|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 16, 2010 1:13:09 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 16, 2010 1:13:09 GMT -5
Metellos, dirty, scum-filled, and decrepit. Once had the potential to be another Coruscant, but instead fell into sin. Now the rich hovered over the poor, the sick, and the wretched. Instead of reaching down and aiding their desperate brothers, they turned a cold shoulder to beggar, adult or child alike. If Knight-Healer Levin Caelum could, he would set up a clinic on this planet, just to aid those that needed it. Instead, he was on a simple retrieval mission, some drug lord who had set up shop. Luckily, Jedi needed no warrants or paperwork to arrest- the Council said move in, and so Levin did not refuse. He was ever the soldier of the Light, hand of the Force, and this hand had chosen to pluck this scum from the planet.
After the transport had dropped the incognito Jedi off near the nightclub where the lord was usually, he made straight for it. His usual attire was worn, as it was normally inconspicuous, but his beloved Healer's jacket was replaced by a simple tan trench coat, very similar to his usual one. As always, Levin's lightsaber was hidden up the sleeve to his right arm, held there by a simple pair of cloth bands. But, at his mere will, the shiny hilt would slide to his awaiting palm for use- if necessary. Lev moved down the overcrowded, overshadowed, and over dirtied streets, steam billowed from sewer caps and the sounds of distress were everywhere- it made the Healer sick.
His silver-rimmed green eyes turned up to a massive, glowing neon sign. Images of women of all sorts of species danced across the acidic pink, with the words "AFTERLIFE" scrawled in what was made to look like paint above it. This was the club the man would be at, and as the sun dipped behind the massive urban area, more sentients poured into the large, tunnel like entrance. He took a deep breath, this was exactly the opposite type of place he wanted to be in, but Knight Caelum never questioned his orders. His expression hardened, and he stepped forward into the tunnel and crowd that filed into it. A Barabel bouncer stood at the entrance, his red eyes glared at any who stepped forward, and the datapad in his hand instantly told the hopeful if they were allowed in or not.
When Levin got to the rust-colored beast, the two locked eyes, and Lev only stared right back at him unflinching. I am on the list... Mr. Fortu is expecting me. Projected the Jedi. The Barabel hissed and a wide toothy grin spread over his face. "Meester Fortu is expecting you..." Hissed the reptile, which Lev nodded to as he moved past the bouncer. Instantly he was assaulted by beams of rapid moving light, heart pounding bass, and smoky atmosphere. This... is a den of iniquity... Thought the Jedi in disgust. In several booths and tables, multiple species pawed and pulled at one another as their bodies intertwined and their mouths met. It smelt of alcohol and drugs, sweat and fluid, people of all sorts of species. He looked around for his mark, but it would be too early to strike- Fortu was sober, as were his guards. Levin would wait for now, and slowly look for him, in mere hours, they would be inebriated and ripe for the picking.
Levin was tempted to start searching with the Force, but one never knew who employed Force sensitive folk these days. Instead, Lev chose to slide into a booth, alone. Anyone that acted like they wanted to sit with him, he put the notion that they really needed to vomit or use the bathroom- right then and there. Luckily, so many other people had gotten ill due to alcohol consumption, who would notice a few more? Those vivid greens of his turned to the largest stage in the massive club, where a scantily clad Theelin female was. Levin's eyes almost turned soft at the sight. She was quite stunning, and her voice was haunting, but he knew the tell-tale signs of a spice addict, and she showed signs of a regular user. If only he could save even one of the people in this place...
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 16, 2010 1:58:10 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 16, 2010 1:58:10 GMT -5
Metallos. It was a second chance for Aoife. Heat had started to get pretty bad where she’d been staying on Coruscant and while she could easily have moved to a different section of the planet wide city, why risk it when a transport off world could be had. She’d done a few good jobs for a local crime lord and had enough money on her to pay for a ticket, a new place to live and enough stash to keep her happy for the duration. She’d settled in nicely in one o the slums there, happily convincing her new landlord that her rent should be half what he was charging everyone else. She had the power to affect minds, why not use it to some real advantage. It hadn’t taken her long to find a good spot to set up new shop and she was now working at the night club three nights a week. She sang mostly, she hated dancing, men always got grabby when they thought she had no other talents to speak of, but at least when she sang people left her alone. Apparently her voice was good enough to keep them at bay.
The club served more than one purpose for her. It wasn’t just a place for a long night of songs, alcohol and drugs. It was also a great place to scope out new contacts. She’d already begun a small network within her new neighborhood. Her old master had taught her well and the first thing one did when having to stay in any place for any period of time was get as many of the locals in your corner as you could. She’d swindled, weasled, and charmed her way into the back pockets of a few people now. She had a regular dealer set up that was sure to be honest with her considering that she’d convinced him they were practically best friends and she had a few of the local gangs on her radar as well. She’d only been on Metallos for a few weeks but she’d already gotten hired for a job. It was going to be hard though, hard and dangerous. A local rival had heard about some drug lord from Coruscant who had fled to Metallos after things went south for him. Her client didn’t much care for potential competition and Aoife was to make an example of the guy.
It wasn’t hard to chase the guy’s scent down and she’d gotten hired on at the club he frequented now. As she stood on the stage, staring out over the ruckus of the crowd, she could just barely see the back of his head in a corner booth to the left. She could feel the weight of the blaster hidden in the back holster she had concealed under her tiny leather jacket. Her lightsaber was tucked into her right boot as well. She doubted she’d us it at all as the blade tended to draw too much attention but she was never without it either. It was one of the few possessions she still owned that had no price, no matter how bad she needed a fix. She’d only considered selling it once but it was all that was left of the person she used to be and some small part of her still refused to relinquish it, as if doing so would murder whatever good person she had been once.
Aoife ran through her plan one more time. Wait till her target was good and drunk. Take out the guard on the left. Then the right. Then put one dead center on the man she’d been sent for. There was a set of tubes in the back of the building, drainage pipes that she could use to descend to a lower level quickly. No one who couldn’t use the Force would be able to follow her or they’d die trying. The plan was simple and straight forward. Aoife hoped it wouldn’t take too long for the target to get wasted. She was going to need a hit before the night was over but for now she’d manage. She never did a job high, that was a good way to get killed, not to mention she didn’t want a repeat of the incident on Coruscant.
As she worked her way into the third song, Aoife noticed a rather handsome man walk into the club. It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen her share of cute guys, heck she’d had plenty of hotties in the club she normally worked, but something was different about this one. He didn’t look happy. As a matter of fact, he looked somewhere between bored and disgusted. It wasn’t something she was used to seeing. Drunk, sure. High, yeah. Bored? Sometimes, but this wasn’t the kind of bored that looked like it was seeking out sex, drugs, or booze, all of which were in ready supply. When he turned to look in her direction, Aoife almost skipped a note. The man’s eyes were hypnotic. Brilliant green so bright she could make them out from across the club. They were unnaturally bright. Dark hair framed a rough handsome face and she found herself smiling despite the fact that she had no time for such enjoyments. If she hadn’t been working at the time, she’d have gone over to say “hi” by trying to perform a tonsillectomy on the guy. Sadly, there was a job to be done and such enjoyable pursuits would have to wait.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 16, 2010 23:41:57 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 16, 2010 23:41:57 GMT -5
Lev wouldn't notice the Theelin's smile, another group had caught his eye. Three men, two Rodians and a Devaronian were harassing one of the Twi'lekdancers. She was obviously not interested in their advances, but the three cretins continued to press on. One grabbed her wrist and forced her away from the pole she had been grinding on earlier, and the other two laughed drunkenly. She screamed, the sound of it couldn't be heard, but Levin felt her panic, saw a memory that forced it's way to the top of her mind. She had been abused before, and it was about to happen again.
Before he realized it, Levin was on his feet. A steely gaze was cast their way, but none of the three noticed the tall and silent man move towards them. He moved through the crowd like oil through water, smooth and seamless. The voices of the dancer and her attackers could be heard by him now. One Rodian said if she didn't shut it, he would put her mouth to better use. As he spoke, his right hand came up as if to slap her, and was caught by Levin in mid air. His two partners turned to look at the trench coat clad man, and grinned.
"Lookit this guy!"
The Devaronian exclaimed in drunken glee. Apparently the site of anyone helping was rare enough to be found funny by the heathens. The Rodian that Lev had turned his big black eye towards him, and his tubular mouth smiled. Levin could smell the alcohol on him, along with the unmistakable reek of smoke.
"Relax chuba- we're just gonna have a lil' fun, she won't be hurt, permanently."
He sneered at Lev. Apparently this Rodian was equally stupid as he was drunk. It would be over fast though, dislocate his arm, chop to his throat, on to his fellow Rodian. Jab to just below the sternum, uppercut in the mouth and elbow in the gut. Devaronian last, slice to the neck, and double clap to his ears, finish with a knee to the gut. It would all be over in seconds.
"That can't happen."
Levin moved. His arm that held the Rodian's arm pulled back and the Jedi's free hand launched a punched to his shoulder as the other arm pulled. It dislocated with a pop and Levin spun him around by that arm in time to get chopped by the blade of Lev's hand. He dropped. Levin's left fist collided with the other Rodian and his right delivered an uppercut that made his jaw clack and moved back down to elbow him right in the stomach. He dropped. The Devaronian came with his fists raised, but it was already over. Levin's hand sliced through the air to chop at his neck, then both hands clapped over his ears. The horned man stood there stunned for a second before Lev grabbed his shoulders and brought him down to get kneed in the stomach. He fell, and the whole ordeal was over in less than thirty seconds.
Those vivid greens looked down at the trio in disgust as he adjusted his trench coat to sit on his shoulders right again. Sinners. Thought the Jedi, he went to peer at the dancer, but she was long gone. Instead, once more, the Theelin caught his eye. She still smiled, a truly beautiful one. Once upon a time, she was probably a great beauty. His eyes almost turned soft in pity, he could cure an addiction, but it was lengthy and mentally demanding- and more often than not, they wouldn't accept his healing. Levin shook his head and moved to a booth that was actually close to his target, though he didn't realize it yet. All he needed to do was turn around, and the Healer would be face to face with Fortu.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 17, 2010 0:12:12 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 17, 2010 0:12:12 GMT -5
Aoife’s smile dropped from her face as the green-eyed man she’d been watching was suddenly drawn to something on one of the other stages. She knew there was a few twi’lek dancers over there grinding away on a pole and was sure at first that one of them had caught the man’s eye. She wasn’t sure where the sudden surge of envy came from but there it was as plain as day. Aoife chided herself for even feeling it. She didn’t even KNOW the man, hadn’t even talked to him. Why did she care if he was more interested in some gyrating half nude woman than he was in her singing? Her envy rolled to curiosity though when the man got up from his booth and made his way over toward the stage. He hadn’t exactly seemed the type to get all grabby with a woman so the move seemed odd till Aoife turned to look in the direction he was headed. Her voice cut off into an open snarl when she noticed what was going on at the other stage. She’d run into that particular group of ruffians before at the bar where she worked normally. They’d been banned from there for just that sort of behavior.
Aoife was about to say something over her mic when ‘trench-coat guy’ up and did something entirely unexpected. He took down all three men in a matter of seconds. Aoife’s eyes went wide as she watched the scene unfold and she even let out a brief snort of laughter when the last one dropped. Sometimes it was good to see someone get the @$$ whooping they deserved so badly. The crowd had gone quiet in the bar and a lot of eyes had turned in the man’s direction at the display he had put on. Most beings on that forsaken planet would never have bothered to try saving some dancing girl and Aoife decided the guy must have been some off-worlder like her. Not surprising considering how many migrated to Metallos but it WAS surprising that he’d shown up in a place like ‘Afterlife’. Nice guys like him didn’t usually frequent places where one could buy a woman’s soul for a few dollars and some cheep liquor.
She grinned at him and didn’t bother to hide the appreciative once over she gave him that ran from the top of his dark head to the tips of his boots. Oh how she wished she wasn’t working that night but then, she’d never had much luck with nice guys. Not since her fall. Nice guys weren’t usually interested in girls like her and who could really blame them? Aoife watched the stranger climb into a new booth and her smile flickered just a bit. The lovely boy toy was now sitting a little too close to her target. That would make tonight interesting. She hoped maybe the guy would move on to someplace else soon so he wouldn’t have to see it when she capped Fortu. She’d rather he not get hit with the spray. It would ruin his nice jacket. The smile slipped back onto her face and she turned to whisper something to the man behind the stage she was on. A thrumming backbeat started up and Aoife snatched the microphone close, her eyes locking on the strange man in the booth as she started to sing.
Where have all the good men gone And where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
I need a hero I'm holding out for at hero 'till the end of the night He's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life Larger than life
Somewhere after midnight In my wildest fantasy Somewhere just beyond my reach There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night He's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life
I need a hero I'm holding out for at hero 'till the the end of the night
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above Out where the lightning splits the sea I could swear there is someone somewhere Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain And the storm and the flood I can feel his approach Like a fire in my blood
I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night He's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 17, 2010 2:08:06 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 17, 2010 2:08:06 GMT -5
As Levin sat there, he did notice the Theelin looking at him. She grinned, but this time at him. He wasn't sure how he felt about the look, but the way she looked at him was something he had never noticed anyone do before. Lev shifted in his seat uncomfortably, he almost felt like a piece of meat on display. But then she sang, this song was different though. It was the first sound of what he could only describe as hope since he first landed on Metellos. Maybe she would be one of few people that would let Levin in.
But perhaps she was just happy to see justice in Afterlife for once, Light could only imagine what types of horrors happened here, and this was but one that had been averted. Her eyes said differently though, the fact that she wouldn't look away made Levin uncomfortable, a sensation he was far from familiar to. No one ever made Levin feel this way, and frankly, it disconcerted him. The Healer made a note to return to Metellos one day, maybe find this poor soul and lift her from this filth. But as always, the mission came first.
His eyes began to drift over the crowd more intently now, he knew what Fortu looked like, but he had seemed to be able to avoid Lev's glance, even now. He closed his eyes, and pulled the Force into his mind, washed out the music, the smells of the club, the shine of the lights. Someone would give him the name he needed, it was only a matter of time before he knew who...
The Theelin. Out of all the people in Afterlife, it was the very woman who had been making eye contact with Levin all night. He glanced the name Fortu from the top of her mind, but was surprised to feel a good amount of resistance. She had had some training in keeping a mental barrier up- something most people didn't have. He went to probe a bit deeper into her mind, and almost instantly, an image flocked through his mind. A pitch black room, no light could be seen. But then all of a sudden a burst of pure white light blasted the darkness, and there at the center of it with his palm outstretched wide was Levin. He quickly pulled away just in time to gleam the image of Fortu- in the seat behind him. And Lev didn't like the feeling he got from the Theelin, a murderous intention.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 17, 2010 14:18:24 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 17, 2010 14:18:24 GMT -5
Aoife was just wrapping up one of the choruses when she felt something shift in the air around her. She knew that feeling, had known it most of her life: someone was drawing on the Force. She couldn’t tell who it was at first, but her eyes flitted nervously around the room. Another Force user in the area was exactly what she didn’t need that night. Her plan had been simple and straightforward but if Fortu had managed to place a Force sensitive guard near him, that would make her job a lot harder than she’d expected. She couldn’t afford for this job to fall through on her. The meager funds in her possession were dwindling quickly and she was down to her last few hits of Neutron, the precious pills tucked away in a hiding spot in her apartment. This job was paying far too well and would pad her account enough to let her just relax for a couple of weeks if she could pull it off, but a Force user besides her thrown in to the mix was a complication she didn’t really want to deal with.
The song she was singing trailed off and she stepped back from the microphone to the sound of a small cheering section that had set itself up just below her stage. Admittedly most of the patrons there were men and almost every one of them was so drunk she could have been yodeling and they still would have clapped but Aoife wasn’t paying attention to them anyway. Her mind was preoccupied elsewhere. She felt the first tingle of pressure at the back of her mind and for a second it felt like someone had dipped her head in warm water. An image flashed briefly into her mind of her trenchcoat man stepping out of a world of darkness, raising his hand and brilliant white light flaring off of him. The vision was gone in an instant but Aoife had enough experience in her history with her former master to know what had just happened. The ‘hero’ of the night was the Force user and he’d just poked his nose into her head.
Aqua eyes snapped to the man’s face and Aoife’s skin went a paler shade of white than normal. She didn’t know how much he’d gleaned from her, the contact had only been for a second, but since the majority of her thoughts had been of killing Fortu and stripping the mysterious stranger out of his jacket, it was a safe bet that the guy either knew she was going to murder someone or he thought she was an utter pervert. She could live with the latter. It would be a fair bit easier to deal with the guy knowing she was interested than knowing what her plans were for the evening since they involved quite a bit of bloodshed. Other than her palor changing a few shades and the brief look of recognition and concern that flashed across her face, Aoife did a fairly good job of hiding her surprise and dismay. She smiled graciously at the crowd by the foot of the stage and even managed to wink and flirt with a few of them though her heart wasn’t in it. Aoife was the consummate actress when she needed to be and right then she was using every bit of her skill not to bolt from the club or show how much the man’s foray into her head had bothered her. Maybe he didn’t know she was Force sensitive too. That was something to hope for. It would give her an advantage later if she needed it.
The next few hours passed with relatively little incident. Aoife sang a few songs, took a few breaks, and generally kept the trenchcoat man well within her line of sight. She made a point of not staring at him openly anymore, the last thing she needed was to gain his attention more than was necessary, and instead ran her usual routine of turning down the multitude of drinks and less than pleasant offers made to her while waiting for her next set. She hated working a new bar scene. The guys at her old club knew their boundaries at least to some extent, nothing said “don’t do that” quite like getting your nose broken, but this was her first night singing in Afterlife and the scum didn’t know she wasn’t the usual easy to scare fare they normally preyed on. Aoife could handle herself well enough though and after one incident where a bothan slapped her on the behind while she was climbing the stage, she made it clear to all the rest just how inappropriate that was. At least she’d gotten a swig of his ale before she broke the bottle over his head.
As Aoife climbed the stage for her next, and hopefully last, set of the night, she took a last surreptitious glance at Fortu. The target was primed and ready and so drunk she could have used his breath to fuel a speeder. He was practically having to be held up by the two whores at his side and even his guards had taken a few shots of liquor to ease the night along. All the better for Aoife. She wrapped up the evening with a sultry number that would let her shimmy her hips nicely, all the better to hopefully distract the trenchcoat man. If he had any idea that she was planning to kill Fortu, she would need his mind to be elsewhere for long enough to let her get the shots off. She couldn’t risk that he knew too much and would try to stop her since a fight between Force users took a heck of a lot longer than she was intending to stick around. Aoife crooned out a tune in a thick lustful voice, her hands working up from her boots to ghost over her shapely legs and up over wide hips as she sang. She ran her fingers over her own body like a lover and whether the trenchcoat guy was watching or not, she had certainly gained the attention of quite a few other male patrons at least.
Aoife’s fingers continued their trail upward, over her chest and up to tangle into her hair, ruffling the bright locks while she shimmied her hips in a way that made the guys crowded around the base of the stage hoot and catcall in approval. Aoife, slid her hands down to the back of her neck and then let her right hand slip even farther till her fingertips were resting on the blaster at her back. The pose would look sensual from the front and no one would be the wiser to the fact that she was reaching for her pistol. Aoife turned her eyes once more to the man sitting alone in his booth as she sang the chorus of the song in a husky voice that held so many promises it was practically dripping with invitation. All she needed was just a little be of distraction on his part, just enough for him to not see what was coming next.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 17, 2010 23:46:20 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 17, 2010 23:46:20 GMT -5
Hours ticked by, and every time a waitress sauntered over to him, Lev would turn them aside with a wave of his hand. Levin had never had an alcoholic beverage before, and he wasn't going to start now. As his senses daintily moved through the crowd, he had found Fortu maybe twenty minutes ago- but he could feel the guards eyes on him. It figured that he would choose the seat that was directly in front of his target, there would be no surprise if Lev moved to stand, he would be cut down in seconds. However, a well placed flash could blind the two guards long enough to render their blasters useless. That would work, Lev would just casually move his arm back as if he was getting comfortable, and unleash a Blind. Wouldn't be that hard...
That was until the Theelin on the stage started her last number. This was something the Healer had never witnessed in person before. The Jedi couldn't help it, his eyes bored into the entertainer as she worked, the greens inevitably watched her hands as they touched, felt, and caressed. He felt his blood heat up and his pulse begin to get faster, palms sweated as did Lev's brow slightly. There is no passion, there is serenity... Levin took a deep breath and pulled the Force into him, and instantly felt relief, his pulse slowed, and is blood cooled.
But the Force works in mysterious ways. A mere second later Levin's mind was assaulted. Luscious lips part in pleasure, aqua eyes gaze lustful, bright purple hair falls over her face, and sticks from sweat. Her voice, her breath, soft and wanting. The smell of her perfume mixed with the taste of her lips. Her body, soft, warm, and inviting as her skin moved against his, just barely sticking as their sweat combined...
Levin's eyes widened and he shook his head from the vision. It wasn't uncommon for him to get glimpses of what was to come from the Force, but they were never so detailed, and non of them ever were like the one he just had. His right hand grabbed his cup of water shakily, and he brought it up. The drink was drained quickly, his throat dry and raspy from his sudden heavy breathing. Levin's eyes widened again, he had just realized that he had lost track of the time, how long had that vision lasted? His eyes panned around the club again, he had lost track of the Theelin- and a whisper of the Force told him to be vigilant.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 18, 2010 13:43:11 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 18, 2010 13:43:11 GMT -5
Aoife’s fingers brushed over the strap holding the blaster in place and with a flick of her index finger she popped it loose. It would be easy now to draw when the moment was right. She’d finish the song, exit the stage and then the real show would start. Her eyes flicked over to the trenchcoat guy again and the corner of her mouth curled in amusement as he chugged his water like she’d just set his insides on fire. If she didn’t know any better, she’d even swear he was blushing. In that instant, Aoife wished she wasn’t on the job, she’d have loved to have seen just how far the hero’s morals really ran, but sadly she couldn’t stick around to play. Her window of opportunity was going to be small at best and as soon as the trenchcoat man looked dazed and confused enough to not be paying attention, Aoife was on the move. She finished the last note of her song, sauntered quickly off the stage and made her way through the crowd gathered around the base.
A few wanted to talk to her, to paw at her or make some lewd remark that she simply didn’t have the patience for right then and she waved them aside with an easy push to their minds. She didn’t have a lot of time for subtlety but fortunately most were so drunk that their sudden vacant stares weren’t that out of place in the crowd. Aoife moved quickly, making her way toward Fortu, a sensual smile on her face and a saucy little swish to her hips that she hoped would make her approach a lot more inviting. Fortu was a known womanizer and he was more than pleased to wave her over as she approached. His guards had moved to stand only briefly but the promise of good fun was apparently stronger than the need for common sense and Fortu barked at them to sit back down. He leered openly at Aoife as she came up within a few scant feet of the table. It was close enough. She struck a sexy little pose and repeated the move she’d done on stage, flirtily running her hands over her skin and through her hair to keep the man’s mind occupied on what was in her pants instead of what was strapped to her back.
The next moment, the whole club erupted in chaos. Three shots rang out in the room and it took a few seconds for the patrons to realize what had just happened; once the shock wore off though, the screams started. The shots had been clean and precise. The guard on the left had taken one right between the eyes, the one on the right had taken one to the throat, and Fortu now had an ugly hole right through his chest, center mass. Aoife plucked off one more shot into Fortu, better safe than sorry, but a movement from her left caught her eye. The trechcoat guy had just gotten to his feet. Aoife glanced at him for a brief moment and had the fleeting hope that maybe he’d let the whole ordeal go, what should he care if some scumbag got what was undoubtedly coming to him? The look on the man’s face told Aoife without question though that he wasn’t about to walk away so easily. She turned the blaster in his direction for a moment, her finger still on the trigger, and she knew she could just take the guy’s head off with one shot…but she hesitated. She couldn’t do it. Every fiber in her being said to just shoot him, that a Force user like him was dangerous, but she’d seen him help someone and didn’t know if he’d ever done anything to deserve getting killed over. She couldn’t shed innocent blood. Not again.
So Aoife did the only other thing she could think to do then. She ran.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 20, 2010 18:26:17 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 20, 2010 18:26:17 GMT -5
It would be the three shots that snapped Levin out of his thoughts. His eyes widened and in an instant, chaos erupted. Just as the final shot rang out, Lev jumped to his feet, and saw exactly what he didn't want to see. There was the Theelin, her vibrant purple hair framed her uncertain face as she turned both eyes and blaster to him. In an instant Lev's lightsaber was in his right hand, the familiar snap-hiss only caused more panic as the crowd stampeded away from the Jedi and the Theelin. The silver blade cast a soft glow around Levin, an ethereal look for the Jedi.
His expression was grim, and his vivid greens' stern. Lev wasn't just annoyed by her, but at himself for letting this little harlequin get the better of him. It figured that the first person to catch his eye in that way would betray him. Levin's feet shifted slightly so that his right shoulder was turned towards the curvaceous woman. His arm would be held straight and the silver bladed weapon pointed towards the floor- it would look casual, but was actually the ready stance for his former master's lightsaber style. Alvita was known for her quick strike, most commonly used to disarm a foe- literally. And Levin was quite adept at that particular move, and if she pulled the trigger, she would lose the arm.
The two's eyes would lock. His gaze delved deeply into he turquoise, her gaze betrayed her intentions. Fight or flight, it always came down to those two for situations like this. Her eyes said she was about to fly. Levin wouldn't let the Theelin escape though- she had just pulled an assassination right in front of a Jedi- on top of killing the very man he was meant to bring in. She would be brought in, and tried for the murder of Fortu and his guards. Unfortunately for her- Levin was a hunter, in a sense. Tenacious and damn near unstoppable.
And then it happened, she turned tail and ran. Lev would have been able to nab the back of her jacket, if his Barabel bouncer friend from earlier hadn't of made a move for him. Fool! Thought Levin as the Barabel bellowed and reached a burly arm towards the Jedi. In three moves Lev removed both his arms at the elbows then stabbed into the Barabel's thigh- completely incapacitating him. It didn't please the Jedi to do this, but he was not going to let anyone derail his new mission- catch the Theelin.
His lightsaber crackled off and it would be put back into it's forearm holster for it. Lev's trench coat would billow behind him as he took off after the purple-maned woman. She was still well in sight, and from her obvious addiction, would most likely be off her game- a strung out person could never outpace one who was in perfect health. He would pursue her, bind her, and take her back to the Temple.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 20, 2010 18:58:00 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 20, 2010 18:58:00 GMT -5
Aoife had never run so hard in her life. She’d seen the brief flare of a lightsaber in the man’s hands as her blaster had been aimed at him and it had been part of why she hadn’t been able to kill him. Aoife had fallen pretty far, had done a lot of bad and stupid things, but she wouldn’t do that. She would never take the life of another Jedi. Criminals were one thing but the Jedi had been a family to her once upon a time and it had been she who’d betrayed them, not the other way around. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she fled. He couldn’t have been sent for her. Why would the Council come looking for her now? She thought she had fallen off the radar, had covered her own tracks well enough to avoid detection, and yet there she was running down a crowded street, dodging and weaving among the throng in her desperate attempt to get away. She reached out behind her with the Force and instantly sensed the man’s presence. It was powerful and beautiful and following way to close for comfort.
Aoife bolted around a corner and ran for the back alley. She thanked the training at her master’s hands on how to run in heels for while she had thought the affair silly at the time, her master insisted that a beautiful interrogator would likely find themselves in plenty of situations where the dress they were wearing wasn’t exactly suited to combat. Aoife pulled the Force in around her to help boost her speed and to keep her balance as she bolted up over a trash receptacle and landed on the other side. She reached behind her and used the Force to wrench the large bin into the middle of the alley. She didn’t think it would slow the Jedi for long but desperation was tingeing her every thought at that point. She couldn’t go back, couldn’t be tried for all the horrid things she’d done. Her old master would be shamed before the Council to know what had become of his onetime apprentice. Would they tell him how she’d been on drugs, how she’d been singing and killing people for money in sleazy bars? Would they tell him how she’d murdered two innocent men in a fit of drug induced psychosis?
Aoife would rather die for real than have Nuk suffer through that. She slid around the back corner of the building, emerging out of the alley and into the thin air where the ground below her terminated in a drop of over fifty feet to the street below. She didn’t even slow in the least as she hurled herself off into the abyss, using the Force to pull herself in toward the back side of the building where she latched onto the thick metal pipes that ran along the wall. She descended in a Force controlled fall and slammed into the pavement below, tucking into a roll as she impacted and then popping back to her feet and racing off in the opposite direction. Aoife’s lungs were already burning in protest. She was in extremely good shape for someone using drugs as often as she did but the narcotics had left their mark none the less. Her food deprived body wasn’t used to running for long periods of time and Aoife knew she wasn’t going to keep up the chase for long. Her pursuer was far healthier than her and would catch her if she didn’t come up with something more clever to get away.
Aoife, pulled the Force around her sharply, wrapping it in layers and layers as she ran. Her Force signature began to fade out slowly, hiding itself amidst the other lesser signatures of the throngs of civilians all around her as she twisted and ran along the street. She made as many sharp turns as possible in the hope of throwing off her pursuer and made her way as fast as she could back toward the small dingy apartment she was staying in. She needed to get there and hunker down, hope she’d lose him before he could catch up to her. The Theelin’s heart was slamming in her chest as she bolted to the right and ran headlong into a market place. The thick crush of people was simple enough for her to navigate with her training and she hoped it would slow the man enough to give her some breathing space.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 20, 2010 21:16:18 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 20, 2010 21:16:18 GMT -5
Levin was hot on her heels. Luckily the crowd cleared for the 'deranged' Jedi to leave, and that gave him a chance to catch up to the Theelin. Her purple locks trailed behind her, but it was his lock on he with the Force that kept him on her. Lev felt her reach out with the Force, and his eyes narrowed. She was Force sensitive, and trained. This meant two things: One, she would prove to be more difficult to detain that he originally thought, and Two: there was the chance she was tainted by darkness. He knew right then and there, that he needed to capture her.
The Jedi had to admit- for a woman in heels, this Theelin could move. She picked up just as Lev felt herself pull the Force into herself to boost her speed. Levin copied her, and filled himself with the Force. He felt the air whip by his face as his speed increased, and Lev began to gain on the Theelin. For a moment. He had been so focused on capturing the woman that he reacted a hair too late to the bin that suddenly flew at him. Lev side stepped in time for the bin to fly by, which sliced a small wound on his cheek. A trickle of blood slide down into his unshaven stubble. But a simple scratch wouldn't deter the Jedi, he would catch her.
He reached out to the fleeing blur of purple, and retracted the minute he scraped some emotion off the top of her mind. Panic, fear, confusion and guilt- but not sadism, hate, nor cruelty. It became apparent that this was no dangerous monster- just a scared, sick young woman. But at this time, she was still a murderer- sick or not. Either way, she needed to be stopped.
Lev slid to a stop at the edge where the Theelin had moved down. His eyes watched as she ran, and gauged whether to follow her down or not. Instead, he peered up at the rooftops above him, and pulled the Force into him to leap high into the air, and land on the rooftop. Way he saw it, if she even felt that he was no longer following her, she'd slow down, and he'd pounce. He ran along the roofs of the buildings that created the alley in which she ran, his eyes never leaving.
His eyes widened though as he felt her presence begin to waver. Luckily, her shockingly purple hair worked as a better beacon than any Force signature. However, the chase was about to get more difficult as she bolted towards a crowded marketplace- where his roof tops ended. He pulled the Force into his body and began to sprint faster, just as he pulled his lightsaber to his hand. The edge got closer and closer, until it was a step away. Levin lunged forward, arms held out wide as his lightsaber ignited. He tucked his head into his arms as he dove into a smaller building through it's window, the boom of glass breaking rocked his ears. But he had no time to stop. In a flash his lightsaber had carved a weak spot in the wall and he used a Force push to burst out of the building.
He was instantly right behind the Theelin, his eyes locked on the purple mane he was chasing, it was time for him to take action. His lightsaber crackled off and it slid back up his sleeve. Tendrils of the Force whipped out to various objects in the marketplace, and they began to fly towards the woman's legs, he hoped that she would trip, and that would end this chase. And that was exactly what Levin wanted to do, end this.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 20, 2010 22:02:33 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 20, 2010 22:02:33 GMT -5
Aoife dodged and twisted through the crowd, her thin form coming in handy for once as she tucked between the bodies pressing around her. Her feet had carried her into a marketplace and as she reached out with the Force, she could sense the myriad beings around her as they went about their day. Old women of varying races haggled loudly over prices, dirty children ran through the crowd unnoticed for the most part though their pockets would certainly be jingling soon with all the things they would no doubt steal as the night wore on. Merchants called out loudly to the passersby to gain their attention but no one much paid any heed to the spice addict that was rushing through their midst. She got only one or two strange looks but most would no doubt think she was nothing more than a sleeper who was in some hurry to get somewhere or running from her pimp. Aoife wasn’t concerned with them though. Her mind was focused solely on the Jedi at her heels. He was going to be troublesome and at that moment, she was more terrified than she’d been since that first night when she’d woken up to find her apartment covered in the blood of two innocent men.
Aoife’s mind raced frantically over the last few months. Had she done something to gain the Jedi’s attention? She had thought that her leaving Coruscant would have meant less chance of an encounter of this sort, not more, which left her wondering if the Jedi had indeed been sent looking for her in specific and she’d just been stupid enough to off someone right in front of him. She’d needed the money though, had needed to fund her dwindling stash before she found herself completely without, and she couldn’t have walked away from the job at that point if she’d wanted to. Now though, it seemed that the pay wasn’t going to matter much. If that Jedi caught her, she was sure to find herself dead or in chains heading back to a trial she’d been avoiding for three years.
Aoife reached out with the Force and tried to sense once more where her pursuer was but his signal wasn’t where she had expected it to be. He was no longer behind her which should have been a relief but something in the Force was still warning her regardless and she didn’t slow her pace as she ran. It was fortunate for her that she didn’t for she suddenly felt him surge up almost directly behind her as he used the Force to break through a wall. People behind her screamed at the sudden display but Aoife didn’t need to turn around to know that the Jedi was practically breathing down her neck. The guy was chasing her a little too hard for this to just be about the murder of a man like Fortu she told herself. She couldn’t imagine any reason other than the worst possible scenario as to why a Jedi would be putting this much effort into the chase. As far as she was concerned, the Jedi had finally come for her at last, something she had endured countless nightmares about.
The Force screamed a new warning at her as suddenly a basket of fruits, several chairs and a few household items flew off their respective tables and shot toward her legs. She knew straight away that the Jedi was using some pretty heavy telekinesis if he was moving all of that while on the run but she had little time to think about it. Her acrobatic skills came into play instinctively and she moved without really even registering the motions. Her hips twisted sharply to the right as the basket grazed by close enough to brush her skin and then she was diving into a roll that brought her up and over a chair aimed at her legs while allowing her to skid gracefully under a dishpan that flew overhead. She hit the ground in what looked like an awkward position but as her body twisted and flipped over, she was still using her momentum to slid backward and her leap allowed her to glide right between the legs of a very confused Besalisk who looked down in time to see a skinny woman slip past him. He never saw the kick that was suddenly aimed at his rear as Aoife popped back up behind him and slammed a boot into his behind, shoving the large being toppling forward in the Jedi’s direction.
Aoife didn’t wait to see if he managed to dodge the alien or not, she was simply on the move again, desperate to get away from this Jedi with a sort of crazed determination in her eyes. She bolted out of the other side of the marketplace and blantantly ignored the pain that was searing in her side as her body screamed for rest. Her head began to swim from too little food and too much drugs in the last few years but she kept pushing forward until she finally stumbled and rolled to a stop. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t go any farther. Her lungs were burning and as she lay there on the cold wet cement, terror welled up inside her. She pulled out her own saber from her boot and managed to pull herself into a sitting position just in time to see the Jedi round the corner and head in her direction. Aoife’s hair hung across her bloodshot eyes as she stared up at him in obvious fear. She wasn’t afraid of dying, she was afraid of what would happen if this Jedi DIDN’T kill her, the remorse she’d have to live through, the humiliation of her old master, the eventual reclaiming of her lightsaber.
Aoife had known on some level that the day would eventually come when her life caught up with her, she’d always just sort of hoped it would be something like an overdose that would let her go quietly while so drugged out of her mind that she would never know it was happening. As it was, she hated the idea that this Jedi would most likely try to take her saber from her. She glanced down at the hilt in her grip. It was the only thing she had left from being a decent person with the exception of her leather jacket and she wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. She couldn’t kill the Jedi though, that much she knew. Not only was it against everything she believed in, not only was she simply not strong enough, but at that moment she was too blasted tired to even try. She panted heavily as she sat on the ground staring at him. “You want this,” she said as defiantly as she could, holding up her saber, “you’ll have to pry it outta my cold dead hands and you can tell the Council themselves I said that.” The saber flicked to life in her hand instantly bathing the dirty street in beautiful clear yellow light that shimmered and glittered across the grease, oil and water that stained the pavement. Aoife's eyes belied her statement though. She had no real intention of hurting the Jedi in the least even if she'd wanted to. “You, my friend, are one tenacious b***ard,” she said in obvious irritation.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 21, 2010 21:36:45 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Feb 21, 2010 21:36:45 GMT -5
Levin watched the Theelin move with amazing grace and dexterity- it was clear she used her body type to it's full advantage. But, just as she used hers, Levin used his stamina to keep on her trail. It pleased him that his brief moment of TK prowess seemed to make her stumble and slow down- but the flying Besalisk he far from expected. Luckily though, Levin was fast on his feet. He rolled to his left and his back planted on the falling man, and Levin only used the momentum to propel himself forward after he landed. His eyes narrowed as he saw the woman stumble, then finally fall. She rolled and stopped just as he turned a corner to find her, eyes fearful, hair askew, but lightsaber held out defiantly.
Now that, was something Levin didn't expect to see. Here this harlequin was, exhausted, sick, and undoubtedly guilty. But between her ability to flee him even when strung out, and the lightsaber, the Healer put two and two together. His lightsaber that was still ignited in his right hand swung to his right side with a hum. She was no longer a threat, and they both knew that. Lev flicked his weapon off and slid it up his sleeve into the holster on his arm, and bent low. His hands flapped his open trench coat so it wouldn't bunch, and rested his arms on his knees as Lev looked at the woman with pity.
What he saw before him, now that he looked closer both visually and with the Force, was a broken soul. A former Jedi, that was obvious to him now. And judging by her ability to cloak her presence, obvious drug addiction, and skills- an Investigator gone wrong. It wasn't the first time he had seen one like this, it was always the best and most devoted Investigators that got the worst wounds- physical, mental, and emotional. Lev looked at the Theelin in her eyes, his gaze stern, unmoving, but a glint of kindness was hidden within there too.
Lev noticed that in the fall, she had gotten a cut from it, along with a scrap that ran with it. His hand moved forward to hover over the knee, and a pale light seemed to glow around his hand. In mere moments he had healed the wound, and without breaking a sweat. After all the similar cuts and scrapes that both Padawans and Younglings would get, he was an old pro at healing them. After he was finished he removed his hand and nodded to the Theelin. The light from her weapon would cast a gleam in his eyes as they peered into hers, his stance neither threatening nor relaxed.
"I do not want your lightsaber, Investigator. Nor do I wish to end your life."
He shifted slightly and held his hands up as the Force pooled out of his mind and into his own coat. A small rectangle wrapped in shiny foil floated from his pocket and into his hand. He unwrapped it and offered it forwards to the Theelin.
"I am Knight-Healer Levin Caelum, young Investigator- and it is my job to be tenacious. Here, eat, you look like you haven't had anything in days."
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 21, 2010 23:08:27 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Feb 21, 2010 23:08:27 GMT -5
Aoife had expected a lot of different possible reactions from the Jedi, disgust, irritation, a flat desire to kill her, but what she saw in his eyes as he flicked off his saber and came to kneel before her hit her much harder than anything else. She saw pity in those bright green eyes and she hated it. It made her feel smaller than ever to see that look on his face, that sorrow at seeing some broken thing that used to be pretty, and she hadn’t prepared herself in the least to deal with something like that. Her jaw squared and she kept her saber armed and ready but her eyes said the look had stung her more than if he’d slapped her. The pity melted into something else then, a stern sort of expression that held a touch of mercy in it none the less but still Aoife didn’t lower her saber. She watched the healer’s hand as he reached for her bloodied knee and then a soft white light emanated from his skin. She felt a wash of something warm over her knee, as if someone had dipped it into bathwater, and the minor pain she hadn’t even realized she was feeling there tapered off and died. When she glanced at the spot his hand had been over, she could see no sign at all of the original cut, her smooth pale skin unmarred by anything more than the remnant blood smear.
A healer? Why had they sent a healer after her? Aoife was utterly confused by that point. The Council was an odd group but it seemed strange they wouldn’t just send another investigator after her if they were looking to bring her in.
"I do not want your lightsaber, Investigator. Nor do I wish to end your life."
Aoife quirked a brow but still didn’t lower her saber but it was more out of shock and confusion than any desire to wield it against the man. He didn’t want her saber? Why not? Aoife couldn’t fathom why the Council had sent a healer for her and didn’t want her saber back, unless…maybe they had forgiven her? Hope popped up in Aoife’s mind. Maybe the Council knew she was on spice and had sent the man to help her, maybe even to bring her back in, not for a trial but to re-enter the Order. She stared hard at the look in the man’s eyes and just as quickly dismissed the idea. It didn’t make any sense. The Council wasn’t known for being terribly forgiving of fallen Jedi. There was nothing in this situation that would suggest they had honestly forgiven her and the man wasn’t using her name, just her old title. Maybe he hadn’t come for her at all. The look of surprise on his face when he’d rounded the corner and seen a saber in her hand certainly suggested that he hadn’t realized what she was till then, it wasn’t hard for her to figure he’d put together enough clues as another Force user to realize what she’d once been.
Aoife watched cautiously like some cornered animal as Levin pulled out the food and offered it to her. She’d been out on the streets too long and had feared this sort of meeting too much to trust that easily but nothing about the man said he was going to outright kill her either and as he introduced himself and held out the offering, Aoife snorted in derisive amusement. “Do you offer breakfast to every killer you chase down, Levin Caelum, Jedi Healer?” she asked snarkily. Sarcasm and emotional distance had always been Aoife’s fall back when she was scared or upset but needed to hide it. She still wasn’t sure what to make of the man but she certainly didn’t want to take his food while sitting on the wet pavement like some kind of street trash. She turned away from the food and deactivated her saber, shoving it harshly back into her boot.
“I’m not hungry,” Aoife said in a soft defiant voice, refusing to look at the offered food. It was true enough even though she’d mostly said it just to be contrary. She hated that she wasn’t in control of this situation, that she didn’t know what was going to happen next. She also had no real appetite, a sign she knew meant she had been doing the drugs for a little too long. Spice addicts often lost all taste for food, sustaining themselves only on the addiction of their choice and at that moment, the food wasn’t what she was craving even though her stomach chose that moment to rumble unhappily. That was the hard part about being an investigator on spice…she already knew what was going to eventually happen to her if the lifestyle she lived didn’t kill her before the spice did. Right then though, she didn’t much care, she just knew her body was screaming for another hit. All of the exercise was more than she was used to and it had left her food starved body craving something to make up for the lack of fuel and the sudden demand that had been put on it.
Aoife struggled to her feet and brushed off her jacket, casting a sidelong glance at the healer as she did. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here but I’d rather not have this conversation in the middle of Restin Street so just follow me, ok?” she said as she turned on her heel and started off toward her apartment and her much needed distraction. “You seem to be good at that.”
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Mar 8, 2010 23:02:04 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Mar 8, 2010 23:02:04 GMT -5
Levin's eyes peered down at the food bar then back at the turquoise eyes of the Theelin as she asked her question. What kind of question was that? Most people either accepted the gift or ignored it- snarky remarks.
"No, I do not offer breakfast to every killer I chase down. Most meet their fate at the end of my saber. And I do not lay down my judgment on Jedi who haven't turned."
He responded bluntly as the woman deactivated her lightsaber. His hands folded the wrapper back around the bar and slid it into his coat pocket for later- she would need it. And a knowing look graced his eyes as her stomach gave an audible growl to betray her last statement. Yes you are... Thought the Healer with a pitying look. Addicts were always the hardest to heal- as they were as much a psychological illness as a physical one, and through the Force her agony and desire for another fix seared around her.
Without a word Levin let a wave of the Force fall off himself, doing what he could to bolster her body- she may refuse his food, but the Force was omnipotent, one couldn't deny it if not prepared, and her drug-addled mind was not prepared. He stood with her and looked down at the short, malnourished Theelin. The Galaxy could be a cruel place, and it didn't matter who you were- slaves, senators, Jedi, it didn't choose what disasters it gave by that, it just did by the will of the Force.
And even though Fortu had met a messy end, perhaps he was never meant to bring him in after all? After all, the Force was never wrong when it led Levin- so why should it be different now? He nodded solemnly at her words of wanting to move. With his trench coat swaying around him he moved steadily just behind and to the left of the purple haired woman. Levin wanted to ask the woman her name, see if it flipped any switches to his memory. But right in the middle of the streets wouldn't be a good place, she was correct there. He would have to wait until they arrived at the destination, but Levin couldn't trust her quite yet- for all he knew, she was taking him to an ambush, and so he connected with his lightsaber, and watched for now.
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Mar 9, 2010 21:16:06 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Mar 9, 2010 21:16:06 GMT -5
It was a long and oddly silent walk back to Aoife’s apartment. She kept expecting the other Jedi to say something to her, to stop her even, but he trudged along just behind her and she could see him out of the corner of her left eye. The Force shifted smoothly around him, a sign that he was most certainly ready in the event of an attack, and it hinted at how strong he must actually be. Aoife suddenly felt sorry for anyone he considered an enemy and was glad she wasn’t being counted among them. His words to her on the street before she’d stormed off kept echoing through her mind. There had been no boasting in those statements. He really did believe he would kill anyone who crossed a line and he didn’t have any intention of judging her as long as she didn’t turn to the Dark Side. Of all the bad things Aoife had done, that was the one thing she’d refused. She could kill bad people all day long for a fix but still couldn’t bring herself to take the life of an innocent.
She supposed that was a good thing on many levels, not the least of which was the fact that it was keeping her on the safe side of Levin’s ‘line’. Considering how hard he’d chased her from the club or how strong in the Force he was, she’d rather not ever find herself on the man’s bad side. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little defensive around him. She didn’t know the man and he was already looking at her like some pity case, something the very much independent and self sufficient Aoife simply hated. She knew full well that Levin could simply take her in and arrest her for killing Fortu but her mouth didn’t want to stop the flow of snarky comments she was barely biting back as they walked. The pair wove through a myriad of streets with Aoife leading the way. She did little to make following her any easier than strictly necessary and made point of trying to ignore Levin’s presence at all until she finally spotted her apartment just up the way.
The building Aoife stopped at was no more or less run down than all the others on the street, it’s windows mostly dark with a few dim lights scattered here and there. Trash was heaped out in the front from where it had spilled out of the alleyway and a homeless man was slumped over next to the front steps reeking of vomit and cheap liquor. Aoife shot the man a half smile as she climbed the steps. “Morning, Earl. You’ve got about an hour before the landlord comes out to toss his mistress back onto the street. Better not let him find you curled up there.” The elderly man turned a haggard face toward her and grinned toothlessly as he let his eyes wander over her long legs.
“Thanks, miss E,” he rumbled up at her, his voice distorted by years of drink and death sticks. Aoife had long since given up on trying to get him to use her full name and he was usually too wasted to remember how to pronounce it anyway so he’d simply taken to calling her E and she didn’t care enough to correct him any more. Aoife sauntered in the front door, ignoring the obvious hunger in Earl’s look. He was harmless enough and she knew he wouldn’t ever be sober enough to prove a nuisance so she let him get his kicks in by staring. The door opened into a long dingy hallway with cracked and heavily stained tiles which terminated in a lift whose doors had seen better days. They were scratched and dinged heavily, the once lovely copper coating being almost entirely missing by that point, and only a few of the numbers above them would even light up. To the left sat a long low counter with a few ancient datapads set into it and behind them sat an overweight and particularly pungent Feeorin who also leered openly at Aoife as she walked past.
Aoife didn’t bother with the niceties of words though. She knew the landlord a little too well and couldn’t stand him on the best of days. As she passed him, she held out a hand, effectively halting his intention to speak, and pressed his mind with the Force. It was never hard with him and she didn’t slow or even look at him as she walked past. His eyes glazed over and he stared out into open space with a blank look as if suddenly unaware that Aoife or Levin were walking past at all and the Theelin made her way to the lift at the end of the hall. She didn’t have the patience that night to deal with Tsarg. He would just have something ugly and sexist to say anyway so Aoife was better off not knowing. It was usually the same three pickup lines anyway. She slapped the button on the lift and as the doors squealed open she stepped in and finally turned to toss a scowl in her ‘guest’s’ direction.
Aoife hadn’t really expected that he’d take the hint and wander off, maybe find someone jaywalking that he could arrest instead of trailing her, but she was oddly confused by the sheer tenacity with which he was seeing this through. “There’s a million and one crimes going on at any given time on this Force forsaken planet…why don’t you go stop one of those?” she asked bitterly. It was a rhetorical question honestly, she knew he wasn’t going to leave well enough alone and just let her be but she couldn’t help asking. She waited till he climbed in beside her and slapped the button for the 12th floor while trying very hard to ignore the strong clean smell that seemed to cling to Levin’s skin now that she was standing so close to him. Heck, if nothing else, maybe she could convince him to show her a good time before he dragged her back to Coruscant for trial. The guy certainly was a looker.
Aoife turned to regard the man as the elevator rose on unsteady winches. His eyes were stunning, the first thing she’d noticed upon seeing him in the club, but it wasn’t all that was attractive about him. A hard strong jawline sported just enough stubble to be sexy without looking unkempt and his lips were fairly thick and delectable. Aoife stared unabashedly at him, letting her hunger for her fix wage war against her hunger for more carnal pleasures but as always the fix won out. Perhaps she’d climb into those dark trousers of his after she was good and high. The doors dinged open and Aoife wandered out into a dreary hall that had seen even less care than the main hallway below. The paint was faded badly and peeling in most areas and the tile had been so badly worn that its once lovely pattern could only be seen in small corners where it was sheltered from traffic.
Aoife headed to the left and made her way to a black door where the ruined paint said it had once held the numbers 33 on it as raised letters long since torn away. She palmed the keypad next to the door and released the lock using the Force instead of a key seeing as she had no key for that room. It was where she had been staying for the last few months but it had once belonged to an old victim she’d snuffed out, a drug dealer who had wandered into the wrong areas to sell, and she didn’t figure anyone was going to care much who went in or out of the place. She slipped into the darkness of the room as the door opened and reached out to flip on the switch next to the door. A long florescent light sputtered a few times before finally bathing the room in a sickly white that stripped what little color there was from the place.
The room Aoife was staying in was barren to say the least. A small dingy mattress lay tucked into one corner covered in rumpled sheets. The light overhead was bare and no decorations were on any of the walls. A single threadbare rug sat in the middle of the floor and a large beanbag sat in one corner. It had seen better days and had been patched so many times that its original color could no longer be determined. One wall of the small room was lined with a series of cabinets with a tiny cooking unit plugged in amidst them and it was obvious this was supposed to serve as a kitchen. Across the way and next to the mattress was another room that lacked a door at all and within it could be seen a small stall for showering, a chipped sink, and a toilet. The bathroom was barely large enough for even one person and Aoife had joked before that she could wash her hands while using the toilet since the space between the two was so small despite their being on opposite walls.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Aoife announced bitterly. She stepped right over a pile of dirty clothes that were only one set among the many strewn about her floor. She didn’t have a dresser so it had seemed pointless to try folding it all. There was nothing at all of any real value in the room since she’d long ago sold it all for spice and what was left had all obviously been there before she’d ever arrived. Aoife walked over to the mattress and flopped down onto it, sitting up to unzip her long boots and rub for a moment at her aching feet. “Well, make yourself comfortable I guess. So what are you really here for? The Council has better things to do than send healers out to find people like me. So that begs the question…what do you want from me now?” she asked as casually as she could manage. Her boots were tossed across the room to lend just beneath the window and she leaned back to fish a small plastic bag out of a crack just behind her pillow. As she sat up a single pink pill could be seen within the baggie and she stared at it hungrily. “And could we hurry this up? I have an appointment to keep…”
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 17, 2012 22:37:46 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Sept 17, 2012 22:37:46 GMT -5
{OoC: WOW This is overdue :3}
Levin followed in silence. He simply observed everything he saw, taking it all in. One did not diagnose without all the data, and without a diagnosis, there could be no cure. And what he felt from this purple haired maiden screamed that she needed help. Her presence in the Force was so sullied, it made Levin frown as he gently reached out to glimpse where she had been, what she had done, and what had been done to her. Aoife's presence was like a once clear stream, clogged and fetid in some places now. And yet, there was still a clear flow, still purity, still in touch with the Light. He inhaled slowly at her question, as it was a fair one. But how did one simply explain the Force? Even to other Jedi, Levin had never been quite able to put into words how it worked through him. Very few Jedi were so in tune with it, and even fewer realized that those Jedi who did, had no choice but to follow the torrent.
"Aoife Caaso. You are one of my people, and the best way to save the citizens of this galaxy, is for their protectors to be able to do their duty."
He said as he entered the elevator with her. Lev could feel and see her look at him, her emotions in the Force scarcely contained. His heart fell with sorrow at the sight of the woman. Much like her presence, she was quite beautiful, but she had clear signs of malnutrition, and drug abuse. Now more than ever he noticed in her eyes how tired she looked, like a veteran from a long war campaign. He kept his face and stance stoic until they reached their destination.
Once more his brow furrowed slightly at the sight of her 'home' as they stepped into it. He grasped his hands behind his back and stood within the room as the woman threw herself onto the mattress and removed her boots. As she spoke he peered around. The Force was tainted here. Not in the Dark side or anything, but more in a way that felt... wrong. This poor creature of the Light... He thought to himself as he looked at Aoife. A Jedi, a proud member of few gifted elite, sullied because of something as small as a chemical. Despite being a Healer, Levin very rarely ever used chems for medicine. The Force was a powerful ally, and had saved many lives in his life.
None he felt needed it more than the Theelin right in front of him. The Force whispered into his mind and he snapped out of his thoughts to see her reaching to get her next fix. With a wave of his left hand the baggy she held would fly towards him. His other hand pulled his lightsaber to his hand and in a brilliant flash of silver ignited then was extinguished in a quick second, searing the drug and the bag instantly with an audible hiss.
Levin immediately moved forward and stowed his lightsaber. He crouched to look Aoife in the eyes, his greens intense and his presence in the Force billowed outwards, letting it wash over her, and if she had wanted, to have a taste of who he was. Images of younglings getting sprained wrists fixed, of elder Jedi being treated for illnesses, of savaged flesh sewn back together with no needles, of life, pure, clean, beautiful essence of the living Force. His eyes never left hers as he raised a hand to rest gently on her shoulder, she felt so frail in his hands, and he sent a wave of support out from his being into her before speaking.
"I do not simply answer to the Council, Aoife Caaso. I go where the Force leads me. You are a good soul, and I see now I have been sent here to raise you from your misery. I want only one thing, to see you healed."
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 18, 2012 0:33:09 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Sept 18, 2012 0:33:09 GMT -5
Aoife’s mouth dropped as her last remaining pill, that precious gift that could dissolve away the pain, was wrenched from her grasp and burnt away. The sound of the plastic curling in on itself as it and its precious contents were seared from existence left her mouth dry. It was like being punched in the gut. The warn ache in her knees told her the pain was well on its way and now she had nothing to hold it back. The pain would start in her knees but it wouldn’t end there. She knew this dance too well on the rare occasion when the pickings had been slim and no new jobs had come her way. She knew she could take a day, though the cost would be high indeed, but if she didn’t take another job right away, she wouldn’t be much use by day two. The shakes would be too bad then, wracking her body until her teeth clicked, and it would be nigh impossible to aim a blaster well enough to take out a target.
Panic and bile rose up the back of Aoife’s throat but she choked it down again. She would get her next fix one way or the other. She just had to lose her new admirer as she doubted he’d approve of her tactics. She HAD just completed a difficult mission and payment was still due to her. If she could slip out, she could pay her employer a friendly visit and demand her cut. With that much money on hand, she’d be more than able to get set up with supplies for the month. She was so intent on planning out her next move that she barely registered it as Levin knelt down before her. It wasn’t until she felt the Force wash over her in soft waves that she was snapped back to the brutal reality of her situation. She was trapped in a room with a powerful Jedi healer who didn’t look like he was in any hurry to let her leave and in her current condition, she knew she wouldn’t be a match for him in a one on one fight. The pain would start soon in earnest and already she could feel it creeping up her legs, spreading like a disease that only the pink fairy could cure.
Levin’s hand dropped softly to her shoulder and Aoife looked at it with open disdain.
"I do not simply answer to the Council, Aoife Caaso. I go where the Force leads me. You are a good soul, and I see now I have been sent here to raise you from your misery. I want only one thing, to see you healed."
Pity. That was what she saw in his gesture, in his bright green eyes and the slight wrinkle of concern that creased the corners of his eyes. He pitied her. He’d seen in some small measure what she used to be and Aoife couldn’t bear that. She wasn’t something to be pitied. She had taken care of herself, fought her way through so much more than this man could understand, and she’d managed to hold her own just fine. He seemed to forget that she’d just killed three major criminals in the blink of an eye not more than 15 minutes ago. “You arrogant, b***ard,” she growled, “Do you have ANY idea what you just did? Do you have any idea what I’m going to have to go through just to get more? That was supposed to get me through the next 24 hours till I could collect my pay!”
Aoife shoved the healer’s hand off her shoulder. She didn’t want his help. She didn’t need to be pitied or reminded of how far she’d fallen, no matter how attractive a package that message came in. “I’m a good soul?” she snorted derisively, “boy have you been listening to the wrong people. Maybe you should ask that Council of yours if they agree with your assessment. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a limited period of time to go get what I need.” Her tone grew cold and she slid around Levin to reach for her boots. Her aching feet were complaining about having to put them back on and her stomach growled again in protest at having to come up with enough energy to get her to her destination and back. It would take a no less than an hour to get paid and hunt down her dealer, by then the shaking in her hands would have started along with the first signs of cramps.
|
|
|
|
|
Dutch
Darth Awesome, Specialist at Everything
4,164 posts
372 likes
King All the Easy
|
|
last online Apr 30, 2020 12:47:50 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 18, 2012 3:49:23 GMT -5
Post by Dutch on Sept 18, 2012 3:49:23 GMT -5
Levin did not fight Aoife as she turned away his kindness, only seeing it as pity. It wasn't uncommon for addicts to be like this though, they see one hand offering baubles, but think the other holds grenades. As she moved to get up and get ready to leave, Levin knew that mere words would not stop the woman. Words rarely did. Many people responded to action, much like she was. He could feel her physical distress through the Force, her need letting her walls down enough for him to sense the roiling waters of the Force around the various places where she hurt the most.
His eyes fluttered closed for a moment and he took in a deep breath of the Force into his body. He prepared his mind and body for what he was about to do- a technique many healers were simply unable to use. Not because of lack of skill, but because of lack of conviction. Jedi were founded to aid the Republic and its people. Not literally take their burden. However Levin Caelum did not lack conviction.
Lev's presence in the Force could be felt heavily in the room, a slight glow would touch his skin as he focused his mind more and more. Whispers, gentle and sweet could be heard through the Force, as if the cosmic energy itself was trying to share a secret with them. He turned to face Aoife as she finished getting her boots on and opened his eyes. The silver rim around his iris' almost looked to glow as his eyes met her turquoise ones.
"Aoife Caaso, see with unclouded thoughts."
He spoke slowly, and gently, before he made his move. Levin stepped again and in a single fluid movement managed to not only cradle the woman to support her weight, but also move his hand to the back of her head, and let the Force pour through the pair. His presence washed into hers like waves over sand, each cresting wave pulling more and more of her aches, pains, sufferings into his own body and mind. More and more it graced her presence as he delved deeper and deeper into the pain. Minor at first, hunger pangs, achy muscles and stiff joints. Those he could handle fine, he had done it more times than he could count.
But then he got to her emotional pains. He inhaled deeply as he began to take away some of that burden as well, the need for the spice, the shame of how she lived, the regret. All of it, he pulled deeper and deeper into himself until tears literally began to fall. For the first time in a long time, Aoife should be able to feel and think completely unclouded, if just for a moment before Levin released the technique and stepped back. He pulled as much of the pain she carried with him, hoping it would ease her instead of just unloading all those sensations at once.
Levin inhaled deeply once more before he closed his eyes and let that pain wash off his presence and into the purity of the Force, only for it to completely dissipate into the universe. He breathed in a few more shaky breaths before he used his right hand to wipe the tears from his face. He tilted his head slightly to the left before asking
"Aoife Caaso. How did it feel to see the universe through purity of mind and body?"
|
|
|
|
|
Otterling
Still Dutch's Minion
1,557 posts
0 likes
"Like a monkey on the sun, it was just to hot to live."
|
|
last online Dec 25, 2012 18:03:09 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 18, 2012 5:28:36 GMT -5
Post by Otterling on Sept 18, 2012 5:28:36 GMT -5
Aoife had managed to tug on one boot, her weight balanced precariously on only her left leg, when she felt the sudden shift in the Force. It was stronger now than it had been in the club when she’d first realized he was a Jedi. She could feel it swell and sing, pulling in around him like water rushing in to fill a void she hadn’t realized was there. Aoife watched him warily through one eye, frozen to the spot as she waited to see what this sudden surge meant. He was far more powerful than she’d initially thought and she began to wonder just how much trouble she was really in. There was a window not far from her that she could potentially jump through though she knew she wouldn’t get far. He would be able to sense her a mile away with the kind of power he was displaying.
When he finally turned to face her, Aoife’s breath froze in her chest. His eyes were hypnotic, glowing with an inner light that was only rivaled by some of her visions when she was on the really good stuff. She wondered for a moment if maybe she was farther into withdrawal than she’d originally thought, hallucinations weren’t uncommon when the Pixie was being neglected. She was a temperamental b**ch at best. There was nothing fake about the clear unwavering voice of the healer however as he finally spoke. His voice reached out, somehow louder than any PA system and yet gentle enough not to hurt her ears. It was like he was talking straight into her soul and after a brief thought, she supposed he really was. Jedi of his power honestly could do such things.
"Aoife Caaso, see with unclouded thoughts."
Aoife quirked an eyebrow. All that mystery and power and he chooses to be all cryptic with it? What on earth was that even supposed to…oh. Aoife’s thoughts skidded to a halt as he wrapped an arm around her and cradled the back of her head. “Hey big guy,” she teased playfully, “Kinda switched gears there on me, not that I’m…” The world dissolved for a moment, stealing with it her snarky reply, as the Force washed into her. It was like submerging in warm water and she felt the tension leak out of her. The pain in her knees faded, her hunger, long forgotten and ignored, melted away, and her hands stopped shaking. More than that, she felt the loneliness, uncertainty, fear, shame, and guilt slide off of her like dirt being scrubbed from her very soul. For a moment, Aoife was at peace like she hadn’t known since her days at the Jedi Temple.
She hadn’t even realized how much she’d missed feeling like that. How lost and alone she had been and what it was to not be worried where her next hit was coming from. She’d long since forgotten the simple joy of ripe berries from the gardens or the smell of flowers. As the healer pulled away from her, Aoife felt that comfort slipping and she reached out to cling to it. As the last of it began to fade away, her world came crashing back in to replace it. The pain in her body rushed back in and for the first time in a long time she was acutely aware of the hunger in her body for more than just spice. The smell of flowers faded to the musty smell of the mold in her bathroom and the bright chirp of birds gave way to the muffled sounds of life on the streets of Metallos.
Aoife was a strong woman but in that moment she could have wept. She glanced up to see the healer wiping tears from his eyes and for a bitter moment she wondered if he’d seen her past, her lies, and her greatest shame. How dare he take from her the comfort of her willful ignorance and the peace that came with refusing to remember all that she’d lost.
"Aoife Caaso. How did it feel to see the universe through purity of mind and body?"
Aoife could feel her whole body shaking. “Cruel,” she stated simply through clattering teeth. It had been cruel, to offer her a glimpse into a life she felt was no longer in her ability to have. Her neglected body shook in earnest now, the need for spice made all the stronger by the brief moment of respite it had been offered. She let her other boot fall from lifeless hands and braced herself against the wall. The need for spice was worse than ever if for no other reason than it was the only route she could see back to the peace she’d had the barest glimpse of but she couldn’t convince herself to move at that moment. The ache spread from her legs into her empty stomach and curled there into the first sign of cramps.
Within the next two hours she knew she’d start throwing up, not that there was anything left to purge. She’d gone too long without a hit. She’d had to put one off just to pull off the job she’d just done and now she was paying for it. She should have been high as a Corellian Starship by now. Instead she was standing there in her dingy apartment, hating all of it, including the healer. She nudged off her other boot and kicked it across the floor to Levin’s feet. Sarcasm had always been a good defense and right then, Aoife felt she needed something to keep everything and everyone at bay. She snorted bitterly. “Man, sex with you must be awesome if that’s what you manage with a hug. I oughta sell you on a street corner. I’d make a mint,” she joked half-heartedly.
|
|
|
|