First Reply Wayward, But Never Lost

[Firrerreo]

The sands of Jakku devoured everything mercilessly. Buildings, ships, people, even the moisture in the air. It was uncomfortable and outright dangerous if someone got lost, but those endless sands always had secrets to discover. Far out in the dunes a lone figure wandered. His golden eyes stared around at the endless expanse of sand. Frustration had long taken over now. He had felt his path, briefly as it had been, in the Force. A pull to explore, to find something lost.

He was the one lost now.

Water was low. He didn't need food, but the lack of water was going to hurt him eventually. Even he of his superior blood needed something to keep that blood flowing. He glared into the bottom of his canteen before letting himself lay out on the sands to stare up at the burning sky. He wasn't supposed to get lost this easily. How could he let himself be this lost? He was smarter than that. His brow furrowed. Annoyance.

The Firrerreo's brow twitched as that frustration built. He certainly wasn't going to end up dead out here, right? He wasn't going to let himself get that brutalized by some hot weather and sand, right? Anger grew, flooding his mind.

Clarity followed after. The pull, the sense of lost, his gaze shifted as he stared towards the pull, sitting up in the sand. He chuckled. Just a soft one, but a chuckle none the less. Of course, the Dark was the answer as always. His emotions would guide him where he wanted to go. That, or he was dying of dehydration and his mind was playing tricks.

 

[T'zarna Khab]

There was indeed a pull, it was no Mirage or illusion, something was there. However, it was no desert oasis. Instead, it was a small encampment belonging to some wanderers of the desert. They were like him, lost and forgotten on a pit of a world. However, these people had ample supplies to share around. Most of this came from moisture farming equipment that could be taken down and set back up quickly.

The encampment hummed with chanting, black robes concealing much of the fine details of the nomads. Only one of them stood with face revealed, a towering insectoid figure who walked amongst the other desert dwellers with a censor. Where she stepped there was a choking trail of sweet incense.

As the humming and chanting continued, T'zarna moved to grab a small metal bowl. It sloshed with a dark oil, warm and thick. She placed two fingers in the bowl, before pressing those fingers to a woman's forehead.

"Let this darkness upon your skin be a point of focus. Be one with the dark, inhale its tempting aromas, and feel its touch upon yourself. Just as The Dark Side wraps around us, we must welcome it," She said, speaking in reverent tones as she continued the ritual. The oil had no metaphysical or special properties. It was entirely symbolic, a literal piece darkness that could be applied to the body.

"Darkness exists in all things, and it does not corrupt. It reveals what we all wish to hide: our ambitions, our dreams, and our most hidden of desires. To commune with the darkness, we must accept these things. We must chase our dreams, feed our ambitions, and indulge in our desires. Let no one stop you from what it is you wish..."

Firrerreo

 

[Firrerreo]

Distrust.

Firrerreo believed fully that those of the Dark never did anything without something to gain. He could feel it, the darkness that clung to the group as he approached and looked between the tents, the people. They were sharing supplies. Even as thirsty as the boy felt, he didn't trust. He couldn't trust. The Sith had long taught him to never trust.

Did that stop him from snatching a canteen? No. No it did not.

He sipped at it on and off, making sure not to drink too quickly incase it was poisoned or drugged. Always careful, always untrusting. His gaze turned at the sound of a chime. A ritual. A cult. Again he took another sip, his eyes staring with only the look a superior being could hold. Or one who simply believed he was superior.

They were cultists of the Dark. Not Sith. Not worth his respect, though perhaps they could be useful.

T'zarna Khab