|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2012 17:24:46 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 14, 2012 17:24:46 GMT -5
Ervisa Therani had only been on Taris for a day, and she was already returning to her old habits. Disgusted with the way her time on Oatara had failed, she was drinking heavily, and it took all her restraint not to take a line of spice.
However, she hadn't yet had sexual relations with anyone or anything, and she wasn't strictly speaking 'in the mood' right now. The fallout of the last time she'd had sex was severe enough that she wasn't actively seeking yet, despite the fact it was shaping up to be another dry spell. Maybe Ervisa would break it later and do what she wanted, what she needed. Or maybe she'd languish drunk in a bar for another few days until she ran out of money and had to look for a job.
It was a real pity the Sith had ravaged Taris long ago. If they hadn't, she probably could have gotten a job in the dueling ring or found some good work, but now everything was still too closely tied in to the reconstruction. It was likely she'd just have to loiter around cantinas and look for someone in need of a pilot, taking freelance jobs.
If she'd had the money, Ervisa might have just bought her own damn ship, but she didn't. The Mirialan had a thousand credits to her name, and that was it. In other words, times were going to be pretty rough.
The emerald-skinned woman toyed with her long braid of hair as she watched the bartender preparing her mixed drink, trying hard not to think back on her time with Spearpoint and what a catastrophic failure it had been.
Just like her time as a Jedi, and don't forget her quick dalliance with love that left her bitter and disillusioned.
It was times like these when she felt the anxiety bubbling up inside her, unable to stop focusing on her failures, cognizant of the exact way she'd felt years ago when her Padawan had been killed on Felucia. That memory too was strong tonight, and when the drink came she downed it all in one long gulp.
Tonight she was drinking to forget.
"Keep 'em coming buddy," She commanded the bartender wearily as she eyed the clock on the wall. 2AM. Yeah, this was the way she'd wanted to spend her night all right.
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2012 20:31:19 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 14, 2012 20:31:19 GMT -5
Horst adjusted his jacket as he stepped into the bar, sticking out like a sore thumb. He was wearing a maroon T-shirt under a leather blazer with one of his Geog's Rancor patches on the shoulder, being the only indication that he had ever been military. His hair was pretty short, though long enough to look like a complete mess, and he wore a worn-down pair of jeans just at the stage that the knees started to look a little pale.
Over all, he screamed Corellia, and he had dressed that way on purpose. He hated Taris already; way too much like Coruscant for his tastes.
But then again he wasn't there because he was on leave. To the contrary, Horst doubted Ethan even knew where he was. That'd be something he'd have to deal with when he got back, but for now the matter held no importance to him whatsoever.
Horst Stellar was looking for someone.
Coming to sit at the end of the bar, Horst knocked on the counter lightly, looking around. Sure enough he'd been right, at the other end of the bar sat a anxious Mirialan woman downing drinks like there was going to be a galaxy-wide liquor shortage.
Ervi. Horst stared at her for a moment as he sat, wondering what to do now that he'd finally found her. Being in Spec. Ops. had helped him a lot over the years, and what he'd learned of tracking people had led him to find her. Granted he wasn't going to be hunting down dangerous criminals and becoming a private eye any time soon, but Ervisa hadn't exactly left an invisible trail, especially considering she was so... "memorable" physically speaking.
The hell do I do now? Finding her had been a nice task to focus on, but now that it was achieved, Horst realized that he hadn't actually thought of what he would say. After all, what could he say?
Hey Ervi. Sorry I drove ya' off, get jealous when you found someone new, an' beat up my best friend over ya'. Horst sighed as the barkeep walked over to him. He'd said it once, and he'd say it a million more times; his lead tongue would get him killed one of these days.
The barkeep looked at him expectantly, and Horst ordered his staple; the strongest Corellian alcohol they had on the shelves. Soon he was sipping a nice Corellian Whiskey on the rocks, still stealing a glance over at Ervisa every now and again.
Finally he decided that if his tongue was going to be made of lead, he'd try his hand at a pen. Grabbing a napkin, Horst pulled out a pen he had on-hand and scribbled a quick note in his chicken-scratch penmanship.
Hey. He paused, looking at that
... Hells, how stupid is that? Crumpling up the napkin, Horst obtained another, thinking hard. Finally he scribbled something new.
Booze doesn't help. He observed the napkin again before sighing, crumpling it too. Eight napkins and two pockets filled with crappy notes later he finally decided on what he considered the least crappy of his all of his crap.
Want me to go?
It was awful, but it'd work. Horst knocked on the counter again, and the barkeep came over, mixing a drink as he asked what was up.
"Give this ta' the Mirialan down the way there. Don't say who it's from." The barkeep nodded before taking the napkin without a word. Horst sighed a little before taking another sip of his whiskey, hoping to the hells that Ervisa just wouldn't up and leave again.
He made another decision though. If she left, he would let her go. He didn't own her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2012 23:20:29 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 14, 2012 23:20:29 GMT -5
Ervisa's head was spinning by the time the bartender came over to her again, and the green woman stared down at her drink with a look of confusion, as it was still half-full. Then she frowned, thinking that the weasel-faced punk was going to cut her off. She prepared a witty retort and it died on her lips as he handed her a napkin.
On it were three words scrawled in the Aurebesh- No, four words. Five? Dammit, why was counting so hard right now? It was a little blurry but she could make it out.
Want me to go?
Wanted who to go? The bartender? Ervisa stared at him skeptically and old weasel-face shrugged.
"Gift from your secret admirer I think."
Ervisa downed the rest of her drink.
"What the frak is this supposed to mean? Someone asking me on a date?"
"I don't know hon, why don't you play detective and find out who sent it for yourself?"
"Stuff it weasel-face," Ervisa said snippily. "Why don't you just tell me who did it?"
The bartender stared blankly for a minute and then proceeded to crack up, Ervisa staring for another second before she realized this was hilarious and joined in. After a few long seconds, their mutual laughter died down.
"It's a guy, big dude at the other end of the bar. Don't tell him I told you."
"You'ze got it chief," Ervisa said as she downed her fresh drink, standing up and promptly noticing the room was spinning. She steadied herself before she pretended to survey the room, walking around from behind and seeing the big man at the bar from behind.
This might have been her chance for a job or at least some guilt-free action, so she put on her best charming smile and slid into the stool next to him, belatedly noticing there was something familiar about him.
His face came into view and Ervisa promptly thumped her head onto the wooden surface of the bar.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The Mirialan groaned, the intoxication leeching into her voice, a hiccup punctuating her comment. "Are you my stalker now or something?"
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2012 23:38:52 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 14, 2012 23:38:52 GMT -5
Horst sighed again as he glanced over at Ervisa. The bartender was talking with her an awful lot for a guy who was just supposed to be handing her booze and a napkin.
When she got up and slid into the stool next to him, he cursed a little under his breath. What happened to decent barkeepers, huh?
Ervisa was pretty obviously already a little tipsy, which made Horst frown a bit. He knew what it was like to drown out your troubles, and he'd done it long enough to know that it didn't really work. A cycle developed, and by the looks of it Ervisa was sliding back into that infinite nightmare like it a hand to a glove.
I should- He stopped himself right there, denying his instinct for a change. He wasn't going to do a single thing until she answered his question, so until that point he was content to sit there with his drink enjoying the flavor and wondering how he could sort through the new trainees he'd given Quincy the charge of (not that the drill sergeant had been thrilled to see him, but orders were orders).
When Ervisa finally realized it was him, she was pretty vocal in her displeasure. Horst merely sipped his drink again, watching the orange liquid flow between the ice cubes as he swirled the glass.
"Ya' didn't answer my question Ervi." He sipped again, this one being very small as he tasted the whiskey rather than drank it. The liquid was nice and warm in his mouth, and as he swallowed it he could feel it right up until it hit his stomach. That meant it was good liquor.
When he remembered Ervisa again, he didn't turn to look at her. Horst needed to know that one thing before he could choose his next course of action, and he wasn't about to get emotional again.
For once, he was actually pretty calm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2012 23:58:54 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 14, 2012 23:58:54 GMT -5
Now the question clicked, what he'd scrawled on the frakking napkin.
Did she want him to go?
Why hadn't he signed it? How was she supposed to know it was him? And if he'd told the bartender not to tell her, what the hall had he thought he was going to achieve? Either it made no sense or she was more drunk than she'd thought. Or else both.
The Mirialan sighed as she realized that she was ignoring his damn question.
On the surface it is was absurdly easy. She had left hadn't she? She'd bailed on the whole faction and vanished away without a word, which would seem to indicate to just about anyone that she didn't want to be involved. Yet if she dug a little deeper, it was freaking complicated.
She hadn't left because she'd hated Horst. She'd left because Ervisa Therani had screwed up the whole damn faction and gotten two good friends fighting in front of a dozen people. The Mirialan woman had removed herself because she didn't want to be complicating the situation any more than she already had.
Her hand, clad in a brown glove, snaked out and grabbed Horst's glass and she downed what remained of his drink, which tasted like good whiskey, though she'd have consumed anything by this point.
The Mirialan woman sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she tried to find the right words to say. She was so damned ambivalent right now.
"Look," She finally began. "I dunno whether to punch you in the face or kiss you. Becaushe of you I had to bail on a good job, and now you jusht shtalked me a few hundred lightyearsh. I don't know what to feel right now."
Ervisa's head swirled a little more and the room got a little dark around the edges.
Suddenly a wave of nausea seized her, and the green-woman turned a little greener, promptly sending a deluge of vomit straight onto Horst before she swayed and fell off of her chair, hitting the ground and laughing hysterically before blacking out.
She passed into unconsciousness, and the bartender meandered over, looking at Horst and the vomit on him. He laughed.
"That there's a keeper son."
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 16:21:08 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 16:21:08 GMT -5
Horst looked on unimpressed as Ervisa snatched his whiskey and downed it hook, line, and sinker, not even tasting it. He sighed; one of the lesser evils of drinking to forget was that you never got to enjoy good liquor. To people in that position, a fine glass of whiskey was just as good as the most backwater glass of crude alcohol.
He clasped his hands and rested them on the bar counter, twiddling his thumbs as he waited for his answer. When he finally got it, he sighed again; it wasn't a no, but it wasn't really a yes either. More like a maybe.
Then Ervisa puked, fell over drunk, giggled like a schoolgirl, and passed out.
I know how yer' feelin' alright. Horst stood up, ignoring the barkeep cracking up behind the counter. His comment actually provoked a spat of rage in the Corellian, but he reminded himself again of where that had got him.
He wasn't going to stop being angry, but he'd at least stop acting on it. At least for now.
"Gimmie' a rag, huh pal?" The bartender, still chuckling loudly, handed Horst a dish towel, which he used to try and wipe some of the vomit off of his lap. He couldn't help but wonder what the heck Ervisa had been eating to get such a weird looking color...
... and there was one more sigh. Horst looked down at her, tossing the rag to (more like at) the smug bartender, who was still in the dying stages of his hysteria. The Mirialan was out cold, puke on her lips, smiling, and generally looking like the most pathetic thing Horst had ever seen. If she'd been a normal soldier he would have slapped her awake and whipped her into shape faster than he could say "push-ups".
Not today though. Throwing a few credits onto the counter, Horst heaved Ervisa up onto his shoulder in a fireman's carry, thanking the bartender sarcastically. The man simply took the money and waved them off, grinning wildly.
Smartass. Horst exited the bar with Ervisa in tow, wondering where in the hell he thought he was going.
To be honest, he wandered for a little while, debating as to if he should just load her into the copilot's seat in the Spearpoint fighter he'd taken and start flying them home. That would have been a good idea. When she came to she'd be back, things could get back to normal...
... That's tha' stupidest thing I've ever thought of. No matter what he did, Ervisa would be mad when she woke up, and the prospect of them both stuck in a small space in hyperspace while she raged was certainly unappealing. More importantly though, she still hadn't given him a straight-forward answer, and so Horst still wasn't ready to act.
So, he decided to do what he'd done the last time he'd had to carry Ervisa around drunk and unconscious.
Grab a bite to eat.
Finding a nice diner with a view of the land's border with the sea, Horst entered the establishment, greeted by a few odd looks. He sat Ervisa in a booth next to a window with a great view of the ocean, the waves sparkling under the afternoon sun (which was starting to throw shades of pink as it set), and then sat down himself. When the waitress came over, she gave him quite the accusatory look.
Horst read her mind, looking pretty exhausted himself by the whole thing. "She's drunk. Lot's a' stuff ta' deal with." The waitress didn't look thoroughly convinced, but she asked for his order anyway. Horst requested a nice cup of coffee, "black as a soldier's eye" as he'd learned from Rorry all those years ago, and received it within a minute.
He glanced at Ervisa, sipped his coffee, and then looked out at the ocean, waiting for her to come to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 16:49:06 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 16:49:06 GMT -5
Ervisa was extremely unladylike at the moment. There was a line of saliva leaking from the corner of her mouth, a little brown stain on her chin, and she was snoring, as she was wont to do when passed out drunk.
However, not everything lasted forever, and hours after she'd passed out, consciousness started to take hold of the Mirialan woman, and gradually she became cognizant of a few things. She was in a place with numerous small sounds, which seemed magnified as they rang in her ears, and she was upright. Before she even opened her eyes she felt all the others in the Force, including one presence that was familiar.
If she'd not blacked out and forgotten the events of last night, Ervisa might have remembered that Horst had shown up, but the past night's events were an enigma, and the green woman had sincerely hoped she'd have woken up in bed surrounded by hot guys and empty bottles of alcohol, with her bra dangling from a ceiling fan. That was the mark of a good evening.
In contrast, waking upright in a booth in a restaurant was something she'd done exactly once before with Horst Stellar, which she wasn't so keen on remembering right now.
Wouldn't it be trippy if it was Horst? The Mirialan woman asked herself.
Tentatively she opened her grey eyes, only to have the daylight burn her like a vampire, narrowing them once more to a squint until they adjusted. Automatically she fished out her pair of aviators and pulled them on, and then she could see again.
Irony, Ervisa quickly decided, was a grade A bish. Here she was, again, in a restaurant, again, with Horst, again, recovering from a drinking bout, again.
"The frak are you doing here?" Ervisa asked a little too loudly, clutching her head from the sound of her own voice, as if holding it together when it threatened to split apart.
Had he literally just stalked her to Taris? She had gone to Taris, right? Or was she still on Oatara?
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 17:01:30 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 17:01:30 GMT -5
Horst was dozing with his head propped up on his arm, which sat on the table, watching the sun get lower and lower in the sky until it finally hit the horizon, throwing a gorgeous hue of colors out across the water. Even Horst had to remark that it looked incredible...
... how tha' hell are we here AGAIN? If no one had told him that he was on Taris and that he'd already known Ervisa for a good month or two now, Horst would have found it impossible to tell this little outing apart from the last one on Oatara. Were they both really still at that point all that time ago? They hadn't progressed at all?
When Ervisa stirred, Horst snapped out of his daze, glancing at her as she put on her shades (just like last time) and looking at him with something between shock and rage (just like last time).
It seemed that they were both playing quite the broken record.
Ervisa demanded to know what in the nine Hells Horst thought he was doing on Taris. To be honest, he didn't really know. Maybe it was that he was after bringing Spearpoint's best pilot back. Maybe he was still sniffing for some action. Still maybe he wanted a girlfriend.
But all of that sounded too stupid to even be imagined, and so Horst simply went back to the only thing he was sure of. "Still waitin' fer' that answer Ervi. After that I'll go." He sipped his coffee and avoided looking at her, still unusually calm. The sun sank a little more behind the horizon, and light poured into the diner through the window, bathing both of their faces. Horst had to squint.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 17:15:36 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 17:15:36 GMT -5
Ervisa stared blankly.
Answer? When had there been a question?
The Mirialan pilot wracked her brain trying to remember their past conversations, wondering if there was some parting question he'd asked her. Hell, if there was any question he'd asked her. If there was though, she couldn't remember it.
Maybe it had something to do with knowing more about her.
Ervisa sighed and mumbled something rude under her breath.
"Look," She said softly, "If this has more to do with getting to know me, I don't get why you care. I'm not worth knowing. I'm not the girl you take home to meet mom and dad."
The emerald woman stared out the window and grimaced, admitting the truth to herself aloud.
"I'm the girl you have a good time and a few laughs with, then you leave. I genuinely don't understand why you want something more."
After all, don't you know I'm a junkie wh0re?
She didn't say the last aloud, but she thought it. Ervisa didn't understand why a man so possessive would want a woman who'd been with hundreds of men? She wasn't pure by any stretch of the word. Ervi was dirty, filthy even. Moreover, she was a lost cause. She'd been clean for maybe a month before going back to alcoholism, and it was probably just a matter of time before she went back to spice.
Ervisa was trouble. There was no way around that fact, and why would anyone think you could build a relationship around that trouble?
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 17:35:53 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 17:35:53 GMT -5
Horst polished off his coffee before swirling what little liquid remained in his mug. He set it at the table's edge, waiting patiently for the waitress to see it and come over, offering a refill. Even then he didn't speak, merely nodding. As soon as he had fresh caffeine he took another sip, still focusing his attention on the sunset.
Did it have to do with getting to know her better?
"It might. Maybe. Sorta'. I don't frakkin' know..." Horst ran a hand through his hair before shifting his jacket again, obviously not sure. He really didn't know much of anything by this point; did he like Ervisa? Did she like him? Were they just two ships passing in hyperspace? Had this been a fling? He cursed at himself a little under his breath before laughing softly in astonishment of his own lack of understanding. What in the hells was he doing here?
He shook his head. "All I know is that I asked ya' if ya' wanted me ta' go earlier. Ya' answer that," he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the diner's door, taking another sip of coffee, "and I'm outta' here just like that. No hassle. None a' me smackin' some guy. No ever havin' ta' see my ugly mug again."
Horst honestly expected the answer to be a "Hell no, get bent you ass!". After all, what had he done to get the opposite reaction? He'd forced her hand, beaten up his best friend because he'd forced her hand, and now he was here stalking her because she'd left because he'd beaten up his best friend because he'd forced her hand.
And of course he'd only forced her hand because he was probably the biggest, most possessive assh*le in the Mid-Rim, if not the entire quadrant. He sipped his coffee again, noting the bitterness. This was what he'd become over the years; an insensitive, hard-hearted, unconnected killing machine about as smooth as a spear's tip and as stable as a sinking ship. To be fair he'd never really been very good with people at the deep personal connection level (aside from his friends, most of whom weren't too much unlike him), but nowadays it seemed like he punched more folks than he shook the hands of. Honestly, he was amazed that Ervisa hadn't simply punched him and left when he'd shown up at the bar.
Whatever. She'll do it now. And he wouldn't do anything to stop her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 18:57:28 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 18:57:28 GMT -5
Ervisa blinked.
The very first thing that ran through her head had nothing to do with the question. Ultimatum. Proposal. Exchange. Thing. Instead, it was a sense of confusion over the notion that she'd just met him, as she couldn't remember a damn thing about last night, or however long it had been. What had she said? What had she done?
Somehow she doubted she'd punched him in the face for being such a jerk, though she was pretty sure he deserved it. Similarly, she probably wasn't happy to see him, as she wasn't happy now.
Now she was faced with a hard question to answer, and one that she didn't know how to answer.
Did she want him to go? Yes. But also no. It wasn't so much that she wanted him to go as she wanted to leave. What she wanted was irrelevant though, as the drama she'd caused wasn't about to go away.
"I don't know," Ervisa said glumly. "By all rights I should hate your guts, but I don't."
The Mirialan woman sighed as she had trouble deciding. This wasn't what she was good at. Ervisa could fly anything, she could get into a lightsaber fight, and she could handle herself in most situations; but here and now she was clueless, lost in the woods.
"Why do you want to stick by me? Why shouldn't I tell you to go away? Answer those questions and I'll answer yours."
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 19:46:16 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 19:46:16 GMT -5
Horst stood up and started zipping up his coat. He'd tried at least, and even if he hated the idea he co-
Then he registered that she hadn't said "Get out". She hadn't even said "I don't like you". Just... "I don't know..."
The one thing he hadn't been expecting was no answer at all.
So we're both lost. Great. Two ships passing in the night an neither of them had a spare compass? Horst sat back down, looking even more tired than before. This whole thing was more exhausting to him than the training hikes he took the troops on, and those went on for days.
But Ervisa had put up a good point; why was Horst even there? Why was he putting so much effort into this? Why not just cut his losses and head on home to try and fix the problems he'd created elsewhere?
Why risk making this even worse?
Horst sighed. This wasn't his area of expertise by a long shot. Training fringe? No problem. Leading troops? He could do it blindfolded. Fixing choppers? No need to ask.
Dealing with relationships? Sorry, those plays didn't seem to be in his particular playbook.
Make it simple. Why do ya' like 'er? Well that was easy enough. Ervisa was tough and sexy and seemed like a decent person at her core, no matter how she acted. Sure she had problems, but who in this crazy galaxy didn't? Besides, Horst had met people far worse than her who he'd at least befriended. Why not strive to turn a long string of punches into at least a handshake?
"Fair 'nuff. 'Course my answers are a little shaky here. I'm, uh... workin' this out as we go along." Horst looked at his coffee mug for a minute, trying to translate his thoughts from neural conversation to spoken word.
"I guess... I don't wanna' let ya' go... 'cause... I don't wanna' see ya' go. I like ya' Ervi. Yer' tough, n' ya' can be pretty nice when ya' don't seem like yer' tryin' ta' prove somethin', like the galaxy's out ta' get ya'."
Horst rubbed his eyes, hoping that his lead tongue was at least doing a decent job of not making him sound like a corny, capricious, haughty bigot who was talking out of his ass. If he couldn't even give advice without sounding like a note in a fortune cookie, he shuddered to think of what he sounded like now.
"... 'sides, even if ya' leave... I don't want it ta' be 'cause I spoiled yer' life fer' ya." With that Horst took a considerable gulp of coffee a little quicker than he should of, coughing lightly as he set the cup down. He didn't dare try to say anything else; right now the only enemy he had worse than himself was that piece of stone in his mouth he called a tongue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 20:17:50 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 20:17:50 GMT -5
"My life was already spoiled before you even met me," Ervisa said softly.
The Mirialan pulled off her brown leather gloves, revealing the tattooed backs of her hands and slender green fingers. They reached up to massage her temples as she weighed her decision.
If he cared for her, she needed to level with him, to let him know just what he wanted to be getting into, to warn him, to steer him away from her poor choices and her whole mess of crazy.
"I'm not right for you Horst, I'm not right for anyone. I'm going to level with you here and now. When you know about me, you're not going to want anything to do with me."
Ervisa fished out a pack of her cigarettes from her pocket and lit one up with her lighter, taking a long drag, letting the smoke into her lungs, ignoring the health risks, living just for the moment as she always did.
"When I was 22 I took on an apprentice, a 13 year old kid, and I practically raised him. I taught him everything I knew, and then I lead him into danger, hunting a Dark Jedi. Everything I taught him wasn't good enough, and I failed him. He died, and on that day I changed. I couldn't let anyone get close after that. I was alone, and I quit the Order. I started to drift, and I became an alcoholic. I roamed the galaxy, sleeping with anyone and anything that caught my fancy, and I never let anyone get close. Except once."
The Mirialan woman's voice faltered as she realized how much she didn't want to talk about this phase of her life, particularly as her hand was shaking from the anxiety talking about Bola had produced. How many times she'd relived that day...
"I'd never loved anyone before, never let anyone close before. But I found him, Asyr, everything I dreamed of. I fell in love all right, like a damn schoolgirl. When I met him again I thought it was meant to be, so I poured my heart out to him and he turned me down flat. I cried in my room, and when I came out he was banging my friend. I bailed and headed off to Coruscant..."
If she'd hated what she'd just said, she hated this part worse. But, this was they key part where sympathy would turn into revulsion, for the degradation of women was worst for those who were the lowest of the low. At the very bottom, no one cared, and if they merited any thought it was that of disgust.
"Buried my grief in booze, but it wasn't enough, so I turned to spice. I got addicted, and I couldn't find any jobs. The only thing left was my body, so I started out on street corners in the lower city. I've either given myself away or sold myself hundreds of times. I've done everything you can imagine to everyone you can imagine. I'm not pure as the driven snow, I'm not some virginal beauty, and I'm definitely not a chaste princess in a tower waiting for a Knight to rescue her."
Ervisa puffed on her cigarette, letting out a long stream of smoke that hovered around her head for a few seconds before slowly dispersing and sinking.
"Let's not fool around here, I'm a wh0re. And I'm not good enough for you. I'm trouble, I'm a home wrecker. Hell, just look what I did to you and Ethan. If that's not proof enough I'm not the right girl I don't know what is. You'd be a fool to settle for someone like me."
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 20:39:15 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 20:39:15 GMT -5
"Then I'mma' fool."
Horst sat up and pushed his coffee away, looking at Ervisa with a dead-set look that screamed determination.
"Ervisa, I never expected ta' find a woman willin' ta' put up with me. Lookit me. I'm a 6 foot grizzly monster that destroys everythin' it touches n' is about as gentle n' approachable as a Rancor. Ta' be honest, I expected ya' ta' drop me like a bad habbit." She'd told him to talk about reasons to keep him, but Horst didn't give a damn. She wasn't good enough for him? Was she joking?
"Yer' a good person Ervi. I mean that. Ya' really are a nice woman who's seen way more sh*t than anyone ever should. But yer' sittin' there sayin' that I'm too good fer' ya'?" Horst patted the table, trying to think of how best to put this.
"I'mma' f*ck-up, alright? I can't go five meters without somone gettin' mad, somethin' blowin' up, or someone dyin'. I spent tha' last four years just tryin' not ta' talk ta' people, ya' understand? I have got ta' be the worst guy in tha' galaxy ta' even remotely consider fer'... anythin'!"
And he meant it. Horst Stellar had yet to touch a single thing in his life that didn't end up worse for it. Rorry was dead, the Acklay's Maw had been disassembled for questioning when he'd deserted, the Rancors were all but dead, Geog was dead, Sharpie was in just as much danger as he was, and everyone he'd ever associated with was at risk of being brought in by either the Republic or Mr. Frouten. So why the hell did she think he was any good?!
It made him downright pissy.
"I'mma' wanted criminal a' tha' Republic, wanted enemy a' tha' Empire, and I'm bein' hunted by a crimelord tha' kind a' which probably has a guy outside right now puttin' a red dot on my forehead. And ya' say you, a great, beautiful woman, is gonna' cause trouble fer' me?" That, at least prompted a nice grin from Horst, plus a few short, exasperated huffs of laughter.
"Unless ya' can just end time alta'gether, ya' can't make ANYTHIN' worse fer' me. 'N fact, I'd say ya' could make things a whole helluva' lot better."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 20:51:46 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 20:51:46 GMT -5
Ervisa stared blankly.
She hadn't been expecting that. He'd seen firsthand what she did, what she was good for. He knew she was an alcoholic, a sex addict. He knew that because of her he'd lost his best friend. So how on earth could he indirectly profess to care about her?
Hell, the Mirialan woman didn't even love herself. Some days when she looked in the mirror she felt contempt. When she was alone she looked back on all her failures and practically wept. She mourned how far she'd fallen, how much grace she'd lost.
She genuinely didn't deserve him.
"You don't understand Horst. If I stay, I'm going to break your heart. It might happen in a week or in a year, but it will happen. I've already taken away your best friend, what more can I do if I'm around?"
Ervisa slumped in the booth and stared up at the ceiling, looking for answers and not finding any.
Part of her just wanted to go back to the police and surrender, maybe try to get a pardon, to see if her addictions could be curbed by prison, and then maybe to see if the Jedi would take her back. It was the best life she'd ever know...
And maybe she'd learn to not hurt people.
The Mirialan woman needed peace. Her life was too full of tension, too full of drama and action. Everywhere she turned there was a giddy whirl of lights and colors, and she was controlled by sensations and pleasures, unable to take command of her life and give it direction.
If she came back, she was just going to drag Horst deeper into her life, make him more attached, and then when she blew it big he'd be hurt even worse.
"I'm not the right girl Horst. I can never give you stability, I can never give you love. I'm good for one thing, and that's it. And..."
Ervisa stared at the wood grain of the table and puffed her cigarette before whispering the rest of the words.
"You deserve more than that."
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 21:07:14 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 21:07:14 GMT -5
That does it. Horst quickly shuffled out of his booth, practically ripped off his jacket, threw it over his shoulder without looking, slid into Ervisa's booth, and proceeded to give her one of the most passionate kisses he'd ever given. He even managed to surprise himself with that one, as the kiss was actually pretty contained and controlled, being loving and kind-hearted without pressing or being too fierce. When they finally broke off, he sat in a sort of odd paralysis, with his inner fires still raging with courage but his body a little too shocked to go along.
He sat there, panting a little, looking at her with a rare amazement.
"Ervisa Therani, I don't even come close ta' deservin' tha' likes of you."
He blinked. Where was this coming fr- Shut up and keep talkin' before ya' lose it stupid!
"I don't care if ya' break my heart Ervi. If ya' leave, I'm never get gonna' get ta' know you, and that'll sting way more than some stupid heartbreak we could have."
He leaned back, sitting on the edge of the booth so that she could leave if she wanted. Hells, here he was again botching things up, doing moronic things like kissing her. Would she slap him? Would she even listen?
For once, the unstoppable Wrecking Wrench Stellar was, for all intents and purposes, stopped. Whether he was still wrecking was yet to be seen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 21:25:29 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 21:25:29 GMT -5
Ervisa stared at Horst, unsure of exactly what he was doing right up until he came over to her booth and kissed her, and not just any kiss, but probably the most intense kiss she'd ever shared with him. Strangely...
There was something pure in it. She didn't feel sexual at it, didn't feel a swelling within her that longed for sexual contact, for false intimacy. Instead she felt strangely clean at the moment, and it lasted for a few seconds, in which her eyes were open but unseeing.
When he pulled away, her jaw hung open a little and was completely unable to grasp what was going on.
HE didn't deserve HER? Had he even payed attention to what she'd said? Ervisa was a skank, a prostitute, a woman of ill repute, a tramp, a home wrecker. And he still said he didn't deserve her?
The Mirialan woman was at a complete and utter loss for words. What was more, she felt a panic welling up within her, a burning desire to flee, or to be anywhere besides here. She was too deep, in way over her head and the water was pouring into her lungs.
She felt so ambivalent, like she couldn't think anymore.
For the first time in a long time, tears started to trickle down her cheeks and Ervisa angrily threw her sunglasses down onto the table, the confusion crawling into her voice.
"I don't understand," Ervisa said, starting to cry. "I don't understand...
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 21:57:07 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 21:57:07 GMT -5
Horst actually tensed up, waiting for some sort of physical assault from Ervisa. And yet, now that the taste of it had sank in, that kiss was... nice. It wasn't either of them hungry for sex or either of them being pitiful... no, it was... was...
... Frak, I have no idea what I'm doing! Horst started to shiver a little, genuinely nervous. Ervisa looked upset as she threw her glasses on the table, obviously distraught. He'd made her upset, hadn't he? He was already making her life worse, wasn't he?! Hells, why did he ALWAYS have to screw this up?! Why couldn't he just shut up for a change and let people be happy, huh?! Why couldn-
Ervisa cried then, and Horst abandoned his mind, the useless thing in a pathetic panic attack. When he saw the tear roll down her cheek, he felt his heart pang in a way that it hadn't in a long time. The feeling was like those he'd get before Geog had died, the ones that could be really happy or really sad or even really angry. But he hadn't had one of those pangs in years, and this one hurt so much that he bit his lip hard, grasping at his chest a little.
She didn't understand... he didn't understand... who needed to anyway?
Horst brought his arms around Ervisa's sobbing, green mass, holding her with grizzly arms in a soft hug. He closed his eyes, trying not to throw up as his heart panged again, making him shiver a little more. His arms visibly started to shake a little, and he couldn't help but hug a little harder, trying to stay warm. The restaurant was pretty tempid, but for some reason everything besides Ervisa seemed like ice.
Another pang, and another blink. Horst brought his hand up to catch something in his eye. What was that? He brought his finger away, looking at the obstruction.
It was a dab of warm water.
"Shhhh... shhhhhhh... neither do I..." He sat there, hugging her softly, just trying not to focus on the feeling of his own heart trying to claw its way out of his chest. His voice, through its deep tone and rough sound, shook a little.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 22:12:26 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 15, 2012 22:12:26 GMT -5
Ervisa didn't resist as Horst wrapped his arms around her, and she didn't resist as he pulled her to her. She merely laid her head against his chest as she cried softly, wholly overcome by how in over her head she was.
As a Jedi, this had all been forbidden. While they opposed sex as a passion, now she was in danger of doubling passion with attachment, and that wasn't something she was comfortable with. It felt...
Odd.
Somewhere deep within, there was still a Jedi in Ervisa Therani. Not a good Jedi, not a wise one, but there was still one, often neglected and ignored, but never eliminated. Right now that Jedi was screaming no, was telling her that this was madness and a dangerous path to the Dark Side. Similarly the part of her that feared attachment due to the possibility of loss was also screaming. It was telling her she was a fool, and that if she let him get close he'd be ripped away. A third voice was telling her that she'd hurt him, that she'd ruin him. He was already addicted to her like a drug, and it would only get worse for him if she let him close. By all rights she should have turned him away for his own good.
But a final voice was telling her how good it felt to have someone who cared for her, to have someone to finally rely on and confide in, to not constantly feel alone.
The problem was, Ervisa wasn't sure which voice to follow. If it was democracy she would have rejected him flat with her head, but this was a dictatorship of the heart, and when she finally spoke it was in a small voice that wasn't her own.
"I'll stay."
She didn't stop her soft crying.
|
|
|
|
|
Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
|
|
last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
Moderator
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2012 22:26:45 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 15, 2012 22:26:45 GMT -5
Horst almost didn't hear Ervisa when she spoke those two words. He was slamming his eyes shut tight, trying not to fall apart into the same soft hysterics she was in. One of them had to be strong right now, and if Horst couldn't rely on himself for that at least, than he'd might as well get up right now, grab his jacket, and leave before he hurt her any more.
But he swallowed his tears, salty with agony, and he hugged her tighter, bracing her against him as he brought her into his chest, sort of wrapping her up, sheltering her from anything else the world might want to throw at her right now.
If anyone or anything even dreamed of trying to even remotely harm her, they'd have to go through Horst first, and he had no intention of allowing any such thing.
But then the two words registered. She'd stay. She wasn't going to go. She would come back. They could stay together, and... and do whatever it was they were going to do. Horst softly stroked her hair as his mind asked him just what that meant. It was still pissed at him beyond belief, of course, with parts being enraged that he was ignoring his common sense again, and other parts mad at the fact that he was bringing Ervisa into his little web of demolition, and yet another part asking him just what in the hell he thought he was doing.
He ignored them all. Useless little voices were good-for-nothing freeloaders anyway. His heart panged again, and he felt it set him in a new bout of shivering, wishing he hadn't thrown off his jacket.
"Then so will I." Horst smiled weakly at his little joke before another pang had him hugging her even tighter, putting Ervisa in a bit of a squeeze. He wasn't holding her with an iron grip, but where he could feel her against him he pressed a little more, making sure that the feeling was solid.
The rest of the room seemed to fade from existence. It was just him sitting there with Ervisa, her pressed against his chest, her crying softly and him trying not to. He continued to stroke her hair, shushing her gently every once in a while.
After all, every Rancor had its soft underside.
|
|
|
|