Stranger Things (D3EE, Invitation Only!)

[Byron Mik]

"Smuggler you mean," Byron intoned with a frown.

He moved back until he could feel the Force and added, "So this is a defense mechanism?"

[Corvin Zell]

"Smuggler you mean," Byron intoned with a frown.

He moved back until he could feel the Force and added, "So this is a defense mechanism?"

With a hint of a wry smile, Corvin nodded. "Yep. Probably. And yeah, it's a defense mechanism. Their planet has Force sensitive predators. This is how they hide from them."

Eir's question won a smile with less wryness. "Can't feed 'em. They actually get nutrients from those tree's they're in." He frowned thoughtfully for a second. "I wouldn't touch 'em, either. But if you want to say hi, let them smell you. Except for how they make us feel, they're harmless."

[Eir]

"Neat," Eir replied, studying the creature's claws where they dug into the tree's bark. She didn't want to disturb the lizards any more than they already had, not for the sake of her curiosity, anyway. Besides, she was concerned about the strain in Corvin's voice, worried that being cut off from the Force in this way could set back his healing, or even be outright harmful.

Backing away a few steps, "I don't think I should bother them any more."

[Zanja]

Zanja was less considerate. She set her jaw and stuck her hand up and out toward the nearest ysalamir, determinedly giving it a big whiff of Zabrak fingers.

Most likely the sessile creature wouldn't be particularly interested, except possibly to recoil slightly.

"Pretty boring little guys, considering they must be really strong in the Force," she commented, glowering mildly at it.

[Hatoful GM]

The ysalamiri flicked its tongue at her. This was probably more its method of smelling rather than any commentary on her. Probably.

[Corvin Zell]

Still leaning against the tree, Corvin scowled. "Does it need to do backflips to keep you interested?"

He straightened a little. "Can anyone tell me what we might be able to learn from the ysalamiri?"

[Eir]

Teacher's pet that she was, "that we must be aware of our surroundings, aware of fluctuations in the Force?" she suggested. "And that even the things we take for granted can be snatched away," Eir glanced at Corvin's scars.

[Byron Mik]

Byron considered the question and said, “That the Force works through all things and in different ways. These creatures have adapted to make the use of the Force ineffective, an interesting defense mechanism. I would like to see what hunts them and how it utilizes the Force to do so.”

“If it negates the Force, could we not sense them by feeling where there are holes in our Senses?”

[Zanja]

"That sometimes being boring and laying low is a pretty powerful strategy," Zanja suggested, less enthusiastically.

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin chuckled. "Actually, the sarcastic one has the answer I was thinking of." He pointed at her. "Don't you forget it, either. I spent a few days in a muddy hole, just watching a pair of Sith. They never saw me, or sensed me, because I was 'boring'."

He nodded to the other two. "But those are good, too. Look how much you can learn from just one weird lizard?" He looked at the ysalamiri with amused kindness.

Looking back to Byron, he cleared his throat. "Don't know how far out you can sense things, but these predators can sense pretty far. And from that distance, your mind just slides off them. It's only up close that you realize something's wrong."

[Byron Mik]

“That would make sense, I guess if you can see them then the camouflage of the Force does little good,” he said in response.

[Eir]

Annoyed at having not gotten the answer, Eir crossed her arms, tucking her hands in her sleeves.

[Zanja]

"Agh. Stupid smart lizards." Zanja gave the nearest ysalamir a parting grimace. "I hate waiting around like that." Her plaintive tone acknowledged that sometimes this was necessary, but she didn't have to like it.

[Eir]

Eir nodded. Patience was a virtue, but it was a pretty boring one.

[Corvin Zell]

"Patience, students." Corvin growled. There was a tinge of amusement to the growl, though.

With an effort, he pushed himself partially upright. "Well. If you've had your fill, we can head back. You can tell all your friends how close you got to a ysalamiri."

[Byron Mik]

"Thank you for this opportunity," Byron responded.

[Eir]

"Thank you, Knight Corvin," concern lit her eyes, but inside she felt filled with bubbles of excitement over the ysalamiri.

[Zanja]

"Sure. I think we've seen everything there is to see about these guys without actually looking inside one." Zanja squinted up at the nearest ysalamir one last time, her expression perhaps vaguely reminiscent of a peace officer who suspected a ne'er-do-well of hiding contraband somewhere... unmentionable.

"Uh... Thanks," she added as an afterthought.

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin waved his hand with a grimace. "Don't mention it." His voice held the normal amount of growl.

With a bit of effort, he straightened himself, limping a bit more than usual as he moved to the door. He held it open for the kids. "One thing about the ysalamiri." He said. "You don't have to worry about them making a break for it."

[Eir]

As they walked back, "I wonder which came first," she wasn't really asking, more thinking out loud. "Did the Force suppression come about from their sessility, or did they become increasingly sedentary with the protection of the bubble?"