Need to Lose Myself Tonight

[Dani]

She’d not been terribly interested in joining the first hunt of a new recruit at first, figuring it wouldn’t be anything big. But when word got around it was a large pack of maalraas harassing another clan’s camp, she volunteered – anytime a camp’s defenses were being risked, she always went. In general, quite a few of her clan volunteered after learning that. Not surprising. And seeing as Dxun was only a short shuttle from Onderon, it wasn’t like it was a terrible trip, either.

The hunt went pretty much to plan, minus one of the hunters getting stuck in a sinkhole and almost eaten by a cannok while he was, but they managed to salvage that. The first timer had gotten her helmet ripped off and almost beheaded by one of the maalraas, but another hunter had thrown himself bodily on the creature before it could. No deaths, only a few injuries, it was all around a solid and successful hunt. They had decided to host their party at the other clan’s camp, since several of their hunters had taken part as well, and since it was their camp they had saved, it seemed fitting.

Ugh, but it was hot here. It didn’t stop them from taking a trip to the sparring area, of course, Rikima herself did about five bouts before calling it quits, and was relieved when someone started chanting for drinks. She had joined them eagerly. Two hours in and her armor was stifling in the humidity of the jungle, not to mention being surrounded by so many people. The end result was her ordering far more drinks than she should, despite knowing that she was going to end up embarrassing herself.

She separated herself from the crowd a bit so she could get better air, leaning herself against a large crate and nursing her drink, seriously considering taking her armor off. If she got dragged into a fistfight it would end badly if she did, but damn, she was miserable with it on.

[Ysmir]

---

No tumbles, no hiccups. Hell, not even a facial scar as far as the eye could see.

Was this getting easier, or were the times really just changing that fast?

Whatever the case may be, Hal was equal parts impressed and let down by the actions of the hunters on the jungle moon. The impression; that they could be so bold as to take measly numbers to clear out an entire pack of maalraas. Cannok were nothing more than a mere nuisance. The most you had to worry about when they were around were the blasted beasts eating you out of house and home, swallowing everything they could fit in their gaping maw. Maalraas were a far sight more dangerous, requiring no small amount of tact and tenacity to take down, especially a pack this size. But they managed to do it, even if one of the hunters was greener than the plains of Dantooine.

The let down; nobody died. A little bit of genuine fear injected into the hearts of new recruits always made for tougher, more reliable warriors down the line. Take that away, and what were you left with? A shadowed imitation of what it feels like to be in true battle, nothing more. But, Hal would reserve that judgement for a more appropriate time. Given the context of the situation, Hal would have been hard-pressed to protest against the idea of celebration. During the hunt, he did little more than offer support and observe as the younger warriors showcased what they had learned. He nearly let the poor fodder who fell into a sinkhole rot there for commiting such a clumsy error, but relented to help him out if only for the sake of the others around him. As per usual, and completely against custom for the Mando'ade, Hal refused to don his Beskar'gam for the hunt, opting instead for much more breathable and flexible fiber mesh armor. Once wounds were tended to and trophies taken from the kills, the party decided to head back to the clan's camp for a post-hunt celebration. Overzealous? Certainly. Unnecessary? Completely. But such was the life of the Mando'ade, excess in all things. Hal would go, stay for a while, perhaps, then catch a shuttle back to Onderon within a few hours. He owed the group at least that much.

The clan -- Hal thought it was Ordo, or Bralor -- was certainly not shy. The camp was alight with the maskings of the Mando'ade and their glory. Banners hung high over the ramparts of the camp's high walls, and most of the intermingled clanspeople were gathered around a central bonfire pit that billowed smoke high into the night sky of Dxun. Were it not for the boisterous and proud ramblings of warriors exchanging stories of conquest with one another, one might hear the call of the Drexl high overhead as it soared through the air. Nearby, Hal stood removed from the main celebration to take note of the sparring circle, where he barked at warriors engaging in friendly competition.

"Keep those feet square, or you'll get knocked off them!" Hal said -- roared, more accurately -- as he stepped in and kicked a Mandalorian duelist's foot two inches to the left. A solid base was a fundamental of hand-to-hand combat that so many grossly ignored.

Hal remained there for as long as the fights lasted, and found himself alone by one of Dxun's infamous "watering holes" located in the camp; little more than a swampy, soupy mess that laid within the jungle's damp ground. Revelry through consumption of vast quantities of alcohol was never one of his great preferences, and so he removed himself from the crowd once that became the activity of the night. His silent and peaceful self-reflection was broken only by the sight, out of the corner of his eye, of a somewhat familiar face standing approximately ten meters away by a large equipment crate. He had seen her fighting in the circle hours earlier, fiercely no less. A Togruta, one of his clan. She seemed distracted. Hal stood.

Still free as a breeze outside of his Beskar'gam, the humidity of the jungle air clearly hadn't gotten to him as much as it had to her. He crossed his arms as he approached her, perhaps catching her off guard by the suddenness of his speech. "You could stand to spend a bit more time on your fundamentals, Mandalorian," Hal said with a somewhat condescending tone, though the brazenness with which he spoke indicated it was meant to be more of a playful ice-breaker than anything else.

"Crowd finally got to you, 'eh? Prefer it out in the jungle, among the beasts?"