Private Between Running and Becoming

[Lily Rhodes]

Dorthus Tal was pretty, it wasn't Theed pretty but it had its own charm. Quaint, might have been the word Lily would have used for the plaza she was watching. Leaning against the corner of a building, Lily's eyes were fixed on the fountain at its centre, not that she was really seeing it.

In reality, she should have been a dozen systems away by now with Vess in tow, getting them both as far away from the Covenant as she could get. But she wasn't, she was still here, because no matter how much of her was screaming to run there was still a part of her who couldn't deny the opportunity.

Humbarine had changed things. She no longer wanted to run. She no longer wanted to hide. That was easy to decide. But accepting what she was? What she could be? That was a whole lot harder. And Mercy hadn't exactly painted a pretty picture to tempt her, just a violent one.

Lily blew a sigh out of her nose and pushed off the wall. Arris was late, and she needed to move, lest her thoughts consume her.

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes
​

Arris was held up at the spaceport.

See, that was the thing with the Sith Covenant. A world like Sacorria paid tribute to the Triumvirate for the pleasure of their independence, but that didn't mean they had to know who the hell Arris Windrun was. Didn't help that she just looked so different now. She had fame and infamy both to account for, but all of that was associated with the cybernetic blonde gunslinger.

Not her. Not who she was now. And unlike some Sith, Arris wasn't the type to get loud and put an entire world in its place just to satisfy the quick burn of her kerosene ego.

She worked things out with customs. Tactfully answered questions, a few well-placed bribes, took a baton hit to the stomach (which didn't satisfy them one bit since she's made of metal). And that was that. Out the door, and on to find Lily, she went.

The cyborg finally caught up, just as the young woman started to move. "Hey you. Sorry I'm late."

Didn't bother to give her a heads up on the 'wardrobe change,' though. The only things that hadn't changed were her eyes, her presence in the Force, and the gunbelt with those iconic revolvers.

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Lily turned at the sound of Arris's voice, opening her mouth to respond to her apology and freezing. She blinked, her eyes shifting over the cyborg standing in front of her. The blonde hair was gone, the face had changed, shit, everything had changed. Synth-flesh stopped at her jaw, shifting seamlessly into the metal that made up Arris's body. She was no longer hiding what she was.

The gun belt was the same, and when Lily reached for the cyborgs mind she found the same screaming wall of darkness that protected the thoughts within.

"That's a hell of a makeover." she said finally. She shifted to lean against the wall again, tucking her hands in her pockets. "Suits you. Always preferred brunettes." She cast a glance around them "What are we doing here?"

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes
​

"Yeah, thanks I--"

"Suits you. Always preferred brunettes."

Arris nearly choked on her own words, despite speaking from an implant. She nearly missed Lily's question. Her eyes joined in scoping the area, before settling back on the blonde.

"I... I figured we could talk. I understand Humbarine wasn't the expectation I set. I'm sorry for that. But you really came in clutch for us - I honestly don't think I've been more impressed with a new hire before, and your girl ain't bad either."

She left out the part about how Sacorria reminded her of home, or that recently Arris ached to be as close to the Corellian System as possible. But she had to lay low for the time being. Too much heat after offing the head of the Corellian Syndicates.

Arris waved Lily along and walked through the plaza. It wasn't the architecture that reminded her of home, of course. That was... Well, strange to her. But it was the people - humans, selonians, and drall living side-by-side. Yeah, that was like Talus. As were the rolling hills, grassy fields, and idyllic seaside.

"I gotta ask. Why the hell are you sticking around?"