Private Sorry to Bug You

[Melydia Gold]

She blinked once, twice, perplexed at the notion that others could be hidden from Kal's senses. Did she think him a master of his craft? No, not necessarily, just as she didn't consider herself an expert in fixing the broken. Still, she'd been given no cause to doubt his senses in the short time she'd known the shadow.

An enthusiastic nod followed his next statement. "Oh, yes, that's a good idea. Shall we try to fix this one after your studies?" She eyed the corpse with a curious spark in her eyes, uncertain what she could possibly do to the once-awakened doormat but nevertheless curious as to what secrets its physical form might contain.

As he answered her last question, however, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What would they be if not friends?" she wondered. Bad party guests, maybe. That much seemed reasonable. But not friends? That didn't seem right. Or at the very least, not something to say of a summoned aid. The notion of not-friends was perplexing, something Melydia couldn't quite wrap her head around. It wasn't unfamiliar, sure, there were many a Sith who would spout such similar rhetoric. Still, the intricacies of it all were lost upon her.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Gently drifting around the once-again-dead corpse, Kal carefully extended a shadowy arm, an arm which slid through mummified flesh without any form of visible reaction. He was, after all, examining it in ways beyond the physical - a sensible approach, since the animating force had been anything but natural. There was power in dead flesh under the right circumstances, but it was worth little without guiding intent.

<Fix it? Do you wish to... reanimate it, in some way?> Unusual, but not unheard of. The leftover energy could certainly aid that task.

Pausing in response to her visible confusion, it was quite evident that she viewed the world in her own idiosyncratic way. An innocent one, in many ways. Due care ought to be given to his explanation. <Those beings, the Shrouds, they are not thinking beings like you and I, nor natural like your animal friends. They are driven by instinct, yes, but that instinct is malicious hunger. Their sole purpose is to consume life.>

To such beings, Force Users were the greatest of feasts - and yet so often unattainable. Especially if said Force User knew how to handle them. <My kind know how to control them, but they are never pets, only tools. They have no purpose but destruction and must be carefully leashed.>

Far from his favourite beings, in other words, but situationally useful - he felt no remorse at expending them, for one.​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She pursed her lips, unsure what she'd even meant specifically when she offered to fix it. "I dunno, maybe?" Reanimation wasn't something she'd done before, especially not on a creature so complex. Bringing a being back from the brink wasn't out of the question, difficult though not impossible. "Perhaps that or using his energy to help other friends?"

As Kal began his explanation, her confusion was almost physically manifested. The sheer concept of creatures existing of pure malice, incapable of friendship? No, that didn't sound right. It couldn't be...right? "But how could such creatures be? Surely there's more to them than hunger - perhaps even after hunger. That sounds like such a lonely existence." And such a lonely existence was one that Melydia couldn't wrap her head around.

"What if they can be friends, though? That's different from a pet. They can be friends, right?" She wanted them to be friends, at least. Granted, she wanted everything and everyone to be friends. Her judgment was skewed, clouded by hopes of acceptance, that if everyone could be accepted, she too would be.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Using its energy? That had potential, certainly. There was power in the flesh of the formerly-undead, of that he was sure - one just had to find the right way to exploit it. Necromancy would likely be the safest bet, not that Kal considered himself an expert of that obscure art.

More of a very occasional dabbler, really. It was hard not to be when one originated from the realm of the dead.

<Hmm, yes, it has potential. The body should be preserved as quickly as possible, mind you - unless we're aiming for something quick and dirty.>

Noting the incredulity in his friend's tone, Kal would have furrowed his brow if he had been in possession of a body. It was clear enough that the very concept of something entirely other than a potential friend was quite alien to Melydia, which left him in a difficult position. He did not wish to be the bearer of gloomy predictions, but at the same time, such a naive worldview might very well endanger her in the future.

<I do think approaching other creatures with a benevolent, constructive attitude is beneficial... but not everything thinks the same way. They are not like the predators of the physical world, nor like thinking beings like you or me. They are the, ah, bottom feeders of the spiritual world. Devouring all they can get their hands on, including the shades of the dead, in an eternal cycle of creation and destruction.>

Hoping to soften the blow, he drifted closer, letting a hand rest on her shoulder with all the force of a gently falling leaf. Interacting with the physical world without a host was not his forte. <There are plenty of spirits you can be friends with, however - like me!>​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"That is a good point," her head cocked to the side as she crouched down beside the corpse. Whatever residual power present would likely fade quicker, with remnants of the beings' shell being in a worse state already than they were in life. She took a mental inventory of her stock, trying to determine how best to use the remaining energy without wasting it on travel time. "We could absorb it into ourselves, perhaps. Save it a bit longer rather than let it go to waste."

With Kal's continued explanation, Melydia found herself sputtering and scrambling to offer some sort of counter. "Well we can't blame them for being hungry." There wasn't much more she had to offer. Kal was the comparative expert on these creatures, after all. Her own experience was limited to mere moments of not even interacting with them, more an adjacent experience than anything.

Her gaze had lowered as she'd spoken, both to observe the corpse and later to almost sink into herself as the discussion of the Shrouds continued. The gentle contact of a barely-there hand on her shoulder brought her head up once more, gaze meeting Kal's. "Well, that's good then. It'd be horribly lonely if no spirits at all were friends."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

<That could work, yes. Another option would be to bind it to the corpse, keep it stationary and stable.> This was much closer to his aptitudes than the short but fierce conflict that had preceded it. His was the subtle manipulation and precise modification, not the application of brute strength.

Saddened at the sight of her deflating somewhat at his comments, he decided to do his best to cheer her up.

<Oh certainly, myself and many others! Most beings can be befriended in their own way, I'm sure, there's just a few who you would be wise to avoid. I have no doubt you will continue to make friends aplenty!> Comforting, perhaps, but also the truth. While she had her quirks, quirks which some might well be put off by, she seemed a very nice being overall. Excellent friendship material by any reasonable standard.

<In fact, I might have the chance to introduce you to some of my other friends, at some point? Would you like that?>​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"That could also work, yes...if you know how best to do that. We are not well taught in that manner." She wasn't well taught in any manner, so to speak. The majority of her workings were improvisation through and through. Nevertheless, working with the living provided a living template to work around. The dead offered no such template, nor any resistance to act as another sort of guide.

Kal's attempts at comfort were reassuring, no doubt, though the warning to not attempt befriending some creatures went through one ear and out the other. The mere concept avoiding individuals based on who or what they were was lost upon her and something that likely wouldn't change any time soon. Kal's advice was appreciated, no doubt, and it likely come to mind again should it be proven true one day. But for now, she didn't hold it too high in terms of important information.

At the suggestion of meeting some of his friends, though, her face lit up, accompanied with an enthusiastic gasp and quick nods and rapid succession. "Oh yes, we'd very much like to meet more friends, yes yes. More friends is always an absolute delight."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Moving closer to the corpse once more at her agreement, he began the process of preserving its energies and form alike, shadowy hands flashing with sparks of white as he carefully exerted his will. Actually animating it was beyond him, certainly, but what he was attempting was simple enough.

Little more than fixing up an already primed vessel, really.

Making no attempt to hide his satisfaction at the humanoid-insectoid's return to happiness, Kal's response was swift even as his efforts continued uninterrupted. A decent multitasker, clearly. <Fantastic! I am sure they would be positively delighted to meet you too!> It stood to reason, after all. Anyone free-thinking enough to befriend a spirit such as he should have little issue with Melydia's own quirks.​

Staring at the once-Sith intently, he nodded to himself. <Hmm, yes, that should do just fine. Did you want to search the cave?>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She watched with wide eyes as Kal began the preservation process. It was a neat trick, she figured. One that could potentially help with future projects, especially giving how some took a turn for bad more recently. Something to look into later, maybe even learn from Kal if he was willing.

Her smile widened, not unlike a small sun looking over its domain and neighboring celestials. More friends, especially those another was confident would actually be her friend, was a delight in itself and one that promised even more delights. Especially if they were like Kal, who had been nothing but a gem, even if she'd only known him for a few hours now.

"Oh, yes, we should do that. See if this one left anything behind. Or if he had friends, too. Actually, if he has friends, they might attack, too. Should we bring the big guy with us? Or perhaps more fr-shrouds?"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

More of this thing was certainly not a pleasant concept, but it seemed unlikely. How many still-animate diseased Sith of some power could possibly be located within a Dxunian cave far from the locations usually considered notable - unless, of course, there was more to this place that met the eye. Not something he could dismiss outright, not given the potential consequences of hubris.

<Perhaps best to bring him if he can fit, yes. I do think it was probably alone, however.>

He certainly could not sense any more like it, but then again he had not been able to tell what it was beyond a vague impression either. He needed more practice in piercing the veils fellow Force Wielders might put up to mask their presence or motives, that much was certain.

Pausing at the entrance, darkened as before, he turned to eye Melydia. <Do you have more... glowing beetles? I can share my senses as before, but it is somewhat straining long-term.> There too was a great deal of potential for improvement - he had quite the way to go.​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She turned once more to the large creature who'd saved them from certain unpleasantries, hesitating when she noticed that it'd already brought itself down to the ground, settling in to return to the dreamland they'd roused it from. She placed a hand on its' hide, originally with the intent to nudge it back awake, but now simply resting there as she contemplated the risks and reward.

"You know, we should be fine. Let's let the big one sleep."

She hoped they'd be fine, at least. And if they weren't, well, they could always run back here, right? At the mention of more glowing beetles, she was quick to pour over the contents of her bag, now slightly lighter after their previous encounter. Oh well, more room for new friends.

"We think we have more somewhere...there! Nope, nope, that one's a smelly one. That one's a loud one. Huh, we thought we had more in here...We'll find one eventually, let's go."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Her unwillingness to wake up the sleeping giant surprised him, but only for a moment - she was concerned about bothering it too much, no doubt. A sentiment he could understand even though he himself primarily interacted with the sentient. Not that he didn't bother plenty of sentients.

<Fair enough, it seems quite drowsy - and that's a shame, but we'll make do. Do let me know if you have trouble finding your way.> He could pull a repeat performance if he had to, though it would distract him from his own senses. Generating the light himself was also an option if one for which he was not particularly enthusiastic. Still, it would be solid in-the-field practice in influencing the physical world, a weakness of his.

Without further ado, he ventured back into the cave, senses primed for anything even remotely resembling danger.

It felt more empty yet less empty, now that the corpse-thing was gone and gone. As barren as earlier and deprived of the strange presence further in, yet a certain stillness had been broken. Life remained largely absent, but already a few stray beings had drifted in, no doubt noting its absence. <Do you feel it, the absence of... the absence of life?> Not his most elegant description, but it was a difficult thing to converse about.

It would have been easier if she was more used to telepathy, to the free flow of concepts, images, and ideas.​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"Perhaps for the best, we do not believe he'd take kindly to us if he were roused too many times." Not many creatures appreciated her need for near-constant awakeness. Where Melydia found comfort in doing, many found comfort in not doing, resting. "We shall follow you as best we can."

She considered, for a moment, offering up a beetle for Kal to carry with him, one she had a stronger connection to for tracking purposes. Yet she was fairly certain doing so would require his continued interaction with the physical world, something he didn't seem particularly keen on. No, she would find her way easy enough. And perhaps look into making insectoid friends that could match his operating in the incorporeal.

The trek back to the cave was simple enough. Being in a rush to leave with the corpse creature on their tail, the exact memory of what path they'd taken was lost to the insect, yet she was more than confident in Kal's own navigation. He'd proven himself before, leading them to the cave in the first place, surely leading them again would be a simple affair.

As they moved and Kal spoke once more, she gave a slow nod, taking in the area with a cautious yet curious gaze. While the thrill of discovery was, well, a thrill, she'd learned an inkling of a lesson from the previous endeavor. Best not to move too boldly in territories unknown, not yet at least. "Yes, we feel unlife. It is not pleasant." It made her skin crawl, even more than the beetles and bugs that so often moved along her being, some of which returning from when they had initially fallen out of her satchel.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

She felt it too, then. Good. Fascinated by the thoroughly unnatural phenomena, Kal picked a wall seemingly at random, leaning closer and closer until he was practically touching it, stray strands of his shadowy form branching outwards like the tactile organs of a flesh-and-blood beast.

<It's so very, very empty. Even the smallest of life did not survive its presence. I wonder how this place will recover?>

Gliding back to his companion, Kal seemed ready to move on, at least for now. He could study this place for weeks without much boredom, but the same could likely not be said of her. Besides, getting overly occupied with minor details when further threats might persist was a bad idea.

<I trust you'll warn me if you feel anything off?> His senses were sharp enough, but two heads are better than one, in such matters; she might well be able to perceive things in a different way, spot things he would not know to focus on. Leading the way further inside, they soon found themselves in the room the corpse-thing had occupied. At a glance, it did not seem all that out of the ordinary, but there was something here, he was sure.

Gliding along the edge of the naturally-formed cave, he eventually stumbled across something quite clearly artificial in origin.

<Here, can you see that? Looks like some form of writing.>​

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She lingered just outside the voided area, hesitant to approach the area in which life had no reach. But as Kal progressed, so did she. After all, she couldn't just let her friend go in alone, could she? "We hope it will recover soon. The no-life is so very...loud? Both loud and not loud at the same time, it's perplexing." Perhaps some mushrooms would liven the place? They'd be the most likely to thrive in such an area, at least until more life was drawn in. Something to look into later.

As Kal moved along, she was quick to follow, anxious to be left alone in the voided area, even if she was never truly alone. A bug or two crawled out of her bag and onto her shoulder, the feeling of their crawling providing a momentary relief, a reminder that she had more than just a friend in Kal present. "This whole area...it's not on to begin with," she noted, head tilting to the side as the progressed. "But if we sense something extra off, yes, we will share." Sharing was caring, after all, and Melydia did seldom more than that.

She approached the stonework, following Kal's presence as best she could. Her fingers reached out, continued reaching until they met the stone with a startled jump. Jagged carvings spelled out something...almost familiar? She could almost visualize characters, though not enough to make out words, not without sight at least. "We cannot see it, no. But if we can, we may be able to read it."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

It was unnerving, even to Kal, someone who would cope just fine with the emptiness of deep space. Space was supposed to be empty, however, while planets like this one were supposed to be alive. Life didn't simply end at an otherwise arbitrary line unless something was deeply wrong.

In time it would recover, he was sure, but for now it remained distinctly unpleasant.

<Oh, of course. I could relay the images, but I see things somewhat differently...> He would need to learn how to translate what he perceived into a format more easily recognisable to organic minds, as it stood it was sufficient for navigation but not for finer detail. Something to practice later, for now a straightforward solution seemed the better choice. <Hold on, this isn't something I do very often.>

Extending a shadowy hand to hover over the writing, Kal began to focus his will, drawing in energy from their surroundings - the air growing slightly cooler as his hand began to glow to a greater degree than his softly luminescent eyes. Enough to see the writing clearly, hopefully.

<How is that? Too bright? Too dark?>​

Melydia Gold​