The Force Betrayed: Cal Kestis x OC

22.

Cal took the first steps through the entrance, giving Sakana time to command her legs to move. For the first few seconds, her legs felt like jelly, and Cal naturally ended up several steps ahead of her.

A tight gap in the wall led to the rest of the tomb, making her audibly sigh.

"I guess none of my wishes are going to come true," she laughed dryly. She had made it through multiple tight spaces now with and without Cal, and the thought seemed to give her some confidence.

"I won't let you get stuck," he said, walking faster so he could reach the passageway first.

"No, it's okay," she smiled. The feeling had come back in her legs enough for her to jog in front of him. "I should go first."

"Okay..." he smiled, placing his hands on his hips as he watched her shimmy through the passageway. It was short enough that she could hold her breath and reach the other side before she had to release it, but she was proud of herself nonetheless. She couldn't have even fathomed doing something so bold on her first trip to Dathomir.

The tomb was brighter than expected, grabbing Sakana's attention. The ground was still rocky and a dusty red color that absorbed some of the light, emphasizing the walls of the old tomb. The familiar darkness still pulled at Sakana but it couldn't touch her, as if there was some kind of repellant around her chest. The cold settled around her but didn't seep into her limbs.

Cal had already found himself in front of her again as she took in her surroundings, letting her eyes get used to the polished stone of the walls.

"You tamed the Gorgara," came a voice from behind her. "I am almost impressed."

The Nightsister. Sakana had nearly forgotten about her.

She spun around at the sound to face the Nightsister, her warm, brown eyes piercing into Sakana's. The veil of her cloak had been lowered so that Sakana could see the rest of her face and stark white hair, much like her own, pulled into a loose bun. Her pale grey skin stood out against the red of the tomb and emphasized the intricate, darker markings that covered her face, including the delicate pout of her charcoal-colored lips.

Now that she could see her up close and without her hood, Sakana could freely admire her beauty. She was incredibly beautiful, as Sakana had already noted, but something about the newfound softness in her eyes pulled her closer to the Nightsister.

"It was in pain," Sakana said, her voice just barely wavering. Her throat felt less tight and the Nightsister looked significantly less angry, but her mere presence was enough to ignite wariness in Sakana.

"Yes," the Nightsister answered, looking Sakana up and down as she had just done to the other woman. "My brothers used to prove themselves by defeating it. It has lived a lifetime of rage and suffering."

"I know," Sakana nodded as she took a step closer to the Nightsister, "I felt it."

The Nightsister's gaze softened at Sakana's words until the angry scrunch of her nose had completely disappeared. Finally, Sakana was getting somewhere. Her eyes continued to watch the female Jedi for a moment, her irises flicking up and down as if she was contemplating what she wanted to say.

"You are quite beautiful," the Nightsister suddenly blurted out, the monotony of her voice almost making the compliment sound sarcastic. "You would have fit in well amongst my sisters."

"Thank you...?" Sakana replied, drawing out the sound as if to ask the Nightsister for her name.

"Merrin," she said, her gaze now shifting between Cal and Sakana.

"Merrin," Sakana repeated back, still drawing out the name; she liked the way it rolled off her tongue. "I'm Sakana, and this is Cal," she continued as she nodded and turned to look at him.