Tied Together With A Smile

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie leaned in close, deciding it was about time to tease the girl a bit. "You know? I think you're right Aela! I think I do smell the fuel leaks! And do you hear the creaking in the hull?! I think we better tell the pilot before this gets serious." A look of feigned terror appeared on her face, jaw agape and eyes widened just a bit. It was all in good fun, although she was certain Aela wouldn't find the humor in it.

"And who are you going to convince to fly your royal little butt around, huh?"

Leaving the Order, and if she also left the SIS, would mean she was unemployed. The 5th legion would, Jamie assumed, be reallocated to other branches of the government. She doubted Aela would be paying some 5,000 soldiers their yearly salaries on her parents' wealth.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She gave her Padawan a blank stare.

"I will hit you." The thread was not idle. "That's not an idle threat."

She wouldn't hit her padawan hard, just a little lovetap to show that she was serious. Her gaze fell around the cargo hold though, searching for the so called leaks that Jamie supposedly saw. She found none of course. The ship was old, but the SIS didn't send out people on broken down freighters that would actually break. All of their ships were maintained well enough that they could make it to the end of the galaxy and back, but...well still they looked like crap.

"Pilot droids exist." Aela pointed out.

The things were expensive, and couldn't do any fancy flying, but as a Civilian Aela wouldn't have to worry about that.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie giggled. "Alright, alright. Sheesh." Her lips pulled back, neck muscles straining slightly. "No need to get violent Miss Serious."

She stuck her tongue out again. "Back home I did a lot of exploring. Mountains, oceans, fields, caves, that sort of stuff." Jamie decided it was better to simply tell Aela now to keep her mind off the whole starship subject than to have the girl have a heart attack on board before they reached Lujo. "I found out about this really beautiful cave that a few others adventured. I got the location from them, and thought we could check it out." The reason she chose this particular cave though?

"Supposedly there is a naturally glowing lagoon at the bottom, fed by mountain water that, because of the composition of the sediment and minerals, cause the water to glow a vibrant blue. It's supposed to be beautiful. I've seen pictures, but they don't do it justice."

Not at all. She was mesmerized by them, but even the people she had talked to said that the pictures paled in comparison.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Ohh." Aela said quietly, finally understanding the ropes and other climbing equipment.

In truth she hadn't expected something quite like that. She had thought Jamie would lean more towards shopping, a day at the beach perhaps, or maybe even forcing Aela to go on a blind double date. The latter option was something she had secretly feared ever since her Padawan had told her of her situation with Kurt. Though she would of course never say anything about it to Jamie.

"That will be great!" She said with a wide smile. "I love climbing."

She and her siblings had done it frequently back on Borleias, traversing the seaside cliffs.

"Did you bring your camera?" Aela wasn't quite sure why she even bother to ask, Jamie always brought that thing everywhere.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A wide, delighted smile painted Jamie's face, hearing Aela's excitement. At least she had chosen something the other girl was going to actually enjoy doing with her, rather than out of pity.

"I'm glad!" Her voice pitched up an octave, "Now you won't feel obligated to wander around and shop and get silly drunk with me." The blonde nodded. "Of course I did! I wouldn't forget it, especially not for a trip like this where half the fun was going to be taking photographs of the adventure!" It would be pretty low key, the only challenge being the cave itself. It wasn't like there was going to be beasts everywhere like Dxun had been, where everything was trying to kill and devour you.

"It will take a day or two to reach the cave. There isn't much in the way of a nearby landing site. But there should be a pretty well worn trail by now. The dive itself will take two or three days down and up, depending on how quickly we can move." She pointed towards one of the crates. "I brought enough food for a week, just in case. We can split it between our packs."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well." Aela said with a smile. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out then."

It was a lovely idea, and Aela couldn't help but smile at it.

"Thank you." She more than realized why Jamie was doing all of this, and despite what had happened on Lujo before...she didn't dread going back there. Battle, war, it all happened so frequently that you couldn't just mark off a planet once you'd fought there.

At least Aela couldn't.

"This will be fun!" Aela said with a wide smile.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie gave Aela a confident nod. "For once, I do." A surprising truth. As of late Jamie had nothing figured out, and no idea how to answer any of her life's problems.

But this? This she was confident of. This she could do. This she was good at.

Hearing Aela thank her for something seemed almost comical. The Padawan had become so used to thanking her for things that any kind of reciprocation seemed alien to her. "Yes, it will!"

Tucked away in the back of her pocket was her datapad, which she pulled free and activated. Her fingers went tapping about on the screen for several moments as she searched for what it was she was going to show Aela. Finally, after scanning her saved HoloImages she came across the few photographs that others had shown her in the past of the cave. About two dozen photos displayed on the screen for Aela to see, everything from the landing site to the massive, crater like opening surrounded by lush forest, to the tightest crevices one needed to fit through, as well as the shimmering blue of the water within the lagoon at the bottom, completely illuminated entirely of itself.

"It's something I've been planning to do for a while, I'm glad you're coming with me."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She looked at the images with interest, taking the datapad from Jamie so that she could inspect a couple of the pictures with a more scrutinizing eye.

Aela and her siblings used to go rock climbing back on Borleias. The Archipelago that her families island was located in had more than a few cliff faces. Micah had always been the best at climbing, scampering up the side of the rock as though he were made for it. She hadn't been bad herself, but far from the best, with Even Maleah doing better than her. This would be difficult, but certainly not impossible with Jamie and Aela's skills and training. "Did you bring an emergency beacon?"

She asked her padawan.

"Just in case I mean." It was just like Aela to ask about something like that.

Obviously the Jedi Marshall didn't think they would get stuck on the first day, but if there was a storm or something happened...she or Jamie slipped, well it would be good to be prepared.

She just wanted to make sure everything was set.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The only piece of equipment Jamie had removed from her armor prior to the trip was the WWG. Part of its' functionality was to broadcast an emergency distress, while including a pinpoint accurate GPS locator. It could be worn on the wrist and out of the way of the other gear she had on. Hopefully that would quell Aela's potential fear of being trapped on Lujo for the rest of her life, or maybe in case Jamie got trapped beneath more rubble from some crazy dark sider again. Hopefully not.

"I brought the wrist gear from my armor. It's in the crate over there. It has a distress beacon in it, in case we need it." She poked her finger against Aela's knee while the girl was busy looking over the pictures on her datapad. "Not that we will need it, of course." Her confidence in herself was obvious in that moment.

"You have me. We'll be fine. I left the alcohol and shot glasses back home, so you wouldn't get any ideas."

The blonde laughed, her smile briefly flashing her teeth.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She glared at her Padawan.

"Need I remind you." Aela said as she raised her chin and straightened her back slightly, eyes falling on her padawan as though she were a servant before a Queen. "You were the one who wanted to drink that terrible fluid."

Aela made a 'hmpf' noise, dropping her regal bearing.

"We would have been perfectly fine just sticking to drinks we ordered, but nooooooooo." She teased Jamie, smiling at her slightly though still holding that judgmental look in her eye. That night had really been fun, not half as bad as Aela made it out to be, even the morning after had been worth it for the time the two of them had spent together...even though it had been somewhat embarassing. Luckily neither of them had mentioned that the other had bawled their eyes out.

Probably because they didn't want to admit it. "I happen to be always on my best behavior. Unlike you."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie burst into laughter, turning away from Aela as if the very sight of the girl would threaten to make her continue to laugh until she could no longer breathe.

"YOU", she started, before collapsing into laughter once more. "YOU were the imbecile who took them ALL at once!" Her blonde covered head shook, sending her hair into a tizzy. "Nobody said ALL AT ONCE, dummy!"

The Padawan turned back to Aela, her face nearly beet red from the laughing fit. "Don't even try to blame me for that! You should have just told me 'Hey I've never drank before so I don't know what I'm doing.'" Jamie pointed at Aela, as if accusing her of some type of crime. Those had been intended to drink over time, but rather than constantly seeking a waitress, it was easier to simply get them all at once. It wasn't Jamie's fault that Aela decided in her own mind that what Jamie meant was take them all consecutively.

That had been what got them into trouble, and had they lingered much longer in that casino would have likely been thrown out.

"You are not always on your best behavior, you little deviant."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"DEVIANT?!" Aela sounded aghast.

"ME?!" That was so far off the truth that even Jamie knew she was flinging bantha poodoo. "Me? A Deviant?"

She repeated herself again and stared at Jamie. So she hadn't known she wasn't supposed to drink the shots all at once...but what did that matter? She had assumed they were some sort of flavor combination that only had a little bit of alcohol in them. That wasn't too bad, was it? "Need I remind you what your deviancy is compared to mine?"

Aela poked at her Padawans chest.

"I am good." She told her. "I've never even kissed a boy! That's how good I am."

She gave Jamie judgey eyes.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie scoffed at the returning accusation. "I am no deviant! Just because you are too scared to kiss a boy doesn't make me a deviant because I've kissed one!" The blonde returned Aela's glare and judgemental stare with one of her own, as if it were some sort of contest that whoever blinked first would have to concede to. "You're just scared you'll like it." She quipped, then quickly added, "Or maybe you're scared you wont be good at it."

That, she knew would push Aela's buttons. A wide, mischievous smirk painted her expression as she prodded Aela's knee again.

"It's okay if you're scared, you can tell me."

She laughed through her nose, expelling small bursts of oxygen while she tried to contain her laughter.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I'm not scared." She told her padawan.

Her finger waggled.

"I'm waiting." The idea of approaching someone...in that way, didn't really make her afraid, nor did she really even mind the thought, just no one had ever caught her interest in that way. There were a few times where she thought someone was handsome or charming, but it had never really been enough for her. Perhaps others saw her as a prude because of it, but Aela didn't really mind. She knew very well what sex was, and even...well it didn't matter. "There is a difference."

She told Jamie. "If I just...went for it."

How the hell else was she supposed to put it?

"It wouldn't be special." That was what she was after. She wanted it to be nice. Not just a fling. Not just a moment of lust, but love.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Mhmm." She mumbled, her voice loaded with sarcasm. "Special." Jamie made quotation fingers. "Your standards are higher than any boy you'll ever know can meet." She pointed out the few glimpses of insight she had learned of Aela thus far. "You barely, if at all recognize the attractiveness of any man we've come across. The one time I jokingly forced you into that situation you freaked out. Your face burned redder than a Sith's skin and you literally ran away."

Jamie gave Aela a flat, blank stare, her lips pursing.

"It's like your switch is broken when it comes to boys."

She shook her head.

"You'll be waiting until the end of your life, and more for Mr. Perfect. Those dirty little books you read are fiction, Master."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well." Aela stared at Jamie. "My very young apprentice."

She said, with no hint of sarcasm. In reality Aela was only a few years older than Jamie, though she had quite a bit more experience in most things. It just so happened that boys and dating wasn't one of them. Her Padawan was probably right in a way, waiting was not the most effective strategy, but she didn't want to go out and seek someone either. It wasn't like she was dying of loneliness and surrounding herself with Nexu.

"It's a good thing that I'm going to live a very long time." She stuck out her tongue at Jamie.

Aela, unlike most humanoids, quite literally had centuries before she ever even had to consider spending her life with something. She would live long enough that she could afford to wait, at least for the next couple of decades anyway. It was one of the arguments that her father had used on her sister when he'd been told about Allyson. Sure it was a bit of a harsh thing to say, but it was true.

They were liable to outlive most Humanoid species. "Don't you worry about my standards."

She wagged her finger again.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie frowned, the realization that she would age and die much, much faster than Aela was sort of a major downer.

"A very long, sad, empty life, devoid of love and affection."

And heartbreak. But she would leave that little bit out of the debate, because why would she concede to a point she didn't have to make?

"That still means your standards are too high, and you'll just live longer, without anyone."

A wide smirk appeared, almost using Aela's own argument against her. "So very tragic. Almost novel worthy I would dare say."

The girl clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Tsk Tsk Tsk.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Pssssh." She said, scrunching her face at Jamie.

"Maybe I just have greater opportunity." She told her padawan, though perhaps that was a little bit of wishful thinking. "I'm not worried."

She wasn't.

Perhaps eventually it would become a priority, but for now? Now she was just fine. She didn't feel lonely, she didn't feel the need to run into someones arms and hold them in a warm embrace. She had family, her parents and siblings, she even had Jamie. What would she do with a boyfriend? Aela was satisfied with her lot in life, she was more than willing to wait for whatever...whoever came to her eventually. "Unlike you young people I have no need to brashly run into things."

Aela nodded her head.

"I have plenty of time to find someone." She made a 'hmpf' face. "And if I don't, then someone will find me."

She shrugged. "Eventually."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie wholly ignored all of Aela's other comments save for the final one.

"Oh do I feel for whoever finds you." She grinned once more at Aela, before finding that it was time to move on. "Anyways," The Padawan glanced around the rather open cargo area that the two were in, feeling that it was large enough for the idea she'd gotten. They were still a ways off from Lujo, and aside from chit chatting and ragging on one another there was little in the way of things to do. That, coupled with the gracious amount of space they had here, gave her the idea.

The blonde took a few steps out and away from Aela towards the middle of the bay, before turning around to face her master. "I want you to test me, to see where I stand. I want your honesty. Fight me."

Of course she didn't mean full tilt, life or death, but a measured testing of her Padawan's strengths and weaknesses. It wouldn't do either one much good to arrive on Lujo battered and exhausted. But a quick back and forth shouldn't be much of an issue for either one. It wasn't like Aela was too old.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela perked an eyebrow. "You don't want to wait until we're somewhere more open?"

The cargo hold was pretty big, true enough, but it didn't exactly scream as a huge space. Their motions would still be confined, and Aela especially would have to be incredibly careful with her lightsabers. One of them she couldn't even use, mostly because it didn't have a training setting and she was afraid she'd accidentally cut through some critical component within this bucket of rust that would see them all die in a horrible explosions.

"Lujo has some pretty big fields." She suggested.

If Jamie pressed the issue Aela would of course comply, though she knew Jamie had come quite far since the two of them had first met. She was more in control of herself, had a better understanding of the force, and was slightly more calm. Though only slightly.