Better late than never [Jared Ovmar]

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Coruscant
3:30AM​

A cold sweat doused her brow as the young Jedi's frame erected from her sheets. Gasps of air filled her lungs as her eyes, wide, adjusted to the moonlight that flooded across her bed. Her chest heaved, sweat mixing with the fabric of her tank, and she leaned forward, elbows on either side of her knees; burying her face in her palms. Distraught, her entire body shivered as she ran her fingers against her hairline, removing the liquid that had accumulated in her sleep.

Nightmares again.
She'd gone two years without them.
The last time she'd had dreams like this, Kiskla had ended up on Mortis' Monolith and damned with the dark and light entities; destined to be their warden and maintain balance between the two forces to make sure one never overthrew the other; peace in war. She shuddered at the memory, and ran a thoughtful hand over the bracer that clasped tightly to her left wrist, feeling the alchemic design and engravings.

This time, her nightmares hadn't been about her. They had been about the galaxy as a whole. It wasn't her in the middle, she was looking onward. There was a darkness, a different kind of threat beyond what the Empire could bring. They were a crumbling foe, being replaced by something stronger. Something more sinister.

She needed a drink.

Kiskla didn't drink. But she also didn't usually have nightmares. But whenever she did, they weren't good. Slowly, her long legs separated from the blankets with some difficulty, considering the condensation that clung to her skin and the fabric. Her skinny frame then advanced to the refresher in her room, blinking at the immediacy of the light as she stepped into the shower. She opted for a cold shower, to bring her to her senses. Her body rejected the shock, and she grit her teeth at the chilling slam of water. Within seconds, however, she adjusted the temperature and ran her fingers down her face, shaking her head in disbelief.
A darkness, a ferocious darkness, but what? What was impending? And it was directly against the light.

Kiskla considered these questions further as she scrubbed her wet hair with a towel, frowning at her reflection for it's incompetence and inability to put her finger on the meaning of the vision. She continued this self-beration as she slunk into her civilian clothing, casting a wayward glance at the clock.
She was a Jedi Master for kark's sake, why couldn't she --- 3:30AM? Well. There'd be no breakfast places open -- it looks like she'd be finding her answers looking at the bottom of a glass in some scummy bar.

Making an exodus from her quarters, and the rest of the quiet Jedi temple, Kiskla blended into the night scene on Coruscant's streets. Her light hair, still slightly damp, reflected the neon advertisements brilliantly.

​

The young Jedi was unused to the bar scene, and simply turned her frame into the first open mouth of an establishment; she didn't even catch the name. Her light eyes were still trained as a warrior however, and upon entering she calculated the amount of heads and exits in the facility, just in case. Before she knew it, she'd reached the barkeep.

"What'll it be?"

She had no idea.

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Coruscant
3:00AM​

Sometimes people needed some time off, relax a little and maybe get a couple of drinks. This was especially true for the Lord of the Fringe, the burden of leadership was a tough one and there were nights when he did not know how he would continue to do his duties. Coincidentally this was one of those nights, sleep had not come easy to him and the nightmares woke him. Dreams of mutilated corpses, overdosing women and torture. Pretty unpleasant all in all, as such it had not been a hard decision to take an early shower and hit the bars. If there was anything that could cheer him up, it was a night of booze and women and for once Jared did not care that it was a shallow thing to want. Ignorance is bliss some people liked to say.. well today he would drink his problems away.

There was a time Jared frequented the scummy bars of the understreets, there had not been enough money for anything else. Though even with the money he probably would have been kicked out because of his dirty clothes and overall appearance, but that time was long gone. Money was not a problem anymore and after a couple of bathes and new clothes he had looked the part. Nobody would dare to turn out the once lowly thug anymore, but still. Some part of him desired a return to the old bars, just like the old days. At least to check-up on some people and decide for himself if anything had changed after his absence.

"Old Man's Freighter." As the name implied it was an old bar, though its owner was not old and not even a man. So the logic behind the name was lost to Jared. Still it was one of the more respectable establishments in the Understreets, if you could call it that. The building had obviously seen better days, but that could have been said by the whole area so there was no surprise there. With some angst he entered the bar and got hit by the familiar scent of alcohol, spice and sin. It seemed today would be an interesting day indeed..

His arrival did not go unnoticed, there was something about a rowdy bar and its patrons. One moment they drink and make merry, the next they fall silent and just stare. But that was something he had gotten used to, his icey blue eyes that seemed to penetrate your mind. His jawline that seemed to be chiseled out of marble and his general devilishly handsome looks. The fact that he was projecting an aura of power might have had something to do with it, but who really cared about that? Say one thing about the Lord of the Fringe, say he likes to be theatrical once in a while.

His stride was that of a predator moving through the room, powerful and intimidating; with two steps he owned the room and everything that was in it and then.. he was at the counter. "Appletini please and easy on the tini." There was a genuine and disarming smile on his lips as he looked at the waitress.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

The blonde Jedi had missed the strut of the incoming patron, and had missed his presence all up until he ordered some sort of fruity beverage. Apparently he had an idea. But.. that didn't sound like a very manly drink. No, not at all.
Kiskla pushed back from the bar, keeping the heels of her palms against it as she quirked a brow in the new patron's direction. Really, she shouldn't be so condescending considering she was here, staring at the clustercuss of elixirs available in variegated colours behind the bar, and in a total state of confusion. More than she had been after her dream.

It was then, that she missed his unavoidable presence and then that she was thankful she was wearing a Laufeyson Bracelet to conceal her own identity. It meant she could play maid molly for a while, and not be detected.

"I'm sorry," Kiskla interjected as the barkeep nodded to the patron and went about his business making an Apple..tini. Teeny tini. "What did you just order? It almost sounds doable."

 

[Arage Bao]

The Lord looked to his side and noticed the girl standing next to him for the first time. At a first glance she did not seem that much, no Force capabilities and yet.. her stance was wrong. When one trained and lived as a warrior for a time, they walked and held themselves differently.

Might be the girl was no Force user, but neither was she a boorish lass annex housewife looking for some fun in a bar. That much was for sure. Jared had not deemed it necessary to hide his signature, but he was starting to regret that specific course of action. Alas, what is done is done, besides there probably would not be any problems.. right?

As the man regarded the girl for a while, a smile formed on his face. He nodded to her, acknowledging her.

“It be called a Between the Sheets, ma'am. Garoth Dalmar, pleasure meeting you.”

After that, his hand extended itself, palm upward.

Say one thing about Jared Ovmar, say he has his own way with the ladies.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Of course it was.

She sighed slightly at the name of the drink, and glanced at the lingering bartender.

"Make that two then, thank you."

Then, his hand and title was extended toward her and she accepted both. She lightly inserted her hand to where he requested it, but didn't linger long enough for him to do any of that knuckle kissing stuff some tried to do. No no, she'd have none of that. He had no clue whether or not it was a pleasure to meet her, beyond the fact she was nice to look at.

"Kiskla." She replied simply. She had no reason to give a false title, she was not on her home planet, nor was she any sort of renegade. However, in her experience, people who offered first and last names were often hiding something somewhere. At least that had been the instance with Warren Valik, and..well, even Darron had his aliases.

"Do you often stroll into bars in the wee hours of the day, Garoth?"

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

...was she nice to look at? Maybe, probably, and yet it was a strange thing to consider yourself as such. At least that was what he would have said in reply, if her thoughts had been voiced. Instead Jared remained ignorant on the entire matter. Might be for the best, the lad probably would not have understood either way. Not the brightest star in the sky, in his own opinion at least.

What was clear from the beginning, was the fact that this Kiskla did not seem to be interested in any of this. Which was perfectly fine in Jar's book, his mood did not stand for woo'ing and all that nonsense. Tonight was a night of contemplation and solace-seeking. That much he said, while taking a sip from his drink. After taking his sip, of course.

“Only when I try to figure out the meaning of my life, and all that philosophical goodness, Kiskla. Talking to a barman, you just met, telling him your life-story... or something like that.”

A gesture came from his hand, for another drink. “Leave the bottle.”

“What about you?”

As he asked the question, he noticed the tension in her stance; the curve of her mouth as if she was in pain or stressed. Seemed to him she wasn't here for fun in any way. Neither did she look exactly, as if she belonged here.

“First time visiting a bar?”


@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

There was a pleasant clatter of glass touching against the bar's smooth service when her Between the Sheets arrived. What the stranger, @[member="Jared Ovmar"], said made sense. She supposed she was here to attempt to rid weights from her own mind. Although, she wasn't the type to open-book to a stranger.

"He seems a little busy." Kiskla remarked, referring to the barkeep while resting an elbow on the surface and lifting the glass to her face. She sniffed it once, and then decided to take the plunge with a timid sip.

"I came for..similar reasons I suppose." A slight simper crossed her lips and she wiggled her way onto a barstool, setting down her elixir. "I could be your barkeep. What's your life-story, Garoth?"

 

[Arage Bao]

Drinks usually changed your outlook on life, the secrets you had and the secrets you kept.. they seemed irrelevant. Why go through so much hassle, when the truth could set you free? Of course, when you woke up with a gigantic hang over and realize what you had done... you would probably hang your self.

His life-story.. well she was a quick one, wasn't she. Of course it was only courtesy, she didn't really care about his life or what had happened. Didn't mean he had to be rude, of course. Didn't matter he had to tell her the whole truth either though.

“Not much to say there, miss. Born and raised in Coruscant, spent most of my time keeping kids off the streets. Ain't much else to say, left Coruscant a few years ago, maybe to find some adventure. Got involved into some corporate nonsense, and now I am back in the Homeland.”

Vague? Maybe. Not entirely accurate? Definitely. But there was truth in his words, more than he usually let himself say. Probably the damn drinks loosening his tongue, or maybe the truth did set ya free. Either way, Jared gulped down his drink and refilled it again.

“What about you, Kiskla? What.. would your life-story be.”

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"Boring mostly." The blonde replied with a simple shrug of her shoulders as she rested her elbow on the bar, and rested her cheek into a palm.

He hadn't boasted any sort of prestiges or titles, and nor would she. This was yet another reason she had turned down the elect to be Grandmaster; all her little secrets would be exposed.

"I was in the Republic Air Force for a while though," she added thoughtfully, eyeing her drink as a small smile touched her lipline "That hadn't been so boring." That too, was the truth. Like @[member="Jared Ovmar"] however, she left out massive chunks. Like... Being a Jedi, being infected by celestials, being heir to a system of sister planets.. Etcetera. Looking at her though, one would never guess. In short, her life was not boring. She made sure of that. In fact, when she had been offered to return to The Republic she threatened Master Wraith that if she became bored he'd be to blame.
So far so good.

Her brow furrowed, and extended another verbal feeler into the conversation; "They don't see much action these days though." She was of course, still in context referring to the RAF "which makes a lot of families happy, I'll bet." They wouldn't have to worry about whether or not their loved ones would return after an aerial dog fight.

The red-stained elixir twisted in her glass before she sipped, only wrinkling her nose in distaste to the bitterness slightly.

"What brought you back home? Full-circle? Don't tell me you're a 30-something philanthropist who has done enough in his life and is now set to retire."​

 

[Arage Bao]

Battling Bull Rancors, wrestling with Krayt Dragon, directing one of the biggest companies in the Galaxy... Jared's life was far from boring, but why boast about something? He had never understood the tendency of people to make more of their lives than it was. So what, he had fought a Rancor or two, did not change the fact that he put on his trousers one leg at a time like all the rest of the folk.

So he kept his silence, and listened to what the girl had to tell him. It was pretty clear that she was not telling the whole truth, but again.. who was he to judge?

“Republic Air Force? Seems like a boys-club to me, was it hard to settle in?”​

​

As he sipped off his drink, and savored the taste it left. He asked another question, why did he bother? Jared probably did not know that himself. Something had made him intrigued, that was the only thing clear.​

​

“What made you decide to leave the.. Force?”​

​

Jared could not help but snort when she asked him that question. He had done more in a year, than most people did in an entire life. But why spoil the game. He gave her one of his smiles, as he set off to give her an answer.​

​

​

​

“I will retire when I die, ain't the type of guy who settles down, I figure. Just missed Coruscant, sometimes a guy wants to get back where it all began and.. see if and how it changed, ya know?”​

​

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"Not when you're better than them." She replied with a shrug of her delicate shoulders. She'd quickly advanced in ranks at the time, and without any assistance from her former Master; it was a cocky slip of the tongue but it had been true. Her tenure had been short, but fun. She was an extremist. Then he asked why she left. A dangerous question, because she'd left to pursue The Force.

His wording was funny. She left the air force, for the Force. Ha-ha-ha-hilarious.

"Not enough action." Okay, that was alright. That could mean so many things -- although being surrounded by flyboys she suspected his mind would likely rule out the gutter reference.

"Yeah?" She set down her drink and twisted in her seat, so she was facing him and not awkwardly twisting from her waist upward; this time her crossed knees pointed at him. I guess this means the conversation could continue. "And do you like what you've seen so far?" She squinted around the bar. She wasn't a native here, anything that changed would go unnoticed by her. It was just a loud, cluttered and political planet that she stayed on purely for the council's convenience.

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

A lot had changed since his last visit, but how does one explain the feel of the city. It's mood. You had to be born to experience it. But things had changed, ever since the new more aggressive-approach of the Republic. People were more angsty, more prone to violence and crime. It was noticeable in the Understreets.

But one does not simply explain such a thing. As such he just answered with a non-committal shrug of his shoulder.

“Some things have changed for the better, some for the worse. Can't say I can judge just yet.”


His hand was raised, and the bartender came around with a questioning glance.


“Wodka. Leave the bottle. Got a thirst for something stronger, want to be a bit adventurous tonight, Kiskla?”


As he waited for his and maybe her drink to be filled, he regarded her again.

“So.. what does a girl, who outclassed all the flyboys and then left because the Force had not given her enough action, do now?”

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"Isn't it obvious? Fritter away my time in the day's small hours trading half-truths with strangers.”

Her brows quirked in unison and she partially toasted to him, while crossing her legs and resting against the bar. He wasn’t telling the truth, and nor was she. That much could be for certain. When one was as constantly elusive as she, you found ways to engineer sentences so they’d still hold an amount of value; it seemed her companion did the same. She wouldn’t have noticed if she didn’t keep such frequent company with Tamara, who was as equally elusive as Kiskla herself. Although, they were working on it.

“So you’re on Coruscant, visiting a bar when most people are sleeping.” She looked around the facility with a slight frown “Okay, a majority of people. What else is on your to-do list? Adventure, you say?

Let's."

 

[Arage Bao]

Jared tooketh down another drink, and then turned himself around on his stool. Leaning on the bar, he closed his eyes lazily as he listened to the vibration of the Force. It moved with the music, and the cheery laughter of todays crowd. The bar was in high spirits, there were no signs of trouble or vice.

Just an average night out, old friends, family, and romance. It was a good place to be, Jared thought to himself. Sometimes you needed a quiet night, to balance it with the... rest. She wished for an adventure, he could not help but quirk his brow at that.

“You sure you want to go on an adventure with a man you barely met? Might be he is a psycho, a stalker, or a drug addict. Maybe... just maybe he is an evil Sith Lord, drinking his appletini hoping a pretty girl comes around so he can orchestrate her.. fall.”

He chuckled softly at his own words.

“I have been meaning to explore the Underworld of Coruscant. Have heard a lot of dodgy stories, care to partake?”

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"I'm hoping it's all of the above." The blonde replied without missing a beat. In fact, she lifted her glass, which was still struggling to empty, in a faux toast to his attempt to weave an orchestra of words that would intimidate. Kiskla didn't get intimidated. She had felt his boast of The Force when he first arrived, and it wasn't tainted with the darkness of a Sith Lord.

"Quarter to four in the morning, in the underworld?" Kiskla repeated the proposition, and set down her glass. "I couldn't think of a safer, or more useful way to use my time." Cerulean gaze dipped in his direction, wondering if he'd leave the establishment with the bottle in hand, or if he was going to wander the streets with it. Likely the latter. She had assumed he'd propose the underworld, after all, it was a largely enigmatic area for most people, and somebody in the bar wasn't likely to investigate the corruption in the entertainment district.

"Maybe you'll run into some friends on the way down." The young woman reached into her pocket, and presented a chip to slide across to the vendor. She would leave her drink unfinished, as it wasn't tickling her fancy.

[member="Jared Ovmar"].

 

[Arage Bao]

The man took down another shot, and then put it down with a clink. There were multiple ways to hide your true Force Signature from the people around you, Ashin had thought him wisely. Though in that specific situation it had been a lesson in hiding the Light in your heart, and replace it with darkness.

Still, Jared did not think it would be that hard to replicate it in reverse. Not that it was necessary right now, at this exact point in time he was indeed not a Sith Lord yet. Neither did he realize the true danger he was in, his fall was but a mere blip on an ever expanding horizon.

With a flourish he placed enough credits to cover the entire bottle, and a royal bonus on the table. He then started to leave the establishment, without the bottle. If Jared was good in one thing, it was doing the unexpected.


“Don't forget your lightsabre, Kiskla.”


“Don't forget your lightsabre, Kiskla.”


The message was spoken out loud, and with the Force.

Then he continued to leave.


[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

When the man had entered the bar, he had carried an air of arrogance about him. Apparently he had no problem brandishing it in it's entirety when it came to invading the coils of pink centipedes of her mind. A flinch flickered across her physical while she moved from her position, matching the step of her strange companion.

Seemingly unfazed by his remarkable discovery, the blonde shrugged at [member="Jared Ovmar"]. "Why, think you're going to need some protection, Garoth?" His answer could have been muffled, or it could have been direct; it didn't matter. A surprising crowd, considering the hours, was waiting outside the cantina as if to swallow them up in it's ebb. Still, she didn't believe that was his real name, but she'd abuse it until it irritated him enough to correct her. Or, he consider her strange for using his actually correct name far too many times.

 

[Arage Bao]

As said, a Jedi Master, especially an experienced duelist.. they carried themselves with an air of competence and grace. Such as when Kiskla walked, talked and stood. Regardless, he hadn’t been sure about his suspicion, until she didn’t deny it that is. Sometimes it paid off to take a chance, it seemed.

When she asked him a question, that was surely meant as a way to embarrass him, Jared only flashed a lazy grin and then answered in tune.

“I merely want to see how good you are with a stick, Kiskla. Don’t disappoint me.”

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Was that an innuendo? She merely cocked a brow in response, allowing the slight shift in her features to be ignited by the neon lights that glittered throughout the city. Coruscant was very much alive, even though a good portion of it's inhabitants were asleep. Drink deals flashed obnoxiously by the wayside, promising a better price than their competitor next door. Streaks of pink and violet raced overhead, directing the foot traffic to a nearby bar that was boasting their television screens had the best view of the holo-ball game.

"Hopefully there's no reason to warrant it's use." The blonde replied, side-stepping a hustling bothan who was furiously talking into his communication device. "What's the dodgiest story you've heard of your home's underbelly?" Kiskla asked casually, while checking her chrono lackadaisically. She could only keep up this charade of a distraction for another hour or two before she was demanded back within the Temple's walls. One foot stepped into a transport that ran through the lower levels, and she paused for but a moment, looking back at Gareth-[member="Jared Ovmar"].

"Because here's betting we beat it."