Private Coruscant's #1 Tourist Destination, According To Some Reviewers...

[Lief]

He had not entered the bar for its entertainment nor its refreshments. He had not intended to enter a bar of all things at all. And yet when he pushed open the door, intent on scaling upward to the building's rooftop, he found exactly that waiting for him on the other side. Music pooled out into the street, as did a slight haze that dissipated as it met with fresher air.​

​

Eliphas considered turning back. He considered scrapping his plans, in favour of seeking out some other inspiring corner of Coruscant, but he'd already wasted so much time coming here.​

​

Best view of the city. That's what the holonet reviews had promised. Best damn view. He had to see it with his own eyes.​

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So he entered, and immediately felt a dozen different sets of eyes fall upon him. Trying his best not to pay them any heed, he hurried across the floor toward a door labeled stairwell; he was halted in his attempts before he could push it open, by a voice coming from the bar itself.​

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"You gots to buy somethin' first," that voice informed him, and when he looked toward it he discovered it belonged to a Gran. A fairly overweight Gran, whose fin-like ears floundered helplessly either side of his head. Eliphas let out a slight sigh.​

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"I just want to go to the rooftop" he explained, cocking his head toward the door.​

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"I know. Rule's a rule tho. Too many of you touristy folk come 'ere and give us no business. So buy somethin', or leave."​

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Another sigh. "I'm underaged," he stated. The Gran only shrugged in response. "Not my problem."​

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He approached the bar, gaze drifting back to the door he'd entered through. The one which would take him back into the city, away from this apparently out of reach hotspot. Eliphas wanted what he wanted. Curiosity bade him press on.​

​

"Fine," he huffed, turning to look at the closest individual to him, whether they were at the bar or in a seat of their own, "Hey, you, sorry, I don't mean to bother you but, what are you drinking?" he asked. Almost as quickly as he was done asking, he turned back to the bartender. "Why don't you give him more of what he's got, alright? On me. Will that do?" For a moment the Gran looked unsatisfied.​

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Then he reluctantly nodded his head.​

​

Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai had heard of this place, but only in passing. They called it Coruscant's #1 Tourist Destination—quite a hefty title, given the size of the planet—all because of the view it provided from the rooftop.

Well, Kai had seen plenty of gorgeous views of the ecumenopolis during his web-slinging jaunts, but if one claimed to be the king of them all, he might as well see it. Unlike a certain unfortunate Padawan, he bypassed the entrance entirely, swinging down and landing on the roof itself.

His arrival caused quite a stir among the patrons already up there, and he was immediately accosted by security. "Hey! You can't just grapple up here! You go down through the front door, like everybody else!"

Kai grinned mischievously at the bouncer, then began to toy with him, darting just out of reach. The bouncer chased him from corner to corner, weaving between tables, while Kai merely grappled his way along the edge of the roof. It felt good to be acting this way—to be acting like a carefree kid again, if a rather obnoxious one.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Credit chits exchanged - he had to be wary of overspending, in that moment he didn't know when he'd next get any sort of stipend, after all - Eliphas crossed the room once more toward that doorway. The man whose drink he'd just bought cheered groggily, raising his new drink to the air, but before he could say much of anything the boy had opened the door and crossed into the stairwell beyond.​

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One would expect, with such a glowing review, that there was a turbolift of some sort present. No such luck. Up, up, up the winding staircase he was made to venture. At first there was a spring in his step, excitement that he'd finally beat the gatekeeper. But by the time he reached the top he was sluggish and drained. Never again. Never fething again. No matter what the reviews said.​

​

No turbolift, no view.​

​

Only the top of the stairwell obviously wasn't the top of the building. One did not gain the title of best view and be in walking distance in terms of height on a world such as this, with its towering skyscrapers. Nope, instead the stairwell ended and finally salvation reared its head. Much too late, of course, he was already fatigued, but all the same the sight of a turbolift had his heart singing with joy. He pressed the button, waited for the inner cart to arrive, and then hopped on in.​

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All the way to the top, baby. He pressed the topmost button.​

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The turbolift doors opened some time later, and Eliphas stepped onto one of the taller rooftops Coruscant had to offer. At least, tallest that was also available to the public. A low whistle was loosed from his lips before he even really realized what it was he was doing. Oh yeah, that was some view alright...​

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Gaze shifted soon after to the commotion though. Even somewhere as stunning as this, there was always a distraction...​

​

Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Laughing, Kai slipped just out of the bouncer’s grasp yet again, shooting toward the opposite corner—a pathway that sent several newcomers to the rooftop scattering to avoid a collision. Kai landed on all fours upon the railing, gazing down over the edge to the starscrapers far, far below and beyond.

“You’re insane!” the bouncer exclaimed breathlessly, stunned that anyone would dare to perch so precariously on the railing. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“I won’t get myself killed,” Kai hissed. He couldn’t help it; his voice was weak, and the wind was stealing much of it. But courtesy of the Force, his words seemed to have a calming effect on those present. “I got up here this way just fine.” He turned his attention back to the cityscape. “It’s a nice view.”

“Yeah, well, you’re supposed to pay for it,” another voice said—the portly Gran was evidently omnipresent where this bar was concerned. “You gonna give us some business, or are we gonna have to call the cops?”

Kai rose to his feet, causing a woman in the crowd to groan with remembered dread. “I’m underage,” he replied, grinning.

The Gran snorted. Kai did not look like a child—he was at least six feet tall, with the well-muscled body of an acrobat. But since he’d already dealt with this same issue today, he was past the point of caring. “Make like this one and buy somebody else a drink, then,” he replied, jerking a finger toward Eli. “Just don’t expect me to set up a kids’ table.”

Kai surveyed the patrons, before his gaze landed on a woman. “This one,” he said. “Get her another drink.” With a flick of his wrist, he deposited a few credits in the hand of the Gran, who counted the money, nodded, then walked away, muttering to himself. No longer bothered, Kai lowered himself into a more comfortable lounging position on the railing—and his presence was largely forgotten.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Could it be?​

​

Oh, but it was.​

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While the other patrons largely concerned themselves with watching the spectacle for what it was, Eliphas simply stood and stared in disbelief at the boy who traversed the railings so nonchalantly. Here, of all places, he did not expect to be met with shadows from his past. From those days amidst smugglers in the stars, on his journey back to Teta. And yet the threads of fate had seen fit to thrust him into another reunion.​

​

Admittedly, he and the Sithspawn hadn't interacted much back then. A business transaction, mostly. Turned sour, of course, by the death of a crewmate. Even so it was one familiar face against a sea of trillions of strangers.​

​

Once the Gran had scurried off with credits in hand, to fetch the woman a drink, Eliphas approached the now forgotten man.​

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"Of all the rooftops, in all the planets, of all the Galaxy, what were the chances?"​

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Whether the other remembered him or not, Eliphas didn't rightly care. He leaned on the railing and peered down over the cityscape below. He'd have said something along the lines of the people down below appearing like ants, but that would have been a lie.​

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He couldn't even see the people down below they were so far up.​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Of all the rooftops, in all the planets, of all the Galaxy, what were the chances?"

Kai sat up, looking a little alarmed. He instantly recognized the boy who came forward out of the crowd as a member of the smuggler crew during the disastrous mission to retrieve Kiber Dorn. Kai had lost control of his hunger and killed a member of that crew, so he didn't expect a warm greeting from this one.

Yet the young man seemed only mildly interested in him, more noting his presence than anything else. He was mainly focused on the view of the city, leaning against the railing to get a better look at it all.

Kai's gaze was drawn toward the leather jacket the boy wore, his eyes widening as he recognizing the NJO insignia on the sleeve.

<I didn't know you were a Jedi.>

Kai's telepathy, while more intrusive, ironically came across as a lot less bizarre than Kai's speaking voice. He seemed a lot calmer and easier to approach, far from the alien weirdo wreaking havoc on the roof minutes earlier. If Eli were to glance at him again, he'd find Kai was now wearing an NJO leather jacket of his own. Hopefully, it sent a clear nonverbal message: I am, too.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

The Sithspawn's surprise was tangible within the air, doubt traced lines over his face as he studied the newcomer and recognition flourished within. All of this Eliphas noted, though he saw him only from his peripheral. He didn't recoil from the voice in his mind as he had back on that smuggler's ship, when it had been Dorn's raspy voice reaching out. He'd familiarized himself with that sensation since, had Kal to thank for that.​

​

For a moment he even considered responding back in kind. Trying to draw upon the lessons which had been taught in that strange and vacuous realm without stars. Kai had already bridged that gap, after all, it wouldn't be so difficult surely.​

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Instead he opted to vocalize, for now at least.​

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"I wasn't," he offered with something of a shrug. His gaze shifted across to the other, taking note of the jacket they shared. "I... Don't know if I rightly even constitute as one yet in anything more than registration." But the Jedi had welcomed him all the same. Welcomed the other, too, it would seem.​

​

There was no hostility from Eliphas, because he had no real ties to the crew. If anything he held just the slightest amount of malice toward them, though it was probably best he did not admit as much until he was able to do something about it. Meditate, perhaps. The Jedi had been rather vocal about using that to confront their more pressing thoughts and feelings. He hadn't gotten the hang of it yet though. Still, he hadn't been here long.​

​

Gaze returned to the view.​

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Focus, however, shifted to the man at his side. With timidity he brushed his own mind against his, utilizing the bridge Kai had formed when speaking into his mind, and a question was sent across it. Eliphas was not loud in his approach, almost like a whisper. This was new to him, though. That much was obvious.​

​

Did he survive it? the boy inquired, of the limbless, levitating man they'd hoisted from the depths of space. He hadn't stated who it was he inquired after, but Kai would get an impression of Kiber all the same, carried along that same spanning bridge.​

​

Arlo Renard
​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Oh, you don’t have a Master yet,> Kai guessed. <Neither do I. Not an official one, anyway.>

There had been candidates, but they had ultimately turned him away. Things just didn’t quite work out, they all claimed. But Kai knew in his heart it was his fault. If not because of how he was, then certainly what he was.

A few people turned to glance at Eli as the boy seemingly talked to himself, responding to questions the majority of the galaxy could not hear. But it wasn’t that big of a deal. Their universe was filled with such occurrences beyond the norm, and it was rude to stare.

Besides, the boy made an attempt at telepathy. It was very subtle, more of an impulse than a coherent sentence, but Kai got the gist of it.

<Yeah, he survived. The Sith altered his body to make him able to withstand all kinds of stuff so that he could be their floating Dark Side battery. Cut off all his limbs, erased his memory... They even combined him with starweird DNA. You know about starweirds, right?>

It was pretty wild, and very messed up, but as a combination of Shi'ido and Anzati DNA himself, Kai could only speak for himself.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Having slipped into more abstract forms of communication, the odd looks he'd initially been receiving all but disappeared. It was nice to be a stranger amidst such a crowd, someone who could blend into the background as soon as their eyes left him. For a moment it almost seemed as though only the two of them stood there, on that rooftop, positioned the way they were to glance out over the horizon.​

​

Nope, he responded wordlessly, now that he had begun the process it was becoming a little easier to draw upon, No Master, no real anything yet... That was fine though, wasn't it? Yeah, it was fine. All good things took time to come to fruition, after all. Besides, it seemed he wasn't alone in that.​

​

More information was soon provided of the spacebound Sithspawn, and Eliphas partly wished he'd never asked. A sense of discomfort rose within him, bridging the gap between them, churning his stomach. Mostly though a sense of heartbreak for the man who had suffered so. I am glad he's been freed of that suspended state, at least in some regard. Can he be fixed..?​

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Cybernetics would no doubt take care of the physical aspects, but the rest? Eliphas shuddered. Even if his memories were returned, were they memories he'd want to suffer through?​

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As for the question, he shook his head.​

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No clue what they are... He wondered if he even wanted to know, given the subject matter. But he'd bite. What's a starweird?​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai shook his head. <Not likely. Probably not a good idea, anyway. They reprogrammed him like a droid, so he thinks being a battery is the whole purpose of his existence. Although, since his ‘Creator’ died, he’s been kinda just drifting. We put him somewhere safe, though, with people who can relate to his plight.>

With regards to his question about starweirds, Kai had thought Eli would know about them, since they were an infamous legend among spacers.

<Basically space ghosts. Or space phantoms? Scary monster things in space that come after spacers. They emit a telepathic scream that’s supposed to strike fear in people, paralyzing them. Then the starweird moves in for the kill.> He shrugged. <Lot of people don’t believe in them, but since Kiber said he had some starweird DNA implanted in his body…>

Crazy stuff, that.

<So you used to be a smuggler, but now you’re a Jedi?> Kai asked, mercifully changing the subject. He was much more interested in Eli now that he had discovered the boy was a fellow Jedi. <Have you started training yet? Do you need help sparring or anything?>

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Free and safe from the frigid domain of space. Was that really as good as it would get for him? Was there no further hope than that? The boy frowned, and some of those feelings which arose with the mental queries that didn't fully bridge the gap drifted along to Kai. Bittersweet... That was the word for it.​

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He didn't say anything more on it, already feeling much too dour at the mere thought of it all, and instead listened to the explanation of what Kai referred to as Starweirds. As he spoke he got a vague impression of having heard it before, no doubt onboard Ensiss' vessel, but as for The Atale and her crew they were far more rational than smugglers and pirates. They had never allowed superstition to stand in their way.​

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I see, he remarked, curiously, head tipping somewhat to the left as he pondered all he'd been told. It seems that Dorn might be living proof of the theories then, no? Still, Eliphas did not think he'd start looking over his shoulder whenever he boarded a ship in the future. There were so many dangerous things out there in the Galaxy that if one stopped to look for them around every corner they'd never get anywhere. Never live, never thrive.​

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If he encountered one then by all means... Until then? He was happy to put them from his thought.​

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The first of Kai's next three questions left the boy momentarily perplexed. I was never a smuggler, he stated plainly, brows creasing into something of a frown at the thought of it. All at once the reality caught up with them, and an inaudible 'oh' brushed past his lips. I mean, technically... But no. I was stranded, shipwrecked, I was only with Ensiss and his crew 'til I reached calmer shores. ​

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He made little mention of what had happened to drive them apart in the end. He'd suffered enough untempered rage at the thought of all that. He was a Jedi now, he hadn't been back with Kal so he could be forgiven his frustrations. But now? A leaf had been turned over. He was striving to be something new. Someone new. Feth Ensiss. Wasn't even worth another thought.​

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Even so he supposed he could answer the other two questions.​

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No formal training yet, no. I've watched a couple of lessons, though, it all looks so... Intense.​

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An offer was made. Eliphas wasn't entirely sure how best to approach it.​

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Frankly I need all the help with all the things. Something akin to a chuckle spanned the bridge between them; Eliphas was settling into the art of telepathy slowly but surely, it was becoming easier to tell his tone, and the words were coming through more clearly. Stronger. He didn't notice that though. Didn't realize the progress he was already making. But I mean, if you're genuinely offering, I'd be down to learn, uh, something..?​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

It seems that Dorn might be living proof of the theories then, no?

Kai nodded, though the look on his face suggested confirmation of the existence of Starweirds wasn't anything to celebrate.

Eli revealed that he'd only been with the smugglers temporarily, and that out of necessity. His behavior and attitude suddenly made a lot more sense. He hadn't acted like a superstitious spacer or rowdy smuggler; he'd tried to keep the peace, with varying degrees of success.

<Kiber's nature causes the people around him to behave strangely,> he said, hoping the explanation might atone for some of his own actions. <He radiates with the Dark Side, and it influences people. It influenced the crew of your ship, and it certainly influenced me. It felt like an urge to let go, lose control.> He shrugged, one corner of his mouth turning up in a grim half-smirk. <If he can't be 'fixed', as you say, it may be for the best that he is put away somewhere safe. That way he can't be used as a tool of destruction.>

Eli seemed receptive to Kai's offer of help. <I spar with other students sometimes,> Kai said. <That's swordplay with our lightsabers on the lowest possible setting. If you get hit, it'll just sting a little. It's good practice.>

Lief​

 

[Lief]

The thought of just shoving the poor man into some corner of the Galaxy, away from sight and mind, to keep him from being utilized in such a fashion, was not a pleasant one. Not even remotely. He felt his gut churning with the idea. Suspended in just another state? How was that any different from leaving him to rot amidst the stars?​

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Still, Eliphas could not judge he supposed. He hadn't felt more than the barest of impressions from the floating man. What he had done is seen the effects of his presence upon the others. Seen the body on the ground between them. He grimaced.​

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One hand gripped the railing, 'til knuckles turned white. He was grateful for the change in subject when it came.​

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Oh, he considered all of that, he knew what sparring was in the traditional sense, had not known what it entailed for the Jedi though. Maybe he should have. Eliphas shook his head. Oh, well I certainly don't have a lightsaber yet. Did that mean they'd have to wait to do this sparring thing? Maybe they had kendos on hand instead? Wooden swords that could work in kind...[​

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He'd heard something about lightsabers being much more different and difficult to wield than the more traditional weapons he'd been taught to use when growing up. Maybe a kendo would be a poor substitute for such.​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Nah, he can float around and hang out and talk to people. Do stuff. But he’s hidden.> Kiber certainly wasn’t imprisoned, but he was being kept out of sight.

<There are training lightsabers back at the Temple for people to use. If you’ve never used one before, you can always get ahead of everybody else.> Kai gave Eli a small smile that suggested mischief.

If Eli took him up on his offer, he was thinking of grabbing the other boy and jumping off the roof with him, getting to the Temple the fastest way possible. Just for the fun of it. Eli would be fine, of course—probably very spooked, but fine.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Oh...​

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Thinking about it, he did suppose that made way more sense than whatever had been going on inside his own head. Yeah, he liked that idea a lot more. Safety, not just for the floating man but for others, but not without companionship. Eliphas nodded several times in appreciation to that.​

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Yeah? Yeah, good! That's good. Just so long as he's okay. Uh... Didn't do anything more long lasting to you, did it? Eliphas had not been under the weight of the man's effects, perhaps only because he had not yet broken ground insofar as his sensitivity was concerned. He couldn't rightly think of any other reason why it hadn't affected him than that.​

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Then came the revelation; he could just... borrow one? It would be nice to learn something, and getting ahead of the curve never hurt anyone. It was more productive than staring out over a rooftop was, that was for certain. Sure the view was nice and all, but how long could you really stare at it before it became, well, normal.​

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Then, sure, if you're down for that.​

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Down, as he was soon going to discover, was not at all the word he wanted to be using in that moment. Not one bit...​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Okay good, okay fine!> His smile widening, Kai reached out to Eli. <This is the fastest way to get to the Temple. Don’t get all squirmy!>

One arm wrapped around the boy’s waist, lifting him into the air with ease, before Kai launched himself from the railing.

If anyone on the roof screamed or made any kind of noise at all at the sight of two people jumping, Kai paid them little heed. His grip on Eli was firm; he wouldn’t slip from his arm unless he truly fought his way free, and there was little reason to do that.

Kai’s other arm stretched forth, his fingers lengthening like rope. The fleshy cord coiled around a Coruscanti gargoyle at the corner of a nearby starscraper, catching their fall and turning it into a graceful (if perhaps dizzying) arc instead.

Kai would keep swinging from building to building, Eli in tow, until they reached the Jedi Temple, provided nothing prevented him from doing so. He set the boy down at the top of the front steps, hopefully no worse for wear.

<Neat, huh?>

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Eliphas didn't scream, though the urge bubbled up within him and threatened to spill from his tightly pressed lips. The only reason Eliphas did not scream was because of the close proximity he found himself in to the other boy, and a very real fear that if he were to cry out too loudly the other might see fit to drop him. Maybe not intentionally, but perhaps as a gut reaction to having his eardrum blown out.​

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So no. He didn't scream.​

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He did hold on for dear life though. No wiggling squirming but a lot of hyperventilating. So taken by surprise was he that he hadn't even made the sane decision to close his eyes and pretend like none of it was happening. Nope. He watched everything unfold before him as though viewing it upon a holoscreen, eyes threatening to bulge from their sockets as they arched this way and that. On more than one occasion he felt certain they would splat into the side of a building, or swing too close to the ground, or that Kai would miss his next mark and send them tumbling down to the ground. One bloody pile of goop was likely all that would remain in the event of such. A mingling of their bodies turned to sprayed viscera.​

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It took forever, yet all at once they were back on solid ground; released, Eliphas stumbled into the steps, turned with his back to Kai, and hurled.​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Well, nobody's ever done that before. Sorry.>

Quite surprised by Eli's reaction to the flight across the city, Kai hovered over him in alarm, one hand not quite poised over the other boy's back as he waited for him to finish.

<Are you okay?>

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He had not expected that, either. That it would elicit so fierce a reaction. But it had, and he was left feeling a little... stupid. Before he could so much as lament the mess he'd made, a droid of sorts hurried along and tended to it. Muck, on the glistening upper levels of Coruscant? For shame! Never.​

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That just left the awkwardness of Kai knowing.​

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He gave the boy a sheepish smile.​

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"Uh-huh. I don't know what came over me. That was uh... Interesting. Cool, even. Terrifying." An awkward laugh, before he began to head toward the Temple proper. "So, uh, how do I borrow a training saber?"​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<You should drink some water, or else your mouth will taste all yucky.>

But Kai led the way inside the Temple, to the training rooms, and gestured to the lockers holding training sabers.

<Right here. People just come in and grab them.> It wasn't like they were deadly weapons, after all. <Have you ever fought with a sword or anything before?>

Lief​