Private The Treehouse That Shouldn't Exist- Lothal

[Braze]

TAGS: Niysha | Aliris Tremiru

The Treehouse on Lothal

​

Braze had left the modest treehouse on Lothal in the care of Aliris Tremiru and Jalen Kai'el during his absence.

Before his departure, he had tended to a few humble improvements on the self-sustaining retreat nestled in the branches. A well had been dug nearby, and a simple water system implemented. The garden was coaxed back into neatness, with fresh soil turned and young sprouts encouraged to grow beneath the warm sun. Once the work was done, he allowed himself a break.

The air was balmy, sweet with the scent of wildflowers and the faint tang of loamy soil. A gentle breeze stirred the tall grasses, sending waves rippling across the open glade like a green-gold sea. Braze sat cross-legged near the edge of the tree line, idly toying with a few curious Loth-cats that had crept near. Their coats shimmered in the shifting light as they padded through the grass, their eyes bright with mischief. He shared bits of grilled poultry from the small fire pit, the smoky scent curling lazily into the air.

Lunch finished, Braze reclined back into the swaying grass, arms folded behind his head. He exhaled slowly, letting his body sink into the warmth of the earth. Above him, pale clouds drifted across a painted blue sky, languid and unhurried. The leaves rustled overhead, and the grasses danced around him, lulling him into that rare, quiet harmony with the living world.

For a while, he simply watched, content to be still, to breathe, to exist in the calm hush of nature's rhythm.... All was well... all was at peace.

 

[Niysha]

Out of all of the planets she'd found herself on, Lothal remained singular in its impressive pastiche of generic Outer Rim-ness. It was the lack of noteworthy features that made it noteworthy; grain was just about the least interesting thing anyone could grow, it had only one major city, and the population was the classic assorted mix of humans and less-than-1% individual demographics of other species. As of about two months ago, there were only two things that made it even worthy of a single line in Niysha's modest and growing archive of personal notes.

Firstly, there was a small, old Jedi temple not far outside the capital city. Secondly, Aliris Tremiru was there.

Initially, Niysha had drifted through with In Rhan when the Dancer had stopped to offload freight, refuel, and take on the next load. Just one day had been enough time for the Miraluka to wander randomly through the capital city until she happened to find an uninteresting sight among uninteresting sights. There were probably countless small, nowhere Jedi temples across the galaxy, each hosting an equally small contingent of rural monks who just wanted to meditate in peace and make their planet a slightly better place than it would be without their help. Aliris wasn't exceptional in almost any way, but the Force had tossed her into Niysha's path regardless.

One unimportant padawan well past the age that she should've been knighted, and one unimportant spacer with a slightly scary old box. After just a single day of wandering around Capital City, handing out baked goods and helping orphans, the two of them had parted ways. Niysha always left new acquaintances with her holocomm code, in case they wanted to see her again, and normally that was the end of it. To her surprise, this time it wasn't.

When she'd landed her modest little personal shuttle on Lothal to reprovision for a trip further out into Wild Space, Aliris had rung her up and asked to show her around a bit more than last time. Their first stop was, apparently, an old treehouse she'd had with a few of her friends once upon a time... which Niysha had fully expected to be empty. It was not. At the edges of her comfortable range, she could see a distinctly Jedi presence.

Niysha's hesitation was visible. She'd already been burying her presence for Aliris' sake, but if there was a second Jedi she had to contend with, it might not end quite so happily as it did on her last visit. It was absolutely best to let her friend take the lead... and maybe flick open the zipper of her bag to make it a bit easier to draw her very, very well-hidden lightsaber, if it came to that.

"Looks like there's someone up ahead, Aliris," she commented just a meter or two after she noticed them, slowing to a stop. Niysha tried her absolute best to make her smile as genial as possible and not at all quietly freaking out. "I wouldn't want to sneak up on them. Want to go introduce us?"

Braze

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

It'd only been a couple months, but Aliris really had missed Niysha more than she'd expected to. There was something about having a friend that didn't know who she was before, that wasn't going to be able to compare the now to the then, that really made her feel.. Better. Even though she knew no one she cared for was going to judge her, Aliris herself still was.

She was stronger now. A couple of months and more of the muscle mass she'd lost in her coma had returned. Strength so she could walk on her own two feet. Climb a mountain on her own, even. Slowly and with frequent breaks, but she didn't need to be carried anymore. Even the tree house she could climb up into on her own.

"Someone ahead..?"

There was a tilt of her head as she looked forward, trying to see who it might be. Or was it more- Ah. Her senses stretched out, and sure enough, it was someone she hadn't expected to be there but didn't mind none the less. Maybe she was even happy. Maybe. The burden of who she was still clung to her shoulders, even if she was stronger now to bare it's weight.

"Oh. It's Braze. I stole his lightsaber once and tried and failed to bleed the crystal in it. Despite that, he's always been my best friend. You don't need to be tense, I promise." Even Aliris could pick up on the subtle uncomfortableness Niysha gave off. Whatever the reason didn't matter too much, not if Niysha didn't want to tell her, but she had brought the Miraluka here to relax.

"Braze is one of the more relaxing people to be around."

There was a pause, then a fit of laughter as she realized what she said. ".. Okay maybe not, but! He's friendly, at least." With a brighter smile, the kind that was trying to push down the sense of inferiority, she'd lead the way towards the base of the tree.

"I wasn't expecting you here, Braze. I've brought a friend. Niyasha, Braze, introduction complete."

Niysha | Braze