Private Five Days

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Denon, Suicide slums
Tag: Xan Deesa
​

Inside the surprisingly clean apartment of a Darkwire runner was Cartri, his eyes glued to the screen of a holographic TV along with a bag of popcorn in front of him. One after the other he placed the popcorn in his mouth, tense to the bone from the horror film that was on. The knock was a cult classic, it entailed a series of stories to do with the infamous legend, one that made anyone watching jump out of their skin and stay away all night.

The scene right now was a lonely citizen inside of an apartment, watching entertainment the same as he was. Then... came a knock from the door.

Cartri slowly stopped eating and shuffled in his seat from the increased volume of the music. His mouth and eyes were wide open as the figure in the movie slowly approached the front door, unaware of what was behind it. Although, when the music hit its peak it abruptly stopped when the character opened the door to reveal nothing there. Sighing in relief Cartri finally threw another piece of popcorn in his mouth with a grin, completely smug from how well he composed himself at that moment.

Not long later the scene would pan to the character walking inside of the bathroom and closing the door behind them. As they looked into the mirror in thought, there was no music to show of any jumpscare arriving. Yet, when it came down to movies like this they could come from complete nowhere. A small flicker came from the lights of the bathroom, before the overwhelming sound of a...

 

[Xan Deesa]

... Knock on the door of the old apartment, miraculously timed with the movie and loud enough to be distinct from the movie's audio. There was a momentary pause before knocking resumed again.

Xan stood outside of the apartment, huddling against the wall as acid rain showered down beyond the narrow balcony. The last thing she needed was a few chemical burns on her skin or through her clothing. The visit was a difficult one. Given the way they left each other last time, she wouldn't be surprised if this attempt to make things right blew up in her face again for the third time.

At least she came prepared this time.

In her hands, sheltered in a plastic tub, was a cake with a rather accurate depiction of the late Qanatain Xopsaloff's head. It was a horrible joke she thought of and it felt too perfect to forfeit in this pursuit to make things right with her little brother.

Once the door opened, Xan would tense up in shock for a brief moment before a sad smile crept up behind the neon mask. "Hey... Um... happy birthday." She said with a gentle voice as she held up the cake. "You, uh... wanna eat a corpo?" She struggled to hold in her laugh. Even with this tense moment, this defining moment that would make or break her attempt, she still struggled to take the Xopsaloff head-cake or her bad joke seriously, and it showed as her smile broadened with each passing second.

She hoped that it was enough. She hoped and prayed to every deity she could think of, from the Force to the Omnissiah, that it was enough to gain at least a few more seconds to capitalize on. All she needed to do was break the first layer, then she could start making things right...

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Xan Deesa​

"AHHHHHHHHH!!" Cartri screamed involuntarily as popcorn was thrown up into the air from the knock coming from his door. Jumping behind the sofa he hid behind it for a few seconds and peeked his eyes bravely over the top. The knock surely wasn't based on true stories right? this had to be some kind of coincidence! Shooting a gaze back to the TV the popcorn was pretty much everywhere, but that didn't seem to be the least of his troubles right now.

Using the force, he hovered over a small weight lifting bar into his hand and appeared from behind the safety of his seat. Leaving it to hang to his side he almost jumped as the person knocked again, indicating they were pretty urgent to get the door answered. Cartri gulped as his hand reached for the handle, hesitating for a few moments before pushing the handle down.

Pressing his eye against the crack he was expecting to see nothing and get haunted for the rest of his days by the infamous knocker, but instead it was something less frightening.

His former mentor Xan Dessa was outside, with none other but a birthday cake in hand. The pair hadn't spoken for months after the incident they had at the abandoned theatre. However, since that time Cartri had some time to think. In ways, they were both as stubborn as each other, one relentless in trying to make things right while the other refused to let his grudge down. Things were voiced that shouldn't have been said that day, insults which shouldn't have left his lips in the first place. All Xan was trying to do was fix things, something that his "parents" failed to even start.

"Uh... thanks" he said quietly while opening the door his face looking up to Xan with an uneasy expression. Taking a glance at the cake he couldn't help but have a smile brewing in the corner of his lips. Xan always had a good sense of humor and since living alone it was one of the things he missed "Yea, sure..." he replied before moving aside to let her in from the rain. Shutting the door behind him and leaving the bar leaned up against the wall, he awkwardly slid both hands into his shorts pockets and walked to the kitchen

"So, what have you been up to?" Cartri said to break the silence and make conversation. For now, all he wanted was to have a real conversation without being at each other's throats. He couldn't take another argument with her...

 

[Xan Deesa]

To see him not instantly chasing her off was a huge relief. An even bigger one was the smile that crept onto his face as he looked down at the cake. He invited her in and she didn't waste a moment to get away from the encroaching acid rain. Xan gently set the cake aside on the kitchen counter and turned to face Cartri as she removed her mask, hat and jacket, draping them over the counter as well. The tension was still very thick between them, even through the innocent and casual conversation he was trying to make, but she welcomed it. It was better than a thick tension with an awkward silence.

A smile formed as she snorted. "Better strap in, things have been busy." She admitted casually. "On one end, I've been helping a Jedi who's got it in for both Darkwire and the Corpos... keeping an eye on him, I ain't letting the Jedi interfere with stuff on Denon... and then I had to help another Jedi to shut down a cloning facility that's been churning out copies of my ex, believe it or not." She glanced at the laughable cake for a moment. "On the other end, me and Anakin are... kind of in a relationship? It's weird, we're both kinda dancing around the question but we've been hanging out and stuff." She continued as she looked at him with a sheepish smile. "I've also been keeping an eye on the 'net as well. I noticed there's another Jedi hanging out on Denon as well. Looked like she was pregnant from what I could see. Gotta go pay her a visit as well, see what her story is."

She looked around the apartment, slowly nodding as she turned to look at Cartri once again. "You've been keeping the place clean. Just a surface clean-up or did you do that spring cleaning we were putting off for way too long?" She asked with a snicker. It felt good to talk to him again. Just talking. No issues or arguing, no concerns about anything, just them talking about whatever like they used to...

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Xan Deesa​

"Jedi? I've seen a few of them too." the boy said shyly, his head slowly nodding to what she had been up to for the past few months. The most shocking thing was Xan in some kind of relationship. She had always been a flirter but he didn't think it would be her kind of thing, especially with the birdman out of all people "They've been hanging around Denon more lately, mainly to investigate corruption to with Corpo's that involved the order. Other than that, they're harmless"

The smile from before soon returned when the thought of Xan being with someone came back, his eyes finally meeting hers "You know... I never thought you and Anakin would be such a good match with the obvious differences and all" Cartri explained while his body slowly rotated left and right like a nervous kid. He was still kinda anxious about how this was going to go, all he wanted was to straight up hug her and patch everything up. But he wasn't sure if they were on the same level anymore

Cartri looked back to the couch offered a bigger smile than before from the mess he left with the popcorn, a small chuckle even escaping his lips from what she was saying "I was doing well up until someone knocked on the door" the boy said jokingly, before lifting up his hand to ruffle up his ginger hair a bit more.

Walking to the kitchen counter he examined the cake a bit more in thought, almost as if he wanted to get something off his chest since she came. Xan didn't deserve the words he said, not after all the effort she went through to make things right "Xan... i-... I- I just want to say I didn't mean anything I said at the theater" Cartri could bear to look at her just in case she snapped for his foolishness, but no matter how she reacts it was best to let it out rather than let it linger "I-... i'm sorry Xan." Cartri said back, expecting a berating for the way he treated her for the past few months. All he did was push her away...

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan chuckled with a shrug at Cartri's commentary on her new relationship. "We'll see how it goes. He's not used to relationships and I've steered clear of 'em for a while now. But we're taking it slow, so hopefully it'll play out nicely for the two of us." She admitted calmly. It was her first relationship in years, and it was one she hoped would work out well for herself and for Anakin Stormrunner going forward. It did feel awkward, however, to be talking to Cartri about it in a way. But then again, it was the reality of the situation. "Maybe you can do the little brother thing and threaten him to treat me well and all that crap." She teased with a snicker.

The mood in the room shifted for a bit. The silence set in and Xan could see that he had something on his mind. She waited patiently to hear what he had to say, pleasantly surprised by the heartfelt apology from him over what happened. He avoided eye contact and looked ready to take a hit or something. But Xan was past those emotions. She walked around the counter and pulled him into a tight hug, resting her cheek against his as she gently rubbed his back. "You don't have to say sorry, Kes. We both did wrong, and I certainly screwed up the hardest. You don't have to feel bad over what happened, I deserved it." She muttered gently as she held onto him. A huge weight was lifted off her shoulders, and her heart grew lighter as she held onto her little brother.

"Hey, Kes..." She started pulling back to look at him. "I, uh... back before the incident... I wanted to ask you something. This might be some bad timing, but would you... would you wanna have me as a guardian? Officially?" She asked him gently as she looked into his eyes. "Then I'll be your big sis officially." She continued with a warm smile on her lips.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Xan Deesa​

"I'm happy you've found someone that can finally cope with your annoyance..." he said with a small grin from the cheeky comment. Cartri was sure Anakin would treat her well, he didn't see why he wouldn't. Although, if for whatever he decided to put a foot out of line, he'd have no hesitation in ripping him apart. Xan probably would do the same for him, so it was only right to repay the favour

"I'll have a word with him the next time we meet" Cartri replied, still shyly matching her smile after all the crap they had been through recently. He still didn't know if they were on the same level anymore, a thought that made him scared she wouldn't look at him the same way again.

When he brought up enough courage to say sorry for his actions, he wasn't expecting Xan to come over and pull him into a tight hug. At first, he didn't do anything but lean into her in shock. However, as soon as that subsided his arms hesitantly wrapped around her back and his cheek rested against Xans. Cartri couldn't help but have a few tears in his eyes from the whole ordeal. For the longest time, he never thought they'd be like this again. Thankfully, he was good enough in his heart to finally forgive her

"T-hank you Xan... I just didn't know what to feel at the time and just kept pushing you away" Cartri said with a croak, his voice emotional and relieved that Xan was willing to forgive him after all he said and did.

Xan pulled him away from the hug and looked at him as if she had something burning to say. Cartri slowly calmly nodded as she went along until she reached the pivotal question. Did he want her to be his legal guardian? Cartri didn't react at first, almost taken back from what she just said. During the fateful mission to blow up the station, he asked her to stay safe so he could ask her about something. That very thing was to ask that question. Since they first met, they had grown closer than he ever thought they would. They had really come a long way from Xan stealing his credits at the Blue Flame.

"I-W-what? are you serious? do you mean it?" he questioned with a shocked expression, but slowly a relived joy began to spread across his face "It- it's funny because I was going to ask you the same thing when you came back from that mission," Cartri said with a sorrowful smile, one that made him look like he was about to burst into tears. After a few moments, his head began to nod to her question before he rushed forwards and wrapped her in a tight hug once more, doing his best to keep any sobbing from escaping his mouth "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this Xan. You've looked after me like a big sis when you didn't need to, and I'll always appreciate that..."

Compared to his parents, Xan actually went above and beyond to give him a decent life. To the point where she left involuntarily and came back to make things right, something his father and mother never bothered to do.

"N-no birthday present will beat this"

 

[Xan Deesa]

She was fairly confident of his answer, though it was still heart-warming to see the complete surprise taken over by sheer joy. He admitted to her that it was the exact thing he wanted to ask her way back on the station. The moment crashed into her memory like a freighter. That momentary pause between them, before they split, when he wanted to ask her something. Back then they took the time for granted, they were arrogant in thinking that it would be a breeze.

Xan snapped out of her trance as Cartri continued to speak and pulled her into a tight hug. With wide eyes she stared down at him, before her own arms wrapped around him and held him tightly against her. "I dunno about that... I mean, an apartment is a big deal as well, you know." She quipped with a casual tone as she pulled back slightly to look at him, still holding him close. "Yeah, I actually mean I'm gonna put this apartment under your name." She quickly followed up as she wrapped an arm around his neck to ruffle up his hair.

"Karking little bro is sixteen, baby!" She cheered as she continued to hold him tightly against her around his neck. "Now come on, let's eat a corpo, go get a drink, and then you can sit back in your own place." She finally let go with a laugh as she looked him over, the smile unwavering. There was a lot she wanted to say, plenty of hugs and praises... but it didn't feel right. She had something better in mind. "Just keep in mind, I'm still gonna crash in my room when I come over... and don't think I haven't seen what you've been searching on my computer." She teased with a light punch to his shoulder.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Xan Deesa​

No matter how many times they did it hugs with Xan were always special, not because the idea of hugs was relatively fresh but because Xan had always been a special person to him. Both of them had come a long way individually, and the fact they still had a strong bond was phenomenal. At this point, no matter what they went through Xan was always going to be his big sis. He cared for her deeply, and the same could be said for him in Xan's eyes

At first, Xan seemed to be momentarily shocked by his acceptance, but it didn't take long to wrap him back up in her warm embrace. Cartri held onto her tightly and pressed the side of his head against his sisters chest. It was these kinds of things he wished could later forever, however, good moments like these had to have an ending at some point, "Wait, what?" he said, almost in disbelief from what he just heard. Slowly, Xan pulled away and looked at his bro, still keeping him close in front of her "Seriously?! you're not joking right?" the boy said with joy as a wide grin broke across his face.

For a while now he had been living by himself without the presence of Xan. Although, the apartment was never officially in his name. He never thought in his life he'd ever own a place for himself, yet Xan always seemed to smash those doubts in two. Before Cartri could move in to deliver another one of his signature hugs, a hand moved into his hair and began to mess up all of his hard work "Heyyyyyy! leave my hair alonnnnnne!" Cartri giggled playfully as he unfruitfully tried to get out of Xans tight grasp.

Eventually, Xan let go of his neck, allowing him to stumble back while she looked him over. His hair was most certainly ruffled, thankfully it was an easy repair before they went out to get food "Of course, let's go down to the burger stall like old times huh? I promise I won't poison you with overwhelming flavor like last time!" he chuckled, looking over to the paused horror movie on the screen with a smile "Fancy staying over afterward to watch a scary movie? I've got a few good ones we can watch if you've got the nerve that is"

He'd never thought the smile on his face would go in his moment, but when she mentioned the stuff on the computer his grin instantly vanished "Xannnnn... you always love snooping into my business don't you" he grumbled, his arms slowly folding in a serious motion. After a few seconds of silence he couldn't help but see the funny side and nod slowly "You really like to stress me out with that, but seriously Xan, you're always welcome to drop by whenever you want. After all, I owe a lot to you"

"Without your guidance or care, I probably would be 10 feet under by now. You went out of your way to teach me how to live and enjoy what I have, and that's something not everyone is caring enough to do. Xan in many ways, I owe you my life"