~O~

A Day Without an Accident

The Taenia Worm's corpse was properly disposed of by Merrin in an incinerator.

The Mantis had been hidden on the outskirts of Peka on Batuu and they'd chosen to keep a low profile for the time being. And Trilla still wondered about it - the effects she'd suffered from the creature. She approached Merrin as the Nightsister worked.

"Your memories were tampered with," Merrin spoke first before she could ask, "This was just an effect of the creature attaching itself to you for a long period of time. It made you speak things that you fear the most."

The idea both intrigued and concerned her. Her memories of the creature holding itself to her had been splintered.

"You said things to Cere," Merrin continued, glancing briefly at her.

The smell of the parasite permeated Trilla's nostrils.

"And?"

Merrin looked at her and Trilla found the Nightsister's stare to be odd; what sort of things had she said and why did she look at her that way?

"They were terrible things," Merrin said.

Trilla thought of those 'terrible things'. She still felt the rolling hatred through her bones when it came to Cere - a whisper, a snarl from a creature behind the cage. But there was hidden longing and grief somewhere in the shadows. A desire for the things that had been before her fall. It wasn't there before.

"I know that I don't understand what you endured," Merrin continued, "But Cere is trying to make things right. Like Cal Kestis."

"Maybe you shouldn't speak about things you don't understand, Nightsister." Trilla's tone was a cruel bite to it. "Stick to your little potions and Ichor."

Merrin raised an eyebrow and watched her departing back before calling back at her.

"You snore, by the way!" she yelled to her. "Like a Lanais field wench!"

Trilla ignored the insult. She stepped back into the ship and found Greez watering one of his plants. He looked up when he saw her and brightened.

"Hey! You mind helping me feed my kids?" he asked.

Trilla looked lost. "Excuse me?"

"The kids!" Greez gestured to the plants and the terrarium. "I like to think of these little guys as my babies, you know? They rely on me to feed them and without me, they'd just struggle and die."

"What an odd way to look at it." Trilla replied, wrinkling her brow.

"Yeah, maybe," Greez agreed, "But gardening has a way of calming the mind. Wanna try it?"

Trilla saw no point to it, but she saw very little else to do at the moment. After all, it didn't seem to be difficult and she had often noticed the Latero seemed pleasant for it.

"Fine. What would you have me do?"

Meanwhile, Cal and Sienna were outside talking with Cere; the little river town was quiet and peaceful, a good place to keep a low profile for the time being.

"This little place reminds me of Sorgan," Sienna said, with a smile, "It's energies are softer here. Family is important. I feel it in every color."

"Yes, it's nice," Cere agreed. "Maybe we can find something to do here."

Cal nodded his head. "It's a sort of crossroads, the kind of spot where everyone is too busy with their own business and secrets to worry too much about ours." he added. "It's perfect."

BD-1 chirped an affirmative and Cal laughed, patting the droid's head. "Yeah? You might meet some other droids here, too!"

Cal made his way back into the Mantis, leaving Cere and Sienna alone to talk.

Sienna looked at Cere, reading the very Force around her twist in her pain.

"You're hurt." Sienna said.

Sienna's voice was soft, soothing and urged Cere to speak; the other woman had that way about her and she saw exactly why Trilla opened up more to her.

Cere laughed quietly; a slightly strained sound that betrayed her emotions a little. "I'm fine, Sienna. I think it might be good to be here. All of this running around... I'm reminded of my trips with Eno."

"Oh? Was he your Jedi Master?"

"He was."

"Hm. Was he kind?" Sienna was interested, she couldn't help that.

Cere chuckled. "He was...firm, but fair, really." she explained. "What you might expect from a Jedi Master at the time."

"And what about you with Trilla?"

Cere sighed quietly through her nose. "Well, I tried to be different sometimes," she admitted, "But I guess I had my ways, too. I think I wanted to let Trilla know that she could be her own Jedi. She was eager to learn everything, of course."

Sienna smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. I found her in the archives a few times reading up on old lightsaber forms," Cere continued. She paused, laughing warmly as she savored the memories. "She would play games with the Younglings, too. There was always trouble, but it was a more innocent time. Before..."

"Before the Purge..."

"Yeah..."

"It isn't too late," Sienna assured her, after a moment of silence.

Cere seemed to think about her words for a while. But she certainly looked a little hopeful, if only for a brief second.

"We should visit this little town," Sienna offered, "Have a moment to find some comfort in it. We could all use that, right?"

Cere nodded in agreement, smiling thinly. "Good idea! I'm sure we can find something on this planet."

Sienna entered the ship and found Trilla talking with Greez about the plants in his care.

"...so you just...?" she questioned.

"Yeah! Good, you're getting the hang of it!" Greez said, with a grin. "Told ya', huh? Really takes your mind off the stress of the day, knowing you're caring for something else."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Trilla's lips. It seemed that even so, she took pride in being able to do such a trivial thing.

"Trilla," Sienna said, approaching and kneeling down beside her. "How are you?"

Trilla looked at her. "Oh. Sienna. Hello. I'm fine as ever, I suppose."

Cere watched them carefully, making her way to the common room for something to drink. She was debating speaking to Trilla, perhaps. Trilla knew her old Master plenty enough to understand every detail and mannerism in her actions alone.

"If you have something you need to say, Cere, then say it and stop pacing around like an indecisive Tauntaun." she quipped, dryly.

The jab was harsh, despite the dry wit of it. It cut through the calmness of the air and Greez smiled nervously, glancing from Cere to Trilla.

"Alright," Cere forced resolve in her voice. "Sienna had an idea. We could all visit the town and maybe we could head to the Black Spire Outpost. We could rest here for a while and take our minds away from the Empire."

"I wouldn't mind something new to dress in, really." Sienna pointed out, gesturing ruefully to her own clothes, "I know I'm a bit worse for the wear."

"I think we should have some credits left." Greez told them. "Uh...unless you want to take up bounty hunting again."

Sienna was surprised. "Bounty hunting?"

Cere made a face. "Long story."

O

Greez peered into a massive jar where several Genteslugs were floating inside. An Ugnaught with one tusk missing and weathered work clothes watched him in silence for a moment, perplexed by Greez's stares.

"Are you planning on buying it?" he asked.

"This looks like a jar of Genteslugs," Greez said.

The Ugnaught nodded his head. "That's right. My family breeds them. We also make fungal wine if you're interested in that. I was heading to the Black Spire Outpost to sell some."

Greez leaned back with a smile. "Yeah! Haven't had a good wine in forever. I'm a bit of a cook myself. Just ask anyone on my crew."

The Ugnaught murmured thoughtfully. "Huh. Maybe you have some recipes to trade?"

"I might! How about you?"

The discussion between the two continued on while Cere and the others made their way around nearby. Sienna was standing still as Trilla discussed the various clothes to be sold at a stand.

"...this color wouldn't suit you," Trilla said, ruefully.

"Hm. A shame."

"As far as clothing is concerned, I have to say that it leaves much to be desired," Trilla told her. "Perhaps this Black Spire Outpost would have more to offer."

The vendor laughed weakly, walking up as the two turned to go; he held a scarf in hand. "Maybe this would be to your expectations!" he offered.

He held it up to Sienna, who sighed.

"Please, I'm blind, sir," she told him, "I can't see what you're holding in my face."

"Oh!" The vendor was mortified. "I'm so sorry I - "

Trilla took the scarf into her hands and made a thoughtful sound, interrupting his apology. "Hm, it's a red scarf made up of..." She paused, tilting her head at the vendor. "Is this Trevella cloth?"

The vendor chuckled sadly. "Yes, it...belonged to a friend." he said. "It hurts me to keep it, really. I think the color would suit the fair lady here, wouldn't it?"

Sienna made a small, amused note. "I suppose I'll need to take your word for it."

Trilla turned to Sienna and smiled thinly. "No, I think he's right. It suits you."

She circled the scarf around Sienna's shoulders and tilted her head to study her. Sienna ran a hand across the scarf with a small smile now.

"How does it look?" she asked.

"Good." Trilla replied. A pause. "Do you believe me?"

"You don't strike me as someone who would lie about something like that, really."

A small titter of amusement from Trilla and the noise sounded strange, even to her. She'd never laughed like that in a while.

Sienna tilted her head at the vendor. "I'll take it. How many credits?"

"Credits or trade will suffice!" He seemed happy to be rid of it.

"Thank you."

Once properly paid for, the two women ventured away to find the others. Sienna seemed quite happy with the purchase and ran her hands across the scarf to savor the feel of the fabric. Trilla found herself staring and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pleased, are we?" she asked.

"Yes, actually. This is the first nice thing I've owned in years," Sienna told her. "I appreciate it. Thank you, Trilla."

A small smile lit Trilla's lips before she nodded once. She found herself floundering with such a simple word. It was ridiculous. It wasn't like her.

So she settled for a simple "Alright".

O

"Again."

The Dark Master was there.

Trilla was exhausted, her body wracked with violent tremors. Her mouth was shining with blood and she could barely stand. Every breath that she took sent fire through her lungs.

She fought him. God, did she fight him.

"She has spirit." the man in the black robes whispered in that dry, rasping voice that chilled her blood, "She'll be more difficult to break, won't she?"

Drip, drip, drip...

Trilla's blood pooled at her feet. Her eyes were shadowed in pain and hate. It choked her and she knew it was only a matter of time until it killed her.

"Control." He hissed, from somewhere in the room. "Master your hate and use it, apprentice."

Trilla let out a scream of rage.

Trilla awoke with a startled gasp.

She was leaning against a tree, having fallen asleep with her arms crossed. She wiped her face with one hand and noticed the small tremble in it. It was hard to stop.

Scowling, she took her wrist and hissed down at it as if it were a petulant underling that needed taught a lesson in manners.

"Enough." she whispered, spitting out her words in frustration.

"Enough what?"

Trilla looked up, noticing Cere approaching her with a worried frown. She sighed, looked away and Cere tilted her head.

"Are you alright, Trilla?" she asked.

"Just a nightmare." Trilla replied, simply. Her tone was neutral once more. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

"I see. May I?"

Cere gestured to the place beside Trilla with a simple flick of her head. The other woman frowned suspiciously, but shook her head and moved so that Cere could take a place beside her.

She was uncomfortable, Trilla could sense it. But she seemed to desire to talk. Cere did a lot of that when she was uneasy. It helped to take her mind away from the fleeting, darker whispers.

She saw Sienna then, even as Cere was talking. The other woman seemed to be in the middle of a discussion with someone passing by. She was asking questions, surely; perhaps about how to visit the Black Spire Outpost.

"An AT-AT!" Sienna said, "Of course. Thank you."

"I think this might be nice for all of us," Cere offered, looking at Trilla with a careful smile, "We can all take time to ourselves."

Sienna approached them and the other three eventually joined. "We can take the AT-AT now while we have the chance," she said, "The Outpost is an hour away from here. It might be fun!"

"I got to pilot one of those things on Kashyyyk," Cal told her, with a grin.

"Really?" Sienna looked surprised.

"More like you got to crash one of them." Greez said, with a laugh.

"Alright," Cal said, with a good-natured grin. "Maybe I did crash it. But I knew how to pilot one. I did on Bracca, after all."

BD-1 chirped an affirmative.

There was a group of people filing into a painted, modified AT-AT along the edge of the town. Trilla led the Mantis crew into the vehicle and they found that inside had been changed to suit the passengers comfortably with cushions and curtains. Someone was speaking over the intercom, but she barely noticed when they sat down. Something about being careful and sitting still, surely.

"The smell, I could do without." she said, dryly.

A Wookie sat beside her, glancing down before letting out a low, warbling growl. She snorted up at the Wookie with a glare.

"Hey! I know what we can do to lighten things up," Greez offered, holding up a bottle of fungus wine. "Huh? Any takers?"

"I wouldn't mind." a man said, sitting beside him.

Drinks were passed around to several of the passengers and eventually, everyone began to sing. Well, mostly everyone. Trilla just remained there, perplexed by the song and the merriment around her. The song was a ballad; it was one that Trilla hadn't heard of, but most of them seemed to know.

"At the edge of the galaxy

So far away

Black was the spire

That called me to stay.

A beacon for drifters

Forgotten and lost

The spires summoned those

Broken and tossed.

Come stay here forever

Or just pass on through.

The spirit of Black Spire

Will forever change you."

Sienna was smiling as she sang along with them, having eventually caught up with the lyrics of it. Her voice was ringing out of her in soft, gentle tones. It was the only one Trilla focused on. The camaraderie seemed to make her happy.

"You enjoy this." Trilla said, as fact.

"Yes, their colors are so vibrant and strong," Sienna told her. "They live together, different races, a family all their own. They shine like the sun." Her smile was warm now. "They're beautiful."

What an odd observation. But still, Trilla felt herself smiling and the trembling in her hand had stopped.

"I'm astonished that the noises don't bother you." she said. "I recall you mentioning how overloaded you can get when there's far too much sound going on around you."

Sienna nodded. "Yes, but it's different here. It's not harsh, cutting through the pools of color. I feel...at peace now."

Trilla thought about it.

For the moment, so did she.

O

The black trees surrounding the outpost received Sienna's attention.

She laid a hand over the old bark and shut her eyes. "This place is old. Very old," she said, "I feel its colors. Thriving in shadow and greys. It's seen much."

Cal nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can feel it, too." he replied, in awe. "There's a spirit here after all. You think it might change us?"

Trilla made a face. "Somehow I highly doubt that."

She watched a Corellian wander passed her, drinking from a flagon and belching.

"Uh, we might have a problem, you guys." Greez's voice took on a warning tone.

They looked toward a bounty board posted nearby where he pointed. Trilla was among the few bounties listed and a few hunters were checking them.

"Well, it won't take these bottom dwellers long to catch on," Greez told them. "We gotta think of something to - "

Trilla let out a dry laugh and immediately, an old helmet was placed over her head.

She let out a start and turned toward Merrin, who smiled at her and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Behind her, the cart the helmet had been on was being pushed by a Twi'lek who hadn't noticed the theft.

"There. That could help." she said.

Trilla sighed and thrust her hands in the air. "Really? This helmet reeks of sweat! You couldn't think of anything else to put over my head?"

Sienna grinned. "There are times like this that I wish I could see." she murmured, giggling.

"Yes, we're all amused." Trilla snapped.

Sienna tilted her head toward her. "Actually, I think it's a good idea. Keeping your face hidden for now might help us through the Outpost. I never fully mastered Force Persuasion. So I can't really help keep them from focusing or recognizing you."

"Force Persuasion?" Trilla's voice lit up with amusement. "That I would like to see, sometime."

"Well, for now, you should stay at my side. I can keep you shielded with my abilities."

Cere smiled, nodding her approval. "Good idea."

Cal looked at Merrin. "So, you want to go check out the Cantina?"

Merrin smiled. "Of course."

Trilla let out a short laugh as she watched them go with Greez following. Sienna smiled a little at the sound and Cere even noticed.

"What's that laugh for?" Cere asked.

"Nothing. I find it charming, really." Trilla told them. "The Nightsister and the Jedi Padawan. It's quite amazing that nearly killing him brought them together."

"He's not a Padawan now. He's a Knight." Cere explained. "I made him a Knight before we broke into the Fortress."

"Oh!" Trilla's voice was light with mockery. "My mistake, then. The KNIGHT and the Nightsister. Such a fetching couple!"

Sienna stood beside her as they made their way into the crowds of people through the market.