deercountry | it was the silence underneath the stars

"I honestly couldn't even say how fast bamboo grows." If she would have hazard a guess, Padmé would think not that fast, but plants weren't something that she was overly familiar with. She had them in her apartment back home, but she wouldn't claim to be the one to tend to them. No, her pursuits had been in different areas.

"A plant then, at least, right?" As she glanced back down to the ground. Either way, Padmé couldn't say she really wanted to find out... Somehow she doubted that it was beautiful blossoms for the smelling. She hesitated in turn, before reaching for Ariadne's hand, wincing as well as she rose, although giving her a look with the comment. Not that Padmé made comment on it, brushing it off like she did the debris on her pants. With the game, Padmé glanced around.

"Are we attempting to climb, or picking a direction and aiming for it?"

Plants aren't Sabé's area of expertise either- especially with how often she moved for different assignments. It seemed futile to try and keep something like that around. Eirtaé would be best in this situation...

But even as she was lost in her thoughts, she glanced back at them again with the comment from Ariadne- a look from her to Padmé, her expression carefully neutral but she knew her friend would understand it. It wasn't entirely about the hurt she felt knowing that such a secret had been kept from her- it was something of an acceptance. If that was something she didn't want to address, then it wouldn't be addressed.

"Yes, we'd better," she answered carefully as she turned to join them by the board. "I'll get the board."

It didn't matter to her whether they were running or climbing, Sabé would follow suit. But what did matter was the board had joined them here and it could very well be the key to getting them out of here. So as the other two made their decision, she carefully pried the board from its spot among the roots.

Ariadne might have commented on the stillness. Except that her head was swimming in the scent of broken earth. Something unnatural was happening. It was worse than a plow or any of the technology the farmers in Trench used.

It was...intense.

And it was coming closer, somehow. She couldn't explain it, she could only feel it. But the earth was rumbling.

Quickly, she walked over to a sturdy tree, one with a thick trunk. She put a hand on that trunk and leaned in close, whispering to the bar, "I'm sorry." And then, with a metallic ring, Ariadne released the talons in her right hand.

Alastrians talons were long and black, nearly ten inches at full length. They kind of looked like metal and they kind of looked like a bird's claws. More importantly, they could cut through almost anything. With a reluctant cringe, Ariadne leaned against the tree and cut a toe hold, about at knee level. She then raised her hand up, cutting another. Gods, she hoped the other two could climb. there were some promising vines above them, but they had to reach them first.

"Come on," she said, fitting her foot into the groove she'd cut and pulling herself up, slicing away to leave a trail for the others to follow.

There were few things that Padmé kept close to her heart, and Anakin had been one of those. A selfish act on her part, she knew, and everything that she had told him still remained true about how their relationship would have to be, but she had also known that the words on Geonosis to him had not been false. Still, despite this place, she wasn't going to discuss it, especially here, although it had been on her mind to address it with Sabé. It wasn't just Padmé's secret though.

Would whatever it was climb the trees themselves as well, or be big enough to reach them regardless? That had been Padmé's concern, not knowing what was down there. Yet depending how fast they were going to grow, running may have not been the best option either... Surely not a tree, as there was none that Padmé in her limited knowledge knew about that would grow that quick. Yet Ariadne was already making way with the tree, and Padmé waited for Sabé to get closer, just in case, before she started upwards as well. She hadn't looked too closely, although Padmé did find herself wondering how Ariadne had done it. An issue for another time.

Carefully using the roots and a fallen vine to secure the board over her shoulder, Sabé quickly made her way toward the tree Padmé and Ariadne were headed to.

Knowing now that things like this could happen, Sabé was quickly swearing to herself to rarely be caught in any sort of impractical clothing- quietly thanking her past self for the tunic and pants combination selected for today. She faltered only for a moment, making sure the board was secure, before she started climbing up the tree herself.

"I'm right behind you, don't worry about me," she assured them both (but really, mostly for Padmé's sake) as she used the grooves that she was certain weren't there before. Something of Ariadne's doing.

The tree would be all right. At least, that's what Ariadne kept quietly telling herself and she continued the climb. The tree would be fine. The tree would recover. Trees were much stronger than people realized.

And maybe it wasn't even a real tree at all. This could all be some kind of dream. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been trapped in a dream.

She still felt guilty with each slice.

"Usually," she said, "when the city sends us to a place like this, it will either last for a month, or until we reach some sort of goal. I don't know what that might be. Winning the game? How do you win a game like this?"

Padmé would always worry though, no matter what Sabé said. Yet she sought to keep her focus on moving up and away, hopefully in enough time. She still didn't know what was rumbling in the ground below them, but they likely would see soon enough. Getting up to a more secured position, she did glance up to Ariadne who seemed to be doing fine further up, and offered a hand down to her friend.

Despite herself, there is a hint of liveliness in her eyes as she caught Sabé's, because there was a deep secret there. That she did like the thrill. Enjoyed the excitement.

"I do hope that we're not running around in the jungle for a month." While she did like foliage, she did also like sleeping in her own bed at night. "Hopefully it's reaching the end? If there's a starting spot, there is usually a finishing one as well."

"An entire month?"

Sabé couldn't help the dread that filled her with that thought. She was woefully unprepared for spending a month in a jungle with no clear rules to what was even happening and her only real objective being to protect her friend with every fiber of her being.

She caught Padmé's gaze as her hand was offered- she knew that look all too well. This was the excitement that she knew she longed for... and she couldn't blame her. She didn't get to have this kind of adventure as often as Sabé herself did. She took Padmé's hand, careful to not rely on her too much knowing that she was afflicted like the other Warmblood's, and secured herself on a branch like the other two.

"I hope we find out sooner rather than later." She glanced down at the ground far below them now, her lips pressed in thin line. "Do you think it has something to do with the board, since that seems to be what brought us here in the first place?"

Ariadne pulled herself to rest on a branch just slightly higher than the other two. Although it wasn't much of a rest. Carefully balancing herself on her haunches, she reached out, grabbing the loop of a vine and pulling it. It gave easily and she started to coil it around her shoulder.

"It has something to do with the board," she said. "I just don't know what exactly. I feel like that riddle was a warning, like it was some kind of--"

She was cut off abruptly. At the base of their tree, the soil split and what looked like an enormous, purple mouth suddenly rose out over the surface, almost snapping at them, before it reared back and revealed itself to be...

...a flower?

It wasn't a flower Ariadne was familiar with, but she could see all the pieces in place, the petals, the pistil, the stamen.

"Oh..."

Pain or not, Padmé would still offer the help, shifting to settle in the branches as her friend got up as well. Already her mind was going over what would need to be done if they were forced to remain here and it wasn't about the game at all. Water, food, shelter... But one thing at a time first. When Ariadne stopped talking, Padmé flashed a look up to her, before following her gaze downward.

She might not know a lot about plants, but that was certainly a flower, wasn't it? She found herself leaning a little closer, although she certainly wasn't going to go done, at least just yet. "Alright. So that is a flower, correct?"

Was it just a flower? Had they scrambled for nothing? Looking, she found a twig, snapping it in several pieces. Carefully, she dropped one of the twigs towards the purple maw like opening, and- She flinched back as it reacted. "Okay. So we should avoid that. I wonder... Perhaps we can distract it and move away?"

The break they were offered wasn't much- Sabé feared how much worse the situation would have been if they'd remained on the ground. Especially now that she saw the way the flower (????) was growing.

And the way it reacted to Padmé throwing a twig in its mouth- for that was certainly a mouth.

"That could work under the assumption that it doesn't have friends who will make this even more difficult."

But honestly, for good measure, she pulled her blaster back out- if nothing else that should take care of it... Right?

"It's a flower. And there's more of them," Ariadne said, listening to the strains of the earth breaking, all around them. The scent was getting stronger.

She turned to look at the nearest tree. Its branches were an easy jump for her. But she wasn't so sure about the other two. The last thing she wanted to do was put them in any danger. And not even just because of the looming threat of Anakin.

But they had to be clever about this.

"We're probably safer up here. Do you see any vines like this in easy reach?" she asked, holding out the one she was coiling in her arms. Using them as ropes was neither fast nor efficient, but it could get them moving. And keep them high off of the ground.

"More?" One or two, they could perhaps fool or trick, but if there were six, seven, even higher amounts? That could indeed pose a problem. Yet, even as the one below snapped at the twig, Padmé did wonder if they could simply fill their mouths with something? Could they spit stuff out? Stars knew what they ate, if it was vegetation or meat, or both.

Or shooting them. Padmé was definitely going to start wearing her blaster from now on. Even if violence wasn't her first choice, it was still a viable choice in some situations. It's not like she would be able to have a conversation with a plant, at least she assumed that.

"Vines?" For what? Swinging, roping, or something else all together. Shifting, she pointed. "There's a few over there that may be doable."

More of them does not sound like anything would be in their favor. Flowers might not be frightening, but ones that snapped at things (or people) and grew as fast as these did? In any number more than just a few?

Sabé reached out for Padmé's hand to help her get to the vines at her own pace.

"It'll be like training with Panaka all over again," she mused with a half grin. She then turned her attention up to Ariadne. "Are you thinking to use to swing? I'll follow your lead."

It was really the only fast option they had at the moment. Her blaster could take care of the single plant, but if several more were going to join it? Well, she's not as confident about that.

"Swinging if necessary," Ariadne said. "I don't know if the flowers can climb or not. I'd like to try tying the vines off in parallel lines. One for your feet, one for your hands." If they could take the time, it would be much safer. She had the sense that Sabé was very keen on keeping Padmé as safe as possible.

Ariadne was in agreement.

"I can jump between the trees to tie them off." She was, for lack of a better word, a little bit more expendable.

A pause.

"Who's Panaka?"

Padmé did wonder if it would be much of an issue... Did they have a weight limit? She assumed possibly something within to immobilize that which was trapped, like a toxin. Yet could they be torn? She would rather not find out the hard way though.

Leaning to take Sabé's hand in turn, Padmé was able to snag at the ones nearby and draw them back toward the trio. "A head of security. He trained us in many things. Self-defense and weapons usage. He kept him on his toes..."

There might be a small glimmer on her face at that as she shifted the vine towards Ariadne. "Hmm. They seem to be stationary, or stationary-ish."

Sabé much preferred what Ariadne explained. She nodded a little, and carefully reached for her blaster as Padmé reached for some vines to pull their way.

"If they start to climb, my blaster should slow them down... Whatever will buy us enough time to get out of here as safely as we can."

As Padmé explains Panaka, however, Sabé can't hide her smirk as well. She may disagree with him over many things now, but he was integral to who they became... and it was always fun to reminisce on just what they put him through when they were younger.

It was hard to miss the smiles they were trying so hard to hide. But Ariadne understood. She'd had to grow up far faster than she would have liked, but she was still young. And still very much the rebel. In plenty of ways.

"Tell me more about your home," she said, deciding it was better to talk than to think about what was waiting to chew on them below. "I've heard a lot about some of the...what's the world? Some of the planets in your universe. But I don't think I know much of yours."

Meanwhile, she wrapped the vine around her shoulder once. Twice. Three times. And when she felt she had a good grip, she started to tightrope walk out along her branch, as far as she dared before she felt the weight might be too much. Then she jumped. Gracefully, she arced through the air and landed neatly in a squat in the branches of a neighboring tree.

Wrangling a bunch of girls... True, overall they had not been too rowdy of a group, but they had still gotten into trouble now and then. They had been a tight knit bunch though and Padmé would always appreciate those relationships that she had forged.

"About Naboo?" Padmé asked, even as she looked around for any more vines. There were none within easy reach of where she was at the moment. With Sabé on alert and Ariadne working on the vines, Padmé hummed. "It's a beautiful planet, bountiful in resources. Plenty of water in lakes, rivers, and falls. Lush fields and pastoral areas. We share it with Gungans, who are an amphibious sentient species."

She paused, trying to fathom what Ariadne was doing, until she leaped across.

Sabé did feel a little bad that she didn't talk about Naboo much... before Padmé arrived the planet reminded her too much of what she'd lost- and now with Padmé here, it was still difficult to reminisce... but she never really felt the need to talk about home with anyone but Padmé.

She glanced up to watch what Ariadne was doing as Padmé explained what Naboo is like... and while she tried not to, it was too easy to worry and hope that their planet would stay the same under the new rule of the Empire.

"The Naboo focus a lot of their time and energy on the arts and creating things. There are several conservatories for artists and musicians to attend."

Holding her arms out for balance, Ariadne quickly made her way to the trunk of the second tree. She unlooped the vine and started to wrap it around the trunk, pulling it taut so it formed a firm line. Once she was satisfied, she started to work on a complicated knot that she felt would hold with the slippery vine's surface.

"The arts and creating things?" she said. "That sounds like a paradise. I can't imagine anything like it back home. Of course, the arts--especially music--are important, but we've always been so wrapped up in war...it's hard to focus on the things that bring us joy."

Dropping down to her hands and knees, she crawled back along the branch, holding a hand out. "Toss me your vine."

Padmé had no such qualms, but there were also aspects of what was to come that she wasn't informed of. Some hints about things when she had first arrived, and one day she likely might seek out Ariadne for further clarification, but today was hardly the time. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't see to matter overly to her at the moment.

"War has touched our planet now and then over the years." A slight reserve to her voice, as it was easy enough to recall how Naboo had suffered through the Trade Federation's attempt. Even the war in the galaxy right now had not left Naboo unscathed, but thankfully they were not the centre of it and weren't bearing the brunt. "But not to the extend that I would call it wrapped up in it."

Which was something that Padmé hoped Ariadne's planet would break free from. War only benefited those who sought to profit on it. But, leaning to brace herself, Padmé tossed the vine towards her. "Here."

it was the silence underneath the stars

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