The Red Knights Lament

Wherever We Are Pt 2

Time seemed to pass in phases as the ship wrecked individuals managed to survive, though be it largely due to Kylo's quick wit. 

First there was the heat phase. A ruthless wave of humidity never truly dissipating. Uniforms and armors had quickly been discarded as they were left vulnerable in pitch black under armors and blaster slips. 

The second phase, was the flames. Consuming all in its path, and creating larger amounts of heat and oceans of smoke, clouding their visions and drawing their breaths short. It appeared to never end.

Though finally, there was the rain phase. Though they were welcome as a distinguish to the gruesome flames the pounding monsoons wreaked havoc and pushed floods throughout the deep valleys, sending the group farther up into the foreign planets mountains. 

Knowing truly how much time had passed could've been anyone's guess. Phasma had been in charge of keeping count, but had lost track once she hit fifty three. Though to be fair to the chrome armored woman, the events of day fifty three sacrificed quite a few of their storm troopers. It had been a particularly miserable day. More so than usual.  But to ease the mind, the knights began marking dashes into the cave walls, trunks of trees, and even in the dirt, taking extra precaution as to not let the number phase out of their heads. Currently their marks had reached fifteen, though each passing day their yearn to not mark anymore grew larger, yet their hopes grew thinner as well. 

The coals of the fire glowed a somber red as Lanza poked them aside. In charge of cooking for the night, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of expectancy to be as hospitable as possible for everyone. Moral was lower than normal and though she didn't blame a single soul, she knew something relatively edible would boost a few moods. Finding most of the indigenous aliens toxic in consumption, the group had mainly taken to eating roots, berries, and other small scavenged trinkets. Their only saving grace had really been the rain. As of recently, the flooding showed some benefit as it had carried about a large number of fish to a nearby lake. Not only were they surprisingly pleasing to the eye, but to the taste buds as well. Finding something so large in protein and edible at that? It was nothing short of a miracle. Lanza wouldn't have dared track any farther than her waist into the vast waters, but rather waited patiently in a cove, blasting any creature that happened to pass by. Through this repetitive technique, she had grown satisfied of the number she caught to finally head back to camp. 

Gutting the large amount of fish had shown to be tedious, though she had to admit, ripping the spines out of the once living vessles proved to be oddly satisfying. After they had been drained of their blue blood, she began to slice and clean them under their mostly purified boiling water. Sure, she didn't have to be this careful with their food. She could've simply done what Hux had, simply cooking the fish as is and leaving the tedious work of picking out bones on their own time, but she wasn't that much of an asshole. Besides, maybe Kylo Ren would give her praise for the work. Ever since Matt had given her the push to attempt conversation with the scarred man, she oddly began seeking out times to talk with him. Even if it had just been small talk and mutual concern on their current situation, she couldn't help but feel honoured for any form of communication other than an order. She would have to thank the radar technician sooner or later. Despite his odd and awkward auras, he was pleasant to be around regardless.

That Matt. She had to admit she missed him. Sure she had her fellow knights to converse with, and hell,  she had even created some sort of odd friendship with Phasma, so frankly she hadn't been lacking in conversation, so why miss him? That's all they really did anyhow, walk and talk . Well there was that time he taught her more about ship engines and the difference between the yellow nuclear fusion rod and the red one, but really what reason was there to miss his company? Her mind wandered as she flipped the fish, letting them cook evenly. Maybe it wasn't the conversation she missed, but rather he himself? Was he a friend? She had never truly had one of those in all technicality. The lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka had been surprisingly generous in his interactions with her in the past when she had once been an officer, but to have called the two friends? She had never wanted to assume, so breaking communications once she had been promoted? She deemed that to be an acceptable move.  And yet, it was a nice thought, to think Matt saw her as a friend. She couldn't help but feel a small tug on her lips as they formed into a gentle grin. Did she think of him as a friend as well? She couldn't quite say. She hoped they were, deep down, but if he didn't see them that way she would be too bashful to say otherwise. And yet despite all that, she couldn't help but marvel in the possibility.