Private The Trial of Two

[Dirk]

Location: Dantooine
Tags: Braze | Leos

Dirk had gotten a bit spun around once Braze had run off to check on their apprentice. The Dantari had tried to keep up but had lost track of the pale young man. Eventually he made his way back to the mud duck. Still trying to make sense of the structure. He circled around it several times. Taking in it;s mechanical complexity without really understanding any of it.

Soon enough he made his way to the ramp, being a bit hesitant to walk in. Not entirely convinced that the Mud Duck was a creature and that walking up the ramp was the equivalent of going into its mouth. He didn’t want to be eaten by a giant metal monster but his curiosity was too great and step by step he walked in.

Once inside he’d hoped that he might understand more on how it flew. Perhaps it was much less dense and heavy on the inside. Where it was naturally buoyant like a giant metal fabool. But it was as solid on the inside as the outside. It was bright too. Normally when walking into a cave or a large tent it was much darker. But there were many lights on the inside, like little suns everywhere. Looking up at one of the lights he squinted and reached up to it. Seeing if it radiated heat like a fire but the air around it still felt cool.​

 

[Braze]

Tags: Dirk Leos ​

Braze was feeling a bit out of sorts with himself more than anything. This wasn't how he'd wanted today to go. Today was supposed to be a special, joyous occasion for Leos… and he seemingly ruined that all with his concern and poor approach to the matter of child safety.

He took his time returning to the ship and paused, looking at Dirk curiously as he sort of invited himself aboard and was looking at the lights… Braze moved and reached up to a small dial on the wall and turned it, dimming the lights gently. This kid didn't seem to know much of the modern galaxy at large. The unsettling sensation settled over him, recalling the creepy little spider droid, and he went back outside to gather its pieces up before coming back in carrying the odd little assortment of parts. He closed the loading ramp and door behind himself this time, leaving Dirk sort of trapped in the ship unless he knew how to operate the exit door.

He held up one of the creepy spider legs to show Dirk. "Bet this has been bothering you quite a bit, huh?"

Elsewhere, the small creature gasped excitedly once he had been saved by Leos. "Oh, thank you, thank you, kind being!" The small winged lizard seemed to chirp in a squeaky voice, praising his savior. "I thought I could get him, but he almost got me. Bauble would have been a goner for sure! You've my thanks, great one!" The tiny iridescent, bioluminescent lizard rolled onto his back, his small webbed and sticky toe pads wriggling about as he tried to scrape off what was left of the new webbing from his delicate wings, all the while making small squeaks and huffs of effort and little 'eh' noises.

 

[Leos]

Dantooine
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"Oh, you... do talk," Leos muttered.

It was more than he could say for the gemstone that lead him into that waterfall. He couldn't help but become bashful when the little creature began praising him, shaking his head fervently.

"N-no, that isn't necessary," he insisted. "I-I'm not that great... I actually don't think I'm really much impressive at all.... You can call me Leos, I guess..."

Clearly he hadn't even earned anyone's trust yet. That frustrated Leos a lot. What did he have to do to earn that? So that those who were supposed to be his superiors would actually tell him something instead of hiding it? Did he have to be stronger? The more Leos lingered on that the more he became frustrated. Maybe he should just save it for later...

"Bauble, huh?" he mused as he used his thumb to help get some of the lingering spider webs off of the creature. "How'd you get in here?"

And what even was he?

 

[Braze]

Tags: Leos ​

"Oh, great Leos, god of Light and dark, and commander of cold air, thank you for saving me from such a cruel fate. Had I been eaten, my eggs would surely never hatch, and there would be no more little Dahlias and Baubles to fill the world. The dastardly spider came creeping for Dahlia while she rested on our nest… and now Bauble is all alone. When the weather grew violent, Dahlia and Bauble took shelter in a great cave, but this is no cave… We have been carried far from our forests for quite some time now, though even this is kinder than the wild water that crashes from the skies." The small creature spoke with animated little motions, gesturing with its padded, toe-like hands. "Bauble is in the great Leos's debt."

 

[Dirk]

Location: Dantooine
Tags: Braze | Leos

Dirk flinched slightly as he watched the light dim. His eyes darted over to see that Braze had touched some sort of knob thing at the wall. He watched as Braze left him to fetch something outside, but didn’t follow. Instead his focus went back to the knob that they’d turned. Stepping over to it he would gently reach up and spin it some. Making it go dark before illuminating the space once more.

By the time that the echani had gotten back they would find Dirk turning the dial one way than another. Watching in fascination as it influenced the amount of light in the room. Captivated by such a simple mechanism. He was starting to understand more so that this ship wasn’t some sort of creature that was going to eat him. Instead it was some sort of enchanted structure.

Noticing that Braze had brought the multi-legged droid inside his eyes narrowed. When the echani spoke about it Dirk simply growled softly at the strange shiny. droid.

 

[Braze]

Tags: Dirk ​

"Don't worry, I'll deal with this shortly…" he mused, then crooked a finger at Dirk in a come-hither motion. If the boy thought the lights were cool, Braze had something even better to show him. He pulled out another nutrition bar, peeled back the wrapper, and waved it lightly at Dirk before padding farther into the ship, as though coaxing him to follow. He meant to show the youth the kitchen, the sink too, and make certain he understood that the instant-boiling tap was not one to fuss with, nor any of the other dangerous items tucked away in the galley.

The boy looked to be wearing little more than animal skins, and he could probably use a decontamination bath as well. It seemed doubtful anyone had been taking care of him for quite some time, so Braze felt no real worry over whisking him away from any family that might miss him.

If Leos was mad at him, this would at least be enough of a distraction to let the little one cool down before they spoke again.

It would take a fair bit of work to get Dirk clean and dressed in proper clothes, he suspected.

 

[Dirk]

Location: Dantooine
Tags: Braze | Leos

He watched as Braze tried to get his attention and have him follow. Tempting him with yet another nutrient rich treat. But for whatever reason Dirk was a bit more skeptical this time despite being well within their territory. As if some sort of deep rooted instinct was warning him. Fearing that something might be too good to be true.

Yet he followed, a bit more cautiously now into the kitchen. Looking around and trying to piece together what the room was meant for. Using context clues he came to the conclusion that it must’ve been some place to work inside of and make things. He just didn’t know yet that those things were food and meals.

Braze would also begin to notice that it seemed like wherever dirk went he was trailing with him a bit of dirt. Water wasn’t too abundant where he lived, so he likely only got to bathe whenever it rained enough to do so.​

 

[Braze]

Tags: Dirk ​

Braze handed the bar over to him once they reached the kitchen, then moved toward the fridge and pulled both doors wide. Cool light spilled out across his face and the nearby counter, revealing shelves crowded with ingredients Dirk had likely never seen gathered so neatly in one place. Braze drew out several little boxes of berries and set them down one by one, opening each in turn: dark clusters, bright little rounds, fruit so richly colored they almost looked unreal beneath the white glow.

For someone used to harsher living, it was almost excessive… abundance tucked behind clean metal doors, cold and fresh and waiting at a touch.

He glanced up, letting Dirk take it all in before holding out a large strawberry from one of the boxes. Braze picked one up for himself as well and bit into it, the soft fruit giving way with a wet little snap.

Then he fetched two glasses and stepped over to the sink. He opened the ice maker chest, and with a low crackle and clatter it spilled shining cubes into his scoop. They chimed against the glass when he dropped them in, clear and bright as cut crystal. Next he turned the faucet....Cold water rushed out at once, steady and clean, filling each glass with a sound that might have seemed almost impossible to someone who had never known water could come so easily in to a simple device.

Braze reached for a few drink powders and shook some into each glass. Pale color bloomed through the water, turning it a soft pink lemonade. He stirred them slowly, watching the powder vanish. He took a sip from one, then offered the other to Dirk.

Afterward, almost as though to show off the trick of it, he turned the faucet off… then on again, then off once more, letting water and ice and cold storage speak for itself.

 

[Dirk]

Location: Dantooine
Tags: Braze | Leos

Curious eyes roamed over the counters and shelves. Taking in the many ingredients. It was all quite a lot for Dirk, he couldn’t quite make sense of the white, ghostly individual. Perhaps they were a very powerful chieftain, or some lesser spiritual entity. He wasn’t sure how else they could acquire such vast resources. He also noticed a lack of others around the vessel as well. Finding no workers, servants, serfs or slaves around.

He was amazed once more from the faucet. Not only could they summon light that rival the sun, but also water more clear than the stillest springs he’s come across. Light, heat, shelter, water, food. This place seemed as though it could provide anything. All through mechanisms he couldn’t understand.

However when Braze added the pink powder to the water he thought about what it could be. He took one of the classes and examined it closely. Wondering why they would take perfectly good drinking water and add some sort of pink clay to it. At least that’s what he initially thought. But he also wondered if it was some kind of medicine or herb. It smelled like citrus. Cautiously he sipped from it. To his surprise it didn’t taste like mud, chalk or herbs. It was actually very pleasant. The glass itself was very clear too, like was made up of transparent crystals.​