Private Yet another Gathering

[Cadere]

Dantooine
Just outside the Crystal Cave...

​

The time had finally come. After growing up hearing the stories of the Jedi and their legendary lightsabers, there was one thing that Cas couldn't have been more excited for since joining the Order. The Kiffar Padawan wasn't the only person who would be building their lightsaber today, here he was accompanied by some other Padawans who had joined the Order around the same time he had and were deemed ready to construct their lightsabers - Cas hoped that he could maybe make some friends here today as he had trouble doing so during the early stages of his training, and then after being appointed as Master Sakadi's apprentice he barely had any time to try further.

Currently Cas and the other Padawans, who were being led by the Jedi Knight Lanlena Odres, stood outside of Dantooine's Crystal Cave and were ready and eager to get started. Knight Odres stood tall and at the front of the group with her arms tucked inside the sleeves of her robes and watched as the Padawans muttered amongst themselves excitedly, "Padawans." she addressed in a commanding yet warm tone "Today is the day you undertake this rite of passage and construct your own lightsabers. This won't be an easy test, in order to overcome this you will all have to work together and overcome your fears and failings. Can you do that?" she asked firmly, Cas and the rest of the Padawans nodded in unison feeling confident in their abilities. With that, Knight Odres led the fledgling Jedi into the caves.

Now inside, Knight Odres stopped a few metres in front of a large, ancient looking stone door and turned back to Cas and the Padawans. "This will be your first trial. A trial of skill. It is a simple test. You will focus and combine your efforts to open this door by using the Force." she commanded while directing her left arm at the stone door behind her, and after informing them, she would move away and stand behind the group to watch their efforts.

This shouldn't be too difficult Cas thought to himself, how hard could it be to open up a door with the Force - especially with a few other Padawans collectively doing the same thing. Light work. Closing his eyes, Cas mimicked his fellow Padawans and stretched out his left arm in the direction of the stone door and concentrated, calling upon the Force and using its energy to open it.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Although she had only recently joined the Jedi Order, Akemi had not felt particularly challenged by the training thus far and didn't feel as though she fit in at all with the other fresh faces of the Order. All around her were supposedly her peers and at a glance there was nothing amiss about the group but she knew that she was at least half a century older than all those who accompanied her and at times it was evident. The most exciting part of the training, in her opinion, was the use of a lightsaber. She had been highly trained in marksmanship and swordsman ship but had never held a lightsaber so she was looking forwards to finally being able to do so and to train in the ancient Jedi art.

So far, she hadn't bonded with any other Padawans but had the foundations of a strong relationship with her Master who seemed to appreciate her obedience and willingness to learn. She was aware of her cousin's presence in the Order but the pair weren't particularly close, having not seen each other for many years, and as a Master it seemed she was endlessly busy so they hadn't come across each other yet but after hearing about her fate she had hoped to reconcile with the little family she had left.

Akemi stood at the front of the group of congregated Padawans, keen to fully engage in the experience, and listened intently to the Knight who led them. Once they had stopped in front of the stone door, the Knight issued them with their first task. Like those around her, she reached out into the Force and the group collectively aided each other in opening the door. The task itself wasn't particularly hard but it did demonstrate teamwork which was essential for the Jedi - a quality she was familiar with and already valued.

Once the door was opened, she proceeded into the cave with caution but she hadn't sensed any danger so far which was always a positive as she seemed to do that accidentally, which was how she discovered her Force sensitivity. She was unafraid of what lay ahead but stayed slightly behind the Knight to remain respectful of the higher ranked Jedi. The cave was long and winding with narrow passages leading off from the main cave but thus far it was relatively barren so she couldn't help but wonder what the Knight was intending to instruct the Padawans to do next. Where were the crystals? She wondered.


Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Easy enough. Cas and the other Padawans managed to break open the sealed door without a sweat. Teamwork makes the dream work, he figured. The Knight took lead once again and led the Padawans slightly further into the cave - as soon as he stepped through the stone door, Cas felt it, he felt the energy of the Kyber crystals flowing through the cave... it was an odd feeling. Knight Odres stopped the group before turning to glance at Cas and the others "Padawans, I am afraid this is where I leave you. The next trial involves you having to find your Kyber crystals on your own. Good luck." she informed the group.

Exchanging nervous glances, Cas and the Padawans acknowledged what they had to do and began their trek deeper into the Crystal Cave. The first ten minutes or so were uneventful - the Kiffar could sense the crystal's energy signature growing stronger but still had no idea where they were... and the multiple passageways didn't help either... he just hoped they all at least led to the location of the crystals. Then a shiver ran through his entire body which caused him to stop in his tracks and fall behind the rest of the Padawans - "Do you feel that?" he asked, voice echoing across the caves. Shrieks then filled the caves as a hoard of kinraths poured out from each passageway.

Without needing to say anything, Cas and the Padawans made a break for it. How were they supposed to fight off Kinrath?! Yeah, yeah, the Force is a powerful ally and all but Cas barely had any training and struggled to use the Force physically. Still behind the rest of the Padawans, he noticed a cut off point with two passageways leading in opposite directions, however, a Padawan in front was using the Force to try and collapse the ceiling and block the Kinraths' path to them. The problem with that was, Cas was behind the rest of the group - if they wanted to survive, they would have to get through one of the passageways before they were blocked off.

The Kiffar built up speed and tried to catch up with the rest, avoiding the collapsing rocks as much as he could. One of the passageways were just in reach and on instinct, he leapt through the left one and narrowly made it inside before the ceiling completely blocked his path. Cas laid on the floor for a few moments, panting and laughing at how lucky he was to survive what had just transpired - then he realised he had been separated from the rest of the group. The teen stood up and approached the small rock avalanche that was blocking his path, he simply stared at it - unsure of what to do on his own in a cave infested with kinrath he neglected to realise someone else was in here with him...

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Akemi remained focused on the task at hand and diligently followed the Knight deeper into the cave system, unperturbed by potential dangers they could face. Gradually, she could feel the presence of the Kyber Crystals grow stronger through the Force and she suddenly felt an eagerness to find a crystal and construct her lightsaber. She was surprised that the Knight was leaving them but the task was straight-forward so her presence wouldn't have mattered to the Padawans anyway - or to her at least so she continued, unafraid of what lay ahead.

The Padawans largely stuck together, after all, getting lost would be unwise and they were all searching for the same thing. The Force signature grew stronger but there were still no crystals in sight, leading to a few grumbles of complaint behind her. Among the signature of the crystals, she halted at the feeling of another presence in the cave but couldn't identify it quickly enough before the beings revealed themselves. All around them, kinraths swept into the cave from the passageways and the group immediately jumped into action and ran for anywhere they could find safety.

Being unarmed felt odd and unnatural and she didn't like how vulnerable she felt without a weapon when faced with these creatures. She was adept in hand-to-hand combat but non-sentient beings didn't follow the rules of a fight so they had to do all they could do escape. She continued running without looking back, trusting the other Padawans would do the same but a loud crash behind her immediately made her whip around to see what had happened and if she was still being pursued. It was dark but she could see a figure which was clearly that of a person so she walked over to join him.

"Could we use the Force to move the rocks?" She asked as she stood beside the other Padawan and gazed upon the pile of rocks before them. When his gaze turned to her, she held a hand out and introduced herself since it seemed they would be working together. "Akemi Sinvala." She told him, hoping he would do the same. The situation seemed difficult, a challenge even, but she remained stoic and unafraid.


Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas' ears perked at the sound of another voice in the cave with him. He turned to her and noticed it was a Sephi, matter of fact she kinda looked like Master Sakadi... was that racist to think of that? It wasn't intentional. Cas placed his gloved hand over his mouth and snickered at her suggestion however - "Use the Force to move those rocks? Not likely." he laughed "We're Padawans with barely any Force training, this isn't a hologame." honestly, the thought of someone moving all these rocks with minimal training was a ridiculous idea.

He looked at her hand, however, and shook it firmly "Cas Tynen, good to meet ya." he introduced himself with a smile. After processing Akemi's name, he did a double take "Hold on. Did you say your last name was Sinvala? You by any chance related to my Master Sakadi? Sakadi Sinvala?" Cas asked with a raised eyebrow. Upon first glance and, if they were related, despite the physical similarities, Akemi seemed different to Sakadi - Akemi seemed more... stoic and blunt compared to Sakadi.

With introductions now out of the way, Cas took one final glance at the collapsed rocks blocking their path and then returned his attention to Akemi. Placing his hands on his hips "No way out that way... so, our only path is forward. Come on." the young Kiffar confidently stated as he began making his way further down the passageway. It was so dark in these caves that Cas was slightly worried that more kinrath would get the drop on them and he doubted that his limited knowledge of Guardian training would fend off a hoard of kinrath.

The silence was... awkward to say the least, Akemi didn't seem like the talking type but... he'd be damned if he'd let this deafening silence ruin his mood. "Soooooo, Akemi. Seems like talking isn't your thing, huh?" he half-joked in an attempt to break the ice. He really hoped this Sephi wasn't a stick in the mud like literally every other Jedi... 'cept maybe for Master Sakadi.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Despite the other Padawan laughing at her suggestion, she didn't display any anger or a change of emotions at all and instead simply took his word upon realising that her idea was unlikely to be successful. "Ok." She replied plainly. The Sephi had exceptional control over her emotions and was usually able to remain calm and composed, very rarely showing how she felt, as she had learned to do through her training in the military. It was a sentiment the Jedi also valued and she understood why; emotions clouded judgement and a lack of judgement could lead to a loss of lives.

"Yeah, she's my cousin." Akemi wondered how her cousin was now she had made her life for herself in the Jedi Order but her curiosity could wait, right now they had more pressing matters and she would prefer to talk to her cousin herself rather than through the medium of her Padawan so she mentioned nothing more on the matter. For a long time she didn't understand why Sakadi had run away but after experiencing the estrangement of her own parents which led to her leaving Thustra too, she felt as though she had a pretty good idea why Sakadi left.

When Cas suggested continuing into the cave, Akemi turned and followed him since it seemed like the most hopeful option at the moment. She said nothing for a long time, seeing no need to, but apparently Cas didn't feel the same and seemed to feel the need to fill the silence. "What is there to talk about?" She asked, unsure what he expected her to say. They were on a mission and that was where all her focus was, not on some idle chit chat. The narrow passageway started to widen enough for her to walk beside Cas and the presence of the Kyber Crystals began to grow stronger the further into the cave they got.

They came to a small opening where the walls glittered with crystals of a variety of colours. Akemi took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the kaleidoscope of colours in the cave but said nothing before kneeling on the floor to connect to the Force and find her crystal. She closed her eyes and reached out in the Force, hoping that Cas would stop talking long enough for her to do so.




Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Akemi confirmed that her and Sakadi were indeed related, cousins in fact. Good... Cas definitely wasn't racist, he was just observant. the Kiffar knew that Sephi could live up to 200, maybe even 400 years, but it was strange... Akemi looked barely any older than he did, but he wondered how many years she really had on him.

The Sephi's response to his icebreaker wasn't a great sign, her stoicism was strong since, apparently, she wasn't much of a talker either. However, the teen wouldn't let that stop him - Cas wiped his X-shaped tattoo on his left cheek and snickered "Hopes, fears, your past, your present, your future? Or even... the scary sarlacc pit you was afraid was under your bed as a kid. Or am I projecting?" he joked. She wasn't biting though. "Hey, what's it like with no sense of humour?" he asked sarcastically "Bet you get a lot of kriff done, right?" with Cas' constant talking and joking, he neglected to sense the ever growing presence of Kyber crystals as the passageway began to widen, the further they travelled.

"- so like, you'd think a white destroyer droid would be a bad omen right? Well, that wasn't the caaaaase-" Cas stopped talking once he noticed they had reached an opening filled with Kyber crystals "Well I'll be..." he muttered. The Kiffar watched as Akemi knelt to the floor and presumably began searching for her crystal. No longer interested in hassling Akemi, he would do the same, Cas shut his eyes softly and opened his entire being to the Force - then he felt it. Something... calling to him... like a song, Cas opened his eyes and unsure if he was delusional or if it was the glare from the other crystals but... he saw one of the crystals glimmer in the distance, as if it were calling to him.

In a trance like state, Cas approached the glimmering Kyber crystal and as he did so, its 'music' became louder and louder. Finally at the colourless crystal formation, Cas broke a small piece off the top and held it softly in his hand. Remembering what he and the other Padawans were advised, Cas closed his eyes and began attuning his Force signature to it, bonding himself and the crystal together. After a few moments of doing so, the young Padawan opened his eyes and glanced at his bonded crystal to see its colour - a grin formed on his face when he saw that the colour turned cyan.

Turning back to Akemi, he held his cyan crystal up high and shook his arms excitedly "Got my Kyber crystal! It's cyan!" he called out to her excitedly. Now came the harder part, constructing the lightsaber, Cas and the others had all the components they needed but it wouldn't be as easy as bonding to his crystal.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Akemi furrowed her brows slightly as Cas suggested some topics they could talk about. She saw no reason to entertain him in conversation, she was here to construct a lightsaber, not make friends; her duties came above all else and she was determined to become a commendable Jedi. She didn't answer his question under the assumption he was joking and even upon him mocking her she still said nothing and showed no change of emotion. She didn't care what he had to say because she she knew she was above whatever he said to her and he would learn one way or another that he ought to respect other people, even if it took time.

There was no desire within her to reply to Cas with attitude though she knew she was capable of doing so. Acting on temporary emotions was never wise so she chose to look past it. "Yeah, I do." She replied, not giving Cas the satisfaction of a reaction he likely desired. She hadn't mixed with the other Padawans much, instead preferring the company of her Master which was proving to be a wise choice as it seemed some of the Padawans acted like overgrown children, as exhibited by Cas. As her ally rambled on, she couldn't help but wonder how Sakadi managed to cope with him - pairing an overly talkative Padawan with a mute Master seemed to have its disadvantages.

Thankfully, their mission would offer a form of respite from her companion as both their focuses would be diverted elsewhere. As she opened herself up to the Force, there was an odd feeling of being drawn towards one of the crystals in the cave. She managed to pinpoint where the crystal was through the Force and turned her head in that direction before opening her eyes and fixing them on a small cluster of crystals before her. She reached out and plucked a crystal from the wall, examining the blue crystal between her fingers.

As she readied the components of the lightsaber, Cas called out to her, causing her to sigh and give him a disapproving look. He knew they needed all the concentration they could get and if he wanted to distract himself then fine but he needn't distract others with his unruly behaviour. She tried to ignore him once more and closed her eyes, holding her hands out in front of her to assemble the lightsaber. With the Force as a guide, she lifted the parts from the ground and carefully joined them together with the crystal residing safely in the middle. It took an exceptional amount of concentration but a few minutes later she stood up, holding her first lightsaber.



Cadere

 

[Cadere]

As Cas was showing Akemi his cyan crystal, she simply looked at him with disapproval as she was already on the way of constructing her lightsaber. The teen simply shrugged, unfazed by her expression and unaware of her unflattering feelings against him. The teen knelt down to the ground and removed the components from his utility belt and placed them on the ground in front of him - the handgrip, blade emitter, activator switch, power source and now the Kyber crystal simply laid there as Cas stared at them.

Cas then entered a meditative seating position and closed his eyes. Usually there was a million and one different things on the teen's mind, but through training at the temple - he managed to learn how to quiet his mind, which he now just did. Mind empty, Cas communicated with the Force, allowing it to fill his body and in-turn he would expel it into the lightsaber components. Although, he could not see it, doing this caused the components began floating in the air and intertwining and combining with each other to create a fully complete lightsaber hilt.

Unfortunately, before he could complete this - the process came to an abrupt halt when he heard familiar shrieks split his ears. The shrieks of the kinrath caused the Kiffar to lose his concentration and his nearly assembled hilt disassembled and collapsed to the floor instantly. "Kriff." he whispered to himself as he glanced around the cave looking for wherever these kinrath were coming from, luckily he saw that Akemi had already finished constructing hers, so maybe they had a chance at surviving this.

"Hey, Akemi!" he called out to her in the distance with another wave, "I don't know where these kinrath keep coming from but I haven't finished constructing my lightsaber yet!" he hoped he need not further explain and that the Sephi had gotten the gist of what he was implying. To hold off the kinrath while he finished constructing his lightsaber, then when he was done, they could take on the hoard together. Seemed like a foolproof plan, it was just down to Akemi to keep them at bay long enough.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Akemi held her lightsaber hilt in her hands, running her fingers over it in examination before igniting it and admiring the brilliant blue blade. It was unlike any weapon she had ever held before and it was astounding; it gave her a sudden sense of purpose. At the sound of a shriek, her head whipped around to where it sounded as though it came from and then to Cas when he called out to her. "On it!" She called in response before launching into action. She walked towards the kinrath confidently and swung her lightsaber into the nearest one, bisecting it, and stood her ground to protect Cas.

Now armed, the Sephi was formidable and was handling the situation with ease, or so she thought. As more and more kinrath flooded into the cave, she kept up with the pace and cut them down as they were within her reach. For a while, everything was under control but it became apparent that the stream of kinrath wasn't slowing and Akemi began losing ground, backing up towards Cas. She could only hope he had nearly completed his lightsaber despite the trying circumstances which would undoubtedly make it very difficult for him.

As one kinrath jumped at her, she sliced through it but as two more did the same she disabled one but was quickly overwhelmed by the other and fell to the ground under the weight of the creature, pinned by it used. Her lightsaber lay on the ground beside her as she used both her hands to hold the creature back and keep it off of her face. She didn't call for help as she believed she could still get out of the situation on her own and didn't want to admit weakness but continued to struggle with the creature as she reached for her lightsaber with her other hand.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas repeated the process he was doing prior to the 'interruption'. It was difficult to quieten one's mind when the hum of a lightsaber and the shrieks of kinrath filled the cave, but Cas didn't exactly have the luxury of complaining about it right now - he just hoped Akemi was okay. His eyes remained closed as he felt through the Force that his components were coming together nicely and once the sounds of the various pieces combining together ceased, his eyes finally opened and he saw it: his new lightsaber floating in front of him.

An overwhelming sense of pride came over him as he stared at the hilt, something he could truly call his own. However, there was no time for sentimentality as the Kiffar grabbed the hilt from the air and ignited its cyan blade, its snap-hiss satisfying the Padawan's ears. His eyes set on the hoard of kinrath now coming his way, and through it, he could point out that Akemi had been pinned down and was in need of help.

With a wave of confidence flowing through him, Cas readied his blade and charged toward the oncoming kinrath - putting both his Guardian and Jedi training to good use, the teen cut through the hoard as he made his way to the Sephi Padawan, slicing either at their multiple legs or their grotesque necks. Finally clearing out this wave of kinrath, Cas sprinted toward the kinrath currently on top of Akemi and used the Force to push it off of her. Although it wasn't strong enough to knock it off its feet, it gave Akemi enough space to gather her bearings, Cas continued charging forward and leapt over the Sephi to meet the arachnid-like creature head on. The Kiffar narrowly avoided an attack from its poisonous appendage and quickly countered it by cutting the appendage off, then swiftly decapitating it.

Cas turned over to look at Akemi, smiling "Would look pretty bad on me if I let my Master's cousin bite the dust, huh?" he joked before his expression turned serious "You okay though?" he asked as he began approaching her.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

In the moment the kinrath started to lose its balance, Akemi managed to grab her lightsaber by her fingertips and pulled it closer towards her and into a tighter grasp in her palm. As she raised it to meet the creature, she felt the weight of it removed from her as it slumped to the floor, dead. Her eyes lifted to meet Cas who had taken the creature down but she showed no signs of gratitude and quickly got back to her feet in preparation of another attack, though it seemed there were no more kinrath around them at the moment so she stood down.

"Yeah, thanks." She replied calmly. She was irritated with herself for not being able to handle the situation on her own. Kinrath weren't sentient, let alone intelligent, and she had been trained for far more difficult situations than a hoard of kinrath; it frustrated her though she didn't show it. As she continued deeper into the cave, the glow of their lightsabers providing a helpful light against the walls of the cave, there was the sound of another shrill shriek, causing Akemi to stop in her tracks and immediately take a defensive stance, placing herself in front of Cas as much as she could.

It was practically instinctive for Akemi to throw herself into danger for the sake of someone else; it was all she knew, what she had been trained to do. As the sound of kinrath pounding towards them grew louder, she stood her ground again and upon sight of the first creature leaping towards her she swing the lightsaber through its legs with ease and then thrust the lightsaber through the following kinrath and made quick work of the kinrath that followed with a new sense of determination.


Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Akemi was her usual monotone, bland, deadpan self - after almost having her face eaten by a kinrath she still acted nonchalant. Although she thanked him, he felt her frustration through the Force although her body language told a different story. Still though, Cas rolled his eyes at her sad display of thanks and waved his still ignited lightsaber slightly "Couldda at least sounded thankful." he said, not trying to hide his disappointment.

Despite all that, the two were in a dire situation and it was stupid to let something as minor as an improper thank you get in the way of, y'know, survival. So Cas followed closely behind Akemi as they trailed further through the crystal cave, trying to find a blasted escape route - but of course, more kinrath were on their way. Cas readied his lightsaber for the next wave, however as they approached, Akemi was quick to leap into action and begin cutting down the hive - with her eagerness, was she trying to prove something?

Determined to not let Akemi have all the fun, he rushed to the Sephi's side and joined her as they pushed through the next wave of kinrath. As the glow of cyan and kinrath body parts flying everywhere filled his line of sight, the amount that were coming felt endless and... for a brief moment, the teen felt fear and hopelessness but that was quickly overshadowed by a strong will to keep his fellow Padawan alive, even at the cost of his own life. Cas continued pushing forward and cut down any kinrath that got in his way, aiming mainly for either the legs or neck as they were the most effective ways of dismantling the creatures.

"These kinrath must have a thing for Force-sensitive meat, huh?" he joked as he panted heavily, Cas needed to make light of the situation in order to conquer his nerves and hopefully, maybe, put a smile on Akemi's face... not for his own satisfaction, but maybe ease her nerves too. With this seemingly endless hoard of kinrath, Cas was beginning to tire as his attempts of slowing down this wave were doing next to nothing and with his body tiring, he was liable to slip up and make more mistakes - which is exactly what happened. One of the creatures managed to catch the Kiffar off guard and impale his left shoulder with its venomous face-appendage, causing him to fall and land on his back. Fear overwhelmed him as he was unsure of what to do or if they were going to make it out alive.

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

Akemi gave a puzzled look at Cas' attitude towards her thanks. She had only thanked him because she knew that was what was appropriate to do in this situation, though in reality she believed it was everyone's responsibility to look after their team except from when it hindered the mission. She didn't believe he needed a thanks as it was his duty to protect her and she would've done the same for him but she gave one anyway because she had learned that it was custom to thank people in these situations, though even then it apparently wasn't enough. Weren't the Jedi supposed to be selfless? What did one small act of gratitude between each other matter?

She continued to cut down the kinrath alongside Cas, backing off a little to allow him room upon remembering that they were teammates now and she didn't need to protect him any more than he ought to protect her. They were equals in the eyes of the Order and to each other which was something she needed to remember - she was no more responsible for other Jedi than they were for her. Her role as a defender extended only to those outside of the Order, not within, except when they were in trouble.

"We're the only ones in this cave." She replied back seriously, not entertaining him on his joke at all. She rarely cared for humour but especially not at a time like this; it seemed like her fellow Padawan had a serious problem with his attitude but she wasn't about to call him out for it, that wasn't her place nor job. Akemi made quick work of the next wave of kinrath coming through and after one jumped up Cas, she quickly sliced it down but continued facing the hoard until it began slowing down until it was only a trickle of creatures.

Akemi finished the last two off and looked back for Cas and then down upon realising he was still on the floor. She knelt beside him and was immediately alarmed by the wound on his shoulder. She looked at the wound, then his eyes and then back at the wound again before standing up. There was nothing she could do for him and to stay and attempt to protect him could cost her her own life. There was no need for the both of them to lose their lives but now Cas was poisoned, it seemed to be too late for him. "I'm sorry." She backed away from him once she stood up and with an apologetic look she turned and walked deeper into the cave in search of an exit.

After an indeterminable amount of time, probably not much longer than five minutes, the sound of footsteps pounding towards her made her take up a defensive stance again but as the person came closer it was revealed to be the Knight they had travelled with so the Padawan quickly stood down. "Where's Cas?" She asked, breathlessly. "He's.. further up the cave. He was poisoned by a kinrath." She replied, earning a puzzled look from the Knight. "And you left him?" She asked as she walked past the Padawan and back to where Cas was. "Yes?" Akemi replied, not seeing an issue as she walked with the Knight back to Cas.


Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas laid on the floor and held his shoulder "Blast it!" he yelled out in pain. Luckily, Akemi stepped in and saved him from certain death and as she knelt beside him, a smile of gratitude formed on his face "Guess we're even now, thanks Akemi." - however, he felt slight unease as he watched her eyes shift between his wound and himself. Confusion fell upon his face as he watched her stand up and saw the apologetic look on her face...

"I'm sorry." she said, before taking off and leaving Cas. Alone. Confusion turned to anger "What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?!" he called out to her "YOU CAN'T JUST--" he continued, adding a few obscenities with it as well. Then he heard the screams once again, more kinrath were coming... how many were there in this damn cave. Cas let his rage with Akemi fuel him, he struggled to get up and held his lightsaber with one hand and clenching his shoulder with the other - while the teen had self-confidence issues, determination overtook that, the determination to survive. Then they came.

Cas continued clenching his shoulder and exhaling his pain through gritted teeth, all the while waving his lightsaber defensively at any kinrath attempting to make a meal out of him. When the creatures grew confident enough, they pounced at Cas - the Kiffar sliced the first one in half instantly but was quickly overwhelmed by the rest and was pinned instantly. With his faltering strength, due to the venom beginning to take its course, Cas used what he had left to hold them off through Force telekinesis - although, they were beginning to break through. The Padawan closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

Then he felt the weight was lifted, not metaphorically but they were literally lifted off of him and quickly pushed away with the Force. Cas turned around and saw Knight Odres... and Akemi with her, but before he could say or do anything he passed out as the venom in his blood progressed further through his body.

***
​

The Padawan's eyes fluttered open as he saw Odres kneeling over him, he turned his head over to see that her hand was placed on his shoulder. "That should be it." she stated with a concerned expression and a hint of relief in her tone, as she released her hand from his shoulder she rubbed her wrist "If you're wondering, I used the Force to purge the venom before it spread further." the Knightess smiled confidently. Still silent, Cas sat up into a seated position and noticed the pile of slain kinrath laid a few feet ahead of him, about to make a joke, the teen remembered what his fellow Padawan did and turned toward her and seethed with anger. Getting up swiftly, he approached her and stood mere inches from her face and eyes locked firmly on hers "You left me for dead you trifling schutta!"

Akemi Sinvala

 

[Akemi Sinvala]

The walk back to Cas was rushed and silent until the screeches of kinrath grew louder again but the Knight was quick to jump into action when faced with the creatures and made quick work of them, leaving the Padawan behind her with nothing to do so she deactivated her lightsaber and stood behind the Knight to stay out of her way as she knelt besides Cas and dealt with his injuries. She looked over the Knight's shoulder in awe as she began using the Force to heal the Padawan but upon realising this, the Knight turned around and looked at the other Padawan behind her. "Give me some space." She commanded to which Akemi quickly complied and took a few steps back.

While the Knight set to work on healing the Padawan, she spoke quietly to the Padawan behind her. "What were you thinking? Why did you leave him?" She asked calmly. "There was nothing I could do and there was no point in both of us dying." Akemi replied in a similar fashion, prompting the Knight to look over her shoulder with a puzzled look. "There was plenty you could've done. We do not leave people behind." She told the Padawan before turning her focus back to Cas. "But he could've held me back and gotten me killed too." Akemi replied. "That's very selfish thinking, Padawan, and not the way things work here." The Knight replied. Akemi carefully walked around Cas so she could face the Knight as they continued the conversation.

"But it isn't, I would've expected him to do the same." She tried to argue her case but the Knight was not accepting anything that came out of the Padawan's mouth. "I don't know where you've come from or what made you think that but this is unacceptable." She scolded the apprentice. "Ok." Akemi replied simply, knowing that arguing further was futile. She couldn't fully comprehend why the Jedi didn't believe it was more effective way of achieving the aim of a mission when a situation seemed hopeless.

The pair remained silent for the remainder of the healing, until Cas awoke and the Knight explained the situation to him. As Cas approached her, Akemi made no attempt to move away from him and met his gaze, unwavering. She was completely unaffected by Cas shouting at her and her expression didn't change in the slightest as the other Padawan let his feelings be known. "I'm sorry, apparently that was wrong of me." She apologised. "I just didn't see the need in both of us dying and I didn't think there was anything I could do for you." She tried to explain herself but didn't cower under his gaze.


Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas watched Akemi's eyes with a fierce intensity as she explained herself, wondering if he'd find any hint of regret or sympathy. Nothing. He couldn't sense anything either... it's like she had no feelings at all. Her excuse didn't help her case either. Incredibly, frustrated and leaving all humour aside Cas huffed and turned his gaze away either, too mad to even look at her "There was so much you could have done... could've helped me to my feet and escaped together, you could've dragged me out of danger!" he hollered, before shifting his eyes toward her again... wanting them to hurt her "You're nothing but a selfish, deserting schutta!" he yelled at her with passion.

It was silent for a few moments and Cas panted quietly, feeling slightly better at letting his feelings be known. Odres quickly stepped in however, placing a comforting but affirming hand on the teen's shoulder "Your anger is understood, Cas... rightful even. But remember, anger is a pathway to the Dark side... you cannot feed that emotion, you know that." she stated with an informative tone. Cas sighed and nodded his head, "I know, I'm sorry Master Odres."

***
​

Finally making their way out of the Crystal Caves, the other Padawans were outside waiting. Odres proceeded to give a congratulatory speech to everyone for successfully passing the trials and constructing their lightsabers... however, it was all a haze to Cas as he could only think about the utter betrayal he felt by being abandoned by his fellow Padawan. Still... despite all that, he was alive and had a new lightsaber to show for it. He just knew that he never wanted to see that damn Sephi ever again.

Akemi Sinvala