Owner	Pose
Cayde Alexis	Cayde continues following Malgabar and her prisoners down the burned swath of land toward the glowing green beacon.
Athena	Her presence is still there, but it's so far away, and feels disconnected from him in the Force, where once before it had felt warm, and welcoming Rykard hurries after him, extending a hand. <Cayde!>
Cayde Alexis	It doesn't surprise him. Perhaps this monster is who she was and had been all along. But now that they've lost her, maybe they needed to go back and find a way to more definitively locate her, Navi, and whomever else she had taken prisoner.     He stops, turning back as his master calls out to him. <Yes Master>
Athena	the Elder Ikkrukki looks troubled. His brows are knitted together and he's shaking his head, motioning for Cayde to stop, sit down. <I have decided> he says to the young padawan. <We have too much to discuss to wait any longer>
Cayde Alexis	Cayde sits down on a dead log, sighing. <We should go back> he suggests. If she could just teleport, how would they track her down? Someone had to find a way to either draw her out or trap her somewhere.
Athena	<We need to look for hostages. Lady Graf has reached to me, notifying me that there are several missing colonists. Hedicole, his family, and the Dug, Weniscio.> Then he sighs. <But forget the current situation for now> Rykard says, waving a hand dismissively. <There is much to discuss. What happened with Malgabar? I know nothing of it, except for vague rumors about her obsession with you>
Cayde Alexis	<But we have no leads> Cayde points out, regarding the prisoners. What was the point of wandering around hoping to stumble upon a clue?     But he sighs even more heavily at the mention of what happened with Mal. <She wanted to marry me...> he tells the Ikkruki. He then relays the events of that night to his master, from the moment Mal started begging him to marry her, until Soren had found Gael injured and their hab destroyed. But it had been Mal herself who had told him her sister was hurt and needed help.
Athena	Rykard's brows furrow. <Cayde, why didn't you tell me any of this? When did this happen? Recently?> He seems less concerned about what had happened more bothered that Cayde hadn't told him about it at all.
Cayde Alexis	<A few days ago> Cayde replies, shrugging. He looks away. <You were so busy...> Which was true, but it's only part of the reason. <Doctor helped Gael...everything was okay>
Athena	<I am your master, I would never be too busy for you. But you know this already> The elder Ikkrukki seems greatly saddened by this. <Have I broken your trust? Or has it just simply been too long that we've been apart...> he stands, walking a short distance away and staring at the ghastly green beacon that's now not so far.
Cayde Alexis	Cayde watches him for a moment.     <It has been a long time> he answers, a bit hesitantly. But there is something he's ashamed of, afraid to admit it to anyone, not even his master.
Athena	Rykard looks back at Cayde, and frowns. <What is it? Lady Xera also tells me you threatened her, for jealousy over Navi. Is any of this true? Why did you not tell me any of these things? I could have advised you! That's what I'm here for. Now she's pressuring me to retire as Marshal so I can instruct you more carefully and curb what she calls 'reckless' behavior..>.
Cayde Alexis	Cayde stares at the ground, avoiding his master's gaze. That was a complicated question.     <...I'm scared, Master...>     It's a simple reply, but it's the best answer to all of those questions. Scared that he wouldn't be able to stop it. Scared that the same fate that had befallen Vlaven or Sunn might happen again to someone else. Scared of his own master's disapproval...     <I'm sorry...>
Athena	Rykard sighs, and suddenly embraces the young padawan. <It's alright. But Cayde you know that you can tell me anything, anytime. I am your Master> <The danger that you fear will only grow if you keep this all to yourself>
Cayde Alexis	Cayde returns the embrace and holds on for a good while, as if he never wants to let go.     Finally, he lets his master in fully, and the elder Jedi will see that he'd kissed Mal one night, and Navi on another. But he'd been so ashamed of it, afraid to tell anyone about it. It had happened a while ago, before Rykard had returned. Ann hadn't tried to dig and hadn't suspected anything, so it had never come up.
Athena	Rykard pats him on the head. <It's alright. But please, in the future, tell me these things as soon as they happen> <Now what happened with Lady Graf? Why would she say those things?>
Cayde Alexis	<Yes master....>     But at the question of Xera's reaction, he shrugs. <I didn't threaten anyone> He would never intentonally inflict such things on anyone, not even her. But he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop it...     Furthermore, he was afraid for Navi. Xera would abuse her, poison her. In fact, it had already started...
Athena	<What did you say to her> Rykard says, his brow furrowing. <She was genuine in thinking you would do something truly terrible to her, I think. Cayde, do not concern yourself over Navi. Her choices are her own, and she is not of the Order anymore>
Cayde Alexis	<I told her about Vlaven> Cayde answers. But of course that how she'd interpreted it. Certainly, she wanted to believe the worst. It legitimized her own distaste for him. <She hates me>
Athena	<Show me> Rykard says. <Show me exactly what happened, and tell me your intent while speaking with her> <You must try not to give her any more reasons to hate you>
Cayde Alexis	Cayde nods and opens his mind to Rykard, showing him his memory of the conversation. It was true, he was afraid of what might happen if he lost it. He'd always been torn about Vlaven's fate, and even Torkle Sunn. What if it happened again? What if something even worse happened? But of course she hadn't understood that. Wouldn't have wanted to, either.     Even so... <I had to protect her...from me>
Athena	<I understand> Rykard says. <But you must be careful. Your disdain of Lady Graf, and tendency to assume the worst about her may lead you to the Dark Side. Even if the things that you think about her are mostly true, it is dwelling on these thoughts that can be very dangerous, Cayde. If you start to have trouble thinking of her constantly as a foe to be angry or jealous of, you must tell me right away. That's why I'm here. To help you, and to ensure that you become the best Jedi you can possibly be.> <Please do not approach her again in the future without telling me, Cayde. I fear she finds you a threat, and may now seek a way to remove me as Marshal so that she can have more power over the colony. Even now, as we speak, I am certain she is attempting to sway the colonists. Whether she will be successful or not, I am not sure. However, we must tread lightly.>
Cayde Alexis	<But I wanted to protect her> Cayde begins to defend himself. Wasn't that worth something?     He nods. <I will...not give them anything> She could try to spread lies about him, but he'll just do everything he can to simply make them unbelievable.
Athena	Rykard looks puzzled. <Who?> he asks <Who did you want to protect? Navi or Xera? Neither them understand this. And in order to remediate this you must make both of them understand this is your intent. It is how you will convince her to stop spreading lies about you threatening her.>
Cayde Alexis	<Both of them> Cayde replies, after considering a moment. From himself, of course. Above all things, even a disdain for Lady Graf, he feared himself. An adversary he could never run from. And the deep-rooted sorrow that had taken up residence since the first time he'd ever unintentionally harmed someone with his gifts had only grown over the years.     He stares at the ground again. <I...I can't> Not without risking the very thing he'd tried to warn them about.
Athena	<No no you can> Rykard says. <I will help you, Thaarin will help you. You just must remember to ask. It is not a crime. Please, we are all here for you.>
Cayde Alexis	<But why can't you do it?> Cayde wonders. He was Marshal after all, wouldn't everyone including Xera be more likely to believe him?
Athena	<I could say it> Rykard says. <But they are much less likely to believe me, than you. If I say it, they may think I'm just making things up to protect you and stop Lady Graf from removing me as Marshal. They'll think of it as political, and an attempt to remain in power for power's sake.> <Aside from all that, you cannot just simply avoid everything that is hard, Cayde. For as long as you have been my padawan I have been trying to help you become better at communication. You have improved significantly but if you decide that this task is impossible and don't ever attempt it, your progress will stagnate, and you will regress. You don't have to do it now. But one day, you will have to. You will need to>
Cayde Alexis	Cayde finally nods. <I will try>     Although he doesn't feel very confident that it will work. She already doesn't want to believe it. How could he make someone believe something they don't want to believe, without changing their thoughts?
Athena	<Very good> Rykard says. <You must try. If you cannot succeed, that is alright. At least you tried. If she will not be swayed, then we'll worry about what to do when that happens>
Cayde Alexis	<But I will prove them wrong> Cayde seems to at least be determined to do that. If he survives this, anyway.     Although that heaviness is still there, as it has been for years. But it feels even heavier now, as he is convinced that he is entirely to blame for Malgabar.
Athena	Rykard pats Cayde on the shoulder. <The past is the past. It is not your fault that things turned out the way they did. Could it have been handled better? Of course, but there will always be a next time. There will be for this time, I'm sure of it.>
Cayde Alexis	<But I set her off> Cayde points out.     <...how do you know?> he asks. How could he be so certain?
Athena	<Do not focus on the dark, Cayde. We must be the light, and cling to hope. Fear that you will fail can prevent you from succeeding, so try not to dwell upon it.> <And who knows. Perhaps if it had not been you, then it would have been some other boy, or girl, or maybe even her sister. There is no way to know for certain that if you had removed yourself completely from her, this event would have been avoided altogether.> He then starts down the burned swath again. <Come now. We will not wait to search for the hostages. It seems very much to me that she would like us to find her, and perhaps the hostages too. She has made no effort to do anything in secret>
Cayde Alexis	There is a moment of hesitation, but Cayde moves to follow him soon after. If she wanted them to find her though, why hadn't she made it easier? He sighs...if any of them died, it was most certainly his fault. No...no, there was no use dwelling on that. He just needed to do everything in his power to fix this...that was the most anyone could hope for.