A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles

"The feeling is mutual.''she replied into his mind, breathing steady and shallow. Masters of the Old were silent now that she was there, within his cranium. The essence of her being pacified like the view of a clear mountain lake framed with an endless expanse of coniferous forest, the tip of her finger idly tracing between his thumb and index finger. It was not an intended gesture, but rather an instinctual one; unlike the disciple of the Unifying Force she was, Tionne succumbed to the moment. For a person who had denounced all carnal, a gentle yet untainted touch would be a powerful potion.

''You don't need to speak in order to be heard. Think... and I will hear you, if you let me.'' the Knight whispered through the Force, lips parting upon hearing his heartbeat decrease in frequency, synchronizing with hers.

Anbira opened himself up to the opportunity, sharing in Tionne's thoughts, experiences, knowledge, as she shared in his. The effect was a calming and unifying experience, opening Anbira's eyes to things he had neither experienced nor considered, and giving him a peace of understanding just a little bit more of the universe that surrounded him.

Time lost its form in this state, and all linear expectation of its beginning and its end. Thus, there was no real sense of time spent when the proximity alert pinged to signal their nearness to the realspace exit point. Had it been a moment shared, or a lifetime? Anbira felt fulfilled by the experience as his eyes opened to look at Tionne.

Wordlessly, she let go of his hand. The sound of arrival had brought her back to reality, qualms over attachments kicking in once again. Perhaps it was too much to be shared in such a short time, the Knight feared. Tionne sprung to her feet and hurried to the cockpit, leaving Anbira seated on the mat. Her hands wrapped around the yoke after slumping into pilot's seat, a casual glance given to the display board of the nav computer.

Three, two, one...
White streaks of hyperspace converged into an array of fixed, shimmering points, as the vessel plummeted into realspace with a dampened thump. The cloudy disc of Vendaxa loomed over the viewport, its misty and humid atmosphere swirling in cyclones plaguing its southern hemisphere. Thanewulf typed in the designated coordinates, then glanced over her shoulder to where she felt Hicchoru was.

''I've hidden the holocron in a cave that is part of the Great Rift. The forest is dense there. We'll have to park further away and then make our way through the jungle. A great way to tour and be potentially devoured by Vendaxian flora and fauna.'' said the Coruscanti, voice laced with trademark cynicism. She was glad Anbira decided to join her quest; two blades would be mightier than one.

The ship sunk through thick overcast and rain; when the skies cleared, there was rainforest as far as the eye can see. Vendaxa's sun was exceptionally bright, which did wonders for plant growth - and where plants thrived, so did other life. Spotting the only clearing in a radius of a few hundred miles, Tionne made a half-circle in an attempt to land the ship. It was a soft touchdown, partially due to swampy Vendaxan soil and the moss they landed on. With a hiss, the ramp was lowered and warm, heavy air rushed inside.

''Leave all unnecessary things behind. We travel light.'' the redhead instructed as she passed by and down the ramp to the planet's surface. Once she was standing on firm soil, both of her hands dipped into Vendaxan clay, then transferred the silt to her biceps, smearing the brown mire over her pale skin.

She wasn't kidding, was she?

Anbira stepped out, eschewing even his boots and tunic top, opting for only his old PT shorts to cover him from waist to just above the knee. The rest would get the mud, then. Quickly tying his hair back, he stooped down, grabbing a glob of it with one hand, running the viscous stuff between his fingers. He began smearing it over his hirsute frame, aware that washing it all out would be one hell of a task more than putting it on. As he worked, he squatted near to the ground, grabbing handfuls of mud as his bare toes clenched in the mire. Years on Felucia made this feel like a second home, and he breathed in deeply.

It only took a minute or two, and soon he rose up, the effect of his own handiwork somewhat more slapdash, with bits of mud collected at certain clumps of hair here and there.

"Maybe we should've just brought bug spray?"

Tionne covered a good portion of her cleavage and arms in mud, slowly smearing it into an evenly distributed foil of dirt. Her perfectly white tank top was now stained with crumbs of earth, some of them even entwining themselves amidst her copper locks. To avoid further entanglement, Tionne pulled her hair up, assembling a high ponytail atop her head and then took her boots and pants off, but left the utility belt carrying the hilt of her saber. The excess was tossed up the ramp. She crouched in her simple white shorts and applied clay to her legs and what was left exposed of her back, swashing in broad strokes. A palm was pressed against the boggy ground and her face was painted in a wide streak of muck.

Seeing Anbira wearing so little elicited a saucy smile from her; like a cat, Tionne walked up to him, scooping up a handful of grime.
''Bugspray? You might as well paint a bullseye on your forehead, my dear.'' said the Knight, then circled Hicchoru to stand behind him.

''The predators around this place have an exquisite sense of smell. The forest is rather dark both during the day and night and scent is the only marker where the prey is.'' she explained, coating his broad back in mud. Her fingers traced against muscle, evenly distributing what was to be their cover.
''Human sweat is full of hormones, especially the male one. It would attract beasts from several miles away.''

Thanewulf stepped to the side and moved to stand in front of him, rubbing the residual mud between her palms.
''Close your eyes.'' she voiced softly, then pressed both of her hands against his face and pulled downwards for the final touch.
''Think of it as a mud spa. We will both be prettier after it.'' the ginger-haired woman encouraged, flashing him yet another impertinent smile.

It made sense now, and Anbira put up no more one-liners in response to the strange countermeasure they were using. Still, he had a strange feeling he was going to be picking the occasional clods out of curious places in the next day or two. At least with the humidity here, he didn't have to worry about drying out any time soon. That was his real fear.

"How far to the Great Rift?"

Anbira asked as he looked up and beyond, turning about to get a good look at his surroundings. On Felucia, he knew every bit of safe flora and fauna from dangerous. Here, he'd have to likely do a trial by fire.

Tionne turned her gaze to the sky, noting the position of the sun. It was the middle of afternoon, the red-golden orb of Vendaxa Prime on its descent from zenith. The forest crooned before them, life thriving amidst tall trees. Thankfully, the first part of the trip would be mainly horizontal, while difficult terrain awaited just before the Rift itself.

''About half a days walk. Once we reach the edge of the Rift, we will camp for the night.'' the Knight debriefed him, now facing the forest.
Heavily relying on the Force, Thanewulf leaped forward like a gazelle and began to run, scurrying through the fern. A playful grin curved her lips as her senses stretched outwards, eyes narrowing in alertness.
''Catch me if you can.'' the redhead messaged across the Force, testing whether he would take the challenge and follow.

Anbira's grin broadened.

"Oh, I can."

Memories of such trips through Felucia coming alive again, Anbira took off into a gallop, looking for the nearest vine or outcropping that would give him purchase into the trees. On Felucia, it was more an issue of finding the right order of giant fungi to hop onto. Here, it was similar, just different.

Finding purchase on a half-felled tree, Anbira bounded into the air, catching a branch mid-torso, and using his body weight to pivot up and onto the hefty branch, then jumped again, looking for purchase to the next one.

While Hicchoru chose the path through the canopy, Tionne stuck to the ground, making her way through the Vendaxan thicket. Every now and then she looked up to see where he was at; the swooshing of trees above her indicated he was always one step ahead. And Thanewulf was fine with it, she would let him win, only to have him use most of his strength and have little left to dispense in activities she secretly planned next. Keeping her pace steady, the Knight ran through the forest, guided by her own unfaltering memory and the Force.

After a solid hour and a half of running, the forest became more sparse, leading to yet another clearing. Tionne gradually slowed down, only to emerge out of the thicket walking. An energy conserving organism, the Coruscanti's breath was only slighting intermittent and deeper than usual. She shook the sweat off herself and stood at the edge of the cliff, admiring the view once again. The scenery had not changed one bit from how she left it a quarter of a century ago, only the weathering of stone by winds marking the passage of time.

Before them lay a vulcanic valley with sides almost vertically steep, the caldera on the opposite side adorned with a tumbling waterfall so far away that the tumult was inaudible. Yet a cloud of water vapour hovered above it, acting as a kaleidoscope under the rays of a setting sun. Days were shorter on Vendaxa, purely due to the planet's eccentric orbit.

Tionne looked down under and noticed water trickling from solid rock just under her bare foot, a miniature of the magnificence across. Everything was like she had left it; if only all in her life was like this, stagnant. Well, almost all.

Anbira had beat her to the opening by a good two minutes, and he sat on a rock facing the caldera, catching his breath as he relaxed amid the view. He heard her approach, and glanced back, a smile on his face as he continued to look ahead.

"Gorgeous sights. I suppose we'll be climing up that tomorrow, then?"

''Yes. Tomorrow.'' the redhead confirmed, then knelt down, scooping up water to drink. It was icy cold, probably surging from the depths underneath; her lips sucked in the liquid, not leaving one drop in her hand. Instantly, Tionne felt rejuvenated while Anbira still seemed a bit exasperated.

''Don't tell me you are tired..'' Thanewulf taunted, stepping forth - ''I've heard you had a spar with Loki. Or shall I say...you were taught a lesson. Isn't he a bit young to be your teacher?''

The Knight sported a lop-sided grin whilst standing on tip of her toes, hands clasping behind her back.
''Even I can bash Loki.'' the redhead added playfully upon leaning in just enough to invade his personal space.

Anbira shrugged, a casual grin on his face.

"I had the better part of a decade against stormtroopers. It's hardly a substitute for a real duel."

The grin grew a bit as he arched an eyebrow.

"I'd like to think of it all as a learning process."

Was she trying to bait him into a duel? It was absurd in this strange, wild place, but then again, why not?.

''You are right, there is no substitute for a real duel.'' Tionne remarked slyly, perching over his shoulder - ''A real duel not being the one with Loki. He holds his sword like a toothpick.''

Thanewulf blew over his ear after deriding him further, trying to appeal to his pride. But there was so little of that in Anbira, so little of that what made a poor Jedi. She unclipped the hilt from her waist upon taking a few steps back to stand in the middle of the clearing. There was plenty flat ground to practise, only the edges littered with rocks. In a way, the natural formation atop which they stood resembled of a small arena or ruined amphitheater at best.

With an familiar snap-hiss, a golden blade flared up and was immediately brought above her head, tip menacingly pointing towards Anbira.
''What are you afraid of? Now that a boy has beaten you,a girl will too?'' the redhead challenged boldly, a sagacious smile dominating her face.

Rising, the Felucian hermit found his saber on his hip almost as an afterthought. He palmed it, rolling it from hand to hand, and looked up to Tionne with a an expression that said he was all in. And why not? The vaunted dread predators of Vendaxa had apparently not spiced up this exotic trip with enough danger to warrant the expectation.

"Perhaps you will. That's for you to decide. Now..."

Drawing into a rock-steady Djem So kata, Anbira's blue blade sparked to life, from a two-handed hold adjacent to his leading hip. He squared his shoulders to the threat.

"...ladies first?"

Dragon verses hawk-bat. Mynock awaits.

The thought lingered in her mind for a mere fraction of a second, dissolving into complete sensory focus. Grabbing deep into the well of the Force, Thanewulf let energy accrue in her muscles in true vein of a formidable Ataruist. In a blink of an eye, potential energy that amassed turned into pure kinetic momentum; Tionne sprung towards him with astounding speed.

Her blade was swung in an upward scoop aimed at his legs to exploit the static nature of Form V. He'd have to either hop to jump over it or block it, depending on how fast his reflexes really were.

Impressed with the speed, it gave Anbira little time to consider options. He moved on instinct.

He took to air, clearing his legs of the strike just in time to come back down, bring his guard over his shoulders, and cleave downward. She could try to block if she wanted. He had his strength and gravity alike to leverage his offensive, and he'd go ahead with the notion of finishing this fight before it began, if he could get away with it.

Release the mynock.

Quite expectedly, Anbira tried to overpower her with brute force, employing typical tactic of a Form V user. Surely, his blow would have proven devastating to an Ataruist and their lack of defensive techniques. As Tionne fell onto the offensive, she quickly switched forms, drawing the blade closer to her body to conserve energy. Her biceps flexed as all resilience and tenacity concentrated in her arms, her lightsaber positioned in an impenetrable, two-handed horizontal parry.

Instinctively pushing one foot back to gain barring, Thanewulf buried herself in place, ready to take the blow. And it came, tumbling from above, like a lustrous comet; blades clashed in a bright flash of blue and golden radiance. With teeth gritting against each other, she had stopped his blade in just an inch from her face. Slate eyes narrowed at her opponent; the Knight took this spar seriously, as any other.

However, the distinctive nature of the attack left his chest open briefly, with Tionne sending a Force push into his sternum just intensive enough to tip him over, then hopped back to withdraw to see if he would lose his balance.

Anbira felt his center of gravity leave him, and, saber-arm posited out to the side, he rolled his right shoulder as he let the push take him, using its energy to roll him back and to his feet, which planted on a rocky purchase again and propelled him forward.

"Soresu, then? I didn't figure you for having the patience for that."

He surged low-to-high, left-to-right with a sweeping strike, which, tucking inward to his center at the last moment, he exploded forward with a thrust. Inwardly, her choice irritated him a little. Who had time for fighting so long? It was a nearly diametrically opposed philosophy to his own way of thinking, which was to plan on the first strike being the last, and go from there.

''Do I come off as so impatient?'' she quizzed between two slashes, a casual glance towards his feet revealing his intentions even before his blade started to lounge forwards. If he continued to dispense energy at such a frequency, he would wear himself down instead of her.

Already sensing the ferocious attack he had unleashed, Tionne opted for something slightly different, a little creativity in the battlefield. Instead of burying herself in place in the true vein of Soresu, Thanewulf stepped to the side, thus slipping the middle of his burst. She positioned her saber in such a way to slip past his blade; like a revolving door, she turned in a half-circle as Anbira flew by, his sword sliding against hers with a hiss.

A mild flap was administered at the back of his head, as a mere reminder of his imprecision. The Coruscanti now stood behind him, waiting to see if he could muster a solution from behind himself.

She certainly played Soresu to the letter, figuring him to burn out fast, and as she passed him by, his lunge strike was already on the move, the guard of his blade flipping to inverse in his grasp. Like an old friend Shien came to him effortlessly. Unlike Djem So, he'd killed with this before. More times than he'd ever want to count.

Throwing his shoulder back, he speared behind him, intent on the business end of his blade giving Tionne a very convincing argument about moving her head. He pivoted tightly on a toe, and again his inverse-grip strike snapped at her head like a snakebite. Here, he was fast, but the end result was the same - to finish the duel.