Private Vergence in the Wood

[Corazona von Ascania]

Still a little foggy, Cora rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"I was…very afraid you'd say that." She sighed. Cora had an inkling, but she'd never stumbled across a Force nexus before, dark or light. It wasn't like Exegol, where the entire planet had been steeped in darkness.

Just a single point, but it radiated through the forest. Who knew how far the river carried.

"Is there any w—!"

Cora's head turned in time to see Valery's hands grip the bottom of her soaked shirt. Letting out an undignified squeak, color flooded her pale face as she looked away sharply.

That jolted some life back into her, and Cora struggled to clear her throat as Valery wrung the water from her wet garment.

"I'm uh, still a bit hazy. But I'll be alright, I'm certain."

Blatant curiosity had her eyes sliding to the corner of her vision, and she shook her head rapidly. One hand came up to shield the side of her face.

"I'm sorry that you got we…wet." She frowned. "The forest never used to be like this. Im not sure how it happened…what does it take to create a nexus?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Ukatis

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Outfit: Simple casual wear
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Oops.

Valery had tried to turn away, but it seemed her Padawan still got a bit flustered. To try and not linger on that, Valery didn't say a word, and quickly wrung out her shirt before putting it on again. It still wasn't quite comfortable, but at least it didn't feel as heavy anymore.

"I'm glad you're alright, and I'm sorry I worried you," Valery said with a genuine, apologetic tone. She felt terrible that after just recently being rescued from captivity, that she had now nearly died again. Maybe she wasn't really as ready as she believed, and this had just been a warning. Valery sighed and rubbed the side of her arm as she thought about it, but Cora apologizing for getting her wet drew her attention back to her Padawan with a chuckle.

"I nearly got myself killed in a river and you're saying sorry for me getting wet?" she smirked teasingly. "But uhm, a Nexus like this can form either as a result of great corruption, or a tremendous amount of death."

"It's... sickening."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

It wasn't that Cora had seen anything inappropriate, it was moreso the idea of seeing something inappropriate that made her bashful.

And the adjoining memories, of course.

She did her best to wipe those from the forefront of her mind as Valery apologized.

"It's alright." She offered a small, weary smile. "I think we're both right to be worried. Now that we've identified the problem, it can be fixed, yes?"

There was a hopeful lit to her tone as she looked from Valery then back to the direction of the river. Even just looking at the desiccated foliage made her uneasy, and she shuddered.

"A tremendous amount of death…" Cora chewed at the inside of her cheek as her thoughts trailed off. Hundreds of bodies littered the fields and forests of Ukatis during the rebellion, but the land remain largely unchanged. Had something more nefarious happened to Wyndvane?

"We should head back. Are you alright to ride, or do you want to go with me?"

One of the horses whinnied softly, both of them oblivious to the brief hell that the pair of humans had just gone through.

In any event, they would need to form a plan for how to deal with this sickening development.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Ukatis

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Outfit: Simple casual wear
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

"We can fix it," Valery assured her with equal hope in her tone and eyes. "I learned something ahead of the Exegol attack to cleanse anything of the Dark Side, and I can use it on this river too. It's just... demanding and shouldn't really be done by one Jedi alone. Especially not when this Nexus really hits me in particular very hard." She sighed and ran a hand up through her hair. A Wall of Light traditionally had to be done with multiple people anyway, so it only made sense.

She just didn't like pulling others into danger because she couldn't handle it alone.

Valery's eyes then shifted back to the horses, and she nodded after a moment of thought. "Mind if I ride with you? I am still feeling a little out of it. Maybe the water I swallowed wasn't very clean," she said with a faint smirk before she guided her own horse over to Cora's.

"Should I just uh, hold onto the leash?" She clearly wasn't the expert on horses.

"When we bring other Jedi here to cleanse it, will you also help? I think it might be best for us two to take the lead because we know what to expect. If we just drop anybody in there, they might not be as lucky as I am."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora nodded, visibly relieved by the fact that something could be done to cleanse the dark nexus. Seeing Valery fall into the river had startled her, but the Jedi Master was keenly aware of her own limits.

"Of course." Cora went to work ensuring that Valery's horse was hitched to her own before mounting the mare and helping her Master up. "The leash?" She cocked a brow, vaguely amused. "I'll handle the reins, you can hold on to my waist."

Nudging the horses into a trot, Cora felt her confidence waver.

"Do you think that is…wise?" Her tone was as questioning as it was tentative. "I mean, bringing other Jedi here is a good idea, of course. But I'm not as strong as Kahlil, or Jasper, or…"

Trailing off, she chewed at her bottom lip.

"I haven't really been able to…feel the Force as well as I had. For a while now. Is it possible for a connection to weaken, or disappear entirely?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Ukatis

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Outfit: Simple casual wear
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

"The leash?"

Valery blinked after getting up on the horse with a little help from her Padawan. "Leash, reigns... you know what I meant. The thingy to stop them from running off," Valery said with a huff, before gently placing her hands at Cora's waist. She didn't want to squeeze her Padawan to death, and figured they were going for a calm ride anyway.

"You don't have to be as strong to them to make a difference," Valery said with a smile at first, but when Cora elaborated on why she was feeling so hesitant, she fell silent for just a brief moment. Her expression turned more serious, and she leaned around to look at Cora just a little better.

"Disappear? Not really without it being intentional," said with a frown. "It can weaken if you suppress it or if something keeps suppressing it though. But Cora..." Valery paused and tried her best to offer a comforting smile. "You're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Don't forget that you just rushed into a Nexus and pulled me out because I got overwhelmed. You've been through more as a young woman than most people will in their entire lives, and you're still moving forward."

"I'd really appreciate it if you could help me coordinate."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora couldn't help the way that one corner of her lips pulled upward in a sort of half-smile. It was very very rare that she knew more about something than Master Noble, which made sense given their wide gap in life experience.

Still, she soaked in the tiny win of her triumphant horse knowledge.

As they rode out of the forest and Cora expressed more personal concerns, Valery attempted to comfort her.

It can weaken if suppressed…

Was then an emotional thing, she wondered? Or physical? Cora has felt the Force all of her life, even before she'd learned what it was. Much of that life had been spent on Ukatis, so it couldn't have been the planet itself…perhaps the nexus had something to do with it?

Cora took a deep breath. "That's just…I did that because…what else could I do? You would have drowned."

Still, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Of course I will help you coordinate, Master Noble. We need to quell whatever it is happening as quickly and efficiently as possible. I'm…glad that you feel the same."

Valery Noble