[Open] The moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup...

[npc_kun]

Characters: Open
Date/Time: 6/21-6/30
Location: Residences Everywhere
Rating: Varied but probably going pretty high
Summary: And everyone thought Waking up with the King was bad. SURPRISE! THERE ARE PEOPLE IN YOUR BED THAT WERE NOT THERE WHEN YOU FELL ASLEEP. Have fun with that.

[This is an open log for the Masters and Apprentices event, more

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Sylvar's house, predawn

[cathar_jedi]

Sylvar had bad dreams more often than good ones, although she rarely remembered much of them. In this one she was pursued by shadowed people who reached for her, pawed at her, and she could not escape them. In her sleep she twitched and grimaced, sometimes opening her mouth but never making a sound. She slept fitfully -

- and woke instantly at the electrifying touch of a body lying against hers. Her eyes opened to find her face far too close to that of a shirtless human she'd never seen before.

For an endless moment she did nothing, all of the fine hairs on her body standing out, paralyzed by sudden shock and fear, hearing only her breathing becoming harsh and quick, though it remained all but silent. His breath was unpleasant, which didn't help. Had she not been dreaming, if she hadn't been having that dream, she might have lashed out instantly. Kicked him physically, shoved him back and away in the Force

[illusionates]

Awkward and panic would be spared on Rise's end. Although not a heavy sleeper, neither the presence of another body nor the subtle movements had been enough to wake him. His subconscious mind drifted through images of falling lotus petals and faint static over a woman's voice murmuring something indistinct--the usual dream

[cathar_jedi]

Her only warning was a slight twitch in the Force. It didn't tell her that man who was in your bed is about to appear suddenly right here. More like something will happen right here. She sprang back away as he appeared and dropped to the ground with a thud

[illusionates]

A woman's voice. It was unexpected, but it didn't entirely throw him off either.

That was when he noticed it.

It. He couldn't possibly explain it

[cathar_jedi]

Somehow, Sylvar didn't think it would be as easy as that, but she really was not up to a prolonged argument. She needed some time and solitude to center herself, to find her equilibrium again. Failing that, she needed a private place in which she could work out all this nervous emotional energy

[illusionates]

With a single nod, Rise turned away. He only intended on returning home.

His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Still, he couldn't make out much detail beyond general shapes, but it was enough to recognize that he was in the residential area. Unfortunately, he couldn't be entirely sure which section, but so long as he had a general idea, he was confident that he could find his way.

He headed off the opposite direction, making great strides. Not long passed before he noticed these houses were somewhat larger than his own. This must have been Section 2. He took note the general position of the tree to where he was walking as means of giving him direction.

However, as he reached the section's end, he came to a still. Not even a half a second passed, and there 'it' was again. This time, it gave him to inclination something was about to happen, and then...

-POOF!-

The residential area completely vanished, and Rise slowly descended to a territory unknown.

"What?!"

[cathar_jedi]

Falling, Sylvar felt another premonition, the same as before, and with it came a surge of anger. She fought it the moment she recognized the emotion, but could not resist entirely.

"Let me alone," she snapped at whatever entity was responsible, head turned so that she faced what looked like darkness to her. Her night-blindness was worse than if she had been human.

She folded her arms tightly, defensively against her ribs, not facing or acknowledging Rise. After a moment she realized that the air was pulling on her clothing more than it should, given that falling to islands was far slower than a proper fall, and it registered that she was wearing full Jedi robes, including an overcloak. Full Jedi robes which she did not in fact possess.

Finally, back under as much control as she thought she was likely to get, she said, "It seems that there is to be no simple escape." Grudgingly, seconds before her booted feet touched down, she admitted, "I am called Sylvar."

[illusionates]

His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Rise just wanted to hit something in his frustration, but there was nothing in the vicinity, not even ground to stomp on. The sensation of falling slowly wasn't a familiar one, and if anything, he found it rather unsettling.

It wasn't until his feet touched the ground that he realized he wore more than he initially woke with. Even his hair had been pulled back into its usual ponytail, though the braid behind his ear that accompanied it was knew. He lowered his gaze and blinked. Although the dark concealed most of the details, one thing was for certain: these didn't belong to him. They didn't particularly strike him with any sense of significance either.

Crossing his arms, Rise tutted. Silently, he knew that she was right, and suddenly it wasn't so much a question of 'what' anymore so much as 'how long.'

"My name is Rise." Frowning, he stared off at some distant point. "If you have any ideas of how to handle this until it goes away, now would be time to share them."

[cathar_jedi]

"Determining how much distance is allowed, and if it is the same distance each time, would be beneficial," Sylvar said tightly. "In that way some distance could be maintained without causing you to snap back to my side." She didn't know why this was happening, and at the moment she really didn't care

[illusionates]

Rise wasn't always the most cooperative person, though he could be a good deal more than he liked to lead on. Nevertheless, the proposed plan was sensible to even his standards, and he couldn't disagree

[cathar_jedi]

She hadn't paid much attention to how far she had been from the house when he had appeared, so she shrugged. They would find out.

An owl hooted on a branch overhead as Sylvar forged through the underbrush, casting out in the Force for large animals or the signs of a trail. She moved all but silently, only rarely catching the unusually long sleeves and hem of her overrobe on anything.

"The energy created by life," she said shortly. There was a long and poetic version, but she wasn't in the mood to dredge it up just now. "You did not know? I sense that you are Force-Sensitive."

Deeper in the woods, something shrilled.

[illusionates]

Proceeding through the forest wasn't a particularly challenging expedition, though it certainly was tedious. Twigs and branches occasionally snagged his clothing, so he snatched them into handfuls to rip them free.

If only he had his sword with him, he could cut through much quicker. Rise didn't expect it suddenly appeared with him when the attire did, but he reached over his shoulder anyway, if only to be sure. Of course, it wasn't there.

The explanation didn't clear his confusion by much. However, something about it--if only in a vague sense--did seem familiar. "Never heard of it."

[cathar_jedi]

Sylvar considered just leaving Rise behind. She was faster and less destructive in this underbrush, didn't leave much evidence of her passage, and if he just kept reappearing next to her it wasn't as if he'd be abandoned.

She sensed that ahead there was life supported by the soil, but no trees. A clearing or something of the sort, then.

"You can feel the Force in these trees," she said, forging towards the clearing. "The columns of life in the trunks, the way they split into branches and roots. They are tenacious, and their energy overshadows the other lives in this forest."

She made it through to a grassy clearing, and sensing a bridge made for it, assuming that it led either to the Dojo or to Stuff, Inc.

She couldn't see that there was a path leading back into the forest, or that this was the bridge to Crystala.

[illusionates]

Any other day, Rise wouldn't have been able to conceive what that even meant. He likely would've dismissed it as well. To an extent, he felt inclined to do just that; however, he quickly realized it was an explanation to this otherwise inexplicable sense.

Rise followed, not far behind. "That's what that is?" Something still seemed off though... "Is it like that all the time?" He definitely hadn't felt anything like this before this morning.

He remained nearby, preferring to travel on his own accord rather than be transported at random. However, his night-vision wasn't all that great, and he could only make out details in the immediate vicinity, so he wouldn't realize their destination either. At least, not until it was too late.

[cathar_jedi]

"I do not see why it would be otherwise," she told him.

The bridge was a trial to navigate, especially when - as Sylvar'd half expected - the wind picked up and made it rock and twist unsteadily. She clung grimly to the ropes until they were relatively still again, then progressed forward.

Very close to the end she was finally able to see what the bridge ended on, and saw that the foliage was a little more visible than she'd have expected. Still, Sylvar kept going; she could sense Rise's presence behind her.

As she stepped on to solid ground she felt a sudden surge of pain and longing that came out of nowhere, sharp enough to make her gasp.

Loneliness. She put a hand to her chest. Sylvar didn't mind being alone, usually. Which was good, considering her lifestyle and general alienation. But just now...

She shook her head, hard enough to make the beads in her que click against each other.