Private First Snows

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Location Coruscant, near the old Senate District
Time: Early Morning
Date: Early Autumn
Characters: Sam Sheridan

Home.

He had been told his whole life that home wa wherever he decided to make it, but deep in his heart Telis knew that there would be no other home for him other than Coruscant, and it brought him a somber melancholy beyond words to know that he would, for the foreseeable future as far as he could sense, be a criminal and an exile to his native system and homeworld. Telis wasn’t exactly the type to be considered nationalist or imperial, not by any means compared to the people who served under him, but he couldn’t help but take pride in bearing his heritage where and when he could, even if he was technically born Arcanian. Against the better judgement of his peers, Telis had found his way once more back to Coruscant, wandering the streets in a fine suit, freshly tailored so that none would recognize it, and with his recent facial hair he appeared more like his brother or his father than himself.

So Telis hid in place sight, watching the ever-busy city swelling with life, the sky already clogged with the traffic of ships and sky-cars while the ground levels of Galactic City were filled with people moving through sidewalks and back alleys, nightly clubs closing and shops opening up along the main streets. Coruscant was a living, breathing place, made alive by the towering metal spires and the people who lived within it, and though Telis was never not next to somebody as he walked, with how busy sidewalks could be, he was still a separate thing altogether, disconnected from the city, declared a foreign object and criminal to keep an eye out for. He could survive, of course, he was used to scorn and being spurned, but as he walked, he felt fundamentally distanced from the world which surrounded him.

Spying a larger plaza beyond the crowded streets, Telis let his body stop, turning to fully face the entrance into the open-air shopping center, before turning once more back up towards the clouds. The sky was a wildfire of colors from the rising sun and the city’s skylines, and with the world still waking, shopping centers on this side of the planet would have been quieter - a rhythm and skill that Telis had learned long ago. Taking a deep breath in, and out, Telis made his way towards the entrance of the plaza, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat as he walked through the crowd, people seeming to part around him as he walked.

Finally stepping into the plaza, the life and energy of the city carried with him, echoing through the space, not dissipating but reverberating, strengthening even though the groups were more sparse. All around Telis could hear bits and pieces of conversation, laughter and talking, a few archaic street vendors set up outside shops beneath large swooping eaves, Telis smiled at the sights all around him, feeling the energy of it all wash over him like a wave: after all, emotion powered the Sith and that stretched far beyond just the ones of fury and spite and sorrow. There was an element of sorrow in the energy that Telis felt; the feeling of knowing what home looks like but being unable to return. However, a little rain must fall in life to remind one when the good times come.

Stepping away from his normal habits, Telis made his way over towards one of the stands advertising outside a far more popular store, a small hologram showing a menu for the barista stand - hot drinks and the like, fitting for the coming colder months ahead on this side of Galactic City. Looking over the menu, Telis eventually pulled out a credit chit, offering it to the man and ordering a small cup of tea, moving on without much more than a nod of thanks afterwards, as he held the cup in his metal hand - one of the benefits of having a hot drink and a prosthetic. Wandering, Telis let his thoughts go array, as he simply accepted the air of the city, the familiarity and the distinctness, how little it had changed and yet how much he had changed.

Wandering through the plaza, Telis continued on his aimless path, occasionally drinking from his tea as he moved away from the higher-end areas, towards the more crowded middle-class regions, full of people from far more variable walks of life, a melting pot of stories, faces, and origins. Walking through the crowds, Telis eventually found a bench to settle upon, taking his hand to wipe off some of the early frost, before sitting down, and relaxing with a sigh. Taking a moment to breathe, Telis reclined and watched the world happening all around him, thoughts wandering to the first thing to catch his thoughts, while the city around him continued in its heartbeat.

 

[Sam Sheridan]

In her life, there was no other planet that she came to despise but also cherish as much as Coruscant. It was her home, where she was born, where she was violated and where she clawed her way through dozens -if not hundreds- of souls to survive. It was a festering pile of rock in space... but it was also where she saw the sun for the first time, where she learned everything that helped her to survive as long as she did. It was also where she abandoned her daughter who escaped as well before she could be turned into a monster like her mother. As much evil as it held for her, it also held a handful of memories she would never forget.

Dressed in some jeans with a jacket zipped up around her, her combat boots thudded against the walkways of Galactic City. She felt exposed without the weight of her pistols underneath her arms, but she felt that it was necessary. She had started a new life, left her old one behind and even massacred the biggest remnant of it. Leaving her smoking habits and weapons behind was something that she felt was necessary.

Her reason for coming to the planet was a simple one. She wanted to get parts for her daughter's pod racer. Her connections were still willing to help her out and she quickly managed to organize a deal with an old friend who had a finger in a starship dealership... or something like that. She was high as a kite when he told her about it and she's too stubborn now to ask. But whatever his business was didn't matter to her. What mattered was getting proper new parts for the racer and maybe even some nice ion engines. There was something about those things that she just simple couldn't get enough of. However without even seeing it coming, a huge spanner would be thrown into her works. Her commlink chimed and she quickly pulled it from her pocket to see who was calling her. With a smirk she answered, bringing it up to her mouth. "Hey Ziggy, what's up?" she greeted her old friend. However her smile started to falter as he spoke.

"The kriff you mean you got bad news for me? Hold up... are you high right now?" she asked as annoyance started to rise in her voice. "No don't throw that excuse at me. You wanna get wasted on spice this early in the morning, that's your problem. The kriff do you mean you got bad news for me?" she spoke harshly, looking down at the commlink as if she was staring the guy down face to face. A shaky sigh escaped her as he explained himself away. "I swear, Ziggy, if you gambled those parts away... we're gonna have a problem." she muttered coldly as she wandered through the walkways, eventually reaching an open plaza. She ran her hand through her hair and ruffled it up in anger as the guy gave her the bad news. "No kark you, Ziggy! You wanted to sell those parts for karking spice, you're not getting anything from me! You useless junkie bastard!" she spoke up, startling a few people around her as she walked. She killed the call and kicked a pole she walked past in frustration.

With a defeated sigh she walked over to a bench and dropped down next to a guy in a snazzy suit already sitting there. Instinctively she reached for her pocket to pull out a cigarette, when she remembered that she hadn't carried a packet in months by now. She looked at the man next to her and then to the floor. "Kark it, quitting can wait." she muttered as she gave him a tap on his arm. "Yo buddy, you got a smoke on you?" she asked him with annoyance still in her voice.

Telis Taharin-Zambrano