Private Anything You Could Do You Can't As Well Anymore

[Iris Arani]

It'd been a long, long time since Iris last was on that rooftop. She still didn't know there was once a Sithspawn hide out beneath it. But, the view was really nice. More importantly, the place was big. Empty. Perfect for sparring. It's where Kai once taught her how not to hesitate and move with the Force. .. Which only ended up with her wanting to learn how to control herself than deep dive into the Force and become a murder machine. And where she technically had her first kiss. And break up. And-

Maybe this wasn't the best place. She was here though, and already invited Kai. So, the Padawan just sighed and sat on the edge of the building. Letting her feet dangle over the streets below as she watched the cars pass by through the colors of her world.

This would be fine. Probably.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai took the elevator. His arrival was heralded by a happy little ding! that made him flinch. Stepping out onto the roof, he spotted Iris sitting ahead of him, her feet dangling over the edge.

<Hi,> he greeted her, looking out at the Coruscanti skyline. Speeders zipped past, the bustling life stopping for no one. It had always been this way—even when the Galactic Empire rose, people still scurried around, on their way to work while the regime changed, the Jedi Temple burned, and children were slaughtered in its halls. The Average Joe, late for work, was truly eternal.

Approaching Iris, he stood over her. <So, you want to spar here?>

He’d chosen this location because it was close to the Reef—a Sithspawn sanctuary which no longer existed anymore. Even if it had, he was no longer welcome there. He had ceased to be one of them, a betrayal which was unforgivable.

Now it was just another rooftop. But if Iris wanted to train here, he was fine with it.

<With lightsabers, or martial arts, or the Force, or...?>

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Ding.

Well that was an abnormal sound. Iris blinked, glancing towards the elevator. This place had an elevator? She'd always used the stairs on the side of the building that- Oh. She'd just been using the fire escape all this time. She never even bothered to go inside the building. Pushing that aside though she hopped up, grinning wide towards Kai. <All of the above. We gotta be unorthodox, right?>

Another lesson Kai had ended up teaching her. She pulled out her lightsaber, flicking on the chilling, nonlethal crystal within.

<Ready?>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai shrugged. <Ok good, ok fine.>

He retrieved his lightsaber from his belt, lowering the intensity and thumbing it on. The bluish-white blade hummed low.

<You got a new crystal or something?> he asked, noting the iciness of her saber.

Aside from that remark, he focused on the duel. While he could remember all the positions of each lightsaber form, he no longer had the muscle memory associated with those movements. He was also a lot slower and weaker than he had been, and frequently left himself wide open to attack simply because he couldn’t maneuver fast enough, or his blocks weren’t strong enough to stand against her blows.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

<Kind of. It works mostly like a lightsaber but it can't cut anything. Can deflect blasters, other lightsabers. If it cuts someone it drains them of.. Energy? Knocks them out, basically.> Nonlethal to the extreme. Not that she only had that blade. An alternate trigger could turn on her regular, kyber blade so she could cut down things that needed to be cut. Like doors. Or droids.

Or weapons. Mostly weapons.

Admittedly though, she was disappointed right away. His movements were choppy. Easy for her to parry and exploit. And he was slow. She couldn't even hide her disappointment as she flicked her blade forward to pass through him. <You really shouldn't of gone to Tython like this..>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai started to see a familiar line forming between Iris’ eyebrows, a sure sign of worry. At first he dismissed it, but then the crease deepened into disappointment.

<I didn’t have much of a choice,> he replied, struggling to hold a bind. <Tython needed… all hands on deck… as long as I could fight, I—>

Her blade passed through him and he instantly collapsed, drained of energy and down for the count.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

She blinked as he dropped.

Then panicked. Right, he was actually so much weaker now! Her saber clattered to the ground as she started to look him over. Make sure he didn't crack his head on the ground or such. Then went to pass along whatever energy he might need to at least wake back up.

<Sorry! I'm sorry. Are you okay?>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai sat bolt upright, though he was still groggy and half-awake.

<Huh? What happened?>

He squinted at Iris, then at her lightsaber.

<You weren’t kidding about that crystal. I feel like I just got drained by a vampire.>

He rubbed his head—he had bumped it a little when he fell, though it was nothing serious—and then staggered to his feet. Attempting to reassure her with a lopsided smile, he wagged his finger at her.

<I’m gonna get you for that.>

Eventually. Maybe.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

<Hey, careful! You just bumped your head!> Well, he seemed fine. Smiling, even. Iris huffed out a breath before standing herself and turning to retrieve her saber. Then paused.

<Wait what about vampires? You've been drained by one before? They're real?>

 

[Arlo Renard]

<No, no! It's a figure of speech.> In a way, he had been something of a vampire himself. <Er, I mean, vampires are real. But I'm talking metaphorically here, and...>

Rather than continue fumbling for an explanation to a concept Iris probably wouldn't get anyway, Kai abruptly launched himself at her, attempting to body the girl.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

He bodied her.

But not before she brought up a knee for his gut in the process. Kai had been adamant that she learn how to expect the unexpected in their spars prior, and for once it seemed the Padawan had actually kept up with it. She laughed as she was brought down, a smirk clear on her face as she shifted to try and pin him instead.

<Surprise doesn't work on me anymore y'know!>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

As Kai went from lunging to suddenly being pinned down on the floor, it occurred to him that the only way this move ever would've worked was if he were still a Doppelganger, with superhuman strength, speed, and flexibility. He certainly had envisioned something quite different from what actually occurred, his mind working with muscle memory in phantom limbs.

The intense pain in his gut from where she had kneed him proved instantly just how idiotic and absent-minded he had been, and now he was paying the price for his stupidity. He folded like a cheap lawn chair, giving her plenty of opportunity to pin him down.

<I can see that! Good job!>

He tried to break free of her grip, to little avail. After exhausting himself he went limp beneath her.

<Are there seriously no benefits to being human?>

The words, born out of frustration, were out of his brain before he could think twice about their implications.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

<I dunno. I'm not human.> Iris shrugged before rolling off of Kai. To stare up at the layers of Coruscant above. <But I'm not y'know, that different. Just gotta train and rebuild muscle and such, right?>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

<You know what I mean. You’re Near-Human, more or less human but with some mildly different characteristics.>

As a former rock, Kai was rather opinionated when it came to what could be classified as “alien”. If a human could wear prosthetics or body paint and easily pass for a member of another species, that species wasn’t truly alien.

<I’m never going to be as strong or as fast or as flexible as I was before,> he pointed out. <Even if I train and use the Force.>

It bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Especially now, after he had been in a few fights and taken hits that wouldn’t have been half as devastating if he had been a Doppelganger still.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris shrugged. Biology was a more recent thing she'd started to learn in school. Well, the technical specifications of a numerous host of different species in the galaxy. Kai was right, a lot of near human were just.. Human with flavor. At least in a biological standpoint. Was that why hybrids were a thing? <Nope. You'll never heal like you used to. You can't swing through the city without a care.>

More nails in the coffin, not that Iris really even realized that's what she was doing. It was all just a build up. <It's not the body you'd probably want. But it's better than being what you were, right?>

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai rolled over on his side and propped himself up on his elbow so that he could look at Iris.

<Of course,> he lied. <Maybe I just haven't found the benefits yet.>

He was gazing at her rather intensely, dark eyes tracing the lines of her face.

<Iris...> His telepathy seemed more muted, as though he were concealing a great deal. There was a question poised in his mind, but he was afraid to ask it. Just like he was afraid to admit that something was happening to him that he was barely beginning to understand.

<I'm really sorry for what I did to you up here on the roof. I didn't know what it was like then. But this body knows.>

It was hard for him to articulate. He looked at her, hopeful that she would understand.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Seeing someone suppress their colors was a new one. Iris tilted her head, confusion in her eyes as she watched Kai. She didn't expect what he said next though and just.. Stared. Thinking was too much, at least about the moment in question. It wasn't hard to realize what he was talking about. Was it even something she wanted to?

A fist came around to tap his shoulder. Halfhearted as she stared up at the layers of Coruscant above.

"You're a jerk."

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

He flinched slightly as she slugged him. His hand reached up to clasp hers in the gentlest of grips. If she pulled away, he’d let her go just as easily.

<Maybe I am,> he said softly. <But things are different now. I...>

The suppression wavered slightly, though it wasn’t clear whether he’d done it intentionally, giving her a peek, or if his self-control was weakening. There was a storm brewing in him, a hurricane threatening to engulf them both. Emotions which were foreign to Kai’s range of experience had arrived in full force. He was afraid, if only because he didn’t yet know how to navigate it all. Another part of him already understood that this was what he had been missing, that which had fascinated and repelled him.

“Iris,” he whispered her name aloud. But no words were sufficient. So he acted.

Kai leaned forward and kissed her.

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"Kai..?"

There were too many colors swirling around for her to understand just what was going on with him. Colors she didn't recognize, at least, not from him. Worse, he seemed to be lost to it? Iris's brow furrowed as she tried to sort it out for herself to try and say something.

Except he leaned over. And she pulled away. Set her hands against him to gently push him back. "Kai, stop."

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

<No please—>

The telepathic thought escaped him before he closed up again, hiding himself from her completely. There was an odd, hurt expression on his face, as if she had struck him and he still felt the sting. His face was red with humiliation.

<I’m sorry,> he said stiffly. <I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have done that...>

Suddenly he was desperate to get out of there. He started to get to his feet, picking up his things in a hurry.

Iris Arani​