The Pillow Book (Taiden Keth)

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

She was looking at him for that and slightly smirking as the ones were called in. "The stone is refined and shaped earth. You can feel with enough practice through it the same as you would the world." A nod of her head though to his concern "Thank you but it will be a process, regaining ones connection to the force after having it so... crudely severed take work. If they had been skilled or held more experience It might have been different but this goes to show how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands." She was holding a small grin on her face for that while motioning with her hands and sitting down at the entrance of the tunnel.

They could wait for reinforcements and she used it to meditate gathering her own energies back within herself. Speaking softly while she crossed her legs letting her hair down. "Do you trying to generate the force I am not certain, it took me years to learn and even then I still did not learn the technique until I journeyed into the center of the galaxy and faced trials far more dangerous. Without the force aiding me and slowly rediscovering it. I saw the galaxy as they did and learned more then some did." That was an understatement, she hadn't gone expecting the five to try her. She had gone because they promised her what she wanted most.

Her mind semi wondering as she was reaching out into the force and speaking. "But I cannot stop you, I can only make sure you do not harm yourself in this task." Her eyes watching while she was splaying out her hands. "The world is connected, each part of it. Through the force and through vibrations. Everything vibrates at a different frequency allowing it to be solid like stone or empty like the air. The force when you use it and see it can sometimes look like threads of a web. The easiest way to see and understand it is to search for those strands and start with one you can feel and control. Then two and more as your mind adjusts to feeling the world around you."

She brought a hand down turning it over the dirt on the ground while pushing so it made a small indent. "From the lowest organism in the ground to the largest creature in the black of space. They are tied into the energy of life and the force. You can manipulate to find and see them." She shifted the dirt until it was fine and loose working with her fingers to form small indentations that were mapping out the tunnels in a small miniature that was shifting as she focused the force into it. "Creating sand visualizations to mirror the currents of the force is a skill not many try to learn. It can be used for training and visualization but also with skill communication."

 

[Taiden Keth]

Intently listening, that trait of focus was always there as she spoke of the earth and how to hear it. Respecting her desire for self-healing, it was probably beyond his burgeoning abilities anyway to assist further, but the offer lay open and extended for the future. Taiden quietly joined Matsu in meditation, kneeling beside her, patient as he often was, while they waited for reinforcements to arrive.

The honor guard were the vanguard of the remaining house Keth assets, which had diminished further in their recent losses, not doing them any favours on Eshan the homeworld, or even the more volatile Thyrsus, because who wanted to follow an exile who couldn’t even win a single battle? Less and less it seemed, only those most loyal to tradition and the Keth’s past.

The thought sat heavy with him again, but he made no expression of it. “I am patient Knight Ike, I will carefully tread the paths needed to learn of these abilities, if you will allow it.” No rush was needed, Taiden would take his time, and do what he must to better prepare himself for what she spoke of, his journey ahead.

Breathing deep of her knowledge, a scholars mind interpreting the web in its own way, motion and movement, interconnected nodes of possibility. He held his head, that was an image that was difficult to hold in a man’s mind, because he had yet to step outside his head and feel the web again. He had half the puzzle not the other half trained, his feelings of the force were still matching to the strength of his mind.

Again watching Matsu with interest while she made marks in the dirt, sand visulsations of the movements of energy, he seemed to understand what she was expressing, “a visual representation of the web, and a plan of our tunnels ahead,” he nodded. About that time the honor guard arrived, dressed in traditional pure whites, silvers and greys. They were two teams of four, moving as one body in perfect time and rhythm, trained to fight together and move as one.

“Echanal” One of the honor guard signaled with a bow, a measure of respect, a respect Taiden never felt he deserved. No other words were said, because they communicated their readiness to watch the plan Matsu drew, simply by all eight of them focusing their attention on where she sat.

“They are ready to hear you Elder Ike, show them the way.” Her drawing, the act of drawing the tunnel on the sand was studied by every Echani here, because when she moved the dirt, they could see the motion of the tunnel ahead of them, the plan of where they must go. They would all move on her command, with no question to her orders.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

Matsu looked upon him and held a small grin on her face. He was getting it, well some of it at least. This is not something many understood right away and even less in the order did... Because she was doing more then that. She had visited many different orders of the force, many different groups that used the force in ways. From internal like the Matukai to external such as Shapers, ritual like the witches or as a sort of veil like the Fallanassi. Borrowing from different schools to augment ones vision had ways of creating a powerful technique as her eyes opened standing up to see the guards.

She looked upon them and spoke. "Move swiftly and carefully, once we are down there.... There will be other things alerted to our presence. Things that call the tunnels home and they are not friendly." The large bugs that moved around and deep dwellers, remnants that remained from a time when they were forced down deep into the tunnels. She held a small tight lipped smirk though while moving down into the tunnel and letting the energy flare from her hands that illuminated the tunnel as they were heading into it. There was more murals on the walls and sections indicating where the rooms were.

She was remaining silent but there were the sounds there in the distance, the shuffling coming from the depths of the tunnels and where the jedi had worked to make those secured in the other mountains near the lake. These ones were not, these ones had the small eel headed creatures that were scampering across the stone and hissing at the sight of them. Before quickly running away back into the shadows and Matsu was letting her eyesight change. Lowlight vision with disciple techniques to see the shimmer of bent light while she left the air change. She even moved her hand to her sleeve as the saber hilt came out.

She was listening towards the tunnels in case some of the larger predators came to see what was going on. Matsu was pushing her energy into making this a silent move towards the Leviathan units. She didn't want to imagine attracting one of the large creatures here but knew some were around the mountains. She stopped for a moment and spoke as she turned her head feeling it. That charge and change in the air that came as she spoke not activating the saber but the silver hilt slid into her hand with the familiar hum of energy from the crystals as she started moving. Her words coming out.

"Run swiftly and carefully we are not alone now." The jedi made a motion as her fingers snapped creating a spark of flame to illuminate the things moving along the wall. An energy spark to ignite some moss so the pale white things with dead eyes and large ears could be seen and avoided. She could feel it through the force as the creatures were coming from the lower tunnels. The males protecting a female she was certain or gathering food for them as Matsu started moving, letting the stale air filled her nostrils and lungs before she was moving off towards the ends of the tunnel.

Art of movement and inertia was needed as Matsu snapped parts into the air for moments to illuminate for the others. She didn't know how well they could see but the debris as she threw the momentum and force onto her body to run along the wall and spiral to the top as she was running with bent rules for gravity. Keeping the speed and power that was the real trick as she let her energy flare out and jumped corkscrewing around to smash a fist into one of the tunnel dwellers. A jet of flame coming from her hands to propel herself forward faster to keep her speed without losing a step.

There were more things, some of the predators had come out attracted to the sounds and now there it was with a gleam in her eye. The larger bugs and some of the bloodvines that were trying to attack them. Snatching one of the dwellers before dragging it into the black depths. She was guessing the soldiers had just shot anything that got close and there might be evidence of that if she was willing to search harder. Their blood might be splattered on the stone but the bodies taken for other things to eat as she came to a gap and lept pushing out two jets of flame from her hands that cast the chasm of the tunnel in blue.

Her hands grasping the roof and with the force gripping until she held herself steady up high in the air while she was scrambling with one of the dwellers chasing her. Its snarl coming to her ears in a cold reminder while she focused on making a path for the echani soldiers and padawan by drawing more attention to herself like a beacon with different force powers and energy. Matsu was moving on all fours across the ceiling as it came to the more open area of an underground crossroads. Matsu dropping down with a spin as the snap-hiss echoed bringing a pulse of lightside energy that popped while the pale purple blade was at the ready.

She let the pale light mark where she was and felt out for the others, not worrying about the pdawan and men but focused on them. She expected they wouldn't have just run into the situation if they couldn't protect themselves. She was relying on them not being reckless but that didn't mean she was going to disregard and leave them to their own devices. She'd protect them and lead the way, get them through but without babying them. The jedi code recited in her head as well as the code the Silver jedi used... well that some of them had used with Iella as she spun the blade and slashed off one of the spiked arms of a bug.

[member="Taiden Keth"]

 

[Taiden Keth]

Each listened to Matsu and readied themselves in their own mental and physical preparation for the journey ahead. There were marginally more Female Echani in the honor guard, as on balance more female warriors tended to reach the upper echelons of the nobility or martial excellence in Echani tradition, and Keth Echani were traditional to a fault.

Swift and silent they were, no armor on, they came equipped for the lightning strikes of old that had made them famous. They did however stick out like a sore thumb all dressed in white, gleaming clean as they were, and soon to be dirtied going underground. The Echani didn’t stumble but without Matsu’s vision were forced to feel their way along the tunnel edge, or the slope of the ground to judge where each step must come next.

Taiden quarter-bowed as Matsu told them to hurry, and they did, though one or two would catch their toes on loose rocks, none would stumble, or fall, each correcting themselves with balanced grace. Taiden twice had to do so as their pace increased.

Creatures came into melee range, Echani were lethal up close, their silver swords would cut and duck, or dive, moving around each other to make sure each was covered, much preferred over a blaster or anything less cumbersome. Taiden was among them, though his abilities with the force were growing, he was still part of the nine behind Matsu, nine blades speaking as one. So far none had fallen prey to anything more than getting a leg caught and cut free.

These were men and women trained since birth to communicate in a language of motion and combat, and it showed. Their swords spoke as a dance, they didn’t hang around in one spot, though Taiden did come face to face with a dweller himself, it didn’t just face him, it faced the Echani who had got behind it, another to its side and the young padawan. One feinted, another distracted, and Taiden stabbed it through in a clean kill.

The language of conflict drew them to Matsu, speaking through the melee, and seeking to find her. While Matsu recited the code, years of training in Taiden still had a way to go to be molded to Jedi ideals.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

She kept moving, her saber dancing around almost as the energy flowed freely from her body in the tunnel while she saw the others coming. It was a good thing to see while she threw her hand out and cleared a path as the sound of blaster fire was in the distance. The soldiers were fighting and attracting more things to them as she moved to the side of the tunnel. while something came at them. One of the large creatures slashing into the dwellers while she pushed them towards a side room. The tunnel giving way to a natural opening and cave covered in moss with the sounds of water and flopping fish.

Matsu was looking on as she motioned for them to get in closer and out of the tunnel. The native creatures were restless and with all the shots it would make their trip down to them that much harder. She was looking in the area they were and held the purple blade up to illuminate it. "We'll give it a moment but this is not what I was expecting... Need to be careful." She had a few ideas but even working to be friendly with the creatures would take some time. She could feel the world and was able to hear the people within the tunnels ahead as she started leading the way through the cavern towards the other entrances to the tunnels.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Noises of blaster fire ahead drew one of the honor guard's heads to turn, and they received a deep gash to their leg because they broke rhythm, the wounded woman was assisted by the others to move, and their progress didn’t slow much following Matsu. Rhythm and timing was everything to the Echani advance, when it broke they were vulnerable. Their standard personal shield generators were used in place of armor, but in melee these were often unreliable to piercing strikes. Only a few used the melee dueling shield here, preferring to rely on their own natural ability for close quarters.

Thankfully they took a moment to pause in an opening, and the wounded Echani was sat down to be looked at, someone strapping her up, while Taiden offered what healing energy he could, crouching beside her. “The closer we approach Elder, the thicker the creatures get.” Taiden observed, an obvious statement but an important one.

Other Echani guarded the openings' exits naturally, keeping watch but saying little, while one or two others adjusted their weapons, or looked to their minor bites or claw marks they'd received.

“Might we find some way around them?” Taiden offered, looking to the wounded of their number. Everyone was soon standing and able to move, no complaints here, they’d obviously been in similar situations before, it’d take a lot more than a few cuts to shake their calm resolve.

“How about a way to draw the soldiers to us.” One of the female Echani offered, walking over to Taiden and Matsu, a young girl by all accounts but one of the most able, “I could run ahead, act as a diversion, get them to chase me to an ambush.” A brave but risky plan, unless Matsu had another idea. Taiden looked to the Knight to respond, unsure himself of how she wanted today to go

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu was listening to the sounds and to the echani as she stopped for a moment. Letting her hand touch the ground while she was closing her eyes. Lids half closed and tongue against the roof of her mouth. The gun fire was dying down and the sounds of meat on metal was resounding off the stones. She couldn't tell what was happening but started moving again deactivating the saber and letting the chill of silence come over. "Move swiftly and stick together." The sound got louder but she was now listening more for something else.. This presence was familiar and she knew only a few of the people outside the order.

The light from the glow lamps they had set up shown ahead as Matsu saw it and blew out a breath of nervous energy. She wasn't disregarding it but she was also.... relief to see someone she knew. If anything this was a very good thing and then the familiar voice came. "Get the frak off me and back to work." The tall guy with two toned hair was at work with a worker as he punched him and threw him to the ground. She stopped in the distance still out of the light and was focused on keeping the energy contained for a moment longer before moving forward.

"Alright alright see how it is, you got your little excitement with the things in the tunnels. Now make sure everything is packed and ready for the ships. We're not leaving things behind." Yeah that sounded like him. She didn't motion for the Echani to stop but was expecting it as she heard him speak. "About time you showed up." The man turned around and looked at them as he spoke. "We ain't got all day jedi, some of us actually have to work so you can have those food stipends. Think those credits grow on trees?" He was looking at them as the light shined. "Ain't like we were making it hidden or poodoo."

Matsu stepped forward and showed her hands. "Well if you knew we were coming, you could have at least cleaned up the place yes?" A joke to lighten the mood as he kept going. She knew he wasn't an idiot... sociopath maybe, prone to displays of violence like a sith but usually with some purpose. He liked above all playing the villain and being able to do what he wanted. "Because I like killing things, well things that attack me. Self defense is a personal hobby of mine and so is being an honest man. You're here about the break in during the fight. I'm here to tell you, I had nothing to do with it."

Matsu looked at him and she was hoping Taiden picked it up, not just from the body language but words as well. He had said he didn't do it, a truth but a good one. If he had said his boss or the guild had nothing to do with it he might not have been able to get past lying. She had to admit that compartmentalization the guild taught was on par with some organizations for keeping members safe. Same with his way of wording how he justifies killing things. She was more then certain if she looked close enough and in his head Ishi had a masterful degree of being able to rewrite things for himself and others.

"I am a businessman, I sell things. Looking at you lot I might have some water and energy supplements you could buy." Now Matsu was looking at him and he checked his glasses sliding them back on. The other soldiers with some of them were overseeing and he walked up now. "However if I was offering other merchandise, special merchandise. The boss man wouldn't like it if I was selling to you, I might have to tell some of my assistants to make sure it is unloaded and sold off quickly because the jedi were on his trail." He was toying with them now while Matsu was standing there and wore a smirk on his face.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Behind Matsu Taiden noted the noise dying down, readying to move already, and moved forward a step from the recovering Echani honor guard, the others following, led by the female Echani Taresa Kae, Kae, a famous name once upon a time. When they rounded the corner, all the Echani stopped almost in perfect time with Matsu. It could have been on the click of your fingers they were that finely trained.

Initially he didn’t trust the man’s demeanour, and was watchful of him, but saying little, looking for clues in his body language rather than his words. The young Echani’s manner was distrustful and you could probably see it plain as day in Taiden’s body language, if you knew what to look for.

It was only after the man said he’d had nothing to do it, the clues were given away, Taiden didn’t relax but his suspicions changed. “Is it possible someone else sent another group without you knowing?” Taiden ventured, alluding to the obvious, were there two groups working in isolation of each other? He didn’t come out right and accuse the organisation of the man ahead of him, but it was close enough. All the time he was still looking for clues in the other’s body language, to see if such a move were possible.

The female Echani Taresa Kae next to Taiden seemed less inclined to direct suspicion, and bowed visibly, “we can pay well?” She seemed to not get the man's subtle humor or joke about special stock, Echani often didn’t get jokes or subtle communication, and thought he was being serious. House Keth had some funds at their disposal, nothing like they once had but some, and the prospect of acquiring some weapons to rebuild their own forces was definitely a welcome one.

After her the other Echani fanned out, approaching like the soldiers, greeting them with their usual calm reserve. Taiden finally offered his own bow, eyes on a level and still watchful, “I believe you didn’t break in, but then who did?” Taiden asked directly, looking to Matsu and back, again looking for clues in the man’s body language, to see if he betrayed a lie in saying he didn't know. "Elder Ike it seems too... convenient that all the tunnel creatures have just left us all here, wouldn't they come towards us all being in one place like we are?"

That comment had one or two of the Echani looking about, was this a setup or a trap? Taiden was suspicious again, a trait he sometimes had of the unknown.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu was in agreement that the creatures wouldn't just stop and crouched down. Her hand resting on the ground while she was letting the echani speak though she wasn't certain if they was a joke at first or being serious. They might be able to pay for services but it was not something easy or something she suspected would be worth it. Ishi was looking at them and speaking while he stood there. "Oh I don't expect them to be gone so soon, but even they can learn their friends dying means stay away for a moment." He was smirking while Matsu was confirming it, letting her energies pushing into the earth while they were moving.

"We should be moving." The man was going with the soldiers as they went off towards one of the tunnel openings in the distance and the jedi was leading the group in the back. There were a pair of sentry turrets that were moving keeping their entrance secured. The light flooding in gave way to one of the city districts in the distance and she was getting an idea of where they were now. The largest outer walls of the imperial city towered to divide the outside sections from the inside. Big enough to repel the fifty meter all GRN-DL's and outlast a leviathan for its strength. "So this is why you were interested in buying some of the farmland."

The man was looking at them and spoke while he kept his glasses on. "Well yeah but then the boss man wants the worlds all to himself. Me I am content with my area, my business and the status quo. Problem is jedi.... he likes taking all the status and I get all the quo. If you want to find who took your stuff best to try the houses. Their fingers are in all the pies leading all the way to that white tower and royal family. They want to pretend they aren't just criminals in flashier suits." Matsu was looking at him and then back to the city while she reached out. They were most likely out of the creatures territory but possibly going somewhere worse... at least there was backup.

 

[Taiden Keth]

No further insight into Ishi, obviously a man used to playing his cards close to his chest. Taiden could be the same, if his naïve questioning didn’t get the better of him from time to time, as with his cohort. The female Kae Echani seemed perturbed that he gave her no answer however, and inclined her chin slightly in disgust, she was nobility after all! Still not getting the joke.

Taiden though merely watched the others ready to move, and moved with them, dutifully so. It seemed well fortified ahead, but then Echani never reliead on brute force, they would always look for concentration pressure, or a way around. Two of the honor guard stayed back as a rear guard, walking with them but a distance away, and keeping their eyes peeled for any danger from behind that might run past the turrets.

“Is tunneling under possible?” He asked Ishi as he regarded the fortifications ahead.

Half of the Echani were considering the fortifications, if there looks toward it were anything to go by, speaking a few words in their native language which was similar to common, with certain phrases and key differences in delivery. The other half however disdained hiding behind large walls and remained silent having no opinion, Taresa Kae the most obvious among them, as she simply looked away. Body language was everything, they made no words, just slight changes in their posture.

“Forgive them, my people rely on open ground, line of sight with nothing to hide.” Taiden explained, somewhat diplomatically, and gentle of voice. “Where are we now?” He asked, blinking, trying to get his bearings within the cityscape, and then checking on the bandaged gash of his friend.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

"The Imperial city, one of its outer walls leading into the districts. Beyond there is the weeping stone and white tower." She was honestly surprised to be here, underground was a series of tunnels but unless you knew how to read a dead language you really didn't know where you were going. The rest of the reveal meant dealing with some of the real more dangerous aspects... Ones who used lawyers and wanted to gain credits above all else... or status. A mixture of both since some of the families went back to the birth of the city and creation of those walls to keep out predators.

"The good news is the silver jedi have a place in the city we can get cleaned up. The bad news is it is a good distance walking." She wasn't opposed to it and started while watching the miners guild go back to their business. Nothing more needed and she doubted they would give anything for free before she was wondering. "The city actually is a great place and large, the districts having their own style and purpose from the simple market district everyone visits to food and there is the grand living one. Some of the houses built and maintained tens of thousands of years ago still standing."

 

[Taiden Keth]

“Should we not investigate the break in further Elder?” Taiden ventured, his usual keen questioning voice. “Is there not a trail we might try to follow?” Seeing the sights of this planet was wonderful to his scholar's eyes. Every so often Taiden would be scribbling something away in his journal, but he kept being reminded of his duty, which was equal part recording all these wonderful new sights, and equal part recovering what was stolen. The young Keth looked about to the minor cuts and bruises, thinking getting cleaned up was probably a wiser course, and eventually just bowed to Matsu.

Taiden bent down to pick up a local plant and put it in a container for later, a new herb? He couldn’t be sure, but the smell of the herb had him curious, ratting it around in the container to spread the earth out over the roots.

Hearing her speak of the district and of walking, only one of their number had a wounded leg, and being an Echani she wouldn’t complain of the pain, none of them would, even if it was present in her walk. “Perhaps we might find answers in the market district, would credits loosen any tongues?” He looked to the Kae Echani with them with a signalling nod, and not long later a Thyrsus heart ship roared overhead scouting the way. It was a fast corvette ship by all accounts, silent running in space, but in atmosphere like most spacecraft a loud crack of thunder came behind it at supersonic speeds.

“They will report any dangers Elder,” at least any large dangers that were not scared away by the noise, whether this planet had smaller or less obvious obstructions to movement or their walk, he could not say.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

Spoiler

Feel free to NPC the ship if you can use it, or have it pass by not spotting anything.

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu looked at him and spoke. "It all depends on where you look, the miner's guilds offices here well they have dealings. Plus warehouses." She was looking at him while moving but left that open for him to get. She knew where if they were going to sell something or hold it. The most secure places on planet would be where they need to go. "The families keep everything running smoothly as it were and we can find anything possibly. The invisible market is a thing of this world that few really get to see." She had found and moved through the invisible market as she was going towards the city.

Their ship a nice thing but she was liking the view as going towards the market district as she was thinking about paying to loosen up some of the tongues of the people. She knew the value in that as well as the large district was in view, divided into streets with space for crews to get through in case of fires. The roofs of the buildings a uniform size with three levels that made quite a sight as Matsu stood around breathing in a bit. "Welcome to the market district of the Imperial city. Be careful and watch for pick pockets and the stairways going down lead to some of the warehouses."

 

[Taiden Keth]

Listening intently to every word at this point. He took a moment to feel relief that his constant thirst for knowledge hadn’t upset her, because some found it overbearing, but the emotion soon past as it always did with Taiden, instead there was “gratitude Elder for all that you have shown me this day.” He resisted the temptation to ask further questions about the market, though by his posture it looked like he wanted to. Wait did Matsu mean… the invisible market beyond that of the blackmarket, rumored to contain some truly rare artifacts and dangerous handlers.

Their ship spotted no surprises on their walk, so the group continued with only the small slowdown of one hobbling member behind Matsu, which pride would not allow to slow the Echani much. Taiden kept mulling over the possibility she meant they would be dealing with criminals, so when they were welcomed to the market, he was on his guard. Perhaps he should have just asked her when he had the chance!

The sight of the city didn’t mean much to Echani eyes, but the flow of the people through it was poetic, that was the sight they looked at, most of them anyway, though several appreciated the craftsmanship, commenting things like, “great care and attention has been used here,” or, “they must really know their art if their city is anything to go by.”

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu had to agree with him in that the city was art. In many ways the districts were each other own story to tell, from the vaulted stain glass within the housing districts that the nobles are able to afford to the decadent shops of the pleasure district. She had seen some padawans and knights blush when they saw the shops or cafe's there while on patrol. The jedi was moving and continued forward as she stopped in front of one of the shops and entered inside letting several silver jedi who had been working on the research teams stood around. They were cleaning the armors and handcrafting them while one gave a bow.

"Welcome back master." Matsu bowed in return to the woman and was looking at the others while she motioned with her hands. "Welcome to the silver jedi's shop here in the city... well kind of we don't actually charge money for equipment and clothing." She kind of shrugged to that though since the clothing they were working on was to specifications for some of the armored clothing and robes they made the padawans in the fight against the sith empire. The One Sith provided much of the same threat and need for what they could make. "We have some designs we have been working on if your warriors would like to prototype it.

She was mostly looking at the limping Echani who while not to harm their pride as she displayed the suit of armor for commando units. Not restrictive and bulky but made to run and fly around in while you fought with a certain set of circumstances in your favor. Matsu had the other pieces of equipment there displayed but wasn't arming up while she disrobed going behind the counter and changing into another cleaner kimono did up her hair. The glistaweb great for handling blaster fire as she put a bronze colored turadium hairpin.

She didn't take much time changing though hurrying and washing her face to get any dirt or grim away from it while securing and finishing up with her equipment pack over her shoulder again. Matsu looked at him and presented a crystal she had from the world itself. The amber colored stone glowing brightly for a moment as she held it up. "Amberite, not very rare since the species does grow on the moon but it is always helpful if you know how to listen to the crystals." She had used them to keep track of people and places for stake outs and that was always a good thing when you didn't have back up.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Polite greetings given to each research assistant, very reserved but respectful. Behind Matsu and offering a small gesture of welcome himself, open hands parted, Taiden bowed his head to the woman accepting her hospitality graciously, “thank you for accepting us,” the others entering in, and leaving Taiden to wait till they had. It was the silver Jedi’s shop, but he still wanted to congratulate her for her duty, so often neglected were the many unassuming Jedi who made up the order, doing the tasks few heard about. Taiden was more keenly aware than most about the part everyone played, because he noticed the details.

With a brush of his tunic against his step, Taiden was of course over eager to be the first to test any prototype. It seemed the female Kae Echani with him was equally keen, and they both stepped forward together! Keth and Kae, never allowing each other a break, even 700 years on! When they released she was speaking about armor, neither wanted to wear armor, but both wanted to be the one to test the prototype, so neither backed down.

It was an amusing scene perhaps, but then the galaxy at large didn’t know the long history of rivalry between the Kae and Keth, the look they both gave each other said enough it about it. Matsu perhaps knew a little of what the research woman was asking traditional Echani to do, give up their fighting style to wear armor in place of energy shields, at least she might if she saw how they hesitated.

Eventually Taiden broke away from the amusing, but awkward scene, and so did the Kae Echani, “many thanks for your generous offer, but our people fight free of restriction, only energy shields surrounding us, it’s what makes our combat form so fluid.” Quick to strike and silent, little could match an Echani unit up close move for move, and that was why, no armor.

Amberite… “may I hear it Elder?” Taiden was a crystal shaper, this was his forte, and all other considerations dropped aside as he approached Matsu. The scholarly Echani did not extend his hand to touch, denying himself, instead he listened deeply. Curious it was for someone so fluent with crystals that Taiden carried no lightsaber, but then he felt guilty for his previous service to the imperials and then the Sith, denying himself a lightsaber as a self-imposed sentence to never work with crystals again.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu looked at the echani as she held a small smirk on her face and spoke. "Careful." She presented the crystal as one would soemthing valuable and spoke. "The Amberite is a living being that grows within the crystal." She let it remained there for him to take and held a small smirk on her face while she was going to the side. There was some other equipment she was loading up but nothing to large before remaining there. Thanking the assistants for their help and opening the door to the lower levels of the city. The warehouses with all of their supplies were proving a great place as she walked down the stairs motioning for Taiden and some to follow.

"We'll need to split up, we can get to the miner's guilds warehouse from here but someone will need to open the door from the other side. They have a building and entrance in the pleasure district. Be careful though not to get distracted. That area is almost as dangerous as zeltros when it come to making you forget what you are there for." She raised an eyebrow and was focused now on where they were going while she turned on the bright lights of the warehouse. Large stone and colder with boxes and equipment as well as droids. It was a large multi level with some sights outside of other such areas.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Taiden’s enthusiasm was only matched by just how careful he was and how he respected Matsu’s words. He hesitated in touching a crystal again for the first time, but he’d been encouraged by her, perhaps it was time to let that part of the past go as Coci and Nima had told him. Reaching out a hand gingerly he brushed the Amberite, and received another gift from the elder.

Humby bowing silently as he held the living crystal to his chest honoring it. It pulsed, so fine was his control and understanding of crystal shaping, he felt the living being, and was sensing its apprehension about being handled. A long moment past where he said nothing at all, even as Matsu was readying to leave, or as they walked, even the Kae Echani was more receptive while Taiden was as usual contemplative.

Only breaking the silence finally to answer her.

“Yes Master, if I go alone I can move less noticed ahead of you.” The Kae Echani shifted her posture nearby, the Echani equivalent of interrupting, and Taiden bowed his head to Taresa “we will meet you the other side.” It seemed the Kae and Keth Echani might be developing a repartee of sorts, if an awkward one. The two of them would move ahead of Matsu assuming she gave the okay, if not they stayed by her side.

Either way they were soon moving through the pleasure district, Kae at his side, luckily for the Echani he was not distracted by the appearance of lovely ladies sweeping by, or bright lights and curling promising lips, but the dancers on a nearby balcony were a different matter. He was a young man and their dancing, their delicate motion drew his eyes, so much so Taresa Kae with him tapped him on the shoulder to move him along.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Taiden Keth"]

Matsu headed down while letting the men head off towards the pleasure district. She hoped he understood what it would be like but wasn't certain. The same three street layout with smaller paths between buildings for fires. Stone buildings and roofs that also help with large windows in front to display the wares of the different shops. Most showing the different species and using a color indicator if it is touch, no touch, or more inside. The cat women who worked as scouts milling about and releasing heavy amounts of pheromones into the air to mix with the music that was more swaying over something heavy.

Food was being sold around the area as well while Matsu let a breath out getting to the bottom of the warehouse for Sasori. She opened the door and exiting out of it was into a damp, dark and snaking area that led to other doors for different warehouses and shops. Some of them in use and some of them not but this was usually the best way to move supplies into the shops from the large underground hangers. She could hear the grinding of gears and machines that kept power throughout the city as they came to a large cavern leading to the other districts with a large plasma bridge she started moving across with the echani who were with her.

 

[Taiden Keth]

Most of the Echani remained behind to follow Matsu, while Taiden and Taresa wound their way through colourful scenes and artistic expression, with the occasional blast of intoxicating pheromones. It was a good thing Taresa was here to pull taiden away, and he for her, because each time someone came up with some other way to distract them, it was almost always the opposing genders pheromones that moved each.

Agonisingly they made it to the end, even if someone had managed to lay draping silk around the young Echani’s neck, another resting a light finger to brush against his chin, doing his best to test his reserve. Taresa pretended they were a couple and angrily shooed them off, which got an amused slight turn of Taiden’s head, and a scowl from her bodylanguage in return. They would never be a couple, but Keth and Kae might just not end up killing each other after all.

Gracefully pulling themselves over a wall, and falling the otherside with little to no sound at all, one advantage of having no armor, they headed inside, moving around to be forward of Matsu.

“Voices,” Taresa called unsure if they should even be here or not, and the two of them were forced to throw themselves together in a storage cupboard, very awkward for spacing, not that the looks they were giving each other meant anything other than suspicion.

Annoyingly Taiden could not use force push or pull due to his force motion disability, how much he wanted to use those skills! Anything outside of his own body, when it came to force motion was beyond him. So the lock facing Matsu was sealed for a good ten minutes… she might wonder what had happened to them.

Ten minutes later

Softly with a click the door to Matsu opened, to let the others in. Taiden had gone ahead to cause a distraction, while leaving Taresa with Matsu, though it appeared the young padawan had fallen prey to a cluster of about four scantily dressed females who were swarming around him… they were not however interested in him or his credits, but why he was here. He was doing his Echani best to remain centered and balanced but they were working their charms on him, or rather his pockets.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​