Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Fire And Ice [Ylva]

Ilum - Iron Legion Pantheon

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The days following Roxuli. The Iron Empire counted it's losses in the battle against the insurrection, as did the Legion Praetor as the numbers of the fallen fell across his deck in the aftermath. It is never easy to loose men in battle, their lives and deaths attributed to a cause and more so, orders issued by himself. All their families had been informed, with the usual lines of gratitude for their service and that they should be proud of their sons and daughters. Hollow words to their loved ones, even though intention was meant with sincerity. But the members of the Legion had vowed, declared oath to the service and did their duty and each one of them knew the risks, just as he did but Théo had to keep reminding himself of that fact too.

The nights is long and cold and empty.

His head turned from his pillow, his large blue eyes diving into the flames of the fire in the hearth still roaring strong and feeding the room with warmth. The hour had passed slowly after he feed the flames and crawled back into bed but sleep would not claim him. His mind too active with thoughts to be able to rest, thinking pass duty and service but settling of other things that matter. Like why? what is all this for? passed duty. Family of course, the protection of better galaxy as best one could provide, and loved ones.

But his loved ones were on the other side of the galaxy, his homeland of ice more radiant and majestic than the one he lives on. Ilum is beautiful in it's own right, but nothing compared to Midvinter. Nothing ever would. He need to go there soon, as soon as his roster cleared, and find his reaffirmation. He needed to spend time with his family before returning to duty once more.

Théo pulled back the sheets and covers, threw his legs over the edge of his bed and began to dress. Pulling on his trousers, and throwing a loose shirt across his back, he needed to get out of this room .. it is too cold and empty. Bare feet trod the cold marble floor as they took him to the common room in which the members of the Pantheon would gather to relax. He could busy himself with something there in hopes of tiring the mind, he doubted it though.


[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
The Battle of Roxuli had been fierce and far greater than the smaller skirmishes that Ylva Solveig had been accustomed to with her former Clan of wilders within the forest woodlands of Nirauan; crash landing upon that blackened desert battleground surrounded by the Chiss renegades fighting back against the legions of the Iron Empire, she had been thrust into a war that as [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] had taken the time to remind her, wasn't her own. Regardless of this, for some reason feeling the need to prove to the Valkyri that she wasn't as useless as he came off believing her to be, she had taken up her bow and axe alongside the foreign legion to bring war unto the Chiss Insurrection.

Victory had been hard won. She could still remember and picture vividly the clashing of steel and volleys of energy being plunged into the bodies of friend and foe, the screams a mix of terror and anger as men and women threw their lives desperately upon one another, kill or be killed and within the center of it all, the red haired girl wearing the furs of fallen animals covering a chain linked set of mail had held defeat an enemy that had not been her own. Fought and bled in a war not of her own and now sat and drank alongside the victors as the night passed, the flames of the fireplace in the great hall warming their faces as they shared stories of conquest together all with the help of a strong mead to wash back any former resentments, guilt or fears.

Slugging back a flagon of liquor after a days killing reminded her of being back home within the Clan; though these men were better trained and a little better mannered than those of her former family, Ylva had received a soldiers welcome as many of the men and women there had recognized her by the light of her hair during which they had seen cutting down the Chiss. Some remarked she was suicidal to go in baring such lighter armor with out a helm to protect her head, the fire in her hair painting her a pretty target for another's bearded axe, while others remarked that the red of her hair was colored only so much as the blood she had spilled. Between them all, they all joked and cheered at each others expense, boisterous and borderline insulting, this was a place Ylva found herself growing comfortable with the more and more she drank.

It was in this somewhat relaxed and albeit liquored state that she turned to the movement at the far side of the room, the creaking and closing of a door that none other than the high-born little lord himself appeared, that black hair and those lost blue eyes gazing across the room to his compatriots and in the absence of noticing her, her gaze narrowed a little, not in hostility but trying to concentrate a moment, sizing him up for all that lay beyond his formal outer mask. These men followed him into deaths embrace, they had shared the odd story including some of the rumors around this Théo. A Jedi. A Knight. Folks tales she didn't tend to believe and yet perhaps it was the beer speaking but getting up to her feet, she didn't seem nearly as reluctant or wary of him now in the company of his armies housing to approach him with both a look of skepticism yet too intrigue.
"The Noble Lord comes to grace the grunts with his presence..."

She smirked, pausing as she'd almost spilled her drink, yet soon going the distance to teasingly mock him in a partial bow of her head.
 
The men in the room did not pay any attention to Théo's arrival as it was a common event to have all ranks here socialising and on a level playing field. The way he liked it, it gets tiring to constantly have to take salute and return it, it had always been something he had not got use to. He poured himself a large tankard of mead, thankful for the trade agreement between himself and his uncle on Midvinter, so the Legion would never be without the godly drop. Théo took a long draft of the stuff feeling the burn of it on his throat and the warmth settle deep in his stomach, it worked better than any fire for the blood.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caused his head to turn, long black curly hair all disheveled and resting on his shoulders. It was Red, he still did not know her name. "Good to see you made it through Red", he gave her a look displeasure for having not did what he had asked and find safer ground, but also there was a heavy look of being impressed by her fighting ability. He had read the reports from the commanders.

He also noticed she was unsteady on her feet, with mead in hand it was obvious for the reason of it. He raised a hand and offered her a seat, best she take one before falling to the floor. The men in the room sent up a loud cheer, and joking about one of the younger lad taking down an enemy, it was all in good fun but something Théo could never get use to. But it reminded him of Midvinter, the Valkyri would do the same more in fact and by the end of the night more blood would be spilled over an argument of point fuel by the mead. He never did indulge in singing his own praises, for him taking life was not something to celebrate .. it was the Jedi in him he supposed.

"What the hell were you doing on that ship?", he turned back to Red, more interested in how she had turned up when she did. The flames of the fire danced across her hair making even more red, and it shone with the brilliance of it and deep within her blue eyes it sparkled with a warmth he had not seen in them before. He was not angry that she charged into the fight on the battle field, nor angry that she was here, in fact .. he was very pleased which would be evident in his sapphire blue eyes.
[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
Ylva slowed, pausing a moment as she looked back to [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] as he suggested he was glad to see that she'd survived the affair upon Roxuli, a faint curl to the corner of her mouth in a half smirk to appreciate the indirect compliment to her tact for survival and contribution to the fight; "I've seen my share of 'em" she remarked with a little extra confidence than normal, the Midvinter drop showing perhaps a smidgen of dutch courage and yet the boast came without pride but more amusement than anything. Dropping lightly down against the side of the table and more or less falling casually and not so gracefully into her seat, she kicked her feet up upon an adjacent seat free from Théo's side, imposing on him none but the questionable grin that remained.

The cheering and laughter of the men and women at Ylva's back mixed with the combination of the fires glow over the nightly hub all seemed to compliment her demeanor rather nicely, the casual disregard for hospitality and manners following a days work of killing, Ylva couldn't help but feel a bit more at home in such a place, even if it did conflict with the High-Born's nature, it did the wilder within her justice and brought up memories of distant, past hunts with her former Clan.

"My name's not Red, it's Ylva of the Clan Solveig..." She clued him in finally, a response to his calling her such a pet name though truthfully she didn't care so much given she'd treated him much the same, the banter was intriguing to her; akin to the hunt of some small prey. The chase had always excited her. Hers was not a name that sounded as it was written, Eva was the pronunciation though from her kind of people it wasn't uncommon to lack an education to know better; so too could it be put to custom and culture though that itself was more of a mystery to her than he himself was. Chances were she probably knew more about him than she did about wherever she'd come from before the Clan and the life of living down in the wilds of Nirauan.

As for how and why she'd gotten about that rather shady merchant vessel that had been brought down by the battle of Roxuli, still yet to be determined whether or not it had been the Iron Empire or the Chiss Insurrectionists that had shot her ride out of the skies of the foreign orb, Ylva gave something of an uninterested and indifferent shrug; "They landed not so far off from where I found you near soiling yourself in the face of that nerf" she snickered under her breath, never shy of taking the opportunity to bite at him in jest and especially so with a bit of fire water in her blood stream. "Don't think they realized they'd picked up a passenger before you shot us down either" she made the assumption though the lack of attitude suggested she didn't care one way or another, fact was it had bought her a nights meal, a roof over her head and good drink. Such things were few and far between for someone of her living.

"What've you got against the blues, anyway?" she was of course turning the conversation on towards those of the Chiss, the few she'd seen back on the world they'd first met had been rather insignificant. Mostly due to the fact that the Clan had learned to live without bothering them much, only when they were needing to trade did they interact and most of the time both parties were somewhat stand off-ish and wanted not to drag out such ceremonies.
 
“Ylva of the clan Solveig”, he repeated with a growing grin. “Now I know your name and now I know your name there is no hiding from me”, he teased. What he was seeing was an entirely different girl to the one he first met, wanting nothing more than to see his blood spill at her own hands. He liked this Eva a lot. But he was also aware that it was due to the mead, a softening of the senses and softening of thrill and it would return when she was more lucid.

But for now he would enjoy her company in any form it took. As for the ship, she was correct, and probably would never really know which side had shoot it down, all he cared about was that she was alive and well. “We don’t have anything against the .. Blues as you call them. In fact the Chiss and Iron Empire have a very good relationship. But .. there is .. was, a small group of terrorist that kidnapped the Emperors niece and had tried unsuccessfully, to have him assassinated. They declared ‘war’ on us, and had killed many innocent people in the process”. He remembered the day of the kidnapping quite clearly, the bodies on the streets as aftermath of their insurrection, men, women and children lay dead on the side of the roads. It is a bloody business to live in this galaxy.

It lifted his tankard to his mouth and took another long draft from it, “Eva. That is a pretty name”. He spoke down to the amber liquid within the wooden vessel.

His eyes lifted from the bottom of his tankard to the fire, watching it crackle and spit on the wood as it bit deep and burned. The glow in the embers enough to rid his mind of things set present there, save for one and her presence close by. “Why did you come here? You could have left, but you didn’t .. you came here to the Pantheon”. He knew little of this girl, but wanted to know more as she intrigued him for all the right reasons. He wanted to know much more about this young wild beauty from the isolates.
[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]'s comment about being able to find her wherever she might seek to go influenced something of a confident smirk to the left side of her mouth, her head tilting ever so to the side, brows furrowing lightly as she sized him up in that moment, curious and intrigued to wonder if he really could back up that claim; further more the assumption that she might seek to hide from him made her chuckle quietly under her breath, reaching for her flagon of mead for all that it urged her to drink. It was true, her guard was down, she'd sunken a good few of these brews and found it very much to her liking. The liquid confidence had done well to bring the heat to her face, fire in her veins and break the ice from the rest of the men and women she had fought alongside prior to the coming of the first warm night in what felt like truly an age.

"You must be a skilled tracker" she mused, "For a High-born Lord" she added with a hint of play in her tone. Having learned that this one was not shy of banter nor without a bite, the hunt for his attitude was still ever the game befitting for the more wild and adventurous streak that ran through her. Ylva, unlike the rest of Théo's men wasn't one to follow orders nor appeal to any sort of government nor higher power but that of life itself. She was free folk of Nirauan and had learned to respect the natural laws of nature, both on her world and appealing to those of the thousands of others she might yet roam in her lifetime. Sentient life was fleeting after all, they all had a beginning and an end but the cycle of nature went on, one after the other. No matter what wars would be fought, for pride or whatever else, the worlds of their galaxy would continue to be shaped and grow well passed their reach.

"Them blue folk had a place not far from where you disturbed my hunt on Nirauan..." She explained in short, "A traders hub of some sort. We tried to steer clear of each other, them and the Clan"; Ylva had no real grievance with their kind other than to say that they hadn't appreciated the Solveig's decided need to raid their tramping parties for materials every time they were foolish enough to go beyond the known territories and enter into the deep wilds for which was Solveig land. Hell, even the Qom Jha knew the Solveig's were present there.

"I wasn't born of Nirauan and I don't plan on going back" he tone had changed at the lads questioning why she was there at the pantheon in the moment, "I saw your fight..." She paused, bobbing her head indifferently in a half nod to the side, almost wary of admitting what was to come next, "You helped pull me from the ship with that sword of yours...-I owed you" she concluded somewhat flatly, as if it was a matter of honor and not a choice that could be turned away.

"Hells, it's not like I'm goin' anywheres else and good drink and a warm hearth, why wouldn't I?".
 
"I would have done the same for anyone trapped in the crash, it is kinda what I do for a living", well that was partly true, it was the Jedi in him that turned his direction to the crash. "But I was glad it was you". He added as the mead began to relax him too but more because of the company by the fire. He turned his head to look at her as she spoke of her past, some of it at least.

"I had a feeling you weren't local even though you knew your way around the place .. so where are you from?", he looked her over as if trying to ascertain that himself. There was something about Ylva that was familiar. Maybe it was the set in her countenance, their first meeting was something he had experienced before in the sense of her wild nature, and attitude, the women on his home planet akin to this, but it was unlikely a Valkyri woman would be this far from home? Anything is possible he supposed, but her face was much softer in features, her skin cream with a flush of fire in the cheeks. Or was that a result of the mead? It did not matter, she is most attractive regardless.

"You don't owe me anything", he addressed her comment of this. "Who knows .. one day you might return the favour".

The door of the common room opened and some of the men and women had had enough of the company and mead and stumbled out to find their quarters. One was left with lolling head resting against the back of the seat asleep and snoring, Théo turned and grinned, it was the young lad who had experienced his first fight and Théo was pleased to see he had made it through.

"You want to get some air?". The heat in the common room was starting to become stifling which is very much to Théo's dislike as he much prefers the cold.
[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
"I would have done the same for anyone trapped in the crash, it is kinda what I do for a living"
His words encouraged a skeptical and bemused scowl to escape her lips, a smirk curling around the sides of her cup as she almost spit it back into the flagon, forced to swallow it quickly before wiping her mouth with her sleeve and turning back to [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] responding in jest at his confidence, "Oh yes...-This is the part I go week at the knee's like all the common girls right..." she laughed at him, setting her drink down upon the table and raising her left hand flat against her forehead in a dramatic and overly exaggerated showing, "Oh please, save me good Sir! Save me from my most simple and lack luster life, parade me in your high-born jewels"; Ylva snickered under her breath, her hands falling back to the table to take up her drink, he head falling sideways to look back at him with a shake of her head and a broad smirk, "Please...".

Falling back to finish of the last of her ale, she listened to him remark on her not being a local of Nirauan. Of course there was no way that he could know such a thing about her, she'd spent the entirety of her life on that planet, or at-least all her days that she could recall. Not believing in or understanding any sort of a higher power, she could only take this as yet another boasting of his confidence, for which he didn't seem to lack any of. "You seem to have me all figured out, why don't you tell me..." she retaliated with no lack in sarcasm from her previous jest, pushing her mug across the table to suggest she was done with the beverage and turning back to offer a rather casual half nod at his suggestion for taking in some of the outside air; "Why not".

Getting up with something of a sway to her, she pushed the chair back against the table by the leg with a tap of her foot, soon turning to head for the door with little evidence to any sort of 'proper famine etiquette'. If he wanted a woman to wait on him he could go looking for one of his fellow high-born princesses. Ylva was both King and Queen, Lord and conqueror of her own world, their rules didn't apply to her and she showed it in the way she walked, a sway of swagger in her hips, her head held high with no fear nor concern of what others thought of her.
 
This girl, this woman was getting up his nose .. and under his skin. He looked at her without hiding the annoyance which was heavily laced with a sense of amusement at her antics and it seemed no matter what he said she would find something to tease him with. It was very evident to Theo he had met his match in that regard. He watched her arise from her seat with uneasy feet and make for the door. His eyes fell upon her movement, the wiggle in the walk, the sway of her hips and the way her fire hair fell about her shoulders before he turned back to his tankard and drained it of what was left, no point in waste the good drop.

He stood placing the tankard down with a thud, only to be greeted with laughter from the men in the room now with liquid courage to tease him about her, Theo just shook his head with a growing grin and followed her out of the room. Ylva had turned in the wrong direction, which was understandable as she did not know the vastness of the Pantheon and mischief enters his mind.

"Hey Red!", his words followed after her. "You are going the wrong way, that is the way to the kitchen .. unless you have a desire to prepare a meal for me". At this point Theo decided it would be best to become a moving target, harder to hit.

Walking the opposite direction he came to the double doors at the end of the corridor and opened one of them, "My Lady .. if you will", he half bowed with a sweeping gesture of his arm to invite to come out on the balcony. A gust of cold wind entered the corridor which reminded him he was under dressed for this, even for the thick blood of the Valkyri who get cold too. But no matter for the Pantheon provides means for venturing outdoors for everyone at all points.
[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
"Yeah you'd best keep walking, boy" Ylva scowled at him, though her smirk wasn't subtle either; while their relationship might have started off with her near bloodying his nose, there was none of that in the air about them this eve. "I don't need no fancy high born kitchens to cook up my kill..." her pace was quiet though she picked it up and soon found herself within arms reach of his back, raising her right hand and pointing to his center over his spine "Just an arrow in the right place" Ylva teased, insinuating that he might be her next fill if he kept up such comments.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]'s manner in how he chose to open the door for her and treat her as if she were of some sort of high born descent made her shake her head, throwing him a roll of her eyes and as she passed him, raising a hand to gently slap the side of his face, more of a forced pat on the cheek than an actual physical assault. Stepping into the cold nights air, she approached the balcony's edge and placed both hands to the railing, her Hide outfit keeping her well catered against the winter weather; a welcome sight leaving her to close her eyes a moment, her breath escaping her lips warm to the air around them and visually evident.

If he were perceptive enough, he would notice that she felt more at home outside than in. She had let her guard down completely now, whether by way of the liquor and the added freshness in the nights sky seeming to add to the inebriation or perhaps she simply recognizing that he was of no threat to her; out here her shoulders had dropped some, not as rigid and stern as she had been, not seeming as ready to put a knife to his throat or threaten his way of life but more so simply enjoying the view that lay out before the pair of them.

"What's the point of what you do?" She asked, turning the subject of focus on to Théodred as he'd been so interested in her, it was not his turn to answer twenty questions; "This Iron Legion your men talk about and your part in it all. Why are you out there fighting...-Where do you come from and how do you move and do the things you do...".
 
By the entrance to the balcony a small cupboard held fur in which the unprepared could use if they deemed to take some air outside. Théo grabbed and swung it around his shoulders, found what footwear was available and took up another fur for Ylva. He followed her out, watched as she enjoyed the scenery and the cold night air biting her cheeks which flushed rosy red. He walked up behind her and graced her shoulders with the fur, but left his hands resting on her strong shoulders. He lean close until his long black curly hair would brush against her ear and he whispered.

“I will never apologise to you or anyone for my upbringing”, there was a smile on his lips regardless, and although his words were gently spoke they were meant. “And keep the fur on, the weather can change here in the blink of an eye”. He stepped aside and stood next to her at the railing, taking in the view himself. The night sky offered little by way of light but the stars so vivid and plentiful carpets the sky from horizon and beyond.

He knew little of her life experience, what she had encountered outside of her life within the clan and that, by all accounts, had been tough to say the least. “We do what we do so others can be free”. Someone had to do it, else this galaxy would be unthinkable. “We do our best, don’t always succeed but if we don’t try then there is little point to existence”. Looking into the vast galaxy through the veil of countless stars makes one feel small and insignificant .. “A purpose in life is necessary or why is any of us here?”.

“I come from a place a planet known as Midvinter, that is where I was born and raised mostly. It is also home to my ancestry”, that story was best told over time as it is a long one. “I do the things I do, through a power and energy known as the Force .. “, he looked to the side to her face to see if she had any knowledge of what he spoke of, he would be willing to explain more if she were interested. “I studied how to use it on Voss, a planet that is home to the Order of the Silver Jedi”.

The first flakes of snow began to fall around them, a slight hand movement from Théo and some of them floated toward them, it was obvious that they moved counter to their natural state, and danced around Ylva’s face, around her head and settled lightly on her nose. All the while Théo smiled as he watched his, handy work.
[member="Ylva Solveig"]
 

Ylva Heavenshield

Guest
Y
When [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] came up from behind her and she felt the weight upon her shoulders, his hands laying the fur down upon her in order to keep her body warm against the winter winds, Ylva had to mentally fight the urge to turn with a raised elbow. Her back straightened and her shoulders went tense, her gaze dropping a little to the left, looking through her periphaels as she watched the side of him in movement alone, scarce of detail from her stance almost frozen in her place. It had been an age since any had come into such intimate contact with her, plenty had tried back within the Clan Solveig and yet they'd all been shown the error of their ways. Théodred however had proven that he wasn't alike the men she had grown up around, perhaps he was more man himself than those animals; still she could not shake the tension and sudden anxiety that ran up her like a shiver, both pleasurable and yet so frustrating. She couldn't tell if the warmth to her cheeks were a blush or the sudden adrenaline that seemed to return, her instincts telling her to fight. She always had to fight, every day of her life was a fight yet in this moment she did not want to...

"..." She paused, struggling to find her voice before trying to mask the sudden tension with a bit of humor, though her warning still shone through in her given words; "You better watch where those hands go, Heavenshield..." she suggested he keep them far above her waist and away from earning a blackened eye. He had already witnessed her reaction to his snagging her skinning knife without permission, she'd near bloodied his nose that day and while they had become a little closer, at-least trying to trust in one another now, he still bore all the traits of a foreigner, as much as she wished inside that he didn't.

He seemed to take the hint, turning to move to her side then and answer her questions over his origin and the manner of things he could do that helped to define him well apart from others she had met and come to know. He spoke of fighting for others as if it were something as simple as sentient nature but she knew better, protecting others took more will than fighting for ones self, if not only to survive but to flourish in a life where she had experienced no one else willing to fight for her sake. "We're here because somebody out there shacked up with another" She snorted a dry laugh, turning to look back at home now genuinely amused and as if he'd just told her some form of joke; "We're alive...-Our purpose is something we make, it's a choice, there's no such thing as a destiny or nothin' like that. People just make their own way..." she responded, again sounding very sincere in her belief that life was what they made of it and there was nothing more to it. He was being noble and all, she had to admit it was cute in a weak boyhood dream of playing a hero or some such spectacle yet she knew better...-Hell, no one had come to rescue her from the things she'd seen. Life had scorned her something precious, after all.

As far as his homeworld went? Midvinter...-She'd never heard of it, never stepped foot upon it nor did she recall ever reading about it. If there were others alike him than it had her somewhat curious; whatever his highborn parents were like, were they rich and stuck up like every other person of noble birth she'd pictured in her day dreams of resentment for those better off than she ever was. The Force on the other hand, well that was a myth, heard by even her people though better told around camp fires to scare the youngin's before they were sent off to find their first kill, a useful tool to distract them from the likelihood of death on the hunt.

She opened her mouth to ask further about the force when her eyes finally registered the small snow flakes dancing about the tip of her nose, the white falling specks seeming to hang about her, fluttering against the course of the wind, her brows furrowing with a tilt of her head, pulling it back a bit as if to refocus her vision, soon glancing back to the lad at her side and putting two and two together. The revelation that this was being done by his design caused her to squint in uncertainty, confusion taking to her face, her right cheek tightening as the side of her mouth lifted in a half smirk, half agape by the feat of it all.
 

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