Tok, tok, tok, tok, tok-

"Why is the forest making noise?" Roman asked warily. "Is it sentient? Cause if it's sentient, screw defeating the Empire, I'm out of here-"

"It's not sentient, Kiddo." Pat said. "It's the foliage."

"I'm not cool with sentient foliage either." Roman said.

"No, it's the actual foliage!" Pat explained in exasperation. "The type of brush on the floor makes noise whenever it's touched. The heavier the step, the louder the sound."

"Perfect place to live if ya don't want visitors." Virgil mused.

Tok, tok, tok, tok-

"Exactly." Pat said over-top of their footsteps. "Which he doesn't. I'm breaking a lot of pacts to bring you to him."

"If this Force-user doesn't want visitors, what makes you so sure he'll want to see you?"

Pat shrugged.

Tok, tok, tok, tok-

"I don't know if he'll want to see me but we go back a long way." They said. "He can at least pretend to be happy to see me."

"So there's nowhere to hide here?" Virgil asked, looking around. Pat shook their head. "Not even in th' trees?"

"Nope." Pat said. "This whole forest is an intruder alert. The trees shake you out if you try climb, the floor echoes your footsteps. Like you said, Kiddo, perfect place to hide if you don't want visitors."

"What's'that?" Virgil asked.

"What's what?"

"A 'kiddo'." Virgil quoted. "What is it?"

"It's just a nickname." Pat said. "I call everyone I'm sure isn't going to kill me my kiddos. Builds a sense of a bond so even if they do plan to kill me, they'll feel guilty about it."

Virgil nodded a little. "Smart." He admitted.

Tok, tok, tok, tok-

"So does th' sound change wi' th' footstep?" He continued. "Like, do my footsteps sound different to Princey's?"

"Well, of course." Pat said. "Each step is different so, naturally the sound is. Also helps you work out roughly how big and tall the walker is. Means they're easier to shoot."

"Shoot?!" Roman repeated. Pat shrugged.

"I said he didn't like visitors."

"If memory serves, then it's a left here." Pat said, darting between two trees identical from all the rest in the forest.

"We've been walkin' for suns and suns!" Virgil protested, dragging his feet.

"It's only been half an hour." Pat said with a roll of their eyes. Roman snorted. "What?"

"You still use that E-75 measurement?" He asked. Pat shrugged. "No one's used hours for over a hundred halves!"

"Why not?" Pat asked. "It's efficient."

"It's basic." Virgil said. "Not even Princey uses how-ers and he's from E-75 itself!"

"What's left of it, anyway." Roman muttered. Pat rolled their eyes and pressed on.

Tok, tok, tok, tok, tok, tok, tok-

"So, what's this Force-user like?" Virgil asked, ducking under a low-hanging branch. Pat slowed slightly, their eyes hazing over in thought.

"He's nice." They said shortly. "Once you get through."

"An' how long will it take to 'get through'?"

"Years, probably." Pat said. "At least, that's how long it took me."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Well, I ain't got 'years'. I've got here and now." He ducked under another branch. "So, basically, he's not nice?"

"He's a bit brisk." Pat conceded. "He doesn't deal well with stupidity."

"Oh. Hear'that, Princey?" Virgil called back. "This Force-user don't deal well wi' stupid people. How'd ya think he's gonna deal wi' ya?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Roman dead-panned. "You're making me wish I'd never saved you from that Empire ship."

"Ya couldn't live wi'out me." Virgil said. "Come on, we're losin' Pat."

"Do we really need them?" Roman whispered. Virgil shrugged so Roman pressed on with his next question. "Do you really have 2,500 credits?"

"Do I look like th' kinda person wi'that kinda money?" Virgil laughed. His face softened down from a smile when he saw real worry in Roman's eyes. "No, I don't." He said. "But I'll get it. Somewhere."

"Hey! You two!" Pat yelled after them. "Come on!"

"Besides," Virgil muttered, "I might not even be alive in time to pay them."

How have we gotten here? How?! Chapter 40. HOW?!
Bye,
Blaize