Cave Raiders: The Epic Adventures of Wyl and Rhianna!

[Rhianna]

After a successful days excercise of connecting their eager minds to the force, Rhianna and Wyl met at their previously planned location. It was their free time, after their daily regiments but before their evening meal. The routine had started when Rhianna had made the habbit of walking alone through out the complex, late in the afternoons. She'd caught Wyl, without Daria, poking around at one of the blocked off tunnel entrances. Even though he had assured her that he was 'Just looking and would be fine.' Rhianna had been skeptical. She'd spent long winters in vast caverns not unlike these. It was not hard to become lost.

She would have very much have liked to simply send him on his way. However, it would have been a futile attempt on a very good, but also very curious little boy. Caves were awesome, kids liked to see what mysteries they could find in their dark corners. She had often led a rabble of 'shorter persons' through them back home. However, it was not her place to scold him, he was her friend, not her charge. So she had just elected to accompany him for her own peace of mind.

Besides, that was part of why she had started taking these walks, to clear her head. She felt her judgement seriously impaired on many levels. Where previously she had thought things movingly along as they should have been, now there was a shadow of doubt.

Was she not still Rhianna, of the Tincéir? Or had she given that up to become Rhianna of the Jedi? Were her own keen senses of danger no longer serving her, that she would place someone she cared about in peril? She really wanted to go to Morgan and spill her guts and see what he had to say on the matter, because she so valued his opinion, but that was also part of the problem. What if that was not what she was suppose to do? She was supposed to be focusing on her training, not Morgan. She understood basic enough to get that message quite clearly..

"Ouch..", she muttered.. Scraping the top of her head on the sloping roof of the cave.

Wyl gave her the most incredulous look. Rhianna was usually far more cave savvy. Perhaps she had been safer walking in the charted areas of the complex.

She grinned, "Sorry.. I was out walking in the clouds again." She lifted her wrist, shining the light higher as they walked.

"So what shall we conquer today, my brave sir?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

They were only a few lengths into the cavern, but already Wyl knew that this exploration was going to change their lives, if not the entire galaxy. He could feel it in his bones. Sure, they had entered merely as plain old Rhianna and Wyl, but when they left they were going to be Rhianna and Wyl, filthy stinking rich. If there was one constant in the universe, it was this: pirates loved caves.

That was why he'd been poking about in the first place. This particular winding tunnel had a mysterious air about it, something satisfyingly secret. Any seasoned space pirate wouldn't have been able to deny it's loot-holding potential.

Buzzing with intrepid excitement, Wyl glanced up at Rhianna and stroked his chin thoughtfully. There were two pathways in front of them, one leading left and the other heading right. It was a hard call.

"Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, catch a Nexu by the toe," the boy chanted, pointing back and forth between the two choices. "If it mauls you let it go, eenie, meenie, minie... mo!

"Left!" Wyl grinned, catching his 'cave exploring' goggles before they could slip entirely off his nose. On his back was a rucksack, almost as large as him, stuffed full of "gear" they might possibly need.

Treasure hunting was serious business.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna didn't know what a Nexu was, or have any desire to be mauled by one but she followed Wyl along anyways. He, after all, was the master explorer, she was the faithful sidekick. Well, at least he was sticking to the main vein today. Leaning forward and placing her palm against the cave wall, she stepped down around a rather steep bend, grateful that it leveled out again. Wyl seemed to think that the pirates would have come this way. Who else would have reason to scramble over such a big drop?

"We should watch out, Wyl..", she said solemnly, pausing to add an air of drama.

"Why?", he asked her..

"Well, if I were a pirate, and I were hiding.. loot, I'd make sure to protect the area. There could be snares.." She looked around her feet, cautiously..

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl's eyes widened in horror and he glanced at the nearest wall, half-expecting a slew of vibroblades to shoot out and decapitate them. In the excitement of their grand adventure, the boy hadn't stopped to consider the possibility of booby traps. Thank the stars that Rhianna was here.

"I didn't even think of that!" Wyl slapped a small palm to his forehead. "Oh man, we probably walked right into one already! One false move and krrrrrrrrk!" The boy knifed a finger gruesomely across his neck. With slow deliberation he crouched down and began to carefully brush at the rocky dirt surrounding them.

"I betcha there's a trigger here somewhere. That's always the first trap." His fingers paused on a stone, before dismissing it and moving on. "If you step on it, you're toa--

Ha!" Wyl cried out victoriously. In the space between them, next to Rhianna's foot, he had uncovered a rusted piece of scrap metal. It appeared innocent, but trained eyes knew that if the slightest wrong pressure were applied it could mean their sudden demise.

"Rhianna," Wyl's voice had dropped to a whisper. "D'you know how to deactivate it?"

[Rhianna]

"Hmmmmm, let's have a look." Rhianna crouched down. The hem of her blue dress was already darkened from wear and time. So she didn't mind a little more damage, as the worn material was crushed beneath one knee.

She tapped one finger against her lips, tilting her chin, clearly in deep thought over the possible deadly trap. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she looked to Wyl excitedly.

"I know this one! My big brother taught me! We have to weight it down! Quick! Find us something heavy." She hid a chuckle as Wyl scurried off to find an impressive, flat piece of rock. Well.. her brother had taught her about simple snares, but in all honesty she thought this one was just a piece of scrap metal.

"Alright, easy... Put it down, but.. carefully! One.. two... Perfect!"

Rhianna rose up to her feet once more and dusted off her hands. "The trap can't spring unless the person sets it, then steps away. So we can pass this one safely.. Just don't move that rock, or you never know...."

She made the same little cutthroat gesture Wyl had, to emphasize their possible peril.

[Wyl Staedtler]

The boy nodded with huge eyes, making great effort to stay as far away from the now-defunct trigger as he passed it. The fact that they had just cheated death gave an air of exhileration to the expedition, and Wyl grinned over his shoulder at Rhianna, doubly glad that she was here.

Reaching up to his goggles (nicked from a pile of unattended tech gear), the boy pressed a button on the frames. A second beam of light joined Rhianna's, giving Wyl the appearance of a very tiny miner. He surveyed their surroundings, checking for more deadfalls, before cautiously moving forward.

"Betcha we find like, a bazillion creds." The ground was littered with loose soil and rocks, making it rather slippery. Wyl steadied himself with a hand against the cave wall. "Pirates don't stop very much, so when they do they drop off a whole lotta stuff.

"Did y'ever go treasure huntin' on your planet, where you're from?"

[Rhianna]

Rhianna didn't know exactly how much a bazillion was, but the sum must be vast considering Wyl's state of excitement. Clearly the boy was the galaxies leading authority on piracy as well, she thought, with a fond smile.

"Yes, well.. Things were valued differently on my world. We didn't hunt for money or lost pirate treasure."

She was grateful she'd had the foresight to change shoes. The boots she had on now were slightly too big, and borrowed,. The rocky floor of the cave would have eaten right through the soft soles of her own pair by now though, and her feet would have been stone bruised.

Rhianna made a great display of thoroughly investigating a piece of discarded cable before picking it up. As she had suspected, it had a flexible quality about it. Leaning against the rock wall they had just climbed down, she quickly bent the piece into something like a dowsing rod.

"Here.. try this." She stood behind Wyl, placing it into his hands and quickly explaining how, when done properly the rod should pull him toward what he was seeking.

"When we settled our camp away from running waters, this was how we found a source for drinking.."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"You hunted for water?" Evidently the idea of drinking water that didn't come from a tap was very amusing to city-raised children, for Wyl looked at Rhianna in astonishment and giggled. She was fascinating, with her stories and her funny language that sounded like music. The boy determined right then that he would elicit as many tales from her as she was willing to give.

Still very tickled, Wyl held the wire the way Rhianna had positioned it. A look of concentration passed over the boy's face as he slowly began to walk forward, muscles coiled in anticipation of any movement from the rod. All his thoughts fervently concentrated on piles and piles of wealth, willing it to make itself known. For a brief moment the wire seemed to dip--was there something up ahead?!

Oh. No, it had just been his arms getting tired. Wyl scowled and dropped his arms,the makeshift dowsing rod swinging at one side. "I don't think I'm doin' it right."

The boy held it out to Rhianna. "Can you help me? Wait," An eager look replaced the pout. "How d'you say that in your, um, talk?"

[Rhianna]

"To ask someone for help we say: 'An bhféadfá cuidiú a thabhairt dom?'. Which roughly means, 'Can you help me?'. I said this a lot before Morgan taught me Basic.", She laughed, remembering.

Rhianna loved it that Wyl was curious about her language and culture. It made her happy to remember, and to talk about it. He'd already mastered a handful of words that she frequently used in her mixture of two tongues.

She took the piece of cable, frowning at it. Rhianna really didn't think it was Wyl's lack of effort that was causing the malfunction in the pull toward what he was seeking. It was the wire itself. It had a different vibration to it than other such tools she'd used in this manner before.

"I'm betting this was droid made. Dowsing works better with natural materials." She fidgeted for a moment more, remembering what Serena had said. The Force was in all things. She concentrated on the feel of the cave around them. There.. in the walls she could feel the Force, a shell itself surrounding the compound, bolstered by the presence of the Jedi already. Once she had locked onto that feel she traced it's unseen connection to the dowsing rod, and then she really could feel it. The rod dipped, not by her own movements and she moved forward.

"Ok, we are seeking... a pile of a bazillion creds for Wyl. Here we go."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"For Wyl and Rhianna." The boy corrected in a breathless whisper, practically vibrating with excitement. He clutched at her arm as they walked forward, eyes glued to the glorious bit of wire in her hands.

The path curled peculiarly like a snake. As they slowly walked along it, the rod dropped significantly in the second curl of the 's' bend. There was a cluster of rocks that didn't blend in with the rest of the cavern; it was almost as if someone had moved them at a later date.

"There! There! Look it's telling us right there!" Wyl shrieked, pointing for emphasis. With a whoop the boy skid across the dirt and gravel, dropping to his knees by the rocks. Obviously if a crew of pirates had gone through the trouble to carry heavy stones down through a difficult passage, they would have put the treasure underneath.

With a grunt Wyl pressed his shoulder into the largest rock, using the cave wall to brace his legs and push. It slid half an inch with a scraping sound that echoed through the length of the channel. "Ungh... we're... gonna... hafta... dig."

A nudge from the Force distracted the boy from his labour, and he tumbled to the ground. Whoa. "Did you feel that?"

[Rhianna]

Offering Wyl a hand up, Rhianna nodded. She had felt it. Although she didn't percieve that they were in any sort of danger, it had not felt pleasant either. She set down the makeshift dowsing rod, less concerned with treasure now, and more concerned with what they were disturbing in their search.

"Here, let me help.", she offered.

Together, with their back against the cave wall and their feet side by side on the large rock, they managed to shift it enough that it tipped over onto it's side with a heavy thud. It kicked up a cloud of dust and dirt that made them cover their mouths and eyes quickly, and prevented them from immediately seeing what they had uncovered.

Rhianna had to grab Wyl by the back of his shirt to keep him from diving into, what he was certain was a deep pool of shimmering creds. "Easy, Wyl.. Could be a trap, remember?"

After the dust settled, they hunkered down. No treasure awaited them. Only the crushed bones of some creature that had died here long ago. Furrowing her brow, Rhianna tried to make out what it could have been before the boulder had ground most of the thin fragile bones into the cave dust.

"I think.. that this was a Vor. We'd better let Serena and Daria know."

The body was aged, it wasn't something that had happened recently, there was no scent of death in the air, and only a few of the hollow bones had remained intact at all.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Awed into silence, Wyl's hand crept forward and gently picked up one of the undamaged bones. It was featherlight in his palm, and dry as dust. The discovery, although admittedly creepy, was a million times cooler than mere valuables.

He lifted the bone up for closer inspection, the light from their lamps illuminating it's thin, nearly transparent layers. In whatever manner the creature had succumb to death, it was surely not supposed to be buried here. The strange manner of it's entombment was enough evidence to support that.

"I wonder how it died." Wyl was tempted pocket the bone--the boy had an impressive collection of odds and ends on a rock ledge in his quarters--but a twinge of fright dispelled the urge. Reverently he placed it back into the grave, disturbing some of the bone-dust beneath it as he did so. A dull glint suddenly reflected their light and Wyl pressed his face closer, squinting. "Rhianna. Look..."

Small, greedy fingers brushed away the fragments to reveal a glistening violet stone. Wyl sat back, pressing himself close against Rhianna, and released a baited breath. Skeletons and treasure. They were a formidable team, indeed.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna wasn't really interested in the bones, or in whatever treasure they had found. She was suddenly looking upward, hoping that the cave was not unstable, and that years from now treasure hunters would not be digging up the crushed remains of a foolish young woman and a curious little boy.

She'd been assured that the system was solid enough, though. If this had been a cave in, it had happened long ago. She didn't really know much about the Vor culture, but she didn't think that this was any sort of consecrated grave. The gem that Wyl was eagerly picking up didn't seem to have been placed there as a memento. It was possible that the Vor, too, had seen the alluring glint and had been inspecting it when the rocks slid down claiming his life.

"Craiceáilte..", she muttered.

"I have a bad feeling about this.. We should head back." Rhianna frowned, backing up and dusting off once more.

"I was told that it was ok to explore in here, but this is unexpected."

Wyl fairly oozed disappointment, but she wasn't bailing out on him, just being concerned. He had scuttled his way into her heart as surely as he had the caves and she had to make sure he was safe. "We'll go eat, fast like. Then we'll make sure that the others know about this."

"Hey! Maybe we can bring our meals and eat in the main chamber, by the opening..", she suggested. "Ask Daria first though.."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Aw." Wyl protested but it was half-hearted, mollified as he was by the prospect of returning. Besides, staying alone in the cavern with their discovery was definitely not an option. That was the height of creepiness--not that Wyl was creeped out of course. It just would have been ungentlemanly to let Rhianna go off on her own without proper protection.

For a moment the boy toyed with the idea of taking the stone with them. They could show the others and stow it in a safer place. However when he went to scoop it up a distinct feeling of foreboding stilled his ready arm. Wyl frowned, canting his head to the side, and slowly withdrew. Rhianna was standing nearby and the boy trotted over. He wondered if she'd felt the same hesitancy.

"D'you think..." His voice quieted as they walked, and the boy cast a glance over his shoulder. "Maybe it's, um, like cursed treasure. And maybe the dead Vor got cursed. That's why he died. It's like another trap."

The cavern widened and light from the entrance spilled in a widening arc. Wyl's stomach growled loudly, punctuating the silence. His eyes squinted at the disappearing dark. Quietly the boy's hand snaked up and into Rhianna's, thumb toying idly with the edge of one of her nails.

"Um, Rhianna?" Wyl paused, a question heavy in between. "D'you think... that maybe uh, maybe we might'a got cursed?"

[Rhianna]

She highly doubted it. It was her experience that one had to believe deeply in curses to be affected by them, and she did not. Not in this case anyways.

Although she could not say for certain, she felt that the Vor had just met a most unfortunate end. She did not think that their race was inclined toward violence, covetousness or greed. Rather, they seemed somehow, devoid of much feeling at all. The fact that the creature had been discovered with the gem simply stumped Rhianna. She was sure that there was more to the scenario, but it would require the skills of those more advanced than she to determine any sort of solid conclusion.

Wyl's little hand suddenly tucked into her own. Her heart did a little flip-flop and she was suddenly compelled to throw herself to her knees and snuggle him up in a hug. She refrained though. Such passionate responses were part of her nature. When she loved, she did it with her whole self. Now though, she was determined to learn to control her impulses. So instead she gave his hand a squeeze and stopped dead in their tracks.

"No.. I don't think so, but just in case.. I know how we can protect ourselves. Do you have a pocket knife?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

Quick as a flash Wyl's other hand dove into his pocket; out came a knotted bit of string, three rocks, the crumbled remains of half a biscuit, and a tiny folding blade. It had been one of his best finds from back home. The little knife had been cast off by someone at his school playground. By some lucky star, it had been Wyl and not one of the big kids who'd found it.

"I'm super careful." The boy commented as he passed his beloved tool to Rhianna, just in case she was of the sort who thought little boys ought not carry sharp objects. Probably not, as the woman was incredibly resourceful herself, but one could never be too careful.

"What are you gonna do? Wait... uh," Wyl scrunched his face up in thought. "Céard lena... aghaidh é?"

[Rhianna]

She treated the little knife with all the great respect and honor that was it's due, as it was clearly important to Wyl. She had not known, but had suspected that he would have such a blade. Most little boys were fond of having them on hand. She wouldn't squeal on him.

"It's for our...", Her eyes shot upward, as if searching her brain for the right word.. "cosaint.. protection, of course."

Her actions were purely for Wyl's benefit. The longer she had thought about it, it had occurred to Rhianna that Wyl was impressionable enough that his belief that they may well have gotten themselves cursed could manifest all sorts of imagined woes for him. The first sneeze he got, he would see as his imminent doom, for sure. So rather than leave it to run the course, she would give him a bit o' Tincéir magic to clear the cursed thoughts from him before they could take hold..

Right where they were she dropped down to a crouch and without ceremony lifted the knife to her red tresses, sawing off the end of one long curl. It wouldn't be missed as she had such an abundant unruly mop, as her brother had so frequently informed her.

When it was his turn, Wyl's eyes had gone as wide as saucers. With a reassuring smile and a gentle touch, she snipped a tiny bit from the end of his silky little boy strands and set them in his waiting hand.

"If we are cursed, we'll send it away.. Ready?" At his hesitant nod, she stood behind him and cleared her throat, praying to the Abhairt Saoil, in her head that something improvised, but impressive, would come to her mind..

"A part of me to bind your curse and make it flee, and send it's power straight back to thee." She blew the few strands of deep red curls back the way they had come, back toward the felled Vor. They were carried on a draft from the cave and out of sight.

"Your turn..", she grinned, rather pleased with herself.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Every fibre in the boy's little body believed wholesouled in the power of incantations and counter-curses; the Force itself was akin to magic in his eyes. What Rhianna was doing was nothing short of miraculous. A shivery flush washed over Wyl's skin. This was deep protection they were doing, probably some form of clandestine defense.

The peculiar catch in the wind that focused from the cave entrance was perfect for the performance. Rhianna's fiery hair was snatched away, tumbling in a furious cyclone before the cavernous gateway. It twisted elegantly for one endless second, and then inward gusts sucked it out of sight. As far as Wyl was concerned her charmed lock now lay at the Vor's grave; that was where her chant would have led it after all, and it was obvious that it was truly a powerful conjuration.

With all the earnestness he could muster, Wyl thrust his hand out, fisted around his sacrificial tuft of hair. Eyes bright with anticipation, the child licked his lips. "A part of me to bind your curse an' make it, um," He glanced at Rhianna for a prompt and nodded at her whispered help. "flee... an' send it's power straight back to thee."

Just as Rhianna had, he blew his chestnut slivers into the wind and watched as they were dashed from sight by the draught.

Wyl could all but feel the confines of a curse lifting from them.

With new awe, the boy crushed Rhianna's fingers with his grip. She knew how to do all sort of neat things. Special things. Daria had said that Jedi couldn't reverse death but Rhianna... she knew ways different than the Force. Maybe, just maybe...

Heart thumping, Wyl bit his lower lip. "Um. D'you know what?" His throat was closing up like it always did when he thought about her. He feared he might choke. "Um, when I was little, on Coruscant... um, well, there was a... something happened an', well," Wyl would not cry, so instead he made himself pull his face straight and look Rhianna square in the eye.

A curtain flashed across his irises. "D'you know anything that could um, fix really hurt people? Maybe people that are dea... not alive anymore?"

[Rhianna]

Rhianna knew that shuttered, guarded look very well. She did not need any sort of Force empathy to understand the pain it concealed. It was an effort for her to hold back the tide of pain that hit her when she remembered everything that had happened, she could not imagine what it must be like for a child. Without a word, Rhianna caved in and brushed the backs of her fingers over Wyl's soft little cheek.

"No, sweetheart.. I don't think such a thing is possible. Even if it were, the person would not return as you knew them..", but it was so easy to hope that there was some magical potion that could return lost loves.

What wouldn't she give to have her big brother walk up and hold her and tell her that everything was alright? It was only fantasy though, and dwelling in it would only continue to fill her with false hope and bitterness.

"I'm so sorry..", she petted his hair in an effort to comfort him. Hating the pain, she knew, he was bravely fighting.

"It's hard being alone, but we aren't really alone anymore are we? We have each other, right?", she smiled down, blinking rapidly to fight her own little battle against her burning eyes..

[Wyl Staedtler]

A swell of disappointment rose bitterly against the boy's tongue. Nodding, he looked away from Rhianna. Her gentle touch was almost too much--Wyl had to swallow past a tight lump in his throat.

It didn't seem possible. People were too real to just end. His mother had been tangible and full of fire. There was nothing logical about her being not there. Death didn't make any sense. Somewhere, someway, there had to be a way of taking it back; life couldn't simply be a game for keeps. Someone, maybe a very wise and powerful Jedi, could do it.

And so, even while his immediate hopes were dashed, a small act of self-deception kept Wyl from shedding tears.

He did give in, a little. Sighing sadly, the boy leaned into Rhianna, burying his face into the folds of her dress. Thin, wiry arms wrapped around her slender waist. She smelled like everything warm and safe. Yes, they had each other. They had that. Wyl's arms tightened madly, sparked by a rush of devotion for this mercurial woman.

"Yeah." He murmured, the sound muffled by swaths of fabric. Wyl couldn't think of anything else to say.

At that moment his stomach chose to howl again. It was most inopportune but it did ease the mood. Wyl uncovered his face and raised eyebrows in a cautious upward grin.

[Rhianna]

At the rumble that erupted from the boy's tummy, Rhianna climbed out from the deep emotional well that they had both tumbled in to. There was nothing she could do about his past, or for those he had lost, but she could watch over his future. Maybe his mother's spirit would smile a blessing on them both, and they wouldn't be lonely anymore. But for now....

Her enormous blue eyes widened in mock horror. "Oh my.. Wyl! Did you... hear..that!?!"

She clutched him tighter to her and whispered down cautiously. "It's the dreaded Cave Ollphéist. We're done for if it finds us!"

She managed to tremble a bit..

[Wyl Staedtler]

He knew she was just foolin', but somehow that was better than if Rhianna had just suggested they eat. A laugh, slightly dimmed, escaped and Wyl shook his head. The boy stayed tucked close to the woman's side.

"Sounds sorta like it wants a sandwich or somethin'! We better um, applease it 'fore it settles for ground Jedi!" He looked squinty-eyed at Rhianna, mischief sparkling in the edges of his little grin. "Race ya!"

The boy barrelled forward towards the Enclave, nimbly leaping over rocks and bits of discarded tubing. He wasn't worried about leaving Rhianna--she ran really fast, for a girl.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna didn't go easy on him. Lifting her skirt in her hands she tore after him, running like she was pursued by devils, and laughing like crazy. It was a complete difference from the weight of threatening sadness that was pressing down on them only moments ago.

Emerging from the caves into the more narrow halls, Rhianna kept right behind him, occasionally over taking him, on one side or the other, grinning down. In the end, they called it a draw though, spilling into the mess hall in a heap, both pink cheeked and panting. Rhianna doubled over and drew in deep breaths..

"I need.. to do that more often. I'm.. getting soft!"

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Nah, you're," Wyl paused, his face suddenly bright red, and bravely declared, "You're beautiful, Rhianna!"

Thoroughly disgusted with himself, Wyl jumped up and braced his knees on the counter. He snatched a loaf of dark bread from it's place and busied himself getting four slices, two for him and two for Rhianna.

"What d'you think that rock is Rhianna? It felt really weird." The boy shook his head. "It felt like it was alive or somethin'."

[Rhianna]

Bemused with the little boy's obvious admiration, she grinned and followed him in search of their sandwiches..

Rhianna located some appropriate sandwich fixings; a block of cheese, a wrapped piece of what she'd been told was 'nerf steak' (she still didn't know what a exactly what kind of beast it was from, but it was quite tasty) and some leafy greens..

Pulling out a stone slab for cutting upon and a slicing knife, Rhianna portioned them each servings with quick, graceful fingers.. "Not sure.. Wyl. The Abhairt Saoil, was definitely telling us something about it though. We'll have to ask Daria or Serena.. They will know."

She pulled down two plates. "Cheese on yours, Master Staedtler?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Is it the yellow kind or that weird pink stuff?" Wyl leaned over Rhianna's arm to check, filching a piece of the nerf steak as he did so. Seeing that the cheese was not artisan in nature, he nodded. He helped Rhianna assemble the sandwiches and then very carefully carried his plate out of the kitchen, pausing to wait for her in the hall.

"What if it's a lost Jedi treasure?" Wyl mused around a mouthful of nerf. He

He was already picking at his lunch--it would be mostly gone by the time they reached the mouth of the cave again. "Master Daria talked about stuff like that last week."

The boy looked thoughtful. It had been one of the more interesting history lessons with his Master. "Maybe we're supposed to find it. Like it's cinniúint or somethin'. It probably belonged to a great Jedi who died here!"

He fished out a bit of green, pushed it onto the edge of his plate, and broke off a piece of cheese. The boy held it with a little trepidation. "Or maybe it belonged to a... a darksider!"

[Rhianna]

Both her eyebrows shot straight up. "I hope not! We would never hear the end of it if we found something like that..."

The Force did not tell Rhianna that it was anything dark in nature, simply that it was probably best to use caution in removing the object until someone with more experience in such calls had been consulted. It seemed unlikely that the remains of a long dead Vor would be concealing hidden Jedi treasure, or Darkside artifacts, for that matter, but Rhianna wasn't about to smother the thought process of the little boy.. It was one of the things she loved best about him, his imagination..

Sitting with her back against the cave wall, Rhianna crossed her legs and set her plate on top of one thigh picking up half of her sandwich.

"Well..", she said taking a bite.. "We did find it, so it was cinniúint. If you have been discussing such things with Daria, then it is also cinniúint that you should ask her about it."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"I guess." Wyl said, a worried frown knitting his eyebrows together. What if Master Daria said that he had to leave the gem alone? The Jedi was not the sort of person he could wheedle with--once, he'd tried to change her mind about letting him go explore the Cathedral of Winds by himself and she'd given him such a look that he'd hushed up straightaway.

It was risky. He would have to choose his words carefully. Wyl jammed another bite of sandwich in his mouth and stood up, dusting his hands.

"O'ay." The boy said around a mouthful of food, nodding. "Le's go fin' 'er."

Wyl closed his eyes and poked at the training bond that was growing stronger by the day. He knew that prodding at it had probably disturbed Daria, but he hadn't yet learned how to pinpoint her position without doing so.

Ah, she was near the hangar. Wyl grasped Rhianna's hand and they made quick work of the short walk. As soon as he caught sight of Daria, Wyl dropped hold of his fellow explorer and ran forward.

"Master! I was lookin' for you!" The boy exclaimed, grinning brightly. Very brightly.

[Daria Nytherciria]

“You were?”

On reflex, Daria's hand fell onto Wyl's shoulder, drawing him a little closer. She noted the aura of the person he was with, it was one she knew well; the soft halo was unmistakably that of Rhianna. The Jedi Knight smiled, faintly, and then inclined her head back down towards her apprentice.

“You seem in good cheer.”

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Yup." Wyl nodded his agreement. "I just ate lunch. And I have a question! About history."

This was an unprecedented event. The only question the boy ever had ever asked in reference to past events was about why they had to learn about junk that had happened 'forever ago'.

However he seemed perfectly serious, squaring his little shoulders and canting his head to the side inquisitively. "Remember how you talked about stuff that old Jedi's left lyin' around in places? What happens if you maybe find something like that? It's not dangerous, right?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's eyes - uncovered - narrowed. Something had happened. For Wyl to take an interest in history, it must have been something monumental.

“It can be, if it falls into the wrong hands. Some of the artefacts of the old Order possess a great amount of power... some contain the very spirits of the Jedi themselves.”

[Wyl Staedtler]

Ghosts? Wyl visibly stiffened and glanced over his shoulder at Rhianna with wide eyes.

"Oh." The boy said quietly, trying not to fidget. "But if you're the right hands it's okay, isn't it? You won't... you won't get cursed or anything?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

“It's impossible to say. No two artefacts are alike. Many of them are benign... holocrons, for instance, were regularly used by the old masters to store their life's history, so that they could continue to pass on their teachings once their spirit had become one with the Force. Others, however, were created with a more malicious purpose in mind.”

She lowered herself now, so that her eyes would be on level with his. Though they were empty, void of any pupil or iris, it was clear that she was looking directly at him.

“Is there something you would like to tell me, Wyl?”

[Wyl Staedtler]

There it was. The look. Wyl shifted under the weight of it and held his breath, contemplating what to say.

"We... Rhianna and me... found something." He started, letting the words drop slowly in what he hoped was a casual manner. "In a cave. It was under a rock and there was a dead Vor there."

That sounded too scary and so he shook his head and put one small palm on Daria's arm. "But it died a really long time ago! It was just bones. That's where the... well, it's like a-a crystal or something, that's where it was. In the bones. And,"

Wyl leaned forward so that he could whisper in his Master's ear. "It did something with the Force!"

[Rhianna]

Rhianna had to admit, Wyl had been forthright and honest not leaving out any important details. She was proud of him. Smiling encouragingly she nodded at him and afirmed the story for Daria..

"It's exactly as he says.. We were just doing our little 'routine exploration' and came across the Vor and the stone. I'm not certain what properties it may have, so we didn't disturb it, but there was definitely a presence to it..."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“It did something?”

Daria looked from Wyl to Rhianna, as the red-head confirmed what had been said so far. She stood up slowly. It was possible that what they had found was nothing at all, but then again...

“Do you think you could find the stone again, and bring it to me, so that we could study it a little more closely?”

[Wyl Staedtler]

"I don't want to touch it now!" Wyl exclaimed, his voice rising to an uneven pitch. Even with Rhianna's clandestine magic to protect them, the boy was sobered by his Master's words. The last thing they needed was to unleash some mysterious power upon the Enclave.

Wyl crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head stubbornly. All his earlier eagerness had shifted to the opposite vein. "You said it could be dangerous, Master."

It hadn't felt so, but Daria knew almost everything and if she said there was a chance of the crystal having a harmful influence, the boy wasn't about to gamble on it.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded. It hadn't been her intention to frighten Wyl, but she understood his caution.

“Very well... will you take me to it?”

[Rhianna]

"We can take you, Daria..", Rhianna said softly.

She and Wyl had not wanted to return to the caves without letting one of the more experienced members of their little community know about the crushed Vor at the blocked end of the cave, but Daria more than qualified as Wyl's master.

"I don't think it was anything too dangerous, but we'll find out, one way or the other..", she smiled at Wyl.

"It was just this way..", she led the way, back toward the mouth of the caves, once more readying her little, wrist-mounted light.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl positioned himself in the relatively safe space between Daria and Rhianna as they came to the cave entrance. Despite his misgivings, a thrill raced up the boy's spine - this was a real discovery, one that warranted actual investigation.

Once they were inside the cave it was easy to find their way back. Rhianna's light illuminated their tracks, pressed into the seldom-disturbed ground, and it was a simple matter of following them. Presently the large rock came into view. Wyl pointed.

"It was under that rock." Feeling braver with two adults close at hand, he trod forward and hunkered down by the shallow pit. The crystal was still there, shimmering deep amethyst against a backdrop of pale, dusty bones.

"There." Wyl whispered, jerking his chin towards the stone.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria stood studying the scene for a moment, appraising the arrangement of the bones and the positioning of stone within them. It was true, she felt a palpable presence radiating from the fleck of violet. It appeared to her as having a faint aura, though the bones themselves also had a minute glow, some residual trace of the life they had once supported.

“What kind of feeling did it give you, Wyl?”

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Um, it was," Wyl frowned, struggling to formulate an answer, "It was... big. And it was like..."

The boy sighed loudly in frustration. The right words just weren't coming!

He stared at the crystal, into it's rich depths, and tried to recall his lessons with Daria, on finding one's center. Taking a deep breath the boy closed his eyes. A few moments passed before he spoke again.

"It felt like something was going to happen. Like it had something to tell us." Wyl looked at Rhianna. "You felt it too, didn't you?"

[Rhianna]

Rhianna nodded. "I did. I felt it as well.."


She tried to think back on the feelings that had run through her upon finding the crystal with Wyl. There had been trepidation, a cautios warning through her, but now that she looked back on it, she didn't think it was caused by the crystal itself.

"I was feeling overly cautious, worried about the cave roof falling in further. The sight of the dead Vor seemed a warning. It's very possible, though, that it was those very same feelings - already present - that gave me pause about the stone, and not the stone itself.."