Private Where the Trees Remember Her Name

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla stepped into the Mirater forest like it might swallow her whole and spit her out in laughter. The trees were taller than she remembered, not just in height, but in presence. They loomed like old friends trying to pretend they hadn't missed her. Their branches creaked overhead in the soft morning wind, thick with dew and memory, and she spun once in place just to hear the leaves react to her again.

"I'm home," she whispered, mostly to herself. Then louder, to the two boys behind her: "I told you it smells better here. Naboo's too clean. This? This is real air. Air with opinions."

She didn't give them a chance to argue. She was already bounding ahead, her boots kicking up soft dirt, the long hem of her jacket snagging on a thornbush before she yanked it free without missing a step. Her brown hair bounced behind her, loose and half-brushed, tucked sloppily under a hood she hadn't bothered to tie. She was buzzing. Absolutely buzzing.

She wasn't supposed to be here. Lorn had made that very clear, his face set in that grim, battle-worn way it always went when she brought up the idea. "Not yet," he'd said. "Not safe." But Isla had learned a long time ago that "not safe" and "don't go" weren't the same thing. Not when you had a vision. Not when something pulled at your chest like a tide. And okay, maybe dragging both Phillip and Aiden along was a tiny bit manipulative, but she'd needed a buffer between her and Lorn's inevitable wrath. And if they were going to build their lightsabers anyway, wasn't this the perfect place? Somewhere forgotten, sacred, and humming with the kind of old Force energy that made your fingers tingle?

Also, she was really hoping Aiden would teach them something cool with a blade on the way. Maybe while also not tattling to her dad. "Look!" she called, spinning around mid-jog and pointing with both hands toward the north. "That ridge? That's the edge of the Hollund Mountains. That's where the lake starts! You can't see it from here, but when the mist burns off, you'll hear it."

She beamed at Phillip, practically glowing with the need to share every square meter of this place with him. "I used to camp there with my mom," she added, softer now, more reverent. "Before… y'know. Everything." Then she caught herself and bounced right back, darting toward a narrow footpath nearly hidden by root and brush. "This way! We're gonna have to climb, like, a little, but I promise it's worth it. The cave's near the top. We'll know it when we feel it."

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

Seeing Isla this happy...it made Phillip's chest feel all funny. He didn't know why but he couldn't help but try to keep up with her, turning his head to make sure Aiden was still there with them. Phillip needed the other Padawan with them. He knew that if Lorn found out about this, and if it was just Phillip with Isla? Then the wrath Phillip would experience would be more than he could probably handle. He didn't want to lose out on being able to see Isla again. He should have told Lorn where they were going. What was going to happen...but Phillip couldn't bring himself to betray Isla's trust like that.

"You know I've experienced this air before, right? I know what "Air with opinions" feels like."

He let Isla talk about the mountains, keeping a little grin on his face. Of course he knew about the mountain, he had done as much research as he could last time he had came to visit Mirater to make that painting for her. There ha been other paintings he had made for Isla, but he hadn't given them to her. Not yet at least. They had been kept hidden away in his dorm. It was what he had done when he needed to focus his mind and meditate. He'd just sit in his room and start painting something. The first thing that came to his mind. The fact that most of them were connected to him and Isla? That was just pure coincidence. Of course. There was other paintings he had done...less positive ones, but he didn't want thinking about those to ruin his mood.

"Camping? Huh. That makes sense. You were pretty good when it came to that camping lesson."

The first time they had met. It was a fond memory of Phillip's. It was the moment that had caused him to start coming out of his shell more, as he brushed himself down, preparing to start climbing. It would be like climbing a tree at the end of the day. At least he hoped as much. He had made sure to carefully pack his Lightsaber crystal, hiding it away in his pouch where it wouldn't fall out. He had plenty of different ideas for the Lightsaber in mind as well. He just had to figure out which one would be perfect for him.

"Last one there is a rotten Mynock."

 

[Aiden Porte]

"I told you it smells better here. Naboo's too clean. This? This is real air. Air with opinions."

"Perhaps, then again I'm biased towards Naboo so......" Aiden followed up behind the young girl as he glanced over to Philip and showed a small smile.

She took off from them, and he just shook his head and chuckled. "Oh only if you knew, you are outmatched Isla" He said with a teasing tone. "Shall we Phillip, cant have her making us looks bad."

That ridge? That's the edge of the Hollund Mountains. That's where the lake starts! You can't see it from here, but when the mist burns off, you'll hear it."

"So you are saying we must push you in the lake, yes?" Aiden teased as he took a look at the view, it was magnificent.

"Camping? Huh. That makes sense. You were pretty good when it came to that camping lesson."

A small smile appeared on his face as Isla mentioned camping and then Philip spoke of a camping lesson, perhaps a story that could be told another time. It was obvious to him that there a good connection between the duo. It was a good thing to see, almost like art. Aiden felt a bit of sorrow as Isla mentioned her mother but she rebounded incredibly quickly and he was happy to see it.

Memories like that wouldn't go away, as long as you wished for it they would stay with you.

"This way! We're gonna have to climb, like, a little, but I promise it's worth it. The cave's near the top. We'll know it when we feel it."

"Last one there is a rotten Mynock."

"I say last one there has to cook lunch." Aiden chuckled as he neared the wall. Aiden would begin the climb, but just a few moments after Isla and Phillip, it was his job to look after them.

He was still who he was, guardian, protector for all of them.

Phillip Slate Isla Reingard

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla's boots crunched the last few paces over the rock face, her breath catching, not from the climb, though that had been something, but from the view. The Hollund Lake stretched out below them like glass, cut through with veins of silver where the sunlight broke the clouds. Mist still clung to the far shore. The mountains arched around it like a cradle, ancient and vast, their peaks softened with spring moss and veins of white-gray stone. She could see birds wheeling low over the water. Hear the ripple of the wind through pine needles and something else, something lower.

The cave was there. Tucked just beneath the overhang, almost invisible unless you already knew where to look. It didn't sparkle or glow or pulse ominously with Force magic. It just sat there. Waiting. She turned back to the boys, cheeks flushed with heat and exertion and excitement, hands on her hips.

"Well," she said, "I win. You're both Mynocks and you're making lunch." Then she laughed and dropped her pack onto a mossy ledge, letting her weight fall beside it with a dramatic huff. "C'mon, tell me it wasn't worth it."

She gestured out to the lake, the cave, the endless world unfurling in every direction. "This was my whole galaxy for a while. Everything I thought I needed."

Her voice softened, but it didn't fall. She looked toward the entrance of the cave.

"My mom used to tell me this is where she fell in love with my dad. Right in there." She gave a small, crooked smile, brushing a hand against her knee like she was chasing dust that wasn't there. She laughed again, but it was quieter this time.

Then she caught herself and quickly stood, dusting off her hands with far too much energy.

"Anyway. The cave's not just for crystal-gathering. There's a pool inside. Not big, but cold. Real cold. I used to dare myself to swim it when I was little. My mom said it was sacred. I think she just wanted me to learn how not to drown."

She turned toward the entrance again, her expression turning contemplative.

"You'll feel it when we're close. Like a song in your chest."

Then she grinned at both of them again, mischievous, daring.

"Race you inside?"

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

Phillip couldn't help but return the smile in Aiden's direction. He was getting more out there. More willing to be social with others in the way that brought him out of his shell.

"Oh. It's fine. Isla normally makes me look bad at stuff. She's waaaaay better than I am at some things."

Sure, maybe that would give Isla more of an ego but it was true in Phillip. In most of what it meant to be a Jedi, Isla had Phillip beaten. It's why he had been pushing himself more into his training. It's why he didn't complain as his muscles screamed at him. The callouses and cuts he got from his training didn't bother him anymore. They were just signs of his progress. His growth.

"Hey! Hey! I said the last one is the rotten Mynock. Not anyone who isn't first."

He couldn't help but pout at being called a rotten Mynock himself. At the very least, Isla better hope that it was Aiden doing the lunch and not Phillip. He couldn't cook or make a meal to save his life. But for now, he listened to Isla talk about the cave, taking a few steps towards his friend and gently resting his hand on her shoulder, trying to be as comforting as he could.

"Well. Your whole Galaxy seems a bit small. But I can see the appeal to it. It's...beautiful here. It feels tranquil."

The idea of falling in love inside a cave? It sounded romantic in a sense. Phillip hadn't heard any stories like that about his parents. In fact, he didn't even know when or where they fell in love. Maybe it should be something he asked when he was back home....but then they'd have questions and Phillip wasn't sure if he'd want to answer them...

"What are we waiting for? Let's run."

And like that, the usual lackadaisical and slow Painter ran off towards the cave as fast as he could, huffing and puffing away. Climbing might be something he still struggled with, but running was something he could do for days.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"I win. You're both Mynocks and you're making lunch."

"Well, I guess its best I'm making lunch." Aiden said with a teasing smile. "Who knows how yours would turn out." Aiden wandered after them, as Philip had advised them to follow and run after her. Aiden chuckled and in turn hustled up behind them.

"You'll feel it when we're close. Like a song in your chest."

"Race you inside?"

"What are we waiting for? Let's run."

"Let's do it!" Aiden continued after them, reaching the entrance as they moved further into the cave. The cave was teeming with life and force energy, bright crystals on either side of them had a strong hue to them. It was just as Isla had spoke about a song in their chest. It made Aiden feel better, and he wasn't even feeling bad right now.

It was a push and a guide to them. Something that they each would seek out and take for themselves. Not as a prize, but as a guide and partner.

"You can feel it..." Aiden spoke with a small laugh and a big smile as he glanced around. "What are you guys feeling?"

"If this is what he was talking about this entire time, it's not bad at all. It's a sign to keep going..." The Jedi Padawan whispered to himself, even after all this time. While he didn't understand times, it was here now he was beginning to understand so much more.

Isla Reingard Phillip Slate

 

[Isla Reingard]

​

Isla didn't win the race. Phillip, out of nowhere, had found a hidden gear and surged across the finish line, Aiden hot on his heels. But Isla didn't even care. She slowed to a stop at the cave's mouth, a grin splitting her face. Stepping inside felt like crossing a threshold, like the very ground beneath her could shift. Maybe it did.

The chill was the first thing she noticed, not harsh, but alive, humming in the air. The cave breathed. Pale blue and violet crystals, like chandeliers fashioned by nature, jutted from the rock, catching the light and scattering it in soft rainbows. It felt like the whole place was listening, holding its breath in anticipation.

Isla grabbed Phillip's sleeve, half-leaning on him, buzzing with an electric energy. "Do you feel that?" she asked, practically vibrating. "Like the cave just reached out and said, 'Hey, you belong here'."

Her eyes flicked to Aiden. "What was it like? When you got your crystal?"

Her voice held a breathless reverence, like she was asking about a cherished story she'd only ever dreamed of hearing. The cave echoed her words softly, the sound swallowed by the deep silence. Then her gaze drifted, past them, past the crystals, to the far end of the cavern, where the light faded but something shimmered.S lowly, she pulled away from Phillip, her voice trailing off. "…That's it. The pool."

The rock narrowed into a ledge above water so black it reflected nothing. The surface was perfectly still, undisturbed. There was no smell of decay, no dust, no algae. Just a cold that felt ancient. Her heart quickened, a deep, instinctive pull in her gut. It was a thread back to childhood, to the girl who'd dared herself to jump from this very ledge, just to prove she could. But this wasn't about proving anything now.

She walked to the edge and sat, the scrape of her boots on the stone echoing in the silence. The cave didn't demand, didn't beckon. It simply waited. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was quiet, different. "I think… I think mine's in there."

She glanced at the boys, then back at the black water. "I don't know why. I just know."

She swallowed, her fingers tapping lightly on the ledge. "You think I should go in?" she asked, but she was already pulling off her boots. Not hesitant, not reckless, just… certain. Like turning a page in a book she hadn't realized she was reading.

Phillip Slate | Aiden Porte​

 

[Phillip Slate]

Tags: Aiden Porte Isla Reingard

A strange sensation washed over Phillip as he crossed over the threshold of the cave. It was difficult for him to explain it, as if the moment he figured out what kind of word to use, it vanished from his lips. The best way for him to explain it would be surreal. The cave felt alive in a way that Phillip could never suspect some kind of inanimate structure to feel. There was a soul here in a way. There was the Force flowing through the cave as Phillip took in a deep breath.

He had been so focused on the feeling that the Lad let out a small jump as Isla tugged at his sleeve. Turning his attention over towards her as Phillip broke out into a grin. Something about the way the light bounced off the crystals made her look radiant though he shook his head, trying not to focus on that thought. It was embarrassing to think about.

"I...I do...It feels...comfortable. Not sure if it feels...like home. But I do feel...like I belong here."

Phillip listened to his voice echo in the cave, as it reflected back at home. Echoing the comment about how he belonged here. And he did. Not necessarily in this cave, but with the Jedi. With Aiden and Isla.

His eyes darted over towards Aiden, eager to hear the story about how he got his first crystal. Phillip technically had his first one already. From the auction. And whilst there were some nights that it felt like it was bonding to him, there were other nights where he had felt like he had cheated. That's why he was here now. To prove to himself that he deserved an actual crystal.

Then his attention went back over towards Isla for a moment as she made her way over towards the pool and he followed her carefully, looking into the reflectionless abyss that rested ahead of them. Isla believed her crystal was in there? Then it was more than likely there.

"...Do what you think is best Isla. I don't think we should influence your choice. This is...your crystal...Just know if I think you're in danger for a moment, I'm going in after you. And I'm not good at swimming."

It was meant to be a joke. But there was a part of Phillip that was actively worried about Isla taking a dive into the water with how dark it was...That's when he noticed it however. A small sparkle that stood out amongst the darkness. It didn't appear as if it was coming from the water...More as if it was reflected in it as Phillip let his eyes look around the cave, looking at all of the different crystals...One of them was the one reflected in the water...just which one?