Semi-Urban Explorations (D2,MM,OPEN)

[O'vala Aeser]

"I don't really get any of this," O'vala murmured. She crossed her arms and kept on following. Maybe the lake would be pretty to see.

[Eir]

Eir tucked her arms into her sleeves, crossing them over her chest, listening enviously to Zizzy’s recount, jealous of the attention she was getting from Corvin.

[Corvin Zell]

She paused as she thought about how best to answer that. "I see a lot of things. Just not quite like that... I've been having force visions since I was little. My grandma taught me how to reach out consistently."

Corvin grunted again. "I'm not really the one to ask about that sort of thing." He grimaced thoughtfully. "But... this time, I can tell you not to worry about it too much. That's true in general, but especially for this sort of thing."

He glanced around. "That goes for all of you. Dark isn't something to be afraid of. It's just what it is. If it's right, we fight it, otherwise..." He shrugged. "Just let it be."

...

A few more minutes of walking, and the party arrived at the lake. If it could properly be called such; it was a bit more like a marsh. There was a great deal of plant life, and a lot of mud, both around and in the lake, making the water mostly opaque. The scent of stagnant water mixed with the scent of growing things. A few aquatic birds could be seen swimming about.

Corvin casually waved a few bugs away from his face. "There. Hah. Did you think you'd see something like that in the middle of Coruscant?"

[O'vala Aeser]

"Bleh!" O'vala ignited her training saber and swatted away at the bugs. "This is so gross!" she shouted. Then she took a breath and looked sheepishly at everyone else.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Zizzy smiled slowly at Corvin, a genuine smile that took time to beat down the consternation she had been feeling. "Okay. Thank you. I'll be ready."

She was going to comment on the swampy lake when O'vala got her training saber out. "I don't... Hmm. That's not very helpful against insects O'vala. And these aren't even bad. They probably just want to lick salt off your face."

[Corvin Zell]

"Hey." Corvin said, scowling. "A lightsaber isn't for swatting flies, not even a training one. Turn that off."

[O'vala Aeser]

O'vala froze and, after a few seconds, turned off her saber. She looked at everyone else and then went to swatting them with her hand.

[Taime Jorel]

Taime did his best to ignore the bugs, though they were frustrating. He tried to see the place through Corvin's eyes, wondering what value it had. "There must be a lot of different animals that live here, right?" He said, hoping he didn't sound like an idiot.

[Eir]

Eir pulled a face, “ugh, it’s like the back alleys on level eighteen-oh-six,” the smell and standing water and algae were too reminiscent of some of the ranker places down below.

[Corvin Zell]

Taime did his best to ignore the bugs, though they were frustrating. He tried to see the place through Corvin's eyes, wondering what value it had. "There must be a lot of different animals that live here, right?" He said, hoping he didn't sound like an idiot.

"Pretty good number." Corvin shrugged. "Not much of the same sort that you'd usually find in a jungle like this. Escaped pets, city animals, that sort of thing."

Looking out over the water, he grunted. "I don't know. It's a pretty good try, I guess. And it's nice to be able to find something like this, even on Coruscant." None of bugs, mud, or smell seemed to bother him.

[Taime Jorel]

Corvin was definitely seeing this with different eyes. But that's what they were supposed to be learning, right? "Does the ecosystem cope well with all the odd creatures that come here? I'm sure many of them don't usually exist together."

[Corvin Zell]

"Some do. Some don't." Corvin rumbled. "They were careful, when they brought this stuff here. Nothing from Ithor seems to have wandered out. They didn't think enough about what would wander in, though. Some things come here and get eaten. Some do the eating. Some just die."

He squatted, drawing nearer to the water, although he didn't actually touch it. "Still, all that happens, and this stays pretty much the same. 'Course, part of that's because the Ithorians keep people from making a mess of it themselves."

[Eir]

Eir frowned, “but why would anyone..?” she trailed off, confused. It was a bit of water, surrounded by trees, minding its own business and not bothering anyone. She couldn’t understand how anyone could take exception to that.

[Taime Jorel]

"Why did they bring it here? For themselves? Or for some other reason?"

Taime's curiousity was getting the best of him.

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin gave Eir a quick sad smile before glancing at Taime. "It's hard for Ithorians to be away from the jungle. So it's for them, yeah. Or at least, that's what they had in mind."

He rose to his feet, wincing just a little. "I can understand what they were going for, anyway." He shrugged.

[Zizzy Roosh]

"A little piece of home." She could almost feel the melancholy.

"Well I like it here too. It reminds of a place my grandma used to take me to when I was a kid."

[Eir]

Eir’s brow furrowed at Corvin’s apparent discomfort. She poked the toe of her boot at the mud and wondered if there was a way to make it nicer, like an aquarium, didn’t they use pumps and things to simulate natural environments?

[Taime Jorel]

Taime's focus went distant. "Yes...I could see why they did this too." A little piece of home. That would be nice.

[Corvin Zell]

"Yeah." Corvin grunted. "I spent a lot of time in a jungle kinda like this, trekking back and forth. At the time..." He shrugged. "Can't say I hated it, because it was just something I had to do. But I remember swearing I'd do my best to stay out of mud once I left."

He smiled, or at least as close as he could manage. "Now..." He shook his head. "I come back here, from time to time. It's not the same, but it's something."

[Taime Jorel]

He looked at Corvin, wondering if he was feeling something similar to what Taime was, longing for something lost. Shaking his head, he said.

"A little is better than nothing. I bet the Ithor feel the same way."