But could she do that here?

Nope.

The only way she could communicate with anyone here was through stream of consciousness. But at the moment, that form could only be used one way.

The Padawan's rump was getting damp from the grass the four of them had taken to sitting on, and she was there listening to them talk to each other in quiet voices. Her gaze drifted from eachof them and up into the canopy where she saw more homes and buildings high in the trees. The subtle glow of their lanterns illuminated the foliage with an eerie and esoteric silver light.

She had given up listening to them, although she found it easier totake in the sounds of their voices. That was rather interesting. There was a gentle tap on her arm and she turned to see Merry had scooted up a bit more, looking like he wanted to ask a question. He grabbed a stick and, finding a dirt patch near them, began drawing something. When he was done, he motioned for Adai to see. She stood up, walked around Boromir and Pippin who were also looking, and looked closely at the pictograms in the ground.

There were two simple figures scrawled in the earth, one smaller than the other. She could easilly tell one was supposed to represent her, and the other was Merry. Above their heads was an arrow that pointed from Adai's head to his. Her sending messages to him. Then beneath that was another set of figures, only this time, the arrow went from Merry's head to her ear. What was he trying to explain? The fact that she couldn't understand their language was well established, andhe knew they couldn't use the Force to mentally communicate thoughts. She could feel their auras and read their emotions, though.

Adai shrugged, and Merry, huffed. Pippin asked him something, and he answered. Pipping suddenly grabbed her hands and placed the palms of her hands on his temples. The Padawan had and idea at what he was trying to get to, and so sent him an image depicting the two of them sitting, with Adai's hands on his temples; both of their eyes closed. Colors and shapes and memories and images of people eminated from his head, and a feeling of understanding flowed from her to him. Can I read your thoughts?

The small humanoid suddenly jumped up ecstatically and started nodding, and Adai thought.

Could she read his mind... could she? She hadn't tried it before. It would certainly make communication much easier, and once she got the hang of it, it would be almost as natural as a verbal conversation. As she turned her attention to the three around her again, she almost laughed at how thrilled they were at the fact that she understood Merry's question. Once they saw her smile, they calmed down a bit and smiled back.

Adai pulled herself up onto her knees and gestured for Pippin to get a little closer. She put her hands on his shoulders and closed her eyes. The other two watched and were quiet.

I'm going to read your mind.

She felt him nod.

Think something that's vivid to you. I don't care what it is.

Opening an eye for a moment, she saw him give a look to Merry before closing his eyes too, furrowing his brow in concentration.

It was dull at first; all she saw was colors. She was surprised at how bright and vivid the greens were. There were earthy reds and browns, and swirls of colorful light. The soup of color began to take form. She watched as people materialized... men, women, children. And lights. Fireworks. Trees, and grass, and then she began to hear things. There was music, and cheering, and laughing. It was a great party... the smell of delicious food filled her nose, and she found herself breathe in deeply as if there was a roast right in front of her. But suddenly the scenery abruptly went dark. There was panic, and she could tell it was night. There was a horrible screeching, and she saw a face on the ground. The rest of his was wrapped up tightly while a pair of eyes looked up at the sky with pain and a sense of lifelessness. Adai shuddered and the scene changed again. It was bright, and welcoming, and peaceful. She saw tall people with long hair and gentle faces, and gardens. She heard water in the background constantly. She was suddenly taken to a meeting of sorts. The mood was stifling. But the memory Pipping was re-living was near to the end, and she only heard the verdict. She heard "Nine Walkers" and "Nine Riders" from another humanoid sitting in the head chair, and (looking through Pippin's eyes) saw eight other men standing around her. Four of them had below-average statures, and the other four were tall. She recognized Boromir and Merry in the group. Pippin felt aphrehension. But the scene changed several more times, and she caught glimpses of the nine figures in the wilderness. Pippin half-thought through another memory that she couldn't interpritate as well as the others. There was darkness and fire, and fear. In the middle of it all, she saw a blinding white light, and then it was gone. Adai suddenly opened her eyes as the memory ended and Pippin shuddered under her grip on his shoulders. His hands went to his eyes, and he sniffled a little bit. Merry embraced him and said something softly. Adai knew she had tapped into a painful memory. And judging from the vividity, she knew that it was still fresh in his mind.

I'm sorry, she sent. I'm so sorry.