Cora felt Sol run past her. She fervently hoped that he could find the solution to the monster’s aggression before it found them. Up ahead she sensed the alteration in her partner’s pace and wondered if he had found something but as he kept moving, she realized he had not. Turning her back on him she felt out in the directions she expected the spider to attack her from but found nothing. The silence bothered her more than anything. Normally should could hear her opponent’s movements, even if faintly, but spiders were dexterous creatures and it would be harder to detect it’s approach.

As he strayed further from her, Cora’s sense of Sol began to diminish. Turning back in his direction, she could feel him faintly moving about off in the distance but could no longer hear the noise of his footfalls. Apprehension tugged at the edge of her mind as she wondered if she should follow in his footsteps. Together they would be stronger than either one of them alone. Just as she was about to step forward, Cora heard something snap just behind her. Spinning to meet her foe, the young Jedi immediately found herself immobilized by a thick coating of a sticky white substance.

Cora’s unseeing eyes widened in shock as she attempted to scream but no sound pierced the barrier of white goo. The spider advanced upon her slowly as if relishing the moment of capturing it’s prey. Heartbeat racing, Cora struggled in vain to free herself from her stringy prison. She could feel the monster hovering over her now, poised to strike. In a moment of near panic, she connected her mind to it’s and broadcast, ‘I am not an enemy, I am not food. I am not an enemy, not an enemy, not an enemy...’

Just as she felt its stinger brush against her leg, the creature suddenly began to retreat. The young girl breathed a sigh of relief though she knew this chapter was far from over. Tracking the spider’s movement, she felt it rush off in the direction she had indicated to Sol. She had to warn him somehow! Yelling was out of the question so again she reached out with the force. ‘Sol... Sol!’ Cora did her best to project the warning but couldn’t be sure if it had reached her target. She had done the best she could do, now she would have to concentrate on freeing herself before anything else. And with her body completely coated in the spider’s web, she wasn’t even sure where to begin... And to make the situation even more stressful, the sound of Sol's screams rent the air a moment later.

((That’s okay, you can write however much you want as long as you don’t go too far without me. Also, page two! Yay! ^_^))

Sol struggled to calm his mind as the Spider advanced, but he couldn't manage to focus his thoughts. The spider was almost on top of him, getting in it's final position to finish him off when sol heard Cora's warning yell in his head. Was she in trouble too? If that were the case he had to get out of this mess and help her. It was he after all that had attracted the spider's attention in the first place. It's now or never! Sol said to himself. Closing his eyes, he blocked everything out and concentrated only on taking slow deep breaths.

Feeling the force flow through his body, Sol concentrated on the mass of stone that pinned him to the ground. He could feel the energy of the stone vibrating in harmony with his own. Sol's eyes snapped open and in one burst of energy, he released all his power into the stone. The giant block exploded off his chest, slamming into the spider right above him and sending both spinning off into the ruins. He didn't know if the spider was still alive and he didn't care. Not wasting another moment, he sprang from the ground and ran back to where he had left Cora.

She better be alright! He said to himself as he ran. "Cora! Where are you?" He yelled. Hearing no reply he started to fear the worst. A thought occurred to him as he remembered hearing her voice in his head. She must have been communicating with me telepathically! He had never been able to communicate though his thoughts with someone before but he had to try and reach her somehow. <Cora? Cora where are you? Are you ok?> He ran on noticing the area up ahead as the place where he had tripped only a short time ago. He had to be getting close. He hoped she was alright.

(Sorry that took so long :sweat: I didn't realize how much work the event would end up generating... But anyway! I had the same thought when I saw it was on page two! lol ^^!)

Cora strained her ears for some indication that Sol was alright but all she managed to pick up was a faint thump off in the distance. What could be happening? Anxiety tore through the padawan’s chest as she struggled in vain against her sticky prison. Her lightsaber was on her belt, if only she could just move her hand...

Cora tried inching her fingers towards the weapon but her arm was too tightly bound to allow the the movement she was trying to make. Growing increasingly frustrated with her predicament, the usually calm girl did her best not to yell. Her annoyance was quickly turning to anger and Cora had to pause to remind herself not to give into the negative emotions. Trying a different tactic, the young jedi used the force to push at the string that was binding her but rather than pushing out on the entire cocoon, she only managed to move one sticky fiber from the bunch.

The teen was in the process of rethinking her methods when she heard her name called. Happy to know her partner was still alive, Cora attempted to respond to Sol’s shouts but only a muffled grunt escaped her lips through the sticky membrane. Kicking her heel into the dirt beneath her, Cora cursed her luck. Though Sol would be her best chance at rescue, Cora wasn’t sure she could bear the humiliation of being found in her current state.

A thought broke through her feelings of embarrassment and Cora found herself replying to it despite her previous worries of humiliation. Between being stuck in her sticky cocoon forever and being rescued by another padawan, she would have to chose the latter, especially since she had no way of knowing what other native species might wander by and want to eat her. ’This way...’ she responded, projecting a mental picture of her current location.

((I managed to find a bit of extra time tonight. This will be my last post till next week though.))

Sol heard Cora's directions in his head and altered his course. <I'm on my way,> He said in reply, hurrying to meet up with her. Breaking though into a small clearing, Sol spotted Cora on the ground not far away and ran to her, happy to be back together again. Splitting up probably wasn't such a good idea, He thought to himself. "Are you ok?" He asked as he came up to her. Sol had to suppress a sudden urge to laugh when he saw that she had been trapped almost completely in spider webbing. A small smile played across his lips before he remembered how the Spider had similarly caught him unawares. His smile and mirth vanished as quickly as it had come. He need to focus on getting her out of the webbing.

Kneeling down, Sol inspected the spider webbing that covered most of Cora's torso. he tugged experimentally on some of the strands but the spider silk was too elastic and tough to break. And sticky too, He thought, tugging hard on his hand to get it unstuck. Changing to a new tact, Sol decided to try and use the force. He focused on pulling the cocoon away from Cora but only succeeded in pulling random strands of web from the rest. Well I guess I could always cut it away... He thought, moving his hand to rest on the light saber at his belt. He would have to be careful and make sure to keep a steady focus. It would be much different from his precision lessons back at the jedi temple. It's just that there would be a living person involved this time...

"I've got an idea," He said to Cora as he rolled her onto her back. He stood up and un-clipped his light saber from his belt. "Don't move Cora.." His flicked the power switch on his light saber and the air was filled with the familiar hum of the elegant weapon as the white blade extended from the hilt. Taking a stance over Cora, Sol raised his saber over his head and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to focus. "Ready?" He asked. Without giving her time to reply, Sol's saber flashed through the air as he swung it down over his head in a tight ark, across the front of Cora's body and back up to its starting place. The Webbing on the front of Cora's body suddenly split open, freeing her arms and legs. Satisfied with his work and that there didn't appear to be a scratch on her, Sol was about to put his saber away when he noticed that he had missed the webbing that covered Cora's mouth, still preventing her from speaking. "I missed a little..." He said as he got ready to take another swing at the last bit of webbing covering Cora.

((Sorry I took so long getting back to this ^^; ))

Cora accepted Sol’s apology with a nod and happily put the events of the last few moments behind them. They had a task to focus on and lingering emotions would only distract them.

The padawan cocked her head out of curiosity when Sol mentioned his discovery. Cora had helped pinpoint its location but had yet to figure out what was causing such a disturbance in the area. She felt Sol waving her forward and took a step towards him; her leg felt oddly heavy but it supported her weight well enough. ”Just a bit numb, it’s nothing…” she said waving off his concern. ”I think the stinger is meant to immobilize targets to make them easier to ingest. It should wear off…” she added, explaining her theory. The fact that she had come so close to being that spider’s lunch bothered her slightly but she didn’t let it show.

”Now what was this thing you wanted to show me?” Cora asked, taking a few steps forward to test her mobility. She decided she was fit enough to walk but seriously hoped that they wouldn’t have to do any more sprinting for a while. ”Please tell me you stopped that creature…” she asked in reference to the spider. If that thing was still out to get them, then they might want to make plans to counter it before they found themselves subject to another attack. Either way she wanted to know what they might be up against before they wandered any deeper into a possibly even more hostile area of the forest.

((I am ashamed at how long it's taken me to reply to this. I've been taking a bit of a break from Menewsha lately...))

Sol wasn't as sure about Cora's injury. He listened patiently to her theory about the stinger but he wasn't sure he was convinced. It looked a little more serious than she was letting on. Additionally, who knew exactly what sorts of poisonous compounds were in the spider's venomous stinger. He was about to protest and suggest they go back to the ship to give it a quick check out but he was interrupted by Cora's question about the ruins he had discovered. Giving a mental shrug, Sol let the leg injury slide for now and refocused his attention on their next plan of action.

"I don't know," he said in reply to Cora's question about the spider. He had given it quite a forceful launch but he didn't know much about the creature. It was very possible that it was alive and stalking them even now. It would be wise to stay alert. "Lets stick together. We should probably contact our masters and let them know about the ruins as well." Sol's expression flash to surprise and back to indifference just as quickly. There he went again saying so much to someone he barely knew. He couldn't think of a time when he had ever said that much to his own master in one go. Sol rolled his shoulders feeling slightly uncomfortable and shuffled his feet. He fixed her icy blue eyes with a questioning look. "Well?" He said, asking her opinion a little more gruffly than he intended.

((It's ok! I can understand that. There are times when I need a break from here too and I just don't get on very often. It happens! :) ))

Cora didn’t like the uncertainty she heard in Sol’s voice when he responded but said nothing. She was thankful for his suggestion that they stick together however. Her leg prickled uncomfortably for a moment and she hoped it was a sign that feeling would return to her limb shortly rather than some of the more disquieting possibilities. Despite her reluctance to do so, Cora also had to admit that it would be wise to check in with their masters to report their location and mention their findings. The young padawan failed to notice her partner's discomfort as she ran through her head what she would report to Kir Ginn until the young man interrupted her thoughts with a loud, "Well?"

Cora physically jumped in surprise at the unexpected noise. Sol seemed angry with her... Perhaps he had been gesturing towards her and she had failed to notice? Cora couldn't be certain but a faint pink hue flushed across her features nonetheless. Feeling a bit flustered, she reached for her comlink. "Sorry..." she muttered quickly before activating the device. She waited for the familiar voice of her master to pick up on the other end but at all she could hear was static. "That's strange..." she said quietly as a bad feeling began to pit in her stomach. "Try yours, perhaps mine is malfunctioning," she suggested to Sol, her voice calm despite the creeping concern she was beginning to feel.

((I know you've got a lot to keep up with as Mr. S for the event thread so don't worry about replying to this right away if you don't have the time.))

Sol hadn't realized he'd gotten so far ahead of Cora when she shouted at him to wait. He was so flustered from embarrassment that he hadn't even realized he was quite a few paces in front of her. He kept his gaze away from Cora while he waited for her to catch up, trying to avoid an embarrassing catch of the eye. Looking up when he finally expected her to be within a few steps, Sol was surprised to find that she hadn't even covered half the distance. What's taking her so long? he thought. Thinking she might have seen something that made her slow down he asked, "Did you see something?" A note of panic rising in his voice as he looked all about, afraid that the spider monster had returned. Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to Cora and noticed the limp in her stride that he had missed while waiting for her. A simple scratch shouldn't have that much of an effect that quick, He thought.

Cora was only across half the distance when Sol walked quickly back to her. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?" He said, concern creasing his features. "Do you mind if I take a look?" Without waiting for a reply he knelt down to get a closer look at the damage the spider had inflicted. Sol ripped the hole in her pant leg wider revealing a puncture in Cora's thigh. So much for "Just a scratch" Sol thought. Thankfully it wasn't a deep puncture but it had been enough for the mysterious poison to start working it's way into her system. Bright blue tendrils were already spreading out across her pale skin from the wound. He sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. "This doesn't look good Cora. We need to get back to the ship." Sol said as he pulled her arm around his shoulders giving her injured leg support. His attention fixed on helping Cora, Sol had failed to notice the sounds of the swamp around them begin to go silent.

((I feel like I might have overstepped my bounds a few times but I'm not sure, so if you feel that way about any bit in there, let me know and I'll fix it right quick! :yes:))

Cora limped forward to meet Sol, feeling rather subconscious about the slowness of her pace. Her leg was beginning to feel strangely heavy and the needling sensation had already begun to creep further down her leg. The blind padawan focused every ounce of her concentration on forcing her leg to move as she willed it to and so it came as a surprise to her when Sol spoke. Cora jumped at the noise; the fear in his voice was almost contagious... "No," she called out with a note of certainty in an attempt to abate her partner's growing fears.

A few agonizingly slow steps later, Sol was at her side and immediately began fussing over her leg. It doesn't hurt, I'm fine..." she replied, though she had already realized that her leg wasn't getting better, but rather getting worse. Their mission had barely begun and already things has turned disastrous. "We shouldn't have split up..." she said, voicing her regret aloud as Sol ripped open the fabric of of her pant leg. Cora didn't protest, nor did she blush; Kyoorine didn't teach their young a sense of modesty.

"How does it look?" she asked curiously, unable to see the wound for herself. If she concentrated hard enough on a minute level, the padawan could sense a foreign substance creeping in her veins. Some may have panicked, yet Cora remained calm. Stressing would only increase her heart rate and thus cause the poison to spread that much faster. Even so, Sol's sharp gasp made her feel uneasy and Cora allowed her partner to pull her arm up around his shoulders.

As they took their first step forward, Cora felt something in their surroundings change. A cold sensation ran down the back of her neck that she was certain wasn't an effect of the poison. "We need to hurry..." she said quietly, doing her best to relay a sense of urgency without causing Sol to panic. They had only crossed the distance to where Sol had stopped for her earlier when Cora pinpointed the disturbance in the force as something slowly creeping up behind them, no doubt the spider coming to finish off it's weakened prey.

Cora blanched at the thought of the large arachnid bearing down on them once more. They needed to end it's pursuit before things turned deadly. "Quickly! Don't look back!" Cora hissed, doing her best to keep up their forward momentum. She heard something rustle in the branches overhead and a moment later something large and furry crashed down right in front of them. Lights shined on it's chest as it reached for a bloom on the forest floor and quickly stuffed the flower into it's mouth.

Behind them, the spider abandoned the silent approach and thundered forward towards it's prey, stinger at the ready. Cora tensed, "Run!" she shrieked, doing her best to get out of it's path, though her bad leg trembled under the stress. The spotlight sloth looked up from it's feasting at the noise and let out a roar before the spider was upon them. Furry limbs stretched out to block it's naturally sworn predator. Meanwhile the jedi in training were momentarily forgotten amidst the desperate struggle of nature.

((Whew! I got a bit long winded there. ^^; I took a few liberties in this one myself. I hope you don't mind... >.>))

Sol found himself in a cold room with a sunken stone floor. A large table stood in the middle, formed it seemed, from a solid block of stone. A strange ambient light filtered into the room from unseen windows. Looking for the exit, he spotted it up a few tall steps, the same sort of filtered light filling the passageway beyond. Sol stepped through, turned right and began walking. The hallway was made out of the same stone material that everything else seemed to be. He came to a halt as the hallway opened up onto the second story of a much larger chamber. Looking down to his left, Sol saw a large entryway on the first floor with two large wooden doors hung inside the frame. To the left and right of the door, large staircases ascended, hugging the walls until they reached the landing he stood upon. He walked over to the stone railing, looking down at the rest of the first floor but saw little as it was mostly covered by darkness and shadows.

Where am I? Sol thought. Trying to think back, all he could remember was the spider running at Cora and he while they tried to get away. And... Something else? Yes. There had been a furry creature too. They had started fighting and... And he had gotten pinned by the furry creature. So how did he get here? Sol shook his head trying to clear the fog from his memories as he continued walking across the upper landing. Another doorway stood in front of him and he took it, walking up a flight of steep and narrow stairs. Wait a second... What happened to Cora? For some reason the thought did not seem to worry him so he put it aside to focus on satiating his curiosity. The stairs ended in a small, claustrophobic room where the ceilings angled sharply to the floor. It was impossible for Sol to stand anywhere but at the very center of the room. The one good thing was that this room had windows though, try as he might, he couldn't seem to see anything beyond them. Reaching up he absentmindedly rubbed at a tickle under his nose while he looked around the room trying to spot anything that could tell him where he was. At the other end of the room was a small stone block stand with something atop it. Sol started forward to inspect it when he experienced a strange tingling sensation across his body, starting at his chest and arms then moving down his legs. He was starting to get the feeling he shouldn't be here. Gathering his courage, Sol started towards the object again. What is this thing? He thought, reaching out his hand. Just as his fingers closed around it, a piercing scream rent the air.

Sol sat bolt upright, eyes wide and staring in confusion, the ground soft dirt beneath him. He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and winced as pain needled the side of his ribs. I must have passed out, he though, Was that all just a dream? It felt much more real than a dream to him but he put it aside in favor of Getting back on his feet and surveying his surroundings. There were gouges in the earth everywhere and a couple of trees were freshly knocked over but it appeared to him that the fight was over. He walked over to where Four of the furry creatures were crouching around a hunk of dead branches. As he got closer, he realized they weren't dead branches at all but the legs of the spider monster. I guess I know who won now, He though looking over the dead body of the spider. Several of its legs were broken but his eyes lingered on scorched patch above it's eyes. That was nothing some furball creature could have done unless they had suddenly learned how to use a lightsaber. Cora must have killed it, he thought. CORA! He had nearly forgotten about her in his confusion upon waking. "Wait, weren't there 5 of you?" Sol said suddenly, searching for the fifth creature. Turning around, he quickly spotted the other furball crouching over a fallen log but he didn't see Cora anywhere. "Cora!" He yelled frantic at the notion of being separated again.

He was about to run off looking for here when he heard a low moan from the direction of the other furry creature. Looking back to the log, he noticed a booted foot sticking out from under the creature. Thinking the furball wasn't so friendly after all and that it was trying to make a meal out of Cora, Sol grabbed his lightsaber, swinging it in menacing arcs as he ran at the furball. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" He screamed, poised to attack. The furball turned at Sol's words, letting out a small bellow as it backed quickly away looking back and forth between Sol's lightsaber and Cora's lifeless form. Reaching her, he stood protectively over her body, staring down the furball. "You stay away," He said in his most threatening voice, pointing his lightsaber at it for added effect. Assuaged that the creature was going to stay where it was, Sol knelt down to check on Cora. "Cora. Can you hear me? Are you ok?" He asked but received no reply. He checked her vitals as best as he could, then turned to her leg, wincing at the sight. It was much worse than the last time he had checked. The bright blue tendrils were thicker and had spiderwebbed across the entire surface of her leg. Her normally pale skin was a bright red all around the puncture site. Unnoticed by Sol, the furball had cautiously sneaked back over to where Cora lay, bending down low to inspect her leg again and making Sol jump in surprise. "HEY!" Started Sol, but before he could finish, the furball took several snorting breaths, spitting a glob of greenish goo garnished with flecks of unidentifiable plant leaves directly onto Cora's wound. "Back off! Get back! Back!" Shouted Sol, brandishing his lightsaber again. Moving to wipe off the gunk, he quickly stopped when he noticed that the bright blue tendrils were beginning to shrink and recede. Wary of further poisoning, Sol let the gunk stay, turning his attention back to Cora. "Hang in there Cora. I think you're gonna be ok"

((Oh dang... Sorry for the Wall O' Text :sweat: I didn't realize I had written so much till I put it up...))

The ground beneath Cora seemed to sway endlessly. She was a lone boat in a sea of pain that churned incessantly, confusing her senses and making her feel ill. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she did her best to hold on, to not give in to the darkness that threatened to claim her. Something furry brushed against her and the sensation reminded her that she was not alone. Cora tried to open her mouth to speak but all she could muster was a weak moan.

Somewhere nearby, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber activating reached her ears but Cora was too far gone to place its significance. The undulating sensation had nearly lulled her into unconsciousness when the muffled sounds of shouting brought her back. It took a full minute for her muddled brain to register the voice and the words but when they did, she quickly realized what was happening. She needed to tell Sol that the sloths weren’t an enemy, but try as she might, her body would not cooperate.

A tear ran down her cheek out of both pain and frustration. Sol was saying something to her but her ears were ringing so loudly that she could hardly make out the words. His touch brought a small measure of comfort as Cora began to feel herself slipping away again. Even the shouting couldn’t bring her back this time. The last thing she felt before she blacked out was a vaguely tingling sensation on her leg…

--- ((<- A break like this usually means some time has passed, just like in a book.))

The first thing Cora became aware of was the sound of her own breathing. What time is it? she wondered vaguely. Moving her hand slightly, the padawan felt dirt brush against her fingers and it occurred to her that she was not in her bed at the Jedi Temple. Where am I? she thought suddenly, finding her senses unusually slow to respond. As the haze of sleep slowly lifted, it was the dull throbbing in her leg that jogged her memory.

”Sol?” she called out, her voice uncertain. With her normally keen senses still a bit dulled, the other padawan could have been standing right next to her and she wouldn’t have sensed it. Using the log behind her as leverage, Cora pushed herself to her feet. Her leg felt a bit stiff and the padawan reached down to feel the wound. Her fingers brushed against what felt like caked on mud that had hardened in the sun. ”Sol?” she called out again, louder this time as her inability to sense him was beginning to make her nervous. How long was I out? she asked herself. For all she knew it could have been anywhere from five minutes to a full standard day...

((Haha, that’s okay. I love doing dream sequences; they’re always so much fun to write!))

Sol had fallen asleep against the side of the log while waiting for any sign of improvement from Cora. All the excitment of the day having fainlly caught up to the young padawan. "Sol?" Cora's voice floated though his head without waking him. It reminded of someting important but he could remember what. "Sol?" This time it brought Sol out of his slumber and he remembered what it was that was so important. Cora was awake! Shedding off the last vestiges of sleep, he sprang up from his place against the log, nearly bumping right into Cora as she was standing so close. "I'm right here!" He said quickly. For a while he hadn't been sure if she was going to regain consciousness. He had deliberated with himself if he sould carry her back to the starship or not but had finally decided against it, not wanting to cause her anymore pain moving her. "How does your leg feel?" Sol asked as he bent over to look at the wound on her leg. The blue tendrils of poison were nothing but fadding after images on her skin now and it was back to it's usual color, the swelling haveing gone down. He told her as much, straighting back up.

"We sould still go back," Sol said gesturing towards the ship. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes remembering his dream then that had felt so real. He had a strong feeling that it had something to do with that place he had found deeper in the swamp earlier. Thinking it would probably be a good idea to share it with Cora, he began to retell it to her. "I had a dream while I was unconsciouns. I think it had something to do with the.. place t-that I found.. stone and, uh, I couldn't.. But then I thought that i-it was a, uh.. And it, I e-ended up waking up..." It happened again! Sol thought, shock and embarrassment clearly showing on his face. I don't stutter! His expression changed from embarrassment to frustration and irritaion. Sol rounded on Cora picking her as the cause of his inner turmoil.

"What in the galaxy makes me so much more talkative in front of you compared to everyone else I've ever met?" He said, growing more animated by the second. "I've willingly said more to you in the short time I've known you than I have to all the beings I've meet in my entire time as a padawan put together! What is so differnt about you? It doesn't make any sense!" He was pacing now, his concentration drifting till he was basically talking to himself. "I'm a quite person! I don't like to talk to people! But around you, every time I let my guard slip, out comes another sentence. Then I get all stuttery when I realize it and end up sounding like a fool! It's Ridiculous! Are you doing something to my head with the force? What's going ON?" Finally finished, Sol turned back to Cora and instantly regreted what he had said. She had just been stabbed by a spider and came this close to not recovering and here he was blaming her for everything "I... I'm sorry" He said. "I just..." Sol let out a heavy sigh "It's not your fault." He said looking away. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset" He took a deep breath "My dream was about the place I found in the swamp" Sol said, explaining his dream to Cora. "There's got to be something going on there." He still felt bad about his rant and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. He hoped she wasn't too upset with him.

((There we go! Sorry it took so long, I got stuck on where I was going with it. Also thanks for the bit about the break for showing time has passed! I'll be sure to remember it for next time.))

Cora visibly jumped when Sol spoke up from right beside her ”I’m right here!” Her face flushed pink with embarrassment as she asked herself how long he had been standing there. Surely it couldn’t have been more than a moment, could it? Though she was relieved to find her partner, Cora’s nervousness remained for a different reason. Would he discover her handicap? Usually Cora did quite well at hiding the fact that she was blind but this mission had found her at her weakest. What was supposed to be a quick lesson on reconnaissance and teamwork had quickly gone downhill, leaving the padawans without their masters and unprepared to deal with Danboolag’s environment alone.

Even if he had noticed something strange, Sol thankfully did not call attention to her odd behavior but rather asked about her leg. ”It’s a little sore,” she remarked as he bent down to inspect the wound, ”But I’m just thankful to be alive.” She listened mutely to his description of the progress her wound had made and was about to ask how he had managed to counter the poison when Sol reminded her that they should return to the ship. Cora nodded in agreement her former reluctance gone after all they had been through. They needed to troubleshoot the communications issue and try to locate Masters Gin and Marek. Cora wondered how long they had been missing. Surely their masters should have come looking for them by now?

Sol’s voice broke through her musing and Cora listened without comment to what he had to say. Dreams were sometimes, but not always, sent as premonitions from the force. Such messages needed to be read very carefully because they were often unclear and easily misinterpreted. Cora waited patiently for the details but none came. Instead, Sol’s voice seemed to break down as he spoke with entire words and phrases being left out. Cora’s brow furrowed, was something wrong with her partner? Perhaps he too had been poisoned? Unable to sense his embarrassment, Cora was just about to ask him if he was okay when he exploded on her.

Cora was dumbfounded. She stood in silence, letting his angry words wash over her. Cora had been so preoccupied with hiding her own problems that she hadn’t realized that Sol had one of his own. She let him rant without interruption until he fell silent. The awkwardness of the situation made the already moist air feel even heavier. And though Sol told her it wasn’t her fault, Cora felt guilty. The dream didn’t matter to her at the moment; what was more important was ensuring that they resolved the current issue so that it wouldn’t create a dangerous rift in their partnership.

”No, I should be the one apologizing,” Cora told him. ”I must confess I haven’t been entirely honest with you…” she said, one hand holding the bicep of her other arm in a nervous gesture. ”Sol, I’m…blind,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. Nervous of how he might react, she kept on speaking to prevent him from responding right away, ”I rely heavily on the force to guide me but verbal communication is also important as I can’t always sense everything on my own.” Releasing the grip on her arm, Cora continued, ”I’m sorry if I’ve been making you feel uncomfortable,” she concluded. The white-haired padawan ran her fingers though her bangs, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she waited for the information to sink in.

((No problem!))

Sol was totally caught off guard. "Oh," Was all that came out initally. He hadn't seen this coming at all and as such, he didn't exactly know what to say "I'm sorry, I.. I didn't know," He said, fidgeting with the hem of his vest. Stupid, he thought, Of course you didn't know. He had expected her to be mad at him for his rant or maybe tell him it was all in his head but he hadn't expected her to tell him she was blind. It did explain why she had had difficulty finding him when she woke up a few moments ago now that Sol thought about it. It probably also explained why he always felt like talking while around her. He wasn't sure how but he had a feeling that the force was the cause of it. Perhaps it was some impulse driven by the force in reaction to whatever energy Cora gave off. He would have to think about the possibilities later.

"I'm sorry. Not much of a response" He admitted, his speech slightly clipped. Talking out loud would take some getting used to he thought. "Caught me off guard. I expected you to be angry. I.. You're so competent.. I would never have guessed that you're.. you can't see" He said, trying to express his feelings in a more civilized manner. He still felt bad for the outburst of frustration he had directed her. It wasn't her fault at all. "Please, don't apologize. I was frustrated. Yelled at you for no reason. I think.. this has something to do with the force. It's not your fault I don't like to talk." Sol said, his head hanging in embarrassment. It wasn't the best apology ever but right now it was the best he could manage. He hadn't exactly given her the full truth either, not bothering to mention his traumatic childhood experiences, but that could wait until another time. Sol stood quite and a little uncomfortable for a moment before trying to change the subject. "I think we should get back to the ship. Make sure your leg is ok. The skies are starting to look dark.. Can you walk ok?" He asked. It did seem like it was getting darker and he didn't relish the thought of spending the night in this swamp.

((I see what you were saying about my recent posts. I just remembered how it was writing that last one and that I felt like I had to leave too many things unresolved becuase I had forced it forward to a point where I had so much written that If I added anymore It would just be ridiculously long :sweat:
There! How was that?))

Cora’s heart fell at Sol’s initial reaction even though she had expected worse. How would he treat her now that he knew? Her mind wandered back to her first weeks at the Jedi Temple. Neither Cora nor the Jedi masters had mentioned her unique situation to her classmates but one padawan, more clever than the rest, was able to discern her disability following an incident during training. After sharing the knowledge with his friends, all quickly assumed that she was incapable. Although that trainee had been sent back to his family due to subsequent episodes, and despite the fact that Cora had proven herself to her peers time and time again since then, the pain of rejection remained with the blind jedi learner. Even if Sol didn’t resent working with her now that he knew, it would be just as painful for him to baby her for the rest of the mission because he didn’t think her capable.

Cora remained silently apprehensive until Sol interrupted her brooding. One phrase in particular caught her attention, ”You’re so competent… I would have never guessed…” His speech was curt and halting but she could tell he was being sincere which abated her fears somewhat. The padawan listened carefully when he mentioned the force having something to do with it. Cora wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but didn’t want to force him to speak about it more if he didn’t want to. She also got the feeling that Sol was withholding something else from her but she didn’t want to pry. Maybe we’ll have time to discuss it later…

Cora didn’t mind when Sol changed the subject back to their mission; they had already tarried too long between her injury and personal issues, though it had been necessary to resolve both before moving on. According to Sol, it was getting dark and Cora had to agree that she didn’t relish the idea of wandering around the swamps in the dark, especially given the trouble they had already gotten themselves into. ”I agree,” she replied to the first part of his statement with a nod. “I should be able to walk,” she added in response to the second, taking a few steps to test out her leg. The muscles were beginning to loosen up with the movement. "It feels okay," she commented for Sol's benefit, "Let's get going." Cora took in a deep, calming breath and let the force run through her, enhancing her senses and allowing her to get her bearings. ”How did you manage to stop the poison?” Cora asked, unable to contain her curiosity as they began the trek back to the ship.

((Yeah, that’s sort of how I felt about it too. This one looks really good though!))

As they walked towards the ship, Sol told Cora about the furball creature that had ended up saving her. "Oh... That... Well those furballs.. Don't know what to call them.. There was one that, wouldn't go away. I Kept scaring it off but.. It spit up mucous on your leg. It dried up and... I guess it neutralized the poison?" Sol shrugged unsure as to what exactly the mucous had done. "I thought it.. Might have been posion too.. But you started getting better so it must have.. done something" Blast it I'm horrible at this! He thought. He could talk but it was so halted and clipped... He felt ridiculous and embarrassed. Why couldn't he just talk like everyone else? He shrugged his shoulders, adjusting his tunic, and lapsed into silence while they walked on, trying to forget about his impediment .

I wonder, Sol thought, curiosity getting the better of him as he started glancing furtively at Cora's eyes. He couldn't make out anything different about them. The only thing he saw was their vivid blue color, like ice water, nothing to indicate that she was blind. He stopped trying to discern anything from her eyes when he realized that she may well be able to sense him doing so. His cheeks flushed at the idea that he had been caught as he quickly returned his gaze to scanning the environment as they walked.

Maybe if I told her about my past... His thoughts returned to his earlier discomfort, Maybe that will help somehow... Sol wasn't sure it would but he'd just about try anything at this point just to not sound so foolish when he talked. It wasn't something he liked to remember let alone discuss. In fact he couldn't remember ever having talked to anyone about it before. They were coming to the edge of the clearing where they landed. It wouldn't be long now before they were back at the ship. Gathering his courage, Sol jumped right in and started telling his story. "My parents died. When I was still little. Our ship was attacked by pirates and I..." Sol stopped talking and abruptly slowed to a halt as they left the protection of the trees. Everything was just as they had left it except... "Where did the Starfighter we pulled out of the swamp go?"

((Good! I'm glad I was able to get back on track :yes:))

Cora listened patiently as Sol did his best to answer her question. Furballs? She almost giggled at the term but managed to contain the unexpected giddiness lest Sol think she was laughing at him. Cora eased herself back into a state of calm as her partner continued his account of what had happened. She could remember the creature Sol was referring to and felt a certain sadness that she hadn’t been able to thank it or its comrades for what they had done. Without their intervention, they would have surely fallen to the rampant spider. After Sol fell silent, Cora reached out through the force in an attempt to locate their unexpected saviors. She searched for many moments but ultimately gave up. The group must have moved on, which was probably better she thought, given the sense of danger she got from Danboolag. It might have been a premonition from the force, but Cora was hesitant to call it that. Perhaps residual fear of their encounter with the spider was causing her to overreact and feel uneasy about the planet as a whole...

Getting the feeling she was being watched, Cora turned her head slightly in Sol’s direction and sensed a small amount of curiosity that quickly turned to embarrassment. Had he been staring at her? Cora wasn’t quite sure what to think so she avoided the thought altogether and continued to walk in silence. It wasn’t far now; Cora could sense the solidity of the ship up ahead, a foreign element to its organic surroundings. With them so close to their goal, Cora was slightly taken aback when Sol suddenly brought up what was obviously a painful memory from his past. His story was cut short however when they stepped out into the clearing surrounding their ship. ”What? Seriously?” Cora asked, reaching out with the force to confirm his statement. Sure enough, the smaller ship was nowhere in the vicinity. ”I can’t believe it,” Cora exclaimed, ”That thing definitely was NOT in working order when we left it...,” she said, exasperated.

((Hm, I was originally thinking that Cora’s eyes might look something like this: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...ai-d3gwpam.png but that also might make it too obvious so I think I’ll just go with how you described them.))

"This planet.. full of surprises..." Sol said shaking his head. "Lets get back to the ship. Check your leg. Figure out the starfighter after." Sol's story had been interrupted by their discovery and he wasn't quick to return to the subject. It had taken enough courage to begin telling her as it was. Instead Sol pondered the missing starfighter as he and Cora walked the rest of the way to the ship. Something strange was happening on this planet. Aggravated Monsters, Temples pulsing with energy, strange vision dreams, and now disappearing starfighters. It was possible someone had repaired the ship while they were gone and taken it. Perhaps their Master's had discovered it? But if they had, wouldn't they have contacted them first? Looking over, Sol inspected where the fighter had been But saw nothing besides matted clumps of grass and wet earth. Finding nothing useful, he returned his attention back to the path they were walking.

Sol thought back to the moment when they found the starfighter, trying to go over everything they had discovered about it when they brought it out of the swamp. There was nothing strange about it having sunken from a crash landing but something like that wouldn't have fried the power relay. A shield overload could have done it which meant that it might have been in a battle before it crashed. Sol wasn't thinking how any of this was going to help them solve it's disappearance when remembered the Holocron he had found but been unable to activate. Maybe there were some clues in it as to what was happening on this planet? He reached into his pocket to retrieve it only to find it missing. Blast it all where did I put that thing? He thought, not remembering where he had put it. Sol reached the ship then and punched in the code on the hatch, stepping aside as it began to open. He turned back to Cora motioning her ahead of him when a thought struck him. "Um... That Holocron.. Do you, still have it? Maybe figure out the ship..." He asked remembering he had handed it to her for inspection.

((OK! Got it up! Sorry for taking longer than I said I would!))

"Yeah... I think you're right..." Cora replied almost absentmindedly as they headed for the ship. Something strange was definitely happening on Danboolag and so far they had only managed to uncover more mysteries than truths. The thing that worried her the most however was the absence of their masters. The young padawan could sense no life aboard their ship as they approached but hope remained that they may yet find some clues there. Perhaps Kir Ginn had left her a message...

She was certain her master would not have left the planet without her, at least not without a very good reason. Before they left, Kirr Ginn had told her that the planet was uninhabited. That hardly surprised her now that she had seen it for herself, but who then could have taken the ship? Surely a wild beast hadn't carried it off... With that in mind, Cora stepped inside their spacecraft and almost unconsciously began searching for clues, disturbances in the force, or anything that might give them some answers. For a moment she almost thought she felt something but the feeling vanished when Sol's voice echoed weakly off the metal walls of the ship.

"Oh yeah..." Cora mused as she dug her hand into a small pouch on her belt. She had nearly forgotten about it after everything that had happened since its discovery. "Here," she said, pressing the object into her partner's palm. Once she had deposited the curious item in Sol's hand, she tried to reconjure the feeling from before but it had already passed.

((Finally! I'm super sorry about the delay. I had to write this up on my phone during the train ride home but I'm happy to finally get something up for you. ^_^))