Private The Shark and The Mudskipper

[A'Runda]

​

Location: Tatooine, Jundland Wastes
Tag: Damsy Callat

Here he was again, not just back on Tatooine but the Jundland Wastes as well. Under his waist his robe-like duster billowed from the dry winds of the desert in pursuit of a dangerous fiend terrorizing locals, both native and otherwise. A’Runda was truly in his element here. He suspected the creature was aware of him and avoided the determined tusken to the best of its abilities. Bellow him was his trusty steed, Darwin, a trusty yet stubborn dewback. Initially A'Runda hadn't wanted to bring the large lizard, worried about them getting hurt during the hunt. But Darwin was insistent one joining the tusken on his hunt.

Now the ball was in his court. Having chased his target into the rocky expanses of the Jundland Wastes. Making it much more difficult for the adolescent, sith spawn sarlacc to traverse. Having best avoided its pursuer through burrowing into the sands. A’Runda was patient yet driven, walking along within the ridges of the canyons until he came across a notable spot, The B’Thazoshe Bridge. Riding his steed close to it A’Runda looked up at the large natural rock formation before drawing his sawed off cycler rifle. Although mostly considered an apostate now to the Tuskens, even as an outcast A’Runda held his heritage close to him. As per tradition he raised his gun up to the sky before firing a loud shot into the air. The sound of it echoed throughout the canyons and ridges around him. Following by a low howl from the dewback.

Despite certainly warning the sarlacc he was after, it was bad luck not to fire a bolt before passing under the bridge. Holstering the slug thrower once more to his back they pair continued past the rock formation and further into the wastes. A’Runda sensed something else though, something family in the barren world. But this was his homeworld. Everything here was family after all…​

 

[Damsy Callat]

Tatooine had been in free space for some time.

Maybe that's the exact condition that made the planet prime real estate for a rouge Sith looking to hide from something, or someone. What wasn't clear was why they had chosen a sarlacc as a target for their Alchemy. If practice was all they needed, there were many less dangerous creatures in the desert to choose from. If they had made their creation for a more practical use, then what could it have been?

The speeder that Damsy had altered in the nearby Mos to run nearly silent crested a sand dune. She put her foot down to brace up the bike and turned the engine off. She then swung a leg up and over the saddle so she could stand, not taking her eyes off the vague shape of B'Thazoshe Bridge in the distance.

Chit.

She didn't have a blaster with her.

Superstition began gnawing at the bottom of her stomach, but maybe it didn't matter. Damsy deserved all the bad luck she got, or so she thought. It was easy to talk up sithspawn equality and a relatively benign, ever benevolent, Darkside to Jedi and her followers, but, at the end of each day, she still wondered if what she was doing was right. Did it do any good? Probably not, twice over.

As she continued the rest of the way on foot, she basked in the hot breeze ruffling her tattered, white cape and caressing her skin. For once since being to Tatooine last, she didn't need to worry about drying out. She was tuned in to the environment, listening to to the breath of the atmosphere, of the Force, of the sand, when the sudden crack of a slug being fired shattered her focus.

Tuskens? That would spell potentially bad news.

Her hand gravitated towards her lightsaber and remained there as she finished her approach.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

​

​

A’Runda himself could only theorize on the nature of the creature. Where did it come from? Who corrupted it? For what Reason? The Tusken couldn’t quite understand what is the motive behind their alchemical creation. Hard to imagine how they even acquired the young sarlacc to begin with. Relatively young at least, there was a good chance that the creature was older than the ancient wars fought between Jedi and Sith. He pulled himself off his dewback steed and dropped down to the rocky ground. Bringing his hands together he removed one of his gloves. Even now without his traditional garbs it felt strange as his bare feeling the breeze through his fingers.

Kneeling down he placed his palm down onto the rocky ground below. A’Runda sensed the sarlacc wasn’t far from him now. Likely slowed down by the more rocky terrain. Unable to swim through the sands under the dunes. Getting back up to his feet A’Runda covered his hand once more with his glove and noticed a small divot in the ground near him. Walking over he checked it out and uncovered a black melon. Digging it out of the ground he made his way back over to his steed. Cracking the fruit like plant before offering it to the dewback. “Orukak argg yurag?” [Care for a drink?] He asked Darwin in his native tongue which they responded better too. After feeding them the black melon the large lizard seemed to sense something. Looking back some from where they came and letting out a hiss. Meanwhile A’Runda himself saw nothing. Patting the dewback to ease them he figured it might just be some animal or maybe even another traveler.

Mounting his steed once more the pair continued further into the canyons. Soon enough they reached a rocky ledge. Below was almost like a clearing, but instead of trees it was rocks. In which was sand, similar to a bowl of it, walled off by rocky ledges. A’Runda sensed that the creature was here. Hopping off his steed once more he looked out over the sands, and narrowed his eyes. The Sarlacc was smart. He knew a little about the strange intelligence the sarlaccs possessed. But even this seemed beyond their normal capabilities. The Tusken had figured it knew he would catch up to it, so found something of an oasis for itself to hide and defend itself in. Maybe if it could grow into adulthood this would be the perfect spot to settle down too, if the sand was deep enough at least. The surrounding rocks would protect it from its only predators.

A’Runda simply stood by the rocky ledge, observing the surroundings for what might be the best course of action to avoid being possibly ambushed by the sarlacc. Even catching minor glimpses of the sands below shifting, likely from the beasts burrowing. However, he was getting the feeling that he wasn’t alone. Someone else was around, and not just the local fauna…

Damsy Callat

 

[Damsy Callat]

Before passing under the bridge, she decided that a lightning bolt was similar a blaster bolt. So, she rolled up one sleeve and let a short chain of blue-purple lightning into the air.

It reached high up to the twin suns before disappearing in a haze of fine dust.

She glanced down to the sand after watching, just to notice a dewback's tracks, sometimes accompanied by a pair of humanoid footprints. They pointed generally in the direction that the Force was pointing her in. Set set her jaw. She hoped whoever they were was not fellow Sith, or native devotees that the sarlacc had somehow entranced.

Damsy retraced A'Runda and Darwin's path, eventually nearing the same rocky ledge they were at. The sands shifting under her boots despite her best efforts to be stealthy would surely give her away, so she called out, "Greetings!"

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Standing out over the ledge his attention turned back to where he came along with his dewback friend. Watching as a bolt of lightning shot out into the sky from where they came. Afterwards he felt a shadowy presence from it. That was no ordinary lightning. A Sith perhaps or a similar darkside adept? A’Runda’s eyes narrowed once more, was it some mad alchemist coming to catch their runaway pet project? The Tusken worried he was in for more than he bargained for.

Turning back towards the sand pit that contained the Sarlacc, A’Runda closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. If there was to be a battle here today then so be it. Soon enough however, he heard a familiar voice. Raising his head he turned back to see a feminine figure standing there. Seeing her standing before him, The Tusken’s eyes confirmed what he’d sensed. Stepping closer to her, A’Runda looked down at the woman, almost at a loss for words. Then again he always did feel a little speechless seeing her. His brown eyes gazing back at her own hues. Around his right eye was the markings of his recognizable tattoos.

“It’s been too long hasn’t it Cuddlefish…?” As he spoke, a hidden smirk formed under his coverings before leaning and wrapping his arms around her in a deep embrace. Although he sensed a Darkness in her, A’Runda couldn’t bring himself to worry about that. Hugging his star-crossed lover reminded him of those earlier years back in the confederacy. There weren't a lot of people left in the galaxy he shared much of a connection with, even fewer from the CIS. Eventually he eased up with his embrace and spoke once more. “I’d ask what you’re doing here. In a place like… well this.” He remarked on her being on dry desert work. Showing his own mild concern for her well-being even now. Even though the last time they crossed paths she had mentioned that this form of her was much more resilient to enviroment's like Tatooine “But I have a feeling I already know...” He added, alluding some to the Sarlacc he’d be pursuing. All the while Darwin stood back, eyeing the two of them.

Damsy Callat

 

[Damsy Callat]

As soon as A'Runda turned around, Damsy stopped in her tracks, the loss of forward momentum sinking her boot slightly into the sand. She knit her brow as he approached, though she clearly recognized him. When he hugged her, her arms were a bit slow but they reciprocated the motion. Then, holding him, she melted into his familiar aura, the latter of which she hadn't noticed hints of before thanks to her obsession with this sarlacc.

But now, her eyes were open, and they saw him in more ways than one.

"You trackin' it too?" she asked after his insinuation. She wouldn't read his mind without permission.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Hearing Damsy’s own question, he simply nodded back as he replied. “That’s correct, and I’m afraid it’s not just to observe the interesting early stages of its life cycle.” Finding an adolescent sarlacc was quite the rarity, most people are familiar with their adult forms. “Unfortunately I’m here to slay the sarlacc, I hope you can understand my motives, Damsy… Already this creature has been causing problems for this world. With their longevity, could bring harm and imbalance to Tatooine well beyond our own natural lives. Maybe it would even get to witness greenery come back to this world.”

The tusken explained, fearing that if left on its own it could be an issue for the desert planet for tens of thousands of years. “However, perhaps it may not need to come to that. Damsy, I sense you have some sort of kinship with the sarlacc. I’m imagining you’ve come here with a more commendable goal in mind.” A’Runda, although they were both sithspawn he spoke with a non-judgmental tone. If she was here to possibly rescue the sarlacc, as opposed to slaying it like he set out to do, he wondered if the two could work together to do just that. Or perhaps their goals were more aligned than he thought, and she was also here to put down the sithspawn. A'Runda was more than willing to hear what Damsy had to say on the matter. Although he himself was not as taken by the Darkside as she was, he still cared for her and had no desire of changing that now just because he was more aligned with the Light than he once was.

Damsy Callat ​

 

[Damsy Callat]

"Commendable?" Damsy asked rhetorically, nudging the sand with toe of her boot even as she held A'Runda's gauzed gaze. "Matters who you askin' 'bout that.

"I live on Kesh now. Haven't been back to Krant or Kamino for quite some time now, an' don't 'spect to. Ain't got no business there no more." Nothing in her eyes nor her tone betrayed her unhindered feelings about that. "What is my business now is giving beings victimized by the Sith a home." She knew that'd be confusing, but she didn't have time to get into the nuances of those kind of Sith and her kind of Sith. "That includes Spawn like me, cuddlefish."

She nodded slightly to A'Runda's left, indicting the pit. "I wanna talk to that one, see if it wants what I'm sellin'." She looked her former lover dead in the eyes, dead serious. "If it don't, happy huntin'."

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

A’Runda listened to her words intently and nodded along to them. Damsy now explained why she was here and tracking the creature. Communicating her purpose and intentions well. “I suppose I was right then, your reason for being here is commendable.” He expressed, feeling her reasoning for being here was arguably more morally right than his own. He took no issue with Damsy seeking to find the sarlacc salvation. On top of that she seemed to have no compunctions with A’Runda slaying the sarlacc if her plan didn’t go as well. He could respect her for that. Even though A’Runda was more firmly rooted now in the light than he had ever been prior, he didn’t let that tarnish his views on the woman before him. She was more than just some spawn. She was a soldier, a damn good one from what he could recall. She was also compassionate, stating her reason for being here proved that she still was.

When she referred to him as ‘Cuddlefish’ it had a bit of an effect on him. Filling himself some with a feeling of nostalgia. Mental and emotional echoes of bygone days. “I’d be more than willing for you to try and talk with it first. If there’s a way to avoid the conflict I’d say it’d be best to at least try.” A’Runda stepped away from her and looked back over the large natural sandpit before them. No matter how things played out he couldn’t let the Sarlacc settle here, the rocky landscape around them would make it so that the only natural predator on Tatooine for Sarlaccs here couldn’t eat it.

Looking back to Damsy once more he spoke. “You said you lived on Kesh now, I’m not familiar with that place, never even heard of it. How is it there?-” Just as he finished asking his question there was a rumbling in the sands out where the sarlacc was before a few sudden bursts of sand shot out from the ground within sight of where they were. It was possibly beginning to burrow now. “Well, I guess catching up will have to wait for now. Seems like your Spawn friend is already starting to call this place home.” A’Runda added, figuring the sarlacc was starting now to plant it’s roots here which might make it nearly-impossible to rehome it.

Damsy Callat

 

[Damsy Callat]

Damsy was at first taken aback by A'Runda's small talk, and then endeared by it, settling into an easy smile. But it dropped off of her face almost as soon as it had come when she heard the sand geyser and ground quake.

Likewise, her hand dropped to the lightsaber at her belt, spiked around its emitter with three beskar spikes reminiscent of her Dauntless trident. "We haven't made friends yet," she said, intending it to caution A'Runda against jinxing her endeavor. She didn't ignite her weapon but kept it in her hand at she walked towards the pit's rocky edge to look into it. In the sands below, a shallow, circular indent was forming just off center of the pit. He had been right; it was starting to burrow.

With a quick glance over her shoulder at A'Runda, she stepped off the ledge. She didn't exactly fall, the pit's walls were steeply sloped in concave grades that made it possible to slide down on one's feet to the bottom, if they were stable enough. Damsy was, so that's what she did. Her momentum forced her into a jog at the end of the hill. She slowed down near the sarlacc's burrow and stooped to touch the ground. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. If A'Runda was able to see movements of the Force, he'd see Darkness condense around Damsy and then seep into the ground on which she stood.

And then the ground quaked again.

Damsy herself didn't jostle it too much, but what little she did irritated the youngling into a thrashing fit. Sand kicked up in larger quantities than before, forcing Damsy to dive to the side just in time for one of its tentacles breach the surface and lash out at her.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

A’Runda himself didn’t really have any intentions on keeping out of the sand pit while Damsy went to engage with the sarlacc. Following along after her but still staying back while she did her thing. Not wanting to get in the way. He himself had the three weapons he kept on himself most of the time. His cycler rifle, his gaffi stick, and lastly his saber staff that was holstered on his waist.

He watched from behind as she reached down to touch the ground beneath her. And uneasy energy seemed to flow from her into the ground. A’Runda figured she must be trying to communicate with the semi-sentient creature below. Given that it had been alchemically altered there was a good chance it was much more intelligent. Even Naturally sarlaccs mentally connected with those they consumed and created a networked consciousness, he could only imagine how this particular one might be different.

However, the beast below seemed to get irritated, and A’Runda quickly drew one of his weapons. Watching as Damsy dove to the side the tusken rushed after her. Intercepting the creature's tentacle while armed with his gaffi stick. Knocking the slender appendage to the side. He didn’t wanna utilize his more lethal weapons just yet if there was still a chance Damsy could reason with the sarlacc.

A’Runda looked back down to her over his shoulder and remarked. “I’m sensing they think we’re intruders huh?” In this moment of where he pulled his attention away from the sarlacc and over to Damsy another tentacle breached the sand and wrapped itself around A’Runda’s leg before yanking him up in the air and harshly slamming his body back down into the sand like a ragdoll. Violently dazing and knocking the air out of him.

Damsy Callat

 

[Damsy Callat]

“I’m sensing they think we’re intruders huh?”

Damsy's agreement was hummed as she swung her legs up over her torso and then back towards the ground. The momentum saw her standing again by A'Runda's side. "Prolly, yeah," she added moments before another wound opened up in the sand and a tentacle thrust the Tusken up into the air.

"'Runda!" she exclaimed. At first, as she watched him crash down into the ground, her feet only sunk into it themselves, but then she started running at the tentacle's trunk. She jumped at it, wrapping her legs around to secure herself, and bit into the skin. Though her humanoid teeth were no squaloid fangs, they did do the job. The sarlacc's shriek was muffled by the sands a little, but Damsy was too close to the mouth for it to matter much.

Either that or it was empathy for the pain she had just caused that had her tumbling to the ground just in time for the tentacle to retract.

Droplets of blood spat from her mouth punctuated her path once, twice as she made her way over to where A'Runda had landed. "Anythin' broke?" she asked, extending a hand to help him up.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tag: Damsy Callat

On the sandy ground, A’Runda groaned as he took in the impact. Gradually pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. Trying his best to regain his breath while it felt like the world was spinning some.

Although he could hear Damsy fighting off the tentacle he didn’t see it go down as he tried to regain some of his composure. Knowing that she did something from the underground shrieking. As Dasmy stepped towards him he looked up and took her hand. “No, I just lost all the air in my lungs.”

Getting up to his feet he noticed blood coming from his mouth. Which had filled him with worry. “A-Are you okay Damsy?” A”Runda asked, not knowing that she’d bitten the beast. Instead he was concerned that she’d taken some sort of internal damage. But as far as he could tell she didn’t look hurt.

But before he could really say much more the sand beneath the two of them shifted before more of the horrific body of the Sarlacc bursted to the surface. It was a large serpentine mass tentacle, where at the apex of its height was a large beak. The creature looked down at the two of them before letting out an intimidating shriek both verbally and telepathically. Utilizing some of its gifts as an alchemized Sith Spawn to command its two opponents to flee.

A’Runda however, had no desire to leave this fiendish sithspawn here on his homeworld. Imagining that it would cause a great deal of damage to Tatooine. Likely using its telepathy to lure countless victims to its maw for generations if allowed to stay here. Sarlaccs were naturally very malevolent creatures. The Tusken wondered if Damsy recognized that and that it most likely couldn’t be set on a more peaceful path. Even though it was relatively young. It was thousands of years old by this point, with plenty of time to develop its own sinister personality.

A’Runda finally drew his lightsaber, igniting one of its crimson blades that sparked and crackled with plasmic energy. However, this was still Damsy’s call if she was okay with slaying a fellow Sithspawn. This was as much a personal ordeal for her as it was for him and he recognized that. ​

 

[Damsy Callat]

Damsy wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand once A'Runda had stood. "Yeah. Not my blood." Though it could be argued that her taste buds were not alright. The ground tremored again and soon sand rained down on the pair of hunters. Damsy could feel the grains blowing past them wicking moisture from her skin, but then it being replaced by spittle as spit followed the sarlacc's physical roar.

Though it wasn't as reliving as she expected.

Firstly, it was gross, and secondly, it burned.

She cast a quick glance to her left arm, where small red welts had raised up on her skin. Acid. She knew that she knew less about this desert than A'Runda did, but she had never heard of sarlacc spit being corrosive. Their stomach juices, sure; not their spit. A clearer idea of what had been done to it was forming in Damsy's head.

For as much of an idealist as she had become since they had served together in the CIS, Damsy was still a very practical woman. Or, at least the human half of her was. It recognized the odds that A'Runda had already calculated, but the Shi'ido and Sithspawn parts of her refused to let an alchemist to get the better of her. "'Kay, gimme five," she said somewhat desperately. "Keep it up 'ere."

Without giving him the option of dissuading her, Damsy charged under the youngling, managing to disappear into the entrance to its burrow.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tag: Damsy Callat

Soon after the beast roared A’Runda felt a stinging on his leg, looking down to see a caustic burn hole in his pants. Acidic spit? That was new. He shook his appendage some to get it off him before finally hearing Damsy speak. From under the wrappings that concealed his face he had a puzzled expression.

She wasn’t planning on something other than slaying it, was she? Before he could really say anything about it he watched her rush off towards where it surfaced from. “Damsy!” But it seemed like it was no use. The Tusken let out a huff but didn’t cast any judgment on her. As she vanished he brought his attention back to the juvenile sarlacc.

The writing creator was naturally more focused on trying to stop the woman rushing into its new home. A’Runda pulled his saber back, igniting both ends of the weapon before hurling it at the sarlacc, suddenly scorching part of its body. But the damage was largely superficial, just trying to keep it from going after her. He was never very talented in telekinesis so A’Runda didn’t manage to summon the lightsaber back to himself.

However, the beast still wasn’t willing to engage A’Runda and began to try and bury back into the sand after Damsy. “Oh no you don’t!” With a bit of Force enhanced athleticism he dashed towards the Sarlacc and grabbed one of its many tentacles to pull on to keep it from submerging. His body strained as the two engaged in a very heated match of ‘tug of war.’ A’Runda gritted his teeth and wrapped his arm around the tendril like a rope, using both his hands and all his strength to keep the beast up with him. In an instant the sarlacc finally snapped back at him, A’Runda narrowly dodged it’s beak as it tried to bite the tusken grabbing it. Five minutes with this thing is a tall order, he hoped Damsy knew what she was doing and that it was worth it…​

 

[Damsy Callat]

It was rare that Damsy knew what she was doing, or at least she thought it was.

She dove headfirst into the sarlacc's burrow as soon as what she thought was the opening came into sight.

But just because she knew what she was doing didn't mean that she had expected the quicksand at the bottom of the pit. If she had, she might not have been so eager to jump in.

The grains had swallowed her knees in no time thanks to how she landed. She tried to pull out her palms only for her hands to sink in further, up to her wrists. At first, she huffed in frustration, then, as she felt the water saturating the sand starting to break parts of her skin out in scales, she pushed down further.

Maybe she could make this work.

After a four-minute struggle against density, she had forced her way under the sand's surface. She had been right; she could breathe the saturation through her neck gills, which had opened a moment before she submerged, though swimming was essentially impossible and so was opening her eyes. She thanked her mutant DNA that she didn't have to open her mouth much to sing at first, but the moment she cracked her lips, grains began trickling into her mouth.

Chit, she thought.

Still, she began to sing. As her register was both muffled and drifted in and out of the ranges that many humanoids could hear, A'Runda would not be able to notice the notes, but he would become aware of the way the young monster's attacks slowed—then altogether stopped. It turned around, chirped, and rose one of its tentacles again. The appendage descended into the pit, then appeared again holding Damsy. The sarlacc put her down gently beside A'Runda.

She didn't look to be breathing. Her legs were half-morphed together, covered in slick, grey skin.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tag: Damsy Callat

Every second was a dire struggle against the beast. Never in his entire existence would A’Runda ever imagine he would be wrestling against a sarlacc of all things. But The Tusken wouldn’t relent for a moment. Damsy was counting on him and he wouldn’t fail her. Worst of all was that he couldn’t quite use his weapons to fight it. Using The Force to amplify his strength and body just to be able to contend with the sithspawn. He had no clue the Merfolk were attempting but he had to trust her judgment.

But his efforts were incredibly taxing for him and his energy. Damsy had been out of his sight for a while and her five minutes were running out. Soon enough A’Runda struggled to even stand, and fell to his knees, his breathing became labored and harsh through his mask. Fortunately the sarlacc seemed to stop now as well. But for a brief moment his heart sank as it drove its tentacles into the sand. Worrying it was going to attack Damsy.

A’Runda quickly forced himself back onto his feet. Struggling just to keep himself up now. Knowing that if it ate her he'd stop at nothing to gut the Sarlacc to retrieve her. He wouldn’t let her be condemned to a hundred years of suffering within it. But he was surprised when she was instead gently placed beside him. She looked different now as well. More marine-like than before. He wondered what she did to seemingly sooth the Sarlacc. But most concerningly of all was that she wasn’t breathing, and he knew her gills weren’t getting oxygen in for her since she wasn't submerged in water.

A moment of panic washed over The Tusken as he knelt beside her. He sensed she still had a heartbeat. Without much hesitation he quickly began removing the wraps around his head and face. A grave transgression of any of the Sand People of Tatooine, but that didn’t matter to him now. Tossing away the concealing garbs he tried to keep his nerves under control. Inhaling deeply he began to perform rescue breathing for Damsy.​

 

[Damsy Callat]

A'Runda's breath wouldn't be able to reach Damsy's lungs at first, due to the sand blocking her windpipe, but, as it began to blow around a few of the grains, it would. A few moments was enough to bring back her consciousness. She gasped, coughed, and bolted upright. Gravity spurred on her cough. Covering her mouth with a hand, the sand grains accumulated in her palm.

"C...chit..." she stuttered, then continued to wordlessly catch her breath. Once she had, she looked up to A'Runda. Her face, still tinged with survival, softened when she saw his bare face.

"Oh, 'Runda..." She reached out for one of his still-wrapped hands. Maybe this was wrong, but, in the moment, it felt right, respectful. She knew how much the traditional Tusken coverings meant to him, even and perhaps especially as an adoptee into the culture. So, next, she adverted her eyes, even covering them with one hand, as she got to her knees and reached for his discarded face cloths with the other. Considering that they weren't together anymore, she began blushing though she had seen his face before.

A'Runda

 

[A'Runda]

Location: Tatooine
Tag: Damsy Callat

A’Runda had felt a pang of panic within himself as he seemed to have a difficult time trying to get her breathing again. Worrying that if her gills were out then her lungs wouldn’t be working. But to his surprise she seemed to regain her consciousness, causing the tusken to flinch back and give her some room to cough and regain her composure. Just glad that she could breathe now.

His eyes were wide as A’Runda looked back at her. Seeing her without goggles over his eyes she looked much smoother. Not all smudged or scratched up from years of sand scraping across the lens he looked through. Most notably for him since she last saw him like this, was how pale his hair had become. Which contrasted a good deal with his tanned skin. That tribal pattern tattooed on one side of his face seemed a bit more faded as well. The exertion of wrestling an adolescent sarlacc for a few minutes was evident in his face.

It wasn’t until she looked away from him that he began to blush some as well. Recognizing that she knew better than most the significance of concealing his features. As she reached for the discarded cloths A’Runda let out a sigh. “It’s okay. I… I don’t think Tatooine will condemn me for such a transgression.” Other tuskens, most certainly. But he was regarding the planet itself. Even if it would come to haunt him, he wouldn't regret discarding his coverings if it meant saving her. “How are you feeling, Damsy? Would you want some water or something?” He asked, still wanting to make sure she was okay. She did seem to cough up a fair bit of sand.

Then A’Runda recalled the situation they were in and snapped his attention back to the young sarlacc. Still unsure why it pulled Damsy out of the sand as he glared at the beast.​

 

[Damsy Callat]

By the time that she heard that he was not nearly as worried as she was, she had gathered up his wrapping in her hands. As she sat back on her feet, she gave the pile of linen to him without diverting her eyes. "'m fine," she said. "Just need to breathe nice an' deep for a bit."

She gaze shifted to the monstrous youngster as A'Runda glared at it. "The 'ffect o' my song'll fade soon," she added, voice almost sad. "I need ta get her back ta The Nautilus...if Imma keep her" The siren leaned forward to place a hand gently on one of the tusken's, hoping to call his attention to her. "I get that she's caused your home a whole lotta trouble."

She paused, glanced at the sarlacc, then sighed. What she was about to say she didn't really want to, but she knew that she had to. It was the right thing, moral in a strange sort of way. While Damsy didn't believe that it was quite right to hold Sithspawn totally accountable for actions they took while enslaved by Alchemy, she realized that they couldn't be entirely exonerated.

"If you want your pound o' flesh, I'll letcha take it." She looked back to A'Runda. "I just need an answer now."

A'Runda