A group of vagrants clustered around a fire, craving its heat. At first, Kai kept his distance from them, but it was hard to stay away. After several days spent alone in his makeshift shelter, his peculiar addiction to the memories of others was almost painful, filling him with a persistent longing. The abundance of minds gathered all in one place lured him with the promise of satiation.
Lulled by the fire’s warmth, the exhausted, dirty, malnourished people paid no heed to the fogginess that descended over their consciousness, dismissing it as a sign that they would soon be drifting off to sleep. Kai let them believe this, remaining on the margins so he wouldn’t disturb their rest.
“Hey,” a voice said.
Kai peered out from beneath lowered lids, half-drunk from feeding. A blue Twi’lek woman stood nearby, her gaze fixed on him.
“Are you looking for something?” she asked.
He shrugged, still a bit disoriented. Where had she come from?
“You seem like you’re… I dunno.” She glanced back toward the fire for a moment, then focused on Kai again. “Have you been here before?”
Kai shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Under most circumstances, he would’ve simply walked away rather than indulge in conversation. But something about the way she looked at him kept him riveted, his feet nailed to the ground where he stood.
“I feel like I’ve seen you around.” She tapped her lip. “Unless you’re somebody famous.”
He shook his head.
“Huh. I give up.” She tilted her head to the side, still studying him. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
<I talk. Just not out loud.>
His lips didn’t move, but she heard him clearly. Her eyes widened. “You’re a telepath?... Can you read my mind?”
He nodded.
“What am I thinking about now?”
Not sure why he was going along with this, he took a glimpse at her surface level thoughts. <You’ve never met a telepath before, and you never would’ve guessed I was one just from looking at me.>
She grinned, only to self-consciously cover her mouth with her hand. In the dim orange glow of the flames, he saw that her teeth were rotting from the use of certain hard drugs.
Pressing her lips together, she lowered her hand. “I’m Ruta. Do you live around here?”
<I’m Kai. I don’t live anywhere.>
“You’re homeless?” She lowered her voice. “Sorry, it was a stupid question. Should’ve been obvious, if you’re in this place. Maybe—maybe we saw each other in one of those shanty towns in the lower levels?”
<I stay away from those. I have my own hideout.>
She sighed. “I wish I had a place all to myself.”
He thought of his durasteel bower, a nest in the upper floors of an abandoned starscraper. <It’s pretty big. Other people could probably live there too, if they could only reach it.>
“Huh. Could I—”
<Yes. You can see it. Follow me.>
***
He swung through a gap in shattered transparisteel, landing soundlessly on a duracrete floor. Ruta slid off of him, uncoiling her arms from around his neck, and looked around. “You live here?”
Durasteel beams curled around the husk of a building like rusted ribs, or the clutching fingers of a burn victim. The wind whistled through every gap in the decaying structure, sweeping every surface clean of dust and debris.
“How did you find this place?” Ruta asked.
Kai sat on the floor. In one hand he held the rope of flesh he had used as a grapple to get them there. Connected at his navel, the cord was slowly being drawn through his open palm as he absorbed it back into his body. <I stumbled upon it by accident.>
“You must do a lot of swinging around, then.” She avoided looking at the grapple, rubbing her arms. “It’s freezing in here.”
<I don’t get cold.> He watched the final bit of skin disappear into his stomach without a trace. <If you’re cold, I have something that could keep you warm.>
He went to a corner of the room, where he had stowed away a large duffel bag filled with supplies and other items he had collected. Spying the lightsaber he had stolen from the Temple on top of the bag, he rushed to hide it, but in his haste he inadvertently drew her attention to the hilt in his hand.
“You’re a Jedi,” she gasped.
Wincing, he wouldn’t look at her. <No. I’m not allowed to be a Jedi.>
“Why not?” When her question was met with only a guilty expression from him, she sighed. “I get it. Being good is hard.”
Thinking of his friends back at the Temple, Kai rubbed his face with his hand. <I don’t want to talk about it.>
Nodding, she changed the subject. “What kind of music do you like?”
<I don’t know. I don’t like vibrations.>
“Well, there are good vibrations, y’know.” She snorted, pulling out a small handheld music player. “But I’ve only got five songs on this thing. I like them all, though.” She extended her hand, offering him a tiny wireless earbud. “Wanna listen?”
A little reluctant, he nonetheless took the device and inserted it in his ear. She kept the volume at tolerable levels. While he sat and listened, she began to sway, her movements in time with the music.
Dancing. She was dancing.
<Why do you dance?> he asked.
“I dunno, I just like doing it,” she replied. “Nobody taught me how to dance. I’m just basing this on what I’ve seen in holovids.”
While she continued to sway, lost in the music, Kai tried to absorb it all. The song seemed perpetually on the verge of a crescendo, but each time it failed to peak. Ruta’s dancing, too, never quite changed.
“Don’t you dance?” she asked.
<I’ve never tried.>
“How about now?”
She stooped and took his hand, lifting him to his feet. He was hesitant, unsure of what to do, so he just followed her lead, letting her pull him in close as they swayed.
“I get it now,” he said out loud. "This is nice."
She blinked in surprise. “You sound different than you did when it was just your thoughts.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t really hear me before.”
The song ended, and a new one began to play. It was louder and more intense than the last one had been. Kai didn’t like it as much.
Ruta began to tremble faintly in his grasp. Suddenly pulled away from him. “I shouldn’t be here right now.”
Kai touched her arm. “Please don’t go.”
She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. “I’ve already got the shakes. If I go into withdrawal, then it’ll be bad. I’ll lose control of my body. I’d rather you didn’t have to… I don’t want to deal with that.”
He was disappointed, but hid it well. “I’ll take you down.”
“No,” she blurted. “I’ll… I’ll jump.”
“What?”
She turned her back on him and started to creep toward the edge of the building. Once again, Kai felt as if he were rooted to the spot, unable to move. When the oppressive force finally let up, he rushed forward—just in time for her to disappear over the ledge, his fingers grasping at empty air.
Kai stared at the space where she had been, his arm still outstretched. The wind fought against him, whipping at his raven hair. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and did not speak again.
Lulled by the fire’s warmth, the exhausted, dirty, malnourished people paid no heed to the fogginess that descended over their consciousness, dismissing it as a sign that they would soon be drifting off to sleep. Kai let them believe this, remaining on the margins so he wouldn’t disturb their rest.
“Hey,” a voice said.
Kai peered out from beneath lowered lids, half-drunk from feeding. A blue Twi’lek woman stood nearby, her gaze fixed on him.
“Are you looking for something?” she asked.
He shrugged, still a bit disoriented. Where had she come from?
“You seem like you’re… I dunno.” She glanced back toward the fire for a moment, then focused on Kai again. “Have you been here before?”
Kai shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Under most circumstances, he would’ve simply walked away rather than indulge in conversation. But something about the way she looked at him kept him riveted, his feet nailed to the ground where he stood.
“I feel like I’ve seen you around.” She tapped her lip. “Unless you’re somebody famous.”
He shook his head.
“Huh. I give up.” She tilted her head to the side, still studying him. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
<I talk. Just not out loud.>
His lips didn’t move, but she heard him clearly. Her eyes widened. “You’re a telepath?... Can you read my mind?”
He nodded.
“What am I thinking about now?”
Not sure why he was going along with this, he took a glimpse at her surface level thoughts. <You’ve never met a telepath before, and you never would’ve guessed I was one just from looking at me.>
She grinned, only to self-consciously cover her mouth with her hand. In the dim orange glow of the flames, he saw that her teeth were rotting from the use of certain hard drugs.
Pressing her lips together, she lowered her hand. “I’m Ruta. Do you live around here?”
<I’m Kai. I don’t live anywhere.>
“You’re homeless?” She lowered her voice. “Sorry, it was a stupid question. Should’ve been obvious, if you’re in this place. Maybe—maybe we saw each other in one of those shanty towns in the lower levels?”
<I stay away from those. I have my own hideout.>
She sighed. “I wish I had a place all to myself.”
He thought of his durasteel bower, a nest in the upper floors of an abandoned starscraper. <It’s pretty big. Other people could probably live there too, if they could only reach it.>
“Huh. Could I—”
<Yes. You can see it. Follow me.>
***
He swung through a gap in shattered transparisteel, landing soundlessly on a duracrete floor. Ruta slid off of him, uncoiling her arms from around his neck, and looked around. “You live here?”
Durasteel beams curled around the husk of a building like rusted ribs, or the clutching fingers of a burn victim. The wind whistled through every gap in the decaying structure, sweeping every surface clean of dust and debris.
“How did you find this place?” Ruta asked.
Kai sat on the floor. In one hand he held the rope of flesh he had used as a grapple to get them there. Connected at his navel, the cord was slowly being drawn through his open palm as he absorbed it back into his body. <I stumbled upon it by accident.>
“You must do a lot of swinging around, then.” She avoided looking at the grapple, rubbing her arms. “It’s freezing in here.”
<I don’t get cold.> He watched the final bit of skin disappear into his stomach without a trace. <If you’re cold, I have something that could keep you warm.>
He went to a corner of the room, where he had stowed away a large duffel bag filled with supplies and other items he had collected. Spying the lightsaber he had stolen from the Temple on top of the bag, he rushed to hide it, but in his haste he inadvertently drew her attention to the hilt in his hand.
“You’re a Jedi,” she gasped.
Wincing, he wouldn’t look at her. <No. I’m not allowed to be a Jedi.>
“Why not?” When her question was met with only a guilty expression from him, she sighed. “I get it. Being good is hard.”
Thinking of his friends back at the Temple, Kai rubbed his face with his hand. <I don’t want to talk about it.>
Nodding, she changed the subject. “What kind of music do you like?”
<I don’t know. I don’t like vibrations.>
“Well, there are good vibrations, y’know.” She snorted, pulling out a small handheld music player. “But I’ve only got five songs on this thing. I like them all, though.” She extended her hand, offering him a tiny wireless earbud. “Wanna listen?”
A little reluctant, he nonetheless took the device and inserted it in his ear. She kept the volume at tolerable levels. While he sat and listened, she began to sway, her movements in time with the music.
Dancing. She was dancing.
<Why do you dance?> he asked.
“I dunno, I just like doing it,” she replied. “Nobody taught me how to dance. I’m just basing this on what I’ve seen in holovids.”
While she continued to sway, lost in the music, Kai tried to absorb it all. The song seemed perpetually on the verge of a crescendo, but each time it failed to peak. Ruta’s dancing, too, never quite changed.
“Don’t you dance?” she asked.
<I’ve never tried.>
“How about now?”
She stooped and took his hand, lifting him to his feet. He was hesitant, unsure of what to do, so he just followed her lead, letting her pull him in close as they swayed.
“I get it now,” he said out loud. "This is nice."
She blinked in surprise. “You sound different than you did when it was just your thoughts.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t really hear me before.”
The song ended, and a new one began to play. It was louder and more intense than the last one had been. Kai didn’t like it as much.
Ruta began to tremble faintly in his grasp. Suddenly pulled away from him. “I shouldn’t be here right now.”
Kai touched her arm. “Please don’t go.”
She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. “I’ve already got the shakes. If I go into withdrawal, then it’ll be bad. I’ll lose control of my body. I’d rather you didn’t have to… I don’t want to deal with that.”
He was disappointed, but hid it well. “I’ll take you down.”
“No,” she blurted. “I’ll… I’ll jump.”
“What?”
She turned her back on him and started to creep toward the edge of the building. Once again, Kai felt as if he were rooted to the spot, unable to move. When the oppressive force finally let up, he rushed forward—just in time for her to disappear over the ledge, his fingers grasping at empty air.
Kai stared at the space where she had been, his arm still outstretched. The wind fought against him, whipping at his raven hair. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and did not speak again.
