Hanging On a Thread

Hanging On a Thread
Date of Scene:	08 January 2025
Location:	Tenno - Outer Rim
Synopsis:	Navi gets Cayde out of trouble.
Cast of Characters:	Cayde Alexis, Navi

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Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The colonists have hurried to get at least temporary accommodations up for the time being to sleep in just for a few nights until more permanent structures could be established. These are mostly inflatable tents, and most things are still in piles of crates scattered about the new settlement.

    Most have now settled in to a much needed rest for the night. -Most-. But not Cayde, no. Instead, he's moving quietly away from the camp toward the edge of the ridge where he'd previously seen a potential path down into the valley...

Navi has posed:
Navi had been trying to sleep. Clearly the effort was doomed to failure, however, since Cayde's leaving the tent they'd been assigned to wakes her almost instantly. Maybe it's the distinctive sound of the doorseal being opened and closed, or maybe it's the Force. Either way, she instinctively looks toward Cayde's sleeping bag and notices it's empty.

Sighing heavily, the blonde Sephi hastily unseals her sleeping bag and grabs up her medical satchel, then today's clothes and boots. Underwear, undershirt, and thigh-high thermal socks are very poor attire for chasing down wayward Padawans in a forest. "Bet you're chasing glowbugs," she murmurs, stuffing her feet into her boots and moving to exit the tent. "I swear I'm going to make a collar and a leash for you..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    This time, Cayde doesn't hesitate upon reaching the path that he'd seen prior, immediately starting downward as quietly as he can. He doesn't want to scare them off again like before.

    As Navi exits the tent, she might catch a glimpse of him disappearing into the shadows beyond the camp. But she probably has a fair idea of where he's going.

Navi has posed:
<CAYDE! You stop right there! What the frell are you doing out there alone?!> Navi cries via telepathy toward Cayde, hurrying toward where she'd last seen him, her arms full of clothes and satchel. <Chasing you is bad enough, but if you make me do it half-naked, I swear I'll make Anne put you on a LEASH! You stop, you hear me?!>

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Navi will be able to feel his presence, all right. He hasn't gone that far, but it seems he is deliberately ignoring her and her disgruntled emotions aren't helping. However, she might recall where that path was previously, the one he'd appeared to be considering taking earlier. And as she approaches she'll notice some broken branches and recently trampled underbrush, so it won't be difficult to see where he's been.

Navi has posed:
<I swear, Cayde... you're going to drive me to the Dark Side!> Navi grumbles telepathically, pausing at the head of the trail and dropping her armload of clothes and gear beside her. Shouldering her medical satchel, she fishes out a pocket high-intensity glowlamp with a headband and slips it on, then turns it on, studying the trail as she picks up her pants and shakes them out, unzips the zipseals along the sides of the legs, and starts to struggle into them. With her boots already on, it's harder than it should be, even with the legs unzipped almost to her waist, but she manages after a moment or two.

Drawing the heavy suspenders attached to the pants up over her shoulders, she snatches up her jacket and drapes it around her shoulders. Then, sighing, she starts after Cayde once more, disheviled and struggling to zip all three zipseals of her pants, mostly failing in that process.

<I hope Anne's sleeping well right now, 'cause I'll have plenty to tell her when she wakes up. And don't you even think of giving me the tooka-kitten eyes when I find you, 'cause it won't help you any!>

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Eventually, Navi will hear some noise that sounds like a bunch of branches rustling and snapping loudly nearby. If she hurries toward the source of the disturbance, she'll find a sudden and steep dropoff that she may even find herself nearly tumbling over if she's not careful.

    But more importantly, if she looks down, she'll find Cayde several feet below the cliff, dangling by a bunch of gnarly-looking vines.

Navi has posed:
Navi hurries after Cayde, her open pant legs flapping around her legs, struggling to get her arms through the sleeves of her jacket. She's abandoned all efforts with the zipseals of her pants, electing to wait until she can stop running.

Thus distracted, she spots the sudden drop almost too late, and has to brake hard to avoid going over herself. "Thank you, glowlamp..." she murmurs, as the little head-worn glowlamp had been the only reason she'd seen the cliff's edge at all.

Then she remembers Cayde, and drops to her knees at the edge, looking over. She almost dies from relief when the lamp flickers across Cayde's face, several feet down, and hastily looks at him with greater care. "Thank the Force... what happened to you?" she asks, bracing herself and reaching down for one of his hands. "Take my hand... I'll try to pull you up."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Unfortunately, Cayde is too far below for a single arm's reach. He tries climbing up the vine, but it doesn't seem to be very sturdy and more of it tears when he moves, threating to drop him altogether.

    But the Force...can always make a way, right...?

Navi has posed:
Navi winces at the sound of that tearing vine. "Cayde! Try to grab another vine! One that /isn't/ tearing!" she directs, staring down at him with very wide eyes. She pats at her medical satchel, but finds no rope or cord to lower to him.

And then her hand finds her retractable staff... in an instant she has it freed and telescoped out to its full 2-meter length, and in another she's lowering it down toward Cayde.

"Cayde! Can you reach the staff?" she cries, hoping it's long enough...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde reaches out toward the very end of the staff, just barely grabbing it in time before the vine he was hanging off of is completely severed and falls to the floor of the valley below. Now, it's just a matter of pulling him up.

Navi has posed:
Navi is grateful that she braced herself before Cayde grabbed the staff, or else she might have gone over the cliff anyway. Letting the Force flow through herself, Cayde, and the staff, she slowly begins to draw up the staff, bracing her feet and using her legs to do most of the lifting, until he's finally able to climb back up onto solid ground.

Then she collapses back against a tree, breathing hard and occasionally sobbing from fatigue. "Are... you..." she tries to say, between gasps. "Are you... ugh... all right..?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde finally clambers back over the edge, grateful to be back on solid ground. <Thank you> he projects to her. His robes are covered in dust, leaves, and broken branches.

Navi has posed:
After a long moment, Navi rises to her knees and hugs Cayde tightly. "You could've fallen to your death... why don't you think these things through?" she cries softly, all but crushing the Padawan against her. "Why do you have to take such foolish chances? You knew we'd be exploring this area by daylight tomorrow!"

She begins to shiver as the adrenaline wears off. "What if you'd been killed? What would that do to Anne? To me? Did you think about that? I think I'd die if something happened to you!"

She sniffles, burying her face against his shoulder, and he can likely feel her tears dampening his robes. "I'm glad you're alive and safe... and that's what really matters, I guess..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde flushes when Navi grabs him and hugs him tight, weeping into his clothes. But then he leans into the embrace, stroking her back gently in an attempt to comfort and calm her down. Everything was just fine now, see? Pulling away slightly, he touches her cheek softly. Then he pulls a glass jar out of his robe. It's filled with those tiny glowing insects...

Navi has posed:
Navi seems to calm after a few moments. At least, she's stopped crying so hard, and is merely sniffling, her eyes red but no longer streaming tears. Brushing the cuff of her sleeve across her nose as Cayde draws back, she only blinks, startled, as he touches her cheek so gently.

But when he produces the jar of glowbugs, she gasps softly, staring at them wide-eyed. "When... when did you catch those..?" she asks, nearly in a whisper.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Navi might notice after when he touched her face that his skin feels hot to the touch...and then, that there are hives all over his hands and arms. However it seems that he is either unaware of them or is just very good at ignoring the discomfort.

    <Before I fell> Cayde answers her, looking pleased with himself.

Navi has posed:
Navi's eyes widen a little more. She catches one of his hands and brings it up into the light from her glowlamp. "When did you get all these hives?" she asks, instantly worried. "Is it from the plants around here?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde pouts and tries to pull his hand away from her, sliding it into the large sleeves of his robe. <I don't know> he replies, shrugging. <It's fine> he insists.

Navi has posed:
"It's not fine, Cayde. Allergies are potentially dangerous," Navi replies, unconvinced. "It's probably from the plants around here. If we're lucky, it's just from the vines you were holding on to, and not the plants all up and down this path."

She stands, looking down at her own hands to make sure she's not breaking out herself before offering her hands to him to help him to his feet, if he likes. "We need to get back to camp and get this checked out," she says firmly. "Pass me my staff, could you? Thank the Force I never stopped carrying that thing."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods and gets to his feet, passing her the staff. Yes, in this case it had proven rather useful. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that Navi has had any averse reactions herself. It's just him. <I don't have allergy> he insists. Well, that he knows of, anyway.

Navi has posed:
"Cayde, /think about this/," Navi replies, retracting the staff and strapping it back to her satchel, then pausing to fasten the fly and leg zipseals of her pants at long last, since she has a relatively quiet moment to do so. "You've never been to this planet before now. How would you know if are or are not allergic to something that grows here?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    There's no answer for a moment, then he just shrugs.

    Once they arrive back at the camp, Cayde places the jar full of glowflies near his sleeping mat and then pretty much immediately passes out on top of his blankets. Navi might notice however, that his hands are practically like red balloons by now...

Navi has posed:
One look is enough. Navi studies Cayde's hands for a moment, then bolts out of the tent to find medical help! Hopefully someone is still awake...