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[Trinity Sundergotte]

She stood in the middle of the doorway and stretched out her senses. It was quiet. But in a deafening way that not everyone would, or even could, understand. There was a small creature outside, scurrying in the bushes by the stone of the house. The wind blew the wild tall grasses in wispy sounds. And somewhere, deep in the house, a chrono chimed off the hour.


There were smells, too. The leather from the furniture in her father's office, and the tombs on the wall that were bound together and sometimes to one another with the summer heat. There was the odor of old paper, scrolls and ancient texts passed down generation to generation, the dust as familiar as the scent of her mother. The lineage of their family,the history of their species, the stories and lessons of the Elders and even the line of names that linked her own soul to The Apex, they were all here.


Deeper in the house were other smells. Things that reeked of memories better forgotten. She tried to shut them out, but closing her eyes merely enhanced the senses she couldn't tune out. She smelled dinner, the myriad of dishes and sweets brought for the meal she had smiled and remained cordial through. She smelled bodies, the lingering aroma of sweat, cheap colognes and boot polish. Everyone had been decked out in their finery to come to the feast laid out on the tables in the dining room. Even now, the smells where slowly dissipating as servants moved to clean up in the aftermath of the guests.


And here, with the scurrying of feet trying their hardest to be silent, it was they that echoed the loudest. Had things been different, laughter, lessons, stories and just pure joy would drowned out the hushed whispers, pitiful sighs and not so comforting tsking that went on behind her back as those who were normally as unseen and heard as ghosts, clomped around like banthas on loose rock.


She opened her eyes and stepped the rest of the way into the room, closed the door and moved to the far right of the room. A small key of gold, a charm on her bracelet,turned with the tender touch of lithe fingers. A tiny click, booming in her ears like the fall of a grand tree in the forest, crashed over her hearing as the hushed hinges creaked with equally absent volume to reveal the treasure within.


Her life...


That was the only way to describe what lay in the velvet lined trunk. Scrolls and notes... holovids and stills sketched by skilled hands.. and The Book were in the confines as if sleeping and awaiting her touch. Tenderly pressing the other items aside, as if her very breath would render the ancient documents to dust, she lifted the largest tome in the library to her shaking hands and moved to the desk that took up a great portion of the bottom floor of the two story archive of written and recorded words. The pride of her family.


She sat down, opened the book and turned to the page she knew the best.


There was a map there, as ancient as the book itself, folded and placed amongst the pages. The map was of a grand estate. Gardens spread as far as the edges of the paper. The manse, itself, was nearly as sprawling. It had been the hold of a grand family, her family, her past. She unfolded the paper to reveal the entire sketch.


“Schwartsweld...” she whispered the word even as her fingers traced the name on the top of the map.


Taking the loose map from the book, she carefully refolded it, slid the marking ribbons to the page crease before closing the book. She left the map on the desk, replaced the great book and removed two other items. Re-locking the chest, she turned back to the desk and took up the map. After half a heartbeat to try and calm herself, she spun on her soft slippered feet and left the room. She had a bag to pack before her journey. Glancing one final time into the office, she whispered a solemn good bye and closed and locked the door with the master house key on her ring of keys.


An hour later, without a backwards glance, she was leaving the place she had called home all her life. The servants had wished her well, the groundskeeper had promised to keep the rose garden in good health and the driver had wished her as wift return. Though those who looked after her were free, working out of desire rather than indentured need, she told them to stay and remain the home they knew. She would be back eventually.

Something inside told her it would be a very long time before it happened, though.



**


One week later, she was standing on the edge of a large field of grass. The majority of it left wild and unruly. The waist high foliage as wild as the woman's hair that was gazing at it. Her mane of deep ebon hair was in a mass of wild tendrils, blowing wildly around her face while the soft breeze played with it as if trying to rebind it unsuccessfully to her head where it had once been the day before.


The trip had taken its toll. Lack of food, by choice, not circumstance, was showing on her face. She was tired looking with deep circles under her eyes. Her skin was not covered in the tints and shades she usually applied so meticulously every morning. Her dress was rumpled from her tossing and turning,unable to sleep as they neared her destination. And her bag was forgotten at her feet. The leather not even registering in her keen senses. There was only one sense that was in play right now... only one thing in her mind that she was focusing on... only one reason she had traveled so far to come and discover...


And it was in ruins...


The young woman walked forward, hands lifted as they caressed the tops of the stalks that bent around her steps as she walked. She could almost imagine them bowing their head in sadness and respect as she passed. Whispering condolences and sympathy. Did the Force have empathy? Could the very nature around her comfort her as she could comfort others?


Her foot caught on something hard and solid and she looked down to see a stone sticking out of the dirt. Bending down, she brushed the soil away and then brushed harder at it. Dusty hands brushed her hair from her face to clear her vision and then returned to their task to uncover the intruding mass that had paused her walk.


Was it... could it... PLEASE NOOOOOO...


Her mind screamed in two distinct voices. One hollered that it was true. It was gone. Centuries of dirt and grass covered it. The other voice bellowed in defiance. No, it was a mistake. Perhaps she was in the wrong place. But she knew she wasn't. She had grown up with the directions, the map, the very existence burned over and over into her mind. She knew, but she hadn't wanted to believe. She thought the stories of its destruction had been fibbed, lied to her to keep her from seeking it out. They were in hiding after all, weren't they? It was a story given to children to keep them safe.

Wasn't it?



Dirt streaked face, muddied from tears of defeat, stared across the field as she rose to her feet. The wind,itself, had died as if holding its breath. She wouldn't have been able to say if the tears were joy, because this place existed, or loss because like everything else in her life this cycle, it, too,was gone.


Shaking hands slipped into the pockets of her dress. From the right one, she pulled a brand. Its moons and spikes as familiar to her as her own skin upon which it had burned as a child. There on her back, always hidden, secret and protected...her birthright. From the other, she pulled her father's ring. The seal of their house also on it. Sliding the ring onto her right hand,the one of strength, she grasped the brand and looked to the field. Her voice rose clean and clear for the birds in the air and the critters in the grass.


“I am Trinity Sundergotte. Descendant of Marius, daughter of Tyrell and Myriam. And I have come to claim my heritage.”


It seemed a silly thing, a child's wish, to call such a statement to the empty field and expect an answer. She was alone. Her mother and father fallen to the blades of the Guardians but ten days prior. The feast had been the funeral dinner, the manor, her house. The library, her father's office where she had played as a child learning the Greater and Lesser Houses of their great family. She learned of Klavius, the Apex at one time, probably long gone. And she learned of the hiding, the wars, and the scattering that her bloodline of Lupine had endured so many, many, years ago.


But it was all gone now. Her lineage scattered, her parents dead, and her alone. She wasn't sure where she would go first, but something had told her to start here. Where it had started centuries ago.


Trinity Sundergotte was Lupine... a descendant of the Great House of the same name.


….. and she was home...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her time on Schwartzweld was often a fleeting affair. A few days every other month if she was lucky. Sometimes she brought Teagan, other times she did not. When she did visit the old world, it was at the whims of whatever her superiors decided, and s'Il accepted the small amounts of leeway with quiet grace. What was it Sanis had said a long time? About looking gift banthas in the mouth? Or was it Dan that had said that? The words had been spoken long enough ago that the man who had spoken them seemed muddled in her mind's eye. What she attributed to one very well could have been from the other. It was no real matter; not on that issue at least. She had made her peace - in a way - with Sanis, and continued a loose correspondence with him. So too had she made her peace with Dan. With the memory of a man that had been a mask used to hide the monster. Thus far her life had been as the Force willed, and while she had more years ahead still than lay behind, there was nothing trivial about her years in the galaxy to this point. There was always something more to do; something more to see. To experience and absorb.



On the great Northern continent of Ersteheim, nestled in the foothills leading up to the great Chain Mountains, was the estate of the Losstarot. The crumbling edifice had been somewhat repaired in places, but the countless centuries of neglect were still plain to see. It was a shadow of its' former glory, the once pristine gardens and courtyards now overgrown except for in a few isolated areas. The upkeep was considerable, and seeing as how Karrnage was far more comfortable in a book, or traipsing about on all fours, she was not surprised that some of the work she had done so many years previous had gone to neglect. It wasn't upsetting, though it did often cause her to loft an eyebrow at the state of things on each subsequent visit. At the very least, the small replanted orchard had been marginally maintained. She'd spent enough time instilling in the Colonel the need for the orchard's continued existence, and he had agreed to her request. She'd not been able to tell if it was done grudgingly, and she held no interest in actually trying to divine whether or not that was the case. He had nodded in silent affirmation, and she'd left it at that.

The interior of the manor had been renovated extensively enough, over many decades, and was a comfortable living space. Many of the wings were still in a state of disrepair, but a majority of the Losstarot home was serviceable. Some of the old tapestries had been restored, and those pieces of furniture that could be, were repaired. Anything wood was far too brittle, but that did not stop her from having such pieces recreated. The statuary had been lovingly preserved and returned to their original places of rest; some on pedestals, others on simple stone slabs. Each one a finely crafted testament to her people's tradesmen. Exquisite busts of vornskrs, and even a collection of full sized, sitting Lupines with their tails wrapped serenely around their front paws. They each stared forward in noiseless, rapt attention. As if watching over al who passed through these halls.

But perhaps the greatest achievement had been her tireless efforts to restore the Grand Library. It nearly occupied an entire wing of the manor, spanning three other floors. Walls of ancient texts; bound in leather. There were scrolls, gathered from so many years of scrounging through the ruins of other homes and ruins. Many had been brought back from Cathar over the course of two years. Intermittent, but steadily enough to fill those once empty shelves again.



It was in the library, now, that she sat. bent over a desk with a smattering of books in front of her, each open to a seemingly random page.

A slender journal sat directly before her, a stylus firmly in hand. Scribbling a few sentences, the Lupine paused as she let her eye pass from one ancient text to another.

So engrossed in her reading was she that she barely registered the entrance of the MMU unit belonging to Karrnage's 'adopted' ship. Or had the ship adopted him? It'd never really been fully explained, and she had found herself more amused at the pair than anything else. She had smile, given the academic a nod, and left it at that. What seemed more strange was that the MMU insisted that he had no real familiar. No name with which to refer to him as. He preferred simply MMU. She'd not argued the point.

And now, as MMU ticked his way across the expanse of the library, s'Il seemed to give him no notice. Only when the metal taking of his footfalls stopped did she acknowledge his presence as he leaned over her shoulder.

"Have you tired of needling away at Erasmus?" She didn't even bother looking up from her writing.

"He is a curious Lupine."

"And you are a curious MMU."

"I have been told that on many occasion."

"Have you now."

Pursing her lips, the Lupine finally leaned back in her seat, setting the stylus down.

"You seem unfazed by such."

"I have learned to exist with the fact. It is inescapable, and so I choose to stay ensnared by the lovely notion."

"Pragmatic."

"I've also been called as such."

Giving a slight roll of her eyes, s'Il turned to look over her shoulder at the droid.

"Is there a reason you've seen fit to interrupt me?"

"Mmm... " there was a slight pause as MMU made a show of considering her words.

Finally.

"I detected a ship entering the atmosphere earlier this morning."

The Lupine narrowed her eyes. "A... ship."

"Indeed. Not one that I've seen before."

A sigh, and s'Il pushed her chair back, slowly rising to stand.

"I wish you had told me earlier.

At that, the droid tilted his head to one side, regarding her with a mechanical eye that seemed to somehow display a strangely quizzical reaction.

"You were asleep. And if you would remember, the last time I tried to wake you, you tore off two of my fingers."

She pushed past him, ignoring the memory.

"Fine then. Let's go."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity had found the wall stone, but after making her declaration had gone to investigate it further. It turned out to be the remnants of an old wall. Not the wall of a house as she had first thought. A small giggle escaped her lips into the air as she had a small bout of embarrassment.


Picking up her back, the young woman walked deeper into the clearing.


A quarter of an hour later, she rounded a copse of trees. Her breath left her staggering as the sight before her made her vision swim. The house... it was intact! Well at least it was kind of in tact. She could see where the centuries of time had stroked the house with uncaring fingers. While one wall was standing, it was deteriorating and she could understand that someone would want it to live, but was nature was pushing back.


It was still a couple hundred yards away, so she set out towards it. She saw orchards, equally overgrown compared to the rest of the grounds. The grass lower in height than the wild stuff she had traipsed through to get here because of the canopy's ability to shield it from too much rain and sunlight. As she reached the end of the path, she felt a wild tug on her body. That part of her inside that made her Lupine. It was as if there was a line from what was called her soul, to the sprawling estate laid out before her.


But then, it could have just been wishful thinking.


She was wandering up what she guessed was the main thoroughfare to the manor when something called in the woods to her left. She paused and sniffed the air to see if perhaps something untoward had started the birds that had taken flight, or if it was merely their cry as they rose that had attracted her attention. “You are getting jumpy, Trin...” She laughed watching the sway of trees even after the birds had taken wing. It was a peaceful sight and something made her want to be lost here forever.


Where else would she go, anyway... perhaps she could seek a place with the caretaker. Maybe help repair the place, or even just plain rebuild it. It was her heritage, too, after all. Shouldn't it be her turn to help see to it? It wasn't like she had anything else to do...


… or anywhere else to go.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Stepping out into the sunlight of mid afternoon, s'Il rolled her shoulders beneath the fabric of her uniform tunic. The familiar Alliance blues were a comforting thing, even while here, on Schwartzweld. She could've easily enough donned civilian clothing, but why bother? The habit had become something else that she couldn't quite explain, and more often than not she fell into her routines. MMU had brought up the matter once, questioning the why's of it, and she had simply given him a shrug. He'd not pried, and she'd been happy for it as the query caused her to inwardly examine herself yet again. Zem even seemed happier when she opted to wear civilian clothes; she'd not dared to pull on the vestments of a Jedi. Perhaps there was still guilt, but the fact still remained that she wasn't entirely ready to take on that mantle once more. Soon maybe, but not now. There were still nights that she was haunted, her dreams shifting to the nightmares that she'd once inflicted on others.

And yet she was still here, while Dan and his machinations were not. She had weathered his storm and risen above the tumult of the Dark.


"You have been very quiet since you got here."

MMU's words interrupted her thoughts, and blinking, the Lupine turned her eye to him as they both made their way down the carved stone stairs that led into a side courtyard.

"Should I not be?"

"It is your choice. Perhaps I am simply used to the Colonel's ramblings."

"Mm. Perhaps you are."

As they moved through to the front of the manor house, s'Il gave a look to the rolling foothills that stretched out before them.

"Where did the ship go."

"My sensors placed it as landing at the old Sundergotte estates."

Sundergotte? Now this was odd.

"And you're sure this ship has never been here before?"

"Never. I would've told the Colonel, but he left for a run about very early this morning, and has not yet been back."

No surprise there. Erasmus Karrnage had a rather reliable habit of traipsing about when the fancy struck him; sometimes for days at a time. No matter.

"There is a town - two towns between here and there, yes?"

"Indeed. Kurn and Ehr'ung. Or at least what is left of them. I'd not be surprised if they're mostly rubble now."

"And full of the local, I'm sure."

MMU turned to look at her before dropping to all fours, his wide, multi-fingered hands splaying out to catch him. "No doubt."

Making a face, s'Il crossed her arms over her chest as she thought on the next course of action.

"There should be a pair of swoops stored in the main workshop. We'll take those."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trin walked aroundthe crumbling estate, a small tear falling from her eyes as sherealized there was nothing here TO repair. How does one repair whatdoesn't exist. “Kind of like my empty heart,” she murmured toherself. Snorting softly at the melancholy comment, she moved backtowards the place she had entered.


As she turned andheaded deeper into the location, she kept the woods to her left.Surely she would come upon someone who would know how to reach thecurrent caretakers of her estate. She was on foot, so she knew if shedidn't find something soon, she would have have to return to theship. She wasn't prepared to spend the night in the open. Not thatshe wasn't capable. If she shifted to her lupine form, she couldsimply sleep in the edge of the woods, or even the rubble of themanor, letting the small half wall shelter her from the wind.


It wasn't longbefore she came upon a small town. But like the disappointment ofseeing her bloodline's manor crumbled to dust like her own family,the town was a ghost. It was overgrown and crumbling as well.“HELLO!” She called out every few steps. “ANYONE HERE?” Thetimber in her voice rising to near panic as birds took wing, startledby her own cries.


She peaked intowindows and tried opening doors. But everywhere it was the same.


The place wasabandoned.


Tears began to swellin her eyes as she stood in the middle of the square, the fountainbehind her as silent as the town's pulse, and screamed out indesperation. “IS ANYONE THERE!!?? HELLO!!!???” How was it theplace could feel so alive and be so dead all at the same time.


She collapsed on theedge of the fountain and wept as her mind whispered in lament. * I amTrinity Sundergotte... and I am home... *

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The trip from the Losstarot estate to Kurn was relatively short; the speeder bikes eating up the distance with ease. What was left of the roads were nothing but crumbling heaps taken over by nature. Thick underbrush had encroached fully, until all that was left was a narrow pathway, but it at least was wide enough to allow passage without too much trouble.

The outskirts of Kurn were in just as much disrepair. There'd never been any reason to venture out past the grounds of the manor home during her previous times on Schwartzweld, and so seeing the old city now was a new experience. Once grand buildings had become nothing but rubble and sad testaments to what had once been a proud race. There were still a few standing structures, with their architecture not fully reclaimed by the wilds, but such survivors were few and far between.

Slowing to a stop, the Lupine allowed her speeder to idle as she leaned back a small bit in the saddle.

MMU looked more than a little bit awkward, sat astride a speeder bike of his own, but the droid was game enough and hadn't put up too much of a fight regarding their mode of travel.

"Anything?"

A moment as her words were processed.

"I can detect nothing here, in Kurn. Only wildlife."

Letting her eye pass over the ancient buildings, s'Il couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips.

"A shame so few of us remain. If only a handful had been able to keep one city alive... "

"Then the Guardians would have surely wiped them out."

A stark truth, and sobering reminder of that old rivalry; one that went nearly as deep as that of the Loveloxx and Losstarot themselves.

"Do the Leh'beni visit often?"

"I do not know when they stopped, but I imagine it was after the Migration. Or at least, they slowed the regularity of their 'hunting parties'."

"Hmph."

It was unfortunate, all told. Another sigh, and she let her grip on the handles tighten.

"I suppose that we should move on to Ehr'ung."

"By your leave."

Making a face, the Lupine accelerated slowly, steering around fallen rock and crumbling building alike on a path that would take them out of Kurn and along the edge of the bordering Orehn Forest.

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity was wandering slowly from shop to shop, building to building. Some were in fairly good shape, given whatever had made the tenants leave, they had covered things up and closed the shop. It was still as if time had marched on and forgotten all other things. Under the few clothes she had lifted, signs of rodents, dust, and decay were evident. Time marched on...


She was close to the edge of town when it dawned on her that she hadn't seen another living soul since she had arrived. She wondered if there even WAS anyone she could seek out for more information on her homestead. Figuring she still had plenty of time, she wandered north, heading towards the other side of town where residences seemed more prevalent than shops. Once in a while, her voice echoed as she cried out. “IS THERE ANYBODY HERE!?”

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a mostly calm ride, the lonely road connecting Kurn and Ehr'ung winding and serene. Nature had retaken so much of everything on Schwartzweld, and the system of roads connecting cities to towns to the sprawling estates of each House were very much in a dilapidated state. Taking everything in as she wound through curves, s'Il couldn't help but frown in a small amount of sadness. To see everything full of vibrant life would've been wonderful; oh, there was life, but it was wild and unchecked. Gone were the great stonemasons, the ruling Houses, the entirety of a species had been stricken from the galactic record like a mere afterthought. It was sobering, and enough to make one fall into contemplative silence.

Behind, MMU kept pace. He had kept whatever thoughts were rattling around in his processors to himself, which suited her just fine. The damn thing could be infuriating at times, whenever he descended into his normal fare of double-meaning and questions that weren't really questions.

A stone marker jutted out from a bed of crawling ferns up ahead, Ehr'ung - 75 still barely legible upon its' surface.

Not too much longer, then. Crumbling homes and outlying huts could be seen in the distance, lining what was left of the road. What once had been farmland was now reclaimed by nature.

The closer they drew to Ehr'ung, the eerie skeletons of so many structures became closer together. From what she could remember, Ehr'ung was a small farming community that many called home. Many of its' population were Lupines of Lesser Houses, gathered together to bring life from the land they loved so much; she would have to scour through the library back home to see if there was any particular history to be learned of the town. From the stone structures, some with metal framework poking out, she could easily make out the precise lines of exacting architecture. Not so much severe, but there was a firmness to each building.

She slowed her speeder, and as it came to a stop, one leg went down to plant a foot on the gravel and concrete chunks that had once made up the main road leading into and out of the town. MMU stopped beside her.

"There is something approaching."

A look was sent his way. "Can you tell what 'it' is?"

His head tilted to on side as he stared back.

"What would you like it to be?"

She frowned at that, unimpressed. Opening her mouth to retort, the Lupine was cut off by a voice. It carried in the soft breeze, reaching her ears like the clearest of ringing bells. Snapping her eyes from the droid, s'Il stared into the distance, down the road that would lead to the town's center. A huffed breath from her nose, and she blinked owlishly. Shifting her weight, she dismounted to stand, shoulders hitched back as she scented the air.

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Unlike those approaching, Trinity hadno way of knowing anyone else was around as she hollered now and thenhoping to get a reply. It hadn't occurred to her that the day waswaning. If she didn't turn back soon, she wouldn't make the shipbefore dark.


* Just five more minutes,* she kepttelling herself.


Trinity rounded a corner and came tothe center of the housing area. The fountain, long dried up, wascovered in ivy. She could imagine people doing their laundry here,kids playing, and old folks reminiscing.


She sighed and flopped down on the edgeof the stone staring back towards the way she had come. Her back tothose approaching. Reaching back she twisted her hair up against thefatigue she felt, hoping it would help refresh her. It didn't occurto her that with her hair up, the House mark on her shoulder would beplain and evident. A lifetime of being trained to hide it wentstraight into the wind with no one around to be self conscious of.“Where are you?” she screamed in helpless abandon like a childcalling for her mother. She covered her face in her hands and took adeep breath. Leaning over she rested her elbows on her knees andsighed. She came here looking for her legacy, and she found rubble.


Her voice echoed in the village as shewhispered, “Now... I am alone....”

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was the faint scent of... something familiar, but it was the barest of traces.

s'Il let out a sigh; how many times had she done that so far this day? Too many, if she was to guess. She'd expected to spend her time this day firmly placed in the library back home, but as things often happened, that was not the case. Instead she was here, in some abandoned and long-dead town that hadn't seen a Lupine in who knew how long. Stepping away from the speeder, she clasped her hands at the small of her back, feeling the crisp fabric of her uniform jacket against pressed close. She'd not brought but one change of civilian clothes, the rest being her normal uniforms. And in leaving the manor house, she'd grabbed the closest thing available that would shield her from the outside elements. The grey/blue of a jacket she normally wore over her regular uniform was comforting in its' familiarity.

One step turned into two, which turned into three and eventually more.

Ahead, the road branched off into a myriad of side-streets and alleys, all lined with crumbling townhomes and houses in various states of disrepair.

There was a center, which housed a fountain that had long ago stopped spewing forth water.

A person, with back turned, could be seen sitting, and another cry rang through the air, An almost angry question sent to an unanswering sky.

A pause, and s'Il let a puzzled expression pass over her features before finally venturing to speak. Her own voice raised a level, so that she could be heard.

"I am here."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity nearly jumped out of her skin.Without a weapon but the boot knife, she was unarmed and suddenlyrealized what a mistake that had been. What she had expected and whatshe had discovered were so vastly different that the arrival of thiswoman knocked her completely off balance.


“Who are you? What do you want?”Something told her that this woman probably had more business beinghere than she did, but it didn't stop her indignant tone from echoingin the space between them. She was scared, though wouldn't admit it,and like a cat cornered, she hissed and hackled up before realizingshe had done it.


She tried to keep the fountain betweenher and the woman as she took a couple steps back. Trinity suddenlynoticed part of the uniform even beneath the non issued jacket andrealized she was possibly giving this woman a reason to challengeher. With no rhyme or reason for being here other than, apparently,chasing ghosts, she stammered out an apology. “I am sorry. Youstartled me. I was... I was looking around. What happened to all thepeople who used to be here.”


Her entire life had been one lessonafter another in hiding and as her hands absently reached up torelease her hair using the shiver of nervousness like a shake ofchill in the cooling air, she crossed her arms hoping it wasn't noticed.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Rather than answer immediately, s'Il allowed herself a moment to study the woman in front of her. There was a faint air of familiarity to her; not just in her scent, but in her features as well. Memory refused to cooperate though, and the Lupine brushed any inquisitive thoughts to the side in favor of the more pressing issue at hand - why was there another person on Schwartzweld.

Finally, she broke the silence that'd descended between the two.

"They've been gone for a very long time," came the level answer as she slowly stepped closer.

"This is a dead world, and so are its' people."

Her slow pace came to a stop in front of the fountain, and it hadn't escaped her notice that the other woman had herself circled the stone structure so that she stood on the other side, seemingly using it as a barrier. Her hands still remained wound together at her back.

She shifted her footing, the sound of pebbles and coarse sand crunching beneath her boots.

"You're a long way off the hyperlanes, girl."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

As the stranger told Trinity of thepeople being gone and the world being dead, she frowned. “All ofthem? Dead? But...” She hesitated a moment then tilted her head.The air wasn't in her favor but there was still something about thiswoman that made her want to say more. Glancing quickly behind her tosee if she had a clear line to run if need be, she figured then shehad nothing to lose.


Turning her gaze to the woman oncemore, she didn't so much as straighten herself up as seemed to braceherself as she spoke. “Not all of her people are dead.” Sheswallowed as she took a step to the side, not quite closing the gapbetween them, but angling herself a bit closer to the stranger.


The other woman would either shoot heror chase her if she was a Hunter. Trinity couldn't get a good enoughglimpse of the uniform to say. If this woman WAS a Hunter, then shehad no place here, in Trinity's home. If she wasn't then that eithermeant she belonged here, and was possibly a kindred spirit, ordidn't, in which case Trinity would do her best to be rid of theinterloper.


Throwing all her cards out there,realizing she had never won a single game against her father, shefinally straightened a bit more noticeably, “I am TrinitySundergotte.” Either the name would mean something or itwouldn't... she just hoped whatever happened, she could run fastenough to elude it.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A single eyebrow rose, but otherwise her expression remained much the same. A Sundergotte? That would certainly explain the lilting notes of familiarity that teased her senses. Her body remained unmoved however, her stance in marginally casual attention. Certainly not parade worthy, but it was not exactly an Alliance official that she was looking at right now, was it.

She frowned ever so slightly.

"Are you now."

Trinity Sundergotte. A House that had once held so much esteem, even after nearly being drowned in the Black Waters so completely.

"Well then," her voice held a tone of mild curiosity, but it was laced heavily with overtones of skepticism. "I'm Captain s'Ilancy, of House Losstarot."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity frowned slightly as the womanclaimed to be from her own Apex House. She had been taught thelineage of their Houses from Apex to Lesser. But the name wasn'tfamiliar. The woman had the feeling she shouldn't be surprised, herfather had mentioned the chronicles were sadly lacking because ofspace and time since they had last been, as a family, in touch withthe others. Basically they had been living alone with no support orinformation for the last two generations, Trinity's folks having leftwith their parents when they were children.


“Captain,” she nodded with respectthough you could hear the hesitation in her voice, “Please forgiveme. While I know the Apex House of my lineage, my education islacking in those who last occupied it.” She mentioned the lastcouple names she had been taught in the lineage chronicles. Thosenames would have surely been at least the parents and grandparents of the womanbefore her.


“I am not here to trespass, merely toask who I can speak to about possibly claiming the property that wasthe Sundergotte land I saw back there.” She glanced back the wayshe had come.


It was then she turned her face to thehorizon and a frown creased her lips. It was getting late. If sheleft right now and didn't stop, she could make her ship slightlyafter dark fall. The nervousness in her voice was evident when sheturned back to the Captain. “Forgive me, it's getting late and myship is well past the ruins of the estate. Is there someplace wecould possibly meet tomorrow? I wasn't prepared to be out late andwould rather not traverse unknown land after dark.” In her lupineform it certainly wouldn't be an issue, but she had no desire to haveto revert to that, merely to get to the safety of her ship. It seemedalmost a waste.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"You know the Apex House," she echoed lightly, then pressed onward. "Then you know House Losstarot."

Standing rooted, s'Il continued to keep her mismatched gaze locked with the other woman's own eyes.

"You say you are House Sundergotte, a Greater House."

It was perplexing, in a way, to see another of her kind standing before her. Over the years she had stumbled across a pitiful few, though it was truthfully more than she thought. So many years ago she had believed herself to be the last. In the last few years, she had been proven so very wrong. But, any thoughts on that matter were pushed to the side as the woman spoke of returning to her ship.

A noise behind her, a mechanical 'cough', sounded like a ringing bell. She moved then, twisting her torso to cast a chastising gaze to MMU before turning back to the Sundergotte.

"It may be better," she started, "... if you came with me. To the Losstarot manor."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity noticed the droid a split second before the other woman. It seemed strange to see a droid out here. Though it occurred to her that they may be needed here more than elsewhere.

When the Lady invited her...or perhaps insisted is a better word...that Trinity accompany her back to her main house, Trinity started to balk. She didn't know this person, or even the planet. But the other side of her, drilled day after day as a child about the power of the Apex, knew better than to refuse. Whole Houses had risen and fallen at the mercy of the Apex. Trinity would not allow her ignorance and fear to be the cause of shame to her House.. She was all that was left, far as she knew.

"I ...I would be honored, Lady." she finally managed to stammer out with a polite nod of her head. She just hoped in the morning she would still have it.

She stepped around the fountain and got within a couple atm lengths of the woman. "I am in your debt already, for the shelter for the night. Thank you, Lady."

[MMU]

Spindly digitigrade legs brought him closer, and MMU moved fluidly despite his minimal mechanical body. He stopped to the side and just behind the Captain.

"She calls you Lady." his tinny voice held inflections of amusement, carefully modulated.

"How quaint."

The single ocular narrowed its' glowing blue interior receptor, head angling to the side in curiosity at the other. Internal processors raced, taking measurements and cross-referencing the features of the woman's face for comparison to the files on Sundergotte Lupines in his databanks. In the meantime, he addressed her directly.

"Don't look so scared, girl. The Captain will not turn you to dust or any other such terrible thing."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity frowned at the mechanical contraption as it made fun of her manners. "She is a Lady of the Apex House. There is no other proper way to address her." The fact this robot was criticizing her, and her politeness, was a bit unsettling. If the Lady was of the House of Losstarot, then there was even more she was entitled to besides the meager titles and respect Trinity was trying to convey.

When the next bard from the AI was that the Captain would not turn to her dust, she frowned. "I would hope not. But even if she did, it's her right if I offend, to do just that." She turned to the woman and nodded. "I was raised to understand the protocols and proper addressing for your House, Lady. But I fear all the lessons were as if I were hosting you and not the other way around. Please forgive my ignorance at knowing what is proper. If I do offend you, I assure you it is not on purpose." For a moment it sounded like groveling, even to Trinity's ears. But she knew that being drilled all her life that the Greater and Lesser Houses existed at the whims of the Apex meant there was no other way for her to act.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She waved away MMU, as well as the words that the other woman had spoken.

"Archaic hubris is still dangerous to cling to, especially now. I'd be opening up a world of problems if I fell back on such things."

The Sundergotte looked as though she could be knocked over by the slightest of breezes, and s'Il showed at least some amount of pity. It had taken a long while for her to come to the realization that she now imparted.

"The Houses are, for the most part, long gone. Those of us who are left are a pitiful few, and to cling to old arrogance would kill us fully. Calling me by such an old title is respectful, but there is a caution that has to be maintained, so that the old mistakes are not repeated."

Taking a half-step back, the elder Lupine gestured to the waiting speeders.

"And it would be best if you ignore most things that the droid says."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity bit her lip then let it go asshe straightened up. All she had been taught, grilled on, and made tomemorize... and it was all for nothing. There was nothing left worthremembering. “Yes, Ma... I mean Captain.” She responded to thereminder that using her name here was just as deadly as showing hermark anywhere else. It made her absently shiver realizing that herown mark was visible. But she had left the ship expecting to come toa place where she would be recognized and welcomed. What she hadfound was rubble and ruin and solitude. Perhaps in the morning itwould be best to go back to her parents' estate and move on as ifnothing else mattered.


After all, it really didn't, did it?


As the woman said to ignore most thingsfrom the MMU, she nodded and headed for the speeder she motioned to.Settling on the back of whichever the woman indicated, she finallyfound her words once more. “I am sorry I was intruding. If youprefer, I can go home in the morning. I promise not to let anyoneknow of this place. Most stories are suspected as being akin to fairytales anyway.” She remembered her father telling her of times whenthe Houses, Great and Lesser, held great balls, and parties and suchto make alliances, plan marriages and cement ties. He had known thosedays were gone. She wondered, now, if he had known all of it wasgone?

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity bit her lip then let it go as she straightened up. All she had been taught, grilled on, and made tomemorize... and it was all for nothing. There was nothing left worthremembering. “Yes, Ma... I mean Captain.” She responded to thereminder that using her name here was just as deadly as showing hermark anywhere else. It made her absently shiver realizing that herown mark was visible. But she had left the ship expecting to come toa place where she would be recognized and welcomed. What she hadfound was rubble and ruin and solitude. Perhaps in the morning itwould be best to go back to her parents' estate and move on as ifnothing else mattered.


After all, it really didn't, did it?


As the woman said to ignore most thingsfrom the MMU, she nodded and headed for the speeder she motioned to.Settling on the back of whichever the woman indicated, she finallyfound her words once more. “I am sorry I was intruding. If youprefer, I can go home in the morning. I promise not to let anyoneknow of this place. Most stories are suspected as being akin to fairytales anyway.” She remembered her father telling her of times whenthe Houses, Great and Lesser, held great balls, and parties and suchto make alliances, plan marriages and cement ties. He had known thosedays were gone. She wondered, now, if he had known all of it was gone?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A short time later...



The journey to the Losstarot manor had been made in silence; not that discussion was particularly easy to have on a swoop bike. To that end, s'Il herself spent the time in contemplation. This girl, Trinity Sundergotte, was a wholly unexpected wrinkle. It wasn't particularly unwelcomed, but it was certainly... not foreseen. Which was the gentlest way to approach the matter. And as the two speeders passed beneath the main stone archway that was a herald of the great manor above, she slowed the accelerator to take the long entry road, mostly cleaned of debris, at a much more comfortable pace.

Shifting to the side, she sent the speeder through a small grove of trees that lined the entry road. It was a path that had been taken before, evidenced by the beaten down grass and underbrush. Nothing so wild as to encroach, but nature had proven a difficult adversary to reclaim what had once been lost. A small outbuilding, unassuming and utilitarion was their final destination. It was obvious that this structure had been erected at least within the last decade.

Dismounting her speeder, the elder Lupine rolled her shoulders in a stretch that she savored.

As MMU and the Sundergotte - Trinity - likewise placed their feet on terra firma, she let out a long, exhaled breath. She couldn't help but allow a ghostly smile to tug at the corners of her lips.

"Are you hungry?"

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Life had a way of toppling you head over heels, then landing you on your feet facing a completely different direction.


Her father's thoughts on the unexpected ran through her mind as they raced further from her ship and deeper into a land Trin had no idea what to think of. It was beautiful, but in a way that dangerous animals were. They were wild and had a life so completely different from our own that you couldn't help but admire them... till they attacked and killed someone. This place was like that. Trinity couldn't help but find it lovely but somehow she knew if she left the path and wasn't prepared, she wouldn't find beauty.


As they dismounted, she looked around and stretched. She was grateful they hadn't arrived at some grand palace. It would have been far more uncomfortable a situation. When the Lady asked if she was hungry, her stomach answered for her. “My apologies. I wouldn't mind a little something, if it's not too much trouble.” She realized the silence of the place and made a guess. “If there is no one else, and you show me the kitchen, I don't mind making us all something if you wish.” She wasn't sure what to do, and asking the Captain to wait on her seemed a silly thing to think about.


“Lad... I mean, Captain. Will you tell me what happened? Was it worth me even coming here?” How do you ask a complete stranger to help you find your home?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

MMU said nothing in answer, instead looking to her as she considered those last words. Was anything ever worth venturing? The simple answer was of course, yes.

Another moment passed, and she waved the droid away. He responding by simply dropping to all fours. A last look to the two, and he trotted off as though he had no care in the world.

s'Il gave a sigh, and turning on her heel, gestured for Trinity to follow.

"He is a... unique mobile mainframe unit," she started in a voice that seemed more exasperated at the very thought.

Passing beneath an overhanging branch, s'Il slowed her pace just enough to allow the other woman to walk beside her. It also allowed them a first view of the Losstarot manor house. Jutting out from a sheer cliffside and crawling up the hardscrabble sides, the estate seemed as though it had been constructed to tame the land around it. A sad reality, that so much had been wrenched from the grasp of those original architects. But the intent was still there, seen in the sweeping and powerful lines of architecture. This was a home that was hewn from the very earth itself, melded and incorporated. And high above on the plateau that marked the upper edge, a single spire could still be seen, the windows glinting in the waning suns.

"I'm not hungry," she finally answered, "... but preparing food is not a problem. Admittedly I'm not here often enough to have an intimate knowledge of what may be stocked in the kitchens, so I suppose that it will be an adventure for the both of us, yes?"

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity laughed softly as the unitmosied off like a dog that had grown bored and went in search ofcritters to chase, or a rug to lay on. “Unique is a good word,La... Captain.” She bit her lip again and sighed. Every time shetried, she couldn't catch herself. Perhaps in time. If there wastime.


The gasp as she rounded the corner andcaught sight of the manse was audible and impressive. “Wow... Iwish my parents had lived to see this. It's beautiful!” She pauseda moment just lost in the awe of it like a parched man seeing waterfor the first time in ages. “I never would have believed somethingwas more beautiful than the pictures of our old estate.” There wasno jealousy in her voice, just a wonderment that such things existed.


Catching herself a step behind thewoman, Trinity caught up once more and walked beside the Lady. “Iam sure there is something, even if just tea or stimcaf. But I ampretty resourceful.” She smiled remembering having to make dinnerfor her and her father on nights her mother was out with one charityor another. Sometimes the servants were given those nights off andshe would always choose just from what was in cupboards rather thanthe storage or larder because it make it an adventure. She had gottenpretty good at it.


As the woman mentioned she was neverhere often, it made Trin wonder. “May I ask, is there even a pointto me staying? I don't really have anywhere else to go, hoping thatthe old family estate would be here. I guessed it would be in need ofrepair, but I hadn't guessed on it, and nearly everything else, wouldsimply be gone.” The last sentence nearly choked her. It had neveroccurred to her when her father had told her that no one had beenhere in a long time, that he had meant this long. “I still don'tunderstand how all this happened, or where everyone went.” Thesheer magnitude of the loss of a place like this was far beyond herability to comprehend.


She followed the Captain wondering if'unique' was a word the woman was thinking of in relation to theinterloper who dropped in the middle of her land with a millionquestions and her only knowledge being far too old to even be of anyuse.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"The explanation would be excruciatingly long," came the only answer as s'Il continued on.

"Sadly my time here is limited, and my ship will be returning tomorrow. After, I travel to Lantilles for escort duty."

There seemed to be a hesitant look in the other woman's eyes, and the elder Lupine slowed to a stop, turning to lock her own mismatched eyes with Trinity's, and with a sigh she tried to explain in an admittedly disjointed fashion.

"I am a Captain in the Alliance Navy," well, it was a start, "I have my duties and cannot let them fall to the wayside."

Her hands moved then, to clasp together at the small of her back in a posture that had become so familiar. Even her short stature seemed to stand just a little bit taller at the motion. It wasn't often that she entertained the notion of bringing anyone back from her infrequent visits to Schwartzweld, but there was always a first time for everything.

"You are... welcome to travel with me. If you'd like."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

While Trinity was a little dispondantat not getting a history lesson, however so slight, she understood.She was an interloper and an intruder. And after hearing theLoklorien say she wasn't going to be here past tomorrow, Trinitysuddenly felt worse for putting the woman out.


But then Lok went on to tell her shewas with the Alliance Navy, and offered to let Trinity come along.


The look of shock would be prettyevident on her face before she managed to school her expression. “I..thank you. I would like that. I mean, if I won't be in the way.”Then something else occurred to her. A small laugh was quickly bitshort as she asked, “What would I do? I don't want to be a burdenjust tagging along, I mean.”


Trinity began to truly examine thewoman before her. The woman's demeanor fairly screamed military.While Trinity hadn't missed the title the woman gave at the beginningof their meeting, it was just now sinking in, with the uniform andall, just what this person was. Lok was a military Captain. Trinitysuddenly realized she had no skills beyond the ones her father hadtaught her in lupine form and the hand to hand blade fighting he hadinsisted on her knowing.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"You'd not be a burden," she waved off the worry she could feel from Trinity. There was so much trepidation roiling off of her; one didn't need the Force to see that much.

"It is normal for Alliance ships to ferry passengers when the need arises, as it is."

For the moment, she felt no need to explain that her ship was a ship of the line, and saw more combat than most even in the time of the treaty between the Alliance and Empire. They had hit a dry spell as it was, and aside from the encounter at Manaan (https://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?55890-Waters-of-Life), things had become relatively quiet even for the Khera'Va'ss'io (https://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?56036-Khera-Va-ss-io) and his crew.

"As for what you would do, I'm sure we can find something. Our route to Lantilles will take us past Ossus, where I'll be stopping for a few hours to deliver a small amount of sundries. Nothing tedious, but if you wish you are more than welcome to accompany the quartermaster to the surface."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Having something to do rather than returning home to an empty manor seemed prefect to the more orphaned woman. Her shoulders eased a bit with the Captain's assurance that she wouldn't be a bother. "I'd like that. I'm sure I'll find a way to keep out of your hair."

Trinity smiled in gratitude. "I have no reason to go home right away. And I've got a packed bag on my ship. If I could borrow the speeder, I could go back for it."

The ship wasn't really that far, but if her new friend would prefer she didn't use it, her lupine form could cover the distance quickly. She could then probably just fly the small shuttle closer if need be.

"It's nothing important. But I'm guessing I may need a change of clothes or two?" Then again, perhaps something more drab and mundane might be better suited. Despite being in what she considered her rough clothes, there was still an air about her wardrobe that spoke of wealth and privilege.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There seemed to be no duplicity in Trinity's words, and s'Il gave a slow nod.

"If you wish to gather your things, I'll not stop you."

A look back down the pathway they'd come from. A few moments later her eyes returned to the Sundergotte.

"If that's what you want."

It was more than obvious, the answer. However, s'Il couldn't help but allow a rueful grin as she moved an arm, hands disengaging to gesture back to where the speeders had been parked. She graced the other woman with an understanding and gentle expression.

"Best to collect, I suppose."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity watched the woman size her up.She wasn't sure whether she was passing muster, so to speak, but sheknew she was being weighed and measured, regardless.


As the Captain looked from the locationof the speeders back to the house, Trinity piped up. “If you trustme with the speeder, I can go alone. It's a straight shot, more orless. And if you eat before I get back, I can always make somethinglater or on the shuttle before I return.”


It was then she had an idea. “Wouldit be better to leave the shuttle where it is? It's just south of theruined estate. Or should I bring it closer? I think your judgment inthis is far better than mine.” She laughed realizing she had noidea about the planet, its inhabitants or anything else beyond theancient tome she had read at home. And apparently, that was veryoutdated, to say the least.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Now this was a strange turn, yes? There was an understanding; a silent acknowledgement of the offering of a speeder, but there was also something... more.

It was that 'something' that gave her pause. It caused a creeping, unreadable expression to crawl over her features. It made her appear suddenly rather alien. The intent from the Sundergotte was very well apparent, and s'Il gave herself to the indulgence of those emotions that rode so prominently on the forefront.

"You want to Change," she whispered.

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity's smile was plane as she offered to let the Captain resume her evening. Surely she had been enough of a burden. And with joining the woman on her ship, she would become one again. Giving the Captain a moment's respite before becoming attached at the holster was probably a good thing, right?


But as Loklorien whispered, “You want to Change,” Trin's face fell and her skin paled even more than normal.


The words that came out were slightly choked with surprise, embarrassment and fear. How had the woman known? “How did you?" But asking was a moot point, the woman knew. "I... I'll do it by the ship. I won't trouble you here, I promise.” She wasn't sure what had given her away, but it had been over a week since she had Changed. The last time had been the hunt the night before her folks were killed. If she was going to be stuck on a ship for a long amount of time, she wanted one last run in the star filled night before going. And perhaps the Change, on her own land, despite the home being gone, would help anchor her to this place for the future.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"The world is left to a pitiful few of us," her voice still remained low, but s'Il let the expression from before melt away, replaced now by a look of understanding.

"Change where you wish," she made a gesture with one hand to the open spaces around them. "Spend as long as like, though not too long. We have a timetable, after all."

A cryptic smile at that, and the elder Lupine half-turned on her heel.

"I will be here, when you are done."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity nodded solemnly in understanding. "I won't be long, Captain." She didn't realize she had gotten the title right without stuttering this time.

A soft job to the speeder sent her flying back to her ship to retrieve her pack with a few extra personal essentials. Slipping into a set of less confining gear, she made her way back to where the speeder had been taken to begin with. The shuttle was sealed and locked. No one would bother it, and if they did, she had taken part of the control board out. No one was gonna fly it without a replacement.

Parking the speeder where she had gotten it from, she headed for the manor they were originally going towards. She set the pack in the hedges near the door, not wanting to trouble anyone, and headed for the closest wood line. Several feet into it, and not quite completely out of sight of the manse, she stripped and closed her eyes, took a breath and felt the warmth infuse her body. Slowly she felt the bones move, muscles tense and stretch and sinew move into new patterns. A few moments later, in lupine form, she lunged for the trees' depths and took of running.

**

A couple hours later she was back on the steps of the manor, clothed and sweating from the exertion and knocked as she opened the door, pack on her shoulder. No point waiting on a butler. She doubted there was one. "Captain? I'm back..." She called, loud enough to be heard in adjoining rooms but not enough to wake anyone deeper in the house.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Once more in the library, s'Il had spent her time alone idly perusing the few offerings of House Sundergotte that she had available. It was not a large collection, but it was not necessarily a pitiful amount, either. The House had gone to Garqi, but after that not much could be found. That they had managed to eke out an existence until the present time was fortunate, though it made her wonder just how far the species could continue to defy the odds of the Leh'beni curse. Without Mr. Feint, they would without a doubt die out. At least with him there was a chance, no matter how small.

She had eventually abandoned her reading, moving back into the main areas of the manor when the voice reached her ears.

A few moments of silent strides, and s'Il appeared in a doorway that separated the grand entryway from the main receiving foyer.

An inscrutable smile.

"A good run, then?"

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity heard the soft steps, but not till they were nearly upon her. As her hostess smiled and inquired about her run, the young woman nodded. "Yes, thank you." Realizing she had been gone a bit, she remembered her earlier offer and felt badly.

"Forgive me. I offered to make you dinner then ran off. Did you get something to eat? I can make us something, still, if you desire." Nothing she scented in the nearby forest had tucked her fancy during her Change. Either she wasn't hungry, or the prey in the area smelled different enough that it hadn't peaked her interest.

Either way, the least she could do was not go back on her previous offer to see to the Captain's meal.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il waved away the offer with a gentle wave of her hand.

"I am not hungry, but thank you for the offer regardless."

There was a curious uptick at one corner of her lips, and she let her gaze linger for a short bit longer before both hands came together before her, fingers winding together.

"Now then," a sidestep, and she let a shallow nod be her only beckon for Trinity to accompany her deeper into the manor.

"I feel that I must warn you; my ship is no luxury cruiser. There are no grand statehouses aboard it. It is a ship of the line; a warship. But, if there is any consolation it is that it is one of... our ships."

The pause, as well as the the way she'd spoken the word 'our' was enough to convey that the old capital ship was indeed a Lupine craft.

[Trinity Sundergotte]

Trinity nodded and smiled when the Captain waved off wanting anything to eat. Having been gone a while, Trin figured she had eaten anyway.

As the woman began to walk, Trinity fell into step just behind to the left of the woman. She was neither strong enough to be a protector, nor rank enough, to walk on the woman's right. It was habit, like most other things about her, that she couldn't break easily away from. But she did, after several steps, at least catch up to walk beside Loklorian.

When the Captain explained the ship was a warship and not a pleasure yacht, Trin smiled and nodded. “I don't mind. I would probably be bored on a pleasure liner.” She laughed lightly though it wasn't for long. When the Captain said the ship belonged to then, and Trinity caught the meaning, she did feel a bit of tension in the shoulders. While the woman seemed pleased, Trinity had spent her whole life hiding. She doubted she would change her ways anytime soon, and the idea of others around her knowing still made her a bit nervous.

Quickly hoping to take her mind off it, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind since the invite. “Is there something I can learn to do to be useful while there? I don't want to feel like a burden. I want to be useful, Ma'... I mean, Captain.” As she was following the woman deeper into the house, further from the door, discussing going to her ship, Trinity felt the corner of her life turn. Perhaps life wasn't going to be as lonesome as she thought it would be when she first saw the rubble of her ancestral home.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She thought for a short amount of time, allowing a short silence to descend between them.

"I think," she finally started, "... that for now it would be good to simply orient yourself. Determining what you wish to do will come along in due time."

A reassuring smile then, as she glanced sidelong at Trinity.

"Everything as the Force wills, yes?"

[Trinity Sundergotte]

"Yes, Captain." She smiled back.

The Force. She'd heard of it from her father but knew nothing beyond that. She tilted her head slightly as a thought struck her. "You've heard my thoughts. Haven't you?" If she was wrong, she was about to give herself away.

"Are you a Force User?" And perhaps even make herself appear ignorant and foolish. "And does that make me one?" While there was curiosity in her voice, there was also fear. She knew of Jedi and Sith, though only from stories that seemed like tall tails to her. While she didn't see the Captain as a shining Jedi, she didn't see a Sith either.

But then, weren't they ALL good at hiding what they were?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave a light smile at the question.

"I only listen for the loudest thoughts."

The pair rounded a corner, and through an ornate archway that opened up into a sitting area. A dormant fireplace was nestled in the far wall, with two chairs situated in front of it.

"I was never a mind-reader, to be honest," she admitted, "... and truthfully I'm not very adept at divining the more complex of emotions. I am... " a pause, as she thought on how best to explain.

"... I am more suited to battle."

[Trinity Sundergotte]

<end href="https://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57266-The-Road-To-Nowhere" target="_blank" <a="" in="" continue="" trin="" and="" lok="" post....="">< Trinity and Lok continue in <end href="https://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57266-The-Road-To-Nowhere" target="_blank" <a="" in="" continue="" trin="" and="" lok="" post....="">ROAD TO NOWHERE (https://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57266-The-Road-To-Nowhere)></end></end>