Private The Journey Home

[Ryol Fenn]

Adelphi.


If not for a bond he had made a long time ago in his preteen years, Ryol was not sure he would have ever returned to this world. It was so remote and small that it served no real purpose to any government, although it would have made a good hiding place after the fall of Coruscant.

Still, what drew him here was a prior commitment- a promise that he would return to this small village, that he would once again sit with Toma Say - the village elder - if ever he called.

It was Toma’s dark eyes he peered into now - grasping the old man by his thin, spry elbow as he dropped the slightest bit of Jedi decorum to offer him a small smile.

“Toma - it’s good to see you,” the Togruta said, dropping his backpack into the sand of the beach that trailed upward toward the village.

Before him, a foot shorter and with human skin tanned brown by a lifetime on Adelphi’s abandoned shores, Toma grasped at the Jedi’s cloak as it was stirred by the wind coming off the sea.

“Ry - little Ry. You always have that serious look about you. Perhaps one day you will lighten up, yes? But something in you has changed..?” His bright smile disappeared for a moment, his kind face twisting into a brief expression of befuddlement, the curly hairs of his beard carried on the breeze, the corners of his eyes wrinkled by time.

Ryol hesitated. “There are many things happening now…we’ve all changed,” he answered, uncertain of how to steer the conversation, of how to address his reason for coming to this planet. “But now is not the time to speak about that. I’ve come here..to help you, I think?”

Toma stared up at him for a moment. There were many thoughts passing through his brown eyes - Ryol could feel the gratitude that went unspoken between them - but the old man just clasped his hand tightly and burst into a fit of unrestrained laughter.

“Yes, yes. You have come to help me…but I think there are more of you here already. Come, let us see what’s happening in the village…” he announced, before his sandals dug into the sand once again and off he ventured, leading the Togruta up the beach toward his home, which was a flurry of activity as the village prepared him for his final journey through the jungle…

Village Elder: Toma Say
Species: Human
Eyes: Brown
Age: 93


Outfit: Jungle planet
Tags:
Braze
Big Nick

 

[Rook]

Adelphi
Tags: Braze , Ryol Fenn

Starbird Armor, Δ-1 A-wing Interceptor
​

Rook was not unaccustomed to strange jobs. There were many that he did without pay. A fragile old man making a pilgrimage was a job that required some security. They needed someone with experience traversing rough terrain, as well as fend off any beasts. Lucky for the village elder, Rook had all such skills. From where? It was hard to say. The man did not speak, and he seemed to be quite keen on maintaining his secrets.

The armored man walked in silence through the small village on the coastal planet of Adelphi. Random bits and bobs on his person clacked together as he did so. He was, at the very least, a man of quite average stature. Humanoid at least, though anything more than that was quite unclear. A crudely-drawn starbird decorated his chest, clearly drawn by himself.

It was not long before he made it to the designated meeting location within the village. There he saw a Togruta, clearly Jedi, and the old man in question. He offered first a wave of his hand, then began to sign.

Jedi. Elder.

He then pointed at himself.

Rook. Hired gun. Here for job.

From there the man simply found himself a support beam to lean against and crossed his arms.


This is Big Nick btw.

 

[Braze]

Tags: Rook Ryol Fenn ​

Braze liked to travel and see new places… and it had been a while since he had gone out to assist someone on a mission. He had caught wind of the task and offered his aid.

He was curious to see what was going on in the little village, and to meet with the contact. Along the way, he had given a few small toys to some of the younglings he found there: marbles, jacks, and a water whistle shaped like a bird.

Then he spotted an armored fellow, along with the person he was speaking to. Braze watched them for a moment, trying to discern the message before he approached.

"Hello, sirs," Braze greeted. "I'm Braze. Nice to meet you. I'm here to help."

He brought one fist to an open palm, crossed one foot over the other, and offered a bow. He may have been the smallest and youngest of teh group but he was energetic and happy to be of assistance.

 

[Ryol Fenn]

As Ryol and the old man entered the village, which was shaded by the thick canopy that grew far overhead from the rainforest, Toma Say stopped and turned his head kindly as two strangers - or at least, they were strangers to Ryol, though they may have had some far deeper connection to this planet - introduced themselves.

First, the old man gave another wild laugh and rapped upon the chest armor of the hired mercenary-type with a bony, dark knuckle, appraising him with the kind of look that said he knew something none of the others did, and nodded in a satisfied manner.

“A soldier…I wonder what has called you home…” Toma said, his right eye squinting upward as he smiled mysteriously. But then he turned to Braze, slowly reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

“But I know what has called you here….it is the Force, perhaps…mmm?” he asked before revealing his bright smile and cackling again.

Then he accepted a large walking stick from a silent woman standing nearby, her hair decorated with leaves, before he turned and began to lead them into the thick of the jungle.

“Come…there is much yet to see,” he called back to his new companions. “Even for you, Ryol.”

The Togruta was caught offguard as the villagers suddenly burst into something of a farewell message, their voices rising through the warm, swampy air, bringing forth a sound he had forgotten from the first time he left this planet.

“Mmmm….Aya-aya-aya! Aya-aya-aya mmm!”

Handful after handful of bright leaves and flower petals rained down on the four of them as they began to leave, as dozens of arms lifted to the azure sky and scooped from the baskets at their feet. The village parted like a wave in the ocean, making way first for Toma, then Rook, then Braze and then Ryol, each saddled with the supplies necessary to survive in the humid rainforests ahead.

The villagers song followed them out, and Ryol turned his head to glance backward, until long green vines fell over his shoulders and obscured his view, and the voices of the humans faded away.

Ryol allowed himself a small smile, watching where he stepped but also giving small glances to the strangers who had joined them. He wondered if they knew, like he knew, that Toma was dying.




Tags: Rook
Braze

 

[Rook]

Adelphi
Tags: Ryol Fenn , Braze

Starbird Armor, Δ-1 A-wing Interceptor
​

“A soldier…I wonder what has called you home…”

Rook didn't answer. There was only a subtle tip of his helmet, as though the man behind the visor was processing the words spoken to him. He took a moment to look over the small Jedi who had just arrived. That was a face he had seen before. There had been several bounties that had been placed on the Echani.

None that he would have ever taken. Rook didn't hunt Jedi. He only hunted those who deserved it.

As they began to walk, they found themselves amidst some kind of farewell celebration. Wordlessly, as always, Rook took in the sight. He was unsure of the full cultural purpose, but he got a sense that there was finality in the air. Like someone was not going to return. Perhaps it was not too far of a stretch to imagine that a man in his twilight years was in his final hours. Soon a blanket of vines was the portal into the unknown, and they passed out of sight of the village. After a moment he turned to the Echani and offered crude sign.

Senses strong, little Jedi? I take point. Bring up rear with other Jedi.

From there he would move to walk beside Toma, though slightly back to still allow the elder to lead them.

 

[Braze]

Tags: Ryol Fenn Rook ​

Braze smiled faintly at that as he padded along, carrying his share. He wore a long, fur-lined cloak that wrapped around his frame, painting the silhouette of some odd spacer. Perhaps the soft, fluffy lining would have been welcome in the cold depths of space, but in a climate like this, it seemed more cumbersome than practical. Yet Braze seemed perfectly at ease beneath it.

"Perhaps," he said in a pleasant tone, offering Toma a smile. "The Force does bringing people together in interesting ways." He chirped the words softly.

He offered a curious look at the gestures. Oddly enough, he was less adept at understanding hand signs; it took him a little longer than spoken language, despite how well he could read body language. Hand signs were different.

He nodded.

"Yes, sir. It's something I've spent a great deal of time developing, with the help of a Miralukan Knight," he offered softly.

He waved to those who bid them farewell, then padded along, allowing his perception to stretch ahead of them and around them.

"This is a pretty planet…" Braze chirped gently, looking to Ryol Fenn with curiosity as he tried to get a mild read on whatever emotional sentiments the man might have held.

"Are you familiar with these lands, Master?"