could also be ruins of some kind. The latter was especially promising, should it turn out to be the case.

<Lovely! I could simply drift down, of course, but I assume that would be less practical for you?> Better to ask just to be sure, some Force Users had all kinds of strange talents, from teleportation to phasing through walls to shifting large quantities of earth or stone.

Assuming she lacked any such hidden talents, Kal would begin drifting back and forth, seemingly adopting a random search pattern that would see him find the thing eventually, he was sure. Time did not necessarily mean as much to spirits such as he, but he was used enough to the hurried nature of the realspace-dwellers to appreciate temporal efficiency. <If you can follow the roots, that would be lovely. If not, I shall find it eventually.>

Before she got bored and wandered off, hopefully.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She thought about Kal's question for a moment. Could she just drift down too? It wasn't anything she'd tried before - there were often so many questions about what she was but incorporeal was never part of the list. But maybe if she just thought really hard.

No, that was a silly idea. It'd certainly be a fun party trick if it were the case. Even better if she could maybe, she didn't know, reduce herself into a swarm of beetles? Now that was an idea to try in the future. For now, however, she and Kal had a cave to explore. "I can try," she said, concentrating once more on the bush in question, reaching out into its system of roots. They could also try digging down, sure, but that'd risk hurting the plants engrained into the soil, something she'd much rather avoid.

"Over this way!" she said with an air of excitement, slowly (or at least slow to her) making her way through the foliage, following an unseen map.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Evidently, his evaluation of his new friend's abilities had been on point, the strange connection she possessed with organic life in general allowing her to perceive in unusual ways. Abandoning his search pattern to drift curiously behind her, as if attempting to study what she was doing so as to replicate it himself at a later time, he projected a feeling of approval her way. <Marvellous! Have you done this before?>

Following along without further comment, they soon enough found themselves at an overgrown mound - no, not any mound, once upon a time there had been an entrance here. Perhaps ornate, perhaps simplistic. Either way, it now lay covered beneath a wall of interconnected vines.

<Through here, I believe...> A single shadowy appendage drifting outwards, through the foliage, he made a sound of affirmation. <Yes. Except for these vines, it seems mostly open.> They could probably be chopped down or burned easily enough, but that did not seem Melydia's modus operandi. Better let her make use of her talents were applicable; Kal was not one for senseless destruction.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She nodded, wings fluttering in response to praise. "Some plants can be friends too. Or at the very least, lead to more friends. Think of the roots as a map." And that she did, weaving through the undergrowth with Kal (she assumed) close behind. Occasionally, she'd scoop up some bugs, stuffing the new friends into her satchel to be studied later.

"Wow," she breathed in awe of both the place and Kal's sensory awareness - or maybe attention span was more accurate. If not for Kal keeping them on track of this self-assigned mission, she surely would've continued the collection process, leaving the cave forgotten again under the vines.

"Excuse us, mister vines!" she called out to the plants, physically moving some, reaching out with the force to kindly prompt others. It was a time-consuming process, at least in comparison to chopping them down. But it also meant no vine would be wasted and, if it was preferable, their tracks would remain obscured.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

It was quite fascinating, watching how quickly her sadness faded with an interesting mystery, a novel task, and of course the collection of new friends. Kal had to wonder how long she intended to keep them in that satchel of hers, but that was ultimately entirely up to her.

Perhaps she had a collection?

Watching with some interest as she rather gently made a path through the vines, he was struck by the unusual nature of the care she showed; many an Alchemist cared little for the lives of the sentients they transformed into Sithspawn, yet here she was, being nice to vines. Unwelcome? No, but curious. Drifting after her, he projected a general sensation of appreciation in her direction but otherwise remained silent.

Having opted to study her work rather than plunge ahead, the cave itself was revealed to them at around the same time; unlit, of course, and initially appearing to be unworked. There were signs to the contrary, however. Faded glyphs on a wall, deteriorated metal scraps...

... and the curious sensation of something other waiting deeper inside, across a bend, just out of view. <Do you feel that, friend-Melydia?>

Moving a bit closer, his shadowy formed solidified, the head tilting slightly sideways. <It seems... dormant. How very curious.>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

There wasn't much going on within Melydia's ever-moving skull. The vacant mind was pushed on by the thrill of discovery and the ever-present pressure to not be alone. And she wasn't alone, not really. Her creatures, both friends and soon-to-be friends made for a perpetual company, albeit sometimes a quiet one.

Kal was a quiet company, too, though his loud moments were very much welcomed.

Once they were both in the cave, many of the vines slipped back into place, leaving the pair alone in the cave's darkness. Melydia's brow furrowed at that, unable to see a hand if it was in front of her. "Do you do well in the dark, Kal, shadow-friend?" She asked, head turning to where she assumed Kal might be with no real sound or movement to base the guess on.

Wait a minute. Her hands dug into her satchel, feeling around blindly for something..there it was! A small beetle was pulled from the bag and rested in her palm. Or at least she hoped it rested, beetles weren't known to last long. Nevertheless, a moment of focus on the creature and its flesh beneath the carapace began to glow, casting a gentle light in the cave.

"We feel something," she agreed, head cocking to the side. "We know not what it is. Very strange, indeed."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

His vision, as it were, relying more on the invisible currents of the Force than physical light, he telepathically relayed his assent.

<I do not need light to see, no.> Already thinking of ways to alleviate his new friend's evident lack of more mystical senses, he was pleased to find that she had brought a solution of her own. A fascinating solution at that, much more so than the flashlights many organics favoured. <Yes. The presence is an old one, I think. Old but potent.> Perhaps it was best to not to awaken it, whatever it was.

That was no excuse not to have a look, however. Gliding forward eagerly once it became evident that Melydia was once more able to follow, he moved past the little bend, gaze falling on... oh. Oh my. That was not that he had expected, in an out-of-the-way cave on a humid jungle moon.

On the ground lay an ancient, shrivelled corpse; a husk dried out by the ages yet still glad in tattered robes and desiccated flesh, almost as if defying the circle of life and death... in fact, that might be exactly it, the stillness of death radiating from the thing...

... a stillness punctuated by the absence of the bugs, fungus, and more he would have expected.

Melydia Gold​