A Disruption of Ripples [Khal]

[Blackthorne]

Braxant Run
Hyperspace
Unnamed Freighter
Following the events of Ascendancy: Assault of Bastion

Space was a setting that Loxa Visl had never quite come to terms with. The Sha'Matri often found herself discomforted by the walls of lifeless metal surrounding her and only when traveling by Korangar or Eogorath could she say she felt truly at peace. Hyperspace unsettled the Priestess in a particular fashion that she'd never quite been capable of describing with words. Khal had questioned her about it before and Loxa recalled with waning clarity that she had failed to truly communicate what it was that unnerved her so.

Perhaps it was the distance from the natural realm - a place she had always been so strongly connected with. Or perhaps it was the vastness of the galaxy that created a sense of fragility. Whatever it was, it put the woman on edge. Sleeping was difficult, often impossible. Eating a challenge as well. She found that her meditations were hard pressed to go for prolonged periods without interruption. It made her restless, sometimes ill.

But it hadn't always been this way.

Not until the awakening of Boethiah.

The freighter was not a large ship but it had enough room for one to walk - or pace, as the case was. She'd set her robes and staff in the sleeping quarters where they would be out of the way and began her short, slow, methodical trek back and forth along the longest section of uninterrupted hall within the ship. Barefoot, Loxa padded quietly with the sting of metallic cold for every step. Her's was not a feverish pace, but one of viscous, internalized thought. The way a writer might meander while searching for the right words, right thoughts or ideas to put to paper.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"] had last been seen in the Captain's chair, setting their destination and course into place.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

Not a difficult job to do all things considered.

While Bastion fell underneath them the shuttle took off and soon was swallowed by the void of space. The switch from one shuttle to the freighter had been made quite fast too, after that it was just typing in the coordinates after cross checking them with previoud destinations. Soon after that they jumped to hyperspace and Malvern could simply engage the auto-drive.

He felt her presence through the walls and it made him frown. Not her presence as much as the feelings it invoked and the reminder of the feelings experienced on Bastion.

Why? Khal didn't know, didn't even know how they got in this position in the first place.

But as the man pushed himself off the captain's chair and followed the corridor towards her presence. There he found her walking back and forth, like someone living a waking sleep and trying to find their way out of it by any means necessary.

"A woman is busy?" Khal asked, after watching for a moment while leaning against the wall.

 

[Blackthorne]

Perhaps the man was trying at humor but as per usual, those sorts of things didn't often register with the zabrak. She paused in her route, a few paces down the hall from where he stood, and turned golden eyes upon him that were hazy with the effort of translating his words.

<<No,>> she replied in pacean after a beat and began her pacing again, <<a woman walks. A man wishes to speak, this one is listening.>>

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

The amusement didn't go away as much as become more emboldened.

The anxiety almost rolled away from her in waves. In this it made sense that she focused on a repetitive task, this way her mind wasn't focusing on the source of her distress - the fact that the only thing separating them from the cold void of space was a relatively thin stripe of durasteel.

If their shields failed... if a single rupture in the hull formed... they wouldn't be long for this world.

Well, presumably. Khal still wasn't sure if there was actually anything that could kill him, he had survived bullets, blasters, knives and lightsabers, there didn't seem to be anything that could make it stick.

So maybe the cold vacuum of space wouldn't be that much of an issue either.

<< A man sees. >> Malvern finally responded, before stepping up towards her and joining her in her walk. Back and forth, back and forth, little steps that carried them from one direction of the hall to the other.

There was silence in that walk for a while, until Khal broke it again.

<< You were injured today. >>

 

[Blackthorne]

The silence and the company were accepted readily. Priestess continued her slow walk, eyes closed to the ship around her as she maintained her count. Twenty slow steps one direction, pause, turn on heel, twenty slow steps in the other direction, repeat.

Repeat, repeat. A method to the madness surrounding them. An avenue used to override mental distraction to find peace and the voice of the Gods that had been drowned out by the droning engines of the ship.

<<You were injured today.>>

<<Truth,>> she replied softly and without opening her eyes, <<this one feels the weight of time greatly when the Gods are not near. For a man's assistance this one is most grateful.>>

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

A frown settled itself between his brows.

It was difficult to assign blame or chastise her when she got like... this.

In truth she was always like this, always calm and silent and introspective and with a grace that most nobility would envy. Annoying at times, especially when Malvern wanted to give her the talk. But how do you approach it, if the first thing out of her mouth was gratification for his assistance?

When it was acceptance that she was getting slower.

<< We may not be as lucky next time. >> Khal finally brought out after some more steps in silent contemplation. << Caution must be ours. >>

Perhaps an amusing thought and mention from him.

Someone who had always been audacious and prone to taking risks. But this entire thing was new to him to a degree, this feeling of being... protective.

It was strange and he didn't enjoy it much.

 

[Blackthorne]

<<A man is not bound to this one's fate,>> Loxa reminded him gently, her steps crawling to a halt at the center of a broad viewport. Stars streaked past, white lines on an inky backdrop swirling off into the ether behind them. She winced as she looked, discomfort showing through, feet unsteady on the metal walkway beneath them.

Cold. Hands quietly lifted to curl at the window frame, seeking stability as they raced through the pitchless fathoms.

Loxa fell contemplative, seemingly turning over the undefined meaning behind his words. We. Ours.

<<In the beliefs of the Skarsovi a thread binds souls together, unseen but felt. Like the wind. In my mind I can see these threads of my people, in my heart I feel the weight of these invisible tethers on my soul. This one knows countless threads connect she to they,>> a hand reached then towards the man, taking his nearest and turning it over, palm up, <<yet the heaviest thread of them all is here.>>

Baleful golden eyes looked to the man's exposed wrist where she traced a finger from his veins, across his palm, along his fingers and then to her own wrist where it stopped.

<<Tell me why that is, Khaleel Malvern.>>

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

A grunt was all she received for her first couple of words.

It wasn't that simple and she knew this too.

Yet, it was that simple devolvement from simplicity to complexity that worried Khal very much. It should have all been easy, simple, a kark here and there, the sacrifice of their child closing any connection they might have experienced. But instead there were other things tugging at him and made him feel things he could not explain. It wasn't difficult to explain why he couldn't, of course.

Grown up on the streets of 'Shaddaa the man knew nothing of love or compassion.

To care there was to die and these days he was desperately - a man surrounded on all sides by dark ocean, holding his chin up high to not drown - trying to push back those feelings.

<< If I knew, I would tell you. >> But he had little success in pushing them down. << Why do you think this is? >>

His hand had already reached out and held hers, steadying her as her focus shifted between him and the cold vastness of space out there.

 

[Blackthorne]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

The Priestess looked down at their hands, all intermingling of scars from separate lifetimes of toil and trials. Strange how similar their histories were, and yet so very distant from each other. It was something that had distracted her thoughts many times before while in his presence - wondering what fates the Gods played at. If they really were not connected at all.

A devout Priestess and a non-believer.

A mild self-deprecating smile formed on the woman's face as thoughts turned to how very small her own world must seem when compared to the vast expanse of the man's galaxy. Religion had been explained to her in this way before: as being small. Loxa had come to accept this view, knowing that she was in fact very small in comparison to the Gods. Sometimes being humble was simply the easiest path, even if that was not her intention.

<< A man is the only one to pull away. Always there is weight, tension. Always it pulls. Yet he does not sever the thread. >>

<< A woman wonders if a man waits for she to sever it for him. >>

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

A brow was raised at that.

She did not break connect between their touches, this Khaleel noticed intently, but the question was a good one. There was little in the way of sentimentality for one such as Malvern. It made little sense to disregard such observation and say the first thing that would rise within him: No, that is not it! Because that would disrespect the wisedom that Loxa possessed, to simply turn it away without even making that consideration.

Was it that he hoped she would cut off.... whatever they had on her own?

Malvern looked away, towards the vast expanse of space and his hand squeezed her softly. The rigid coarseness of old scars healed over older scars brushed past their skin, reminding them of what they did share, even if there were things they would never share in this lifetime.

<< No. >> Malvern finally responded in a tone of resoluteness. His focus returned to her again. << You do not know me as a man who shies away from difficult decisions. >>

Khal did not know himself as such.

<< If I wanted this to end... it would have ended. >>

The words spoke of truth the moment they rang in his ears. If it had truly been his wish to cut things off, he wouldn't have played this tense little... whatever it was they had been doing, he would simply have cut it off and let it stand there clean and surgical. But something had told him otherwise.

<< I care for you and this disturbs me. >>

This too was the truth and it only sounded right once he spoke the words.

 

[Blackthorne]

A somber smile remained while Khal worked out his words. Loxa was patient, quiet, steady in her presence. Hand remaining in his, the squeeze drew her gaze. Perhaps she had imagined that Khal would fail to return one day when he'd finally figured out what it was that he wanted. More and more the man had remained, taking leave less and less in the more recent months. She never once asked where he went, nor inquired as to what it was that he did while away. These things had never been her business, and she felt she owed that much to the man that never questioned her own machinations for the Gods.

Content to stand side-by-side, yet never truly together.

Loxa would not know if this wasn't a natural way of being. She'd never known another to stand at her side so persistently for no other reason than because they wanted to. Never known another to take her hand and reassure her through a simple squeeze.

It was nice.

Her smile broadened faintly at his last words and she nodded in return.

<< A woman is ...happy, to be cared for, >> gaze lifting, she could not hide the hint of mild confusion, << and means not to disturb a man so. The heaviest thread of them all has always been anchored where this one's strength is greatest. >> Right hand leaving his palm, it indicated her heart with a gentle motion to where it beat steadily below the surface.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

There was frustration mounting inside of him.

The reason why Khaleel never talked much was in reality not because of any such mysterious radiance. Even if it might have seemed as such, no, in reality it was because Malvern had difficult expressing the real feels. The complicated emotes that made up any difficult relationship that he formed. So, he simply didn't bother, let his actions do the talking and stayed clear of any overly complicated connection that would make things... difficult for him.

But here they were.

<< A woman is not at fault, it is the man. >> Malvern responded firmly and with resolute. << The streets taught that caring for others was dangerous. >>

She knew little of his life prior to them meeting.

But that was a thing he had mentioned of his own volition. After the heavenly sighs and the sweat trickling and her form pressed neatly against him in the night.

<< A man is outside his zone of comfort, yet he does not seem to mind, this concerns me? >>

 

[Blackthorne]

<< One cannot grow by only walking the comfortable paths, >> nor could they become stronger by avoiding danger. Loxa remembered the things he spoke of in the darkness of his ship. She knew the rhythm of his heartbeat and the scent of his skin. How the reverberations of that baritone voice in his chest rung like thunder on the horizon in her head. She knew the scars, the animated markings that moved across the canvas of his flesh and the stories behind many of them. Such intimate details often held close and guarded, readily shared when they were alone.

Rarely did he speak in the company of others - that of [member="Boethiah"] notwithstanding.

A deep, slow breath settled these thoughts. Loxa searched her mind for more words to speak. Something that might help to reciprocate the care? What were the words Boethiah had taught her...

"You mad bro?" said the Priestess, looking up at the man with an unchanged expression, her basic heavy with Pacean accent.

Khal blinked, furrowed his brows in confusion and then coughed softly. << A woman has been studying Basic? >>

Loxa paused a beat, << A woman is taught by her daughter that this means she cares. >>

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

Lips curled into something akin to a smile.

It was softer than his usual flippant smirks and snorts, more like... what they sometimes shared under the cloak of the dark and in isolation from the outside world. In truth Khal did not consider Boethiah his daughter, but if he was even more truthful... did that distinction truly matter? They had sacrificed their son's essence to create a wonder and there had been little qualm in his mind over it. In that regard, the fact that he cared for Boethiah in his own little ways was all that Malvern could offer - a gift between travels, some hidden advice, the supportive palm of his hand when she had stumbled as a little girl.

<< Our daughter enjoys humor a lot, it seems. >> Yet, this would have to be addressed regardless. Today it was inconsequential, but what if Loxa had tried to use some of these words against the Sith Lord back at Bastion?

No, there was need for caution and strictness in this situation.

His hand pulled her in, he was careful not to cut himself on her horns, instead brushing his chin across her brow as he tried to... embrace her. It was somewhat awkward for him, but it was strange how comforting it was in the moment as well.

<< A man is... happy that you feel similar. >>

 

[Blackthorne]

"Ohhh," Loxa's brows lifted as she realized her folly before furrowing momentarily, lips thinning, "mmm."

Perhaps Boethiah got the translation wrong. She wasn't especially affluent in Basic either, but leaps and bounds more than herself.

The Priestess sighed, stepping into Khal's arms as he bid her and gently leaning her head against the bristle of his chin. She did not notice any awkwardness on his part and was especially appreciative for the further distraction from her discomfort of traveling within the ship. Her own hands rested at his front, thinking she could still smell the remnants of the old temple on his clothes.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

For a while they simply stood there.

Both of them mesmerized in their own thoughts and memories, simply being content and leaving it at that, but eventually Khal noticed something. The hum of the hyperdrive, the subtle twitch of the ship as it bucked under the pressure of hyperspace and the ticking of their hearts beating against one another. It had a rhythm, a purpose, a steady and coordinated approach that cut through the chaos.

<< Have we ever danced? >> In truth he could not recall if they ever had or even if the Priestess could dance in the first place.

He looked down, catching her eyes with his and trying to gauge her interest.

It could assist her further, letting her focus entirely on the steps, instead of the cold madness beyond.

 

[Blackthorne]

Danced?

A blink, a light shake of her head, << This one has never danced. >> But she had witnessed dancing in her lifetime. Broken memories of her days in slavery, watching the lives of those greater than she enjoying their luxuries. Then later while serving the Aesirs of Moross, full halls of dancing couples during ceremony and festivities. She had not partaken then for the lack of any need or desire.

Now she was curious.

<< Will a man teach a woman how? >>

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

It shouldn't have surprised him... because neither had he in the past.

The future had unfolded differently for him, instead of accepting a role of subservience Khal had claimed his position within the Galaxy. He was no royalty or nobility, no corporate executive, but within his domain there were few his equal. It gave him the opportunities to learn while leading, which he had done with eager abandonment.

Knowledge was amazing.

<< A man will. >> Khal calmly agreed, before pushing her hand up further to his shoulder and taking the other one in his hand, while his brushed down her side and settled itself neatly on her hip.

For the first few minutes there was gentle and patient instruction.

Placement of feet, timing and pacing, the cadence of supposed music.

<< Is a woman ready to try? >>

 

[Blackthorne]

Listening, nodding her comprehension of the explanation given, Loxa looked up to Khal with an expression you would come to expect. Like anyone who had ever undergone the very same tutorial and was asked if they were ready. The Priestess didn't know that she was, but hesitation had never been a tactic of hers. Learning on her feet, in this instance quite literally, was something she was accustomed to.

<< Siyo, >> she replied lightly, an enterprising sort of look in her expression as she offered one last nod. Her own hand gingerly held in his, the other perched at his shoulder, Loxa awaited Khal to lead into the first step. One step back, one to the side, one forward, and then the other side. Back again, side, forward, side. The man uttered the words under his breath as he moved to help direct her own feet. Again, then once more, his voice faded as they found a rhythm.

Then, like he was often want to do, he threw in an extra forward step and caught her bare toes with his boot.

<< Oh! Ffff- >> the zabrak winced, rubbing the stubbed foot at the back of the opposite calf, << tricky. >>

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Loxa Visl"]

The dance began with cautious hesitation, but as it often did there was a rhythm to be found within.

Took them a little bit longer.

But eventually his voice hummed to the tune in his head and he simply guided her from here to there. At least, until Khal decided to test her out a bit and see how far she had come in the meantime. Might have been a bit unfair, considering they only were practicing for a few minutes at most, but if there was one thing that the man believed in, it was that learning on your feet (literally) was important.

He chuckled softly as she rubbed her toes against her leg.

Then Khal pulled her closer, one hand curled further at the small of her back, while he brushed past her cheek.

<< A woman learns fast. >> He whispered softly. << Once more? >>