The Dawn Will Come [Nora]

[Ria Misrani]

LEONASA

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The Nailed Horn
[member="Nora Lithos"]
Two weeks after 'a place of healing.'

Camp Rogativa still surrounded much of Leonasa but as Nysana's hand went to the wooden doors of the Nailed Horn she turned her head. Looking over her shoulder. Her eyes searched the distance, she then turned her attention back to the tavern as she stepped inside. She had requested to meet with a member of the Sacred Lotus here a week ago an informal meeting to discuss formalities. A soft blue cloak with a hood that now rested on her back against a caf brown studded spacers leather, "ale, please." She shuffled through her coin purse to produce the physical credit chips.

While on Monastery, Nysana had had time to explore it - at least when she wasn't tending to the numerous camps. She had found a source of light not too long ago and was the subject of the meeting. The Confederacy was already at work talking with neighboring planetary systems about taking on the refugees. And now, Nysana looked to the future and just where the light could go. First, she wanted to understand more of the Scared Lotus and their position within not just the Confederacy but the Galaxy.

If they had any hope of fighting the darkness now more than ever would be the time to unite the light. And so as the Echani warrior sat within the halls of the antiquated tavern, as the pint of ale was set before her. A glint in those silver colored eyes, a renewed purpose for the woman who had lost her family.

A New Hope.

Shadows fall, and hope has fled but steel your heart the dawn will come.

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nysana Talon"]

The two weeks were almost up and vacation was right around the corner. Nora had done her best to distance herself from her duties as an Elder in the Sacred Lotus, but it would seem that work called for her one last time before she would be allowed to. The quaint air of the ‘Nailed Horn’ was something that the Arkanian had grown more accustomed to for each day that passed. Not that she came here every day. There was a time when she and her colleagues came here to calm down and talk trash. But that was before everything that had happened, and before Nora had tried to take the reins of a whole organization for herself.

There was no more of that though. While in an ironic twist she still had a senior voice in the way the Order went, she was relinquishing a lot of the power she had to people that would have a better clue about the things that she had taught herself out of self-perceived necessity. Finances for one was not something Nora actually needed to do, and neither was logistics. She was there to lead the science team, and that was where she had failed to recognize her own role as a cog in a machine rather than the operator.

There was no operator, or so she had tried to tell herself. The thought was hard to follow but the others had urged her to do so and for that reason alone she had complied.

Today’s business wasn’t even necessarily something that was business. Nora looked around the old familiar tavern and let out a sigh as she handed her coat over to the man behind the disk to the wardrobes. Her wallet found its way into her pants, actual pants too, and then she ventured into the establishment to try and find whoever it was that she was meeting.

“Same as usual.” Nora murmured as she approached the bartender who welcomed her with a smile and a nod.

Before long there was a tall glass of a deep, dark brown lager standing tall on the bardisk before her, a stark contrast to the nearly alabaster pale skin that wrapped around the glass’ form.

Taking her first sip of the unsurprisingly bitter drink she threw a glance around the room. She hung with an echani all the time, how hard would it be to find those?

She walked around the tables to try and find her...

 

[Ria Misrani]

Arkanians stood out here, where Kiffars and Mirialans have say and control most days. "Nora," Nysana called to the woman with confidence she stood from her table, "please have a seat."

There was much to discuss at least on her end, Nysana told [member="Srina Talon"] that she would be heading up operations with concerns to Monastery and the Refugees. She had even taken the time to go over the files of known light siders within the Confederacy. Although she knew not the trials and tribuations that had fallen among the Sacred Lotus and no doubt the Echani's eagerness to help would be seen. The atmosphere of the tavern was light, music played as two bards began a duet and outside street lamps were lit up as most of the folks either made their way home or to the camps. The people of Monastery had been quite gracious even if Vitalii's mayor seemed uneasy by the sudden population growth.

"I am Nysana Talon," she introduced self, "and I firstly wanted to thank you and your order for your graciousness."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nysana Talon"]

That was her name! Nora stopped in her tracks and began to look around the room with a curious glance. There was a woman a few tables down that seemed to look straight for her and she could only assume that was because she had indeed been the one to call for her. Nora waved her hand at the woman and approached the table.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Nysana,” Nora smiled and took a seat. “But the Order is only doing what we have always believed in. Regardless, we are as equally gracious.”

The tiny Arkanian took a sip from the rather big glass in her hand and wiped the foam from her lips with a careful swipe. Nora felt weird going out like this. She had gotten used to the tunics and robes of the Lotus, yet here she was in a slightly too small tank top that she had brought with her from Arkania when she moved as well as a pair of pants that had gone from too big to just about a perfect fit. Perhaps a sign of not just a mental but also physical growth. It pleased her, though all things considered she was still short by many standards.

“Since I am speaking with a Talon, I wish to extend my own personal appreciation for what the Confederacy has brought to Monastery.” Nora, ever the diplomat. “It’s saved us having to use Lotus Guard resources on matters best handled by, well, others.”

“Which is not to mention the fact that we have been allowed to maintain our independence.” Nora smiled at the white-haired woman before her. “It’s helped our operations a lot.”

 

[Ria Misrani]

"Please, the pleasure is mine," she was corgidal at least with the welcome tone of her voice. A mug of ale was placed before the Echani and she did not hesistate to bring it to her lips as she listened to Nora speak. Setting it down she felt the burning sensation of the golden hue liquid as it went down. Her mind tingled from its effects. Nysana watched the small Arkanian wipe the foam with a careful swipe of her hand. "We do what we can." Nysana replied and continued to listen to Nora who gave quite the diplomatic reply. Lotus Guards, she'd have to pry more from Nora bout it but from the words she gathered a thought as to their purpose. A small nod in acknowledgment toward the Arkanaian. "The Confederacy very much believes in freedom and independence for the worlds in which it holds."

Nysana studied the Arkanian a moment she seemed so young and yet frought with experiences. "And I would like to ensure that Sacred Lotus operations continue unhindered, but before I get to that. I want to ask about Sanctuary and the surrounding area." She took her hand around the mug of ale and took another drink. Not swiping at the foam but rather she took the fabric of her cloak and dabbed her mouth. "Foam, heh." She cleared her throat, "and... I ask because I may have done some exploring around this area, and I may have found something, but first. Sanctuary."

The swing of the tavern door could be heard allowing the sounds of the outside to filter into the Nailed Horn. Students of the nearby Bard College enter jostling at one another as they saunter up to the bar, increasing the sound and atmosphere of the tavern.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nysana Talon"]

A warm smile spread on the Arkanian girl’s lips as they both swept away foam from their respective lips with an awkward chuckle. It wasn’t as if Nora was a stranger to dealing with the Confederacy at this point, but she had to admit that the choice of locale for this meeting was a bit more personal than they had usually agreed to. Not that she was complaining of course, it was a good place to meet, and the arrival of the men and women from the Bard’s College only helped make it even better.

Though their song was contagious Nora did her best to block her urge to spontaneously lean against her chair and scream-sing in their direction. But, her vacation hadn’t quite started yet. That would have to wait just a few more days. Just a few more days and she would be free to get hammered and sing folk songs all day long if she so desired. Of course, she was a woman of high stature and had the.

Eh screw it— She was a young woman and her mind was still preoccupied with living her life and keeping up with her studies. Though in this case the studies was more related to administrative duties of running a laboratory.

Oh right, the thing!

“Sanctuary?” Nora laughed “It’s a relatively quiet place. Not so much right now, but we have always had a very peaceful aura around the grounds. Or so I am told, I can’t actually sense it. As someone who lack the force sensitivity and all that.”

“But sure, I can answer questions about Sanctuary. Does this relate to what you had found? What did you find?”

 

[Ria Misrani]

Nysana watched the Arkanian for a moment, her attention fluttered to the students and then back to the Arkanian. "I see," she said with acknowledgment.

Ah, there was something, not force sensitive. Nysana took another swig of her ale and set it back down. She leaned back and ordered a round of the local cheese and meat from the barmaid and sat back proper in her chair. "There is actually, a peaceful aura well - I'm not sure about Sanctuary specifically but on Monastery yes." Another swig of ale, she had to admit she enjoyed the brew and found the tavern to be charming if only a little antiquated but hat was part of it she supposed. Another look at Nora and smiled, "and yes it does, I found something but it's hard to explain it'll be easier to show you I think."

"Just know that what I found could change a lot for Monastery and for your Order."

"It's not a bad thing I assure you, but it's definitely the light in the dark we've all been looking for I think."

The barmaid came by and set the plate of meat and cheese before the two, Nysana thanked her and was the first to dig in. "I really like this place," she said as the mixture of the sharp flavored cheese paired well with the honey cured meat.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nysana Talon"]

A peaceful aura outside of Sanctuary? Nora’s eyebrow reached for her hairline at the mention. She wasn’t proficient in using the force, but that was not to say she didn’t know her Jedi theory and what-not regardless. She practiced the tenets to the best of her abilities and she found some comfort in the meditation she occasionally, albeit rarely, partook in with the masters around Sanctuary.

“Well, I certainly hope so.” Nora seemed worried at the idea of the Lotus having missed something on the planet they operated from. Even if it wasn’t a bad thing it would worry anyone that something of such importance had been missed. To know it wasn’t a bad thing but rather a light in the dark was calming, even if only a little. The Arkanian girl nodded her head up and down to what Nysana was saying taking it at face value with a hint of healthy skepticism just in case.

She was a scientist after all. She’d have to wait for the peer review. Given the way they talked about it and the fact that Nysana wanted to show her what it was it felt fair to assume that part was coming up soon, but until then…

“Yeah.” Nora let her contemplative frown shift back into a warm smile as she looked around them with an almost innocent glee. “This place used to be packed with students like me back when Kismet was still around. We came here to sing, dance and drink until we forgot everything about the day’s trials.”

“I mean we regretted it the day after, but now…” She looked around. There were a handful of souls she could recognize from the Sanctuary grounds, but they didn’t seem to be quite as into the atmosphere as Nora’s group had been. “It’s still an alright place to be, I have faith the new kids will turn it back around again once they get to know the people from the Bard’s College like we did.”

“What about you?” Nora asked and took a big sip from her drink and a taste of the cheese. “Have a place like this where you come from?”

It was a bit of a distraction, but Nora had partially disconnected her work brain as the moment as it was. It was liberating.

 

[Ria Misrani]

Nysana drank of the ale, and ate of the cheese and meat presented before her. She listened to Nora speak about Kismet a person she knew nothing of but let the information sink in. It seemed the Sacred Lotus had been quite busy before. The Echani hoped to bring some life back into it but for more reasons that perhaps just present company. The silver haired woman continued to eat and drink, as she settled into the atmopshere that was the Nailed Horn tavern. She hadn't missed the contemplative frown Nora had shown at the mention of Sanctuary's surroundings, but then the frown was gone and the Arkanian asked Nysana of her home. "Not really, Eshan is not necessarily known for peace and tranquility. We're warriors, fighting is in our blood it's who we are, but stealing moments of peace and tranquility? Something I lived for back then and hope to live for again, minus the stealing of course."

She waved the barmaid over and asked for trail rations while handing over a few more credits. "Once she returns we can begin our journey, though if you have anything you need to take care of back at Sanctuary you should do so. Where we're going is going to take a couple of days, the trek to what I want to show you is not easy." She turned over with an arm over the back of the chair. "And, I hope you know how to climb." Nysana added as an afterthought as she waited for the barmaid, finishing off the last of her ale while she was at it.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Nysana Talon"]

Well, Nora knew of another Echani and she wouldn’t say fighting and war was seemingly running in her blood as much as just plain old struggle. One could argue same as with Nora that these things weren’t so much biological as much as societal or traditional. Arkanians were supposedly meant to have superiority complexes, but Nora had been raised to see past it. She could have altered herself and her genes for said superiority, but coming from a poor family such as hers there was no money for it.

Humility and honor would not necessarily get her any further in life, but it was still the two tenets she built her life around and built a happiness for herself with. Nylea would do the same in a sense, and she too was Echani much like the woman in front of Nora.

“You don’t grow up on Arkania without learning to climb one way or the other.” Or one thing or the other. Social ladders, for one. The girl finished her drink and waited for the barmaid to come back with their rations. As the bags were deposited Nora would grab hers and stand up from the booth.

“Thank you.” She smiled. “I will make sure to send more of my students over once my vacation has ended.”

Nora held her arm towards the door and looked at Nysana before she began to head in the very same direction.

“Shall we?” She laughed and stepped through the door and into the streets.

 

[Ria Misrani]

Nysana gave Nora a nod of understanding when it came to homeworlds.

"Indeed we shall," she said with a smile as they stepped through the door and onto the streets. The cool of the air swept past and the skies above were pleasant enough, the peaceful aura of the world reminded Nysana of the peace it provided. Peace it gave, and peace it would have she thought to herself. "The journey to this place that I mention, can be partially made by speeder. The village of Maurius is the closets point of interest and from there it's a long and somewhat brutal hike through the snow capped mountains." Nysana went on to explain as they walked through Leonasa. She gestured toward the speeder point there and paid the attendant who then readied their vehicle.

"Thank you," she said to the attendant, "and now we're on our way."

[member="Nora Lithos"]