EliteCommander

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek had fallen asleep briefly after laying down. Fortunately, he was awakened by Onyx's footsteps entering the den, so he was alert by the time she entered his room. After quickly grabbing his weapons, he stepped outside just behind Onyx. His gaze shifted northward as Onyx spoke, and to the sky above him. He had been nervous about this moment ever since he had suggested it. Regret was pouring through his mind that he had even thought of the idea to begin with, but it was too late to back out now. He had to go through with it, because if he didn't deal with it now, then he would be dealing with it in a few days anyway.

"I wouldn't worry about that. If anything, I'll be too frightened to move a muscle. Just, um, do you have any...advice for me? Anything that might help me keep calm? Are Elissic children usually afraid of flying at any point, or is it just something that is natural to you from the beginning?" Tarentek asked as he approached her. He stood still, ready for her to grab a hold of him, though he hoped she had some advice for him.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

It took Tarentek until a few minutes after Onyx had left to finish his breakfast, which he cleaned up at just as leisurely of a pace. His rifle, machete, and canteen all had straps that were rather secure, so there wasn't much he needed to do in the way of preparing. Until Onyx returned, all he had to do was find a way to pass the time. It had actually been quite a while since Tarentek had been alone with nothing to do. After escaping Amman, he had been alone, but preoccupied with survival. Before that, he had sometimes been alone while on scouting missions, but he usually had some task to focus on. Now, he just paced around the main room for a few minutes before returning to his room to lay down and rest until Onyx returned.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek nodded as he started on his breakfast. "I don't think the rope will be necessary. If you don't think I'll need it, then I trust you. For safety's sake, I'm going to bring my weapons. It's very unlikely that we'll be attacked, but I like to be safe. I'll also bring water, of course, as you never want to enter the desert without it. Other than that, though, I won't bring anything extra.

Since he was going to have to wait for Onyx to finish her duties for the day anyway, Tarentek took his time with his meal. "As for you, I don't think you're going to need anything specific for swimming lessons. If you have something buoyant to use as a flotation device, you could bring that, but it isn't really necessary. I intend to try and get you accustomed to the water before anything else, and you could use a flotation device for that, but like I said, you don't really need it." He explained.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek awoke to the smell of cooking food filling the den. His night had been entirely devoid of dreams, which was a vast improvement over the night before. He would rather no dreams at all than to experience the terrors he had become used to. At least now, he had something different to worry about, as today was the day he was going to be facing his fear. He knew it was something he had to do, but that still did not stop him from getting out of bed as slowly as he could, taking extra time to stretch his muscles and examine his current state of health. Of course, he was in even better condition than the previous day. Not perfect yet, but a measurable improvement.

Eventually, Tarentek got himself dressed and joined Onyx in the main room. By the smell, the food was very nearly done, so he took a seat at the table. "Good morning. So, today's the day you take me way higher in the sky than I was ever meant to be...again. Honestly, it wasn't as bad the first time, while I had malnourishment and dehydration to distract me. I guess we can fly up to the Dead Sea, where you first found me. That is far enough to hopefully get me started on coming to terms with my fear. And, while we're there, you can have your swimming lessons. The salt in the sea makes it easier to float, so you won't have to worry about it being dangerous." He explained, pausing for a moment as he looked down at the table with a slight chuckle. "Now, if only there was a way to make flying safer."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek smiled at Onyx. "Does this mean you'll be considered a full adult in a few days? Must be exciting. My people do not have any sort of moment that defines adulthood, so I can't say that I know how that will feel. I suppose it would not be appropriate for me to be present, so I will go ahead and wish you the best for it now." Tarentek commented.

Since they had gone through all the business they intended to bring up with Raldel for the moment, Tarentek assumed they would be leaving soon, unless Raldel or Onyx had a reason for them to stay. There were still quite a few hours left in the day, but Tarentek was fatigued from the earlier sparring match and would prefer to rest at the moment more than anything.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

"You have pride in your family? I never would have guessed." Sirka joked as she stepped out of the vault. "My family consists of a Ssi-ruu spy and one of his guards who decided to hook up a power coupling when they weren't supposed to. They passed me off to their servants to raise then turned me into a slave, so you can guess at about how much pride I have in those two wastes of flesh."

Sirka glanced back into the vault as Tor was closing it up. "Should have known that tapestry would have some crazy story like that behind it. Jedi and Sith alike are really big on all that mystical bantha fodder they're always spouting. If they weren't so tough to kill they probably would've been wiped out ages ago; the galaxy would be better off without the both of them around to pull everyone into their wars. We can ruin the galaxy perfectly fine without them."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Since Tarentek did not have much knowledge on this ritual, he was not sure if he could really provide any input; however, he did have some thoughts on the matter. Being officially recognized with this title of prophet could be beneficial on a diplomatic mission, not to mention the positive effect it would have on Onyx's morale. As well, there was a possibility that events in the not too distant future could impact Onyx's ability to go through the ritual at all.

"That is true. With the situation we are facing, the future is greatly uncertain. I do not know much about this ritual, but with the threat looming over us and the...potential problems that revealing your future plans in regards to outsiders could cause, perhaps earlier would be better?" Tarentek recommended.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek responded with a chuckle. "Hmm, I don't think I would be taking the first option. My race's regenerative properties doesn't extend so well to brain damage. I have thought about being unconscious through it, but I will need to be alert. We still do not know for certain that our enemy does not have a flying race among them, so an attack is not out of the question. No, I believe I can do this. I don't want to have a fear like this exerting its hold over my mind; I want to cure myself of it. In the end, I will be better for having overcome it. It may not work, true, but I would like to try."

Tarentek laughed once more. "I'll probably be regretting those words tomorrow. I have seen people overcome fears such as these, though, so I know it is possible. I recall during my education in Amman, a teacher spoke about some of the writings we had translated from the Human civilizations. They had an entire field of study for the mind called psychology. I myself did not study it, but I can't help but to wonder what the Humans could have done for a condition such as mine. Anyway, I cannot think of any more business I would like to mention."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek shook his head. "I...do not think so. Well, I suppose I should mention that myself and Onyx intend to leave the village for a few hours tomorrow. I, well it is somewhat embarrassing to say, but I have a distinct fear of heights. My race is not meant to fly, so being high in the air panics me. I assume that my escort for my mission in a few days will be wanting to arrive as quickly as possible, so they will likely want to fly me there. Onyx is going to attempt to help me overcome my fear." Tarentek explained.

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

Sirka placed down the case on the first table to the right of the door, though she couldn't help but to look around at the items the vault contained. She probably should have expected it from a vault commissioned by Tor, but the most prominent piece on display was a set of old Mandalorian armor. Very old. With the tapestry behind it, the armor was about the only thing in the vault that had any care taken to how it looked. Given how the Mandalorians prized their armor, it wasn't a stretch to say that this thing was probably Tor's most prized possession, or at least in the top few.

"Well, that thing's definitely ancient. Did you have that tapestry made, or did you find it too? I don't ever remember hearing anything about a Mandalorian being a Sith before, if that tapestry means something. Not that I'm a historian or anything." Sirka commented, glancing to Tor and waiting until either he answered the question, or Tony decided to destroy that ship for whatever reason.