Heart of Despair

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau
Location: Du Couteau Mansion, Heading to Main Entrance

The descent down to madness begins with one step, a single willing step to sink below into the darkness. An act that would cascade throughout the soul, tearing apart what remained of its sanity and humanity. Plunged into a continuous cycle to be thrust deeper, but for what? Seto calmed himself as he stiffened his mental walls, slowly it stopped the swirling emotion of dread from sinking its teeth with a vicious bite.

Not just the planet's surface whirled with uncertainty of the bloody history it bared and carried, but far deep below. Such was the state of Coruscant, and no amount of police or security force could ever hope to control the under city that contained troves of criminal activity and illicit transactions between scum and degenerates alike. It would take monumental effort from the State to ever hope to achieve complete planetary control of the lower levels.

Seto slowly lowered himself to the ground, his mediation complete and his preparations as good as he could make them before he embarked on his hunt. The situation of Coruscant had grown extremely fortunate, from the growing Commissiart Academy to the continued success of neighboring Core Worlds bettering themselves by joining the Core Imperial Confederation and improving the economical situation of Coruscant.

Improved trade relations, work and employment between planets and increased security to provide a sense of relief. Seto knew this was great news for the planet, but that was all what he called surface level in both the literal and philosophical sense of the phrase. For as much as he admired the work of the State to attempt to prosper a planet that had seen nothing but continuous wars, sieges and battles, he could not but listen to the turbulent song of hate and pain that emitted deep within the planet.

The cause of all that destruction and despair? Seto knew the answer, wielders of the Force. The Commissioner General had put off the plan to hunt the Force Nexus left behind by the Jedi that had built the original Temple that housed the once old Jedi Order. But he could no longer push it off, not with his new students living on the very same planet.

“And Coruscant simply continued to build their cities upwards, stacking over what they could no longer repair, and instead replaced with the new in hopes of burring the wrong.” Seto spoke his thoughts, his hands waved over the door controls and headed over the lobby.

Coruscant Lower City Sub-Section 7334 - Level ????

Corruption, despair, darkness swished and whirled among the center of the massive structure, each attempting to find a grasp of the material that kept it all confined. Years of bearing witness of untold amounts of death, corrupted by the greed of many powerful and the fears of the masses that had been forced to live for decades of never knowing true safety. The Wars between the Jedi and Sith, the multiple sackings of the great City Planet of Coruscant furthered the despair of the masses.

Much like Coruscant when it needed to escape the slums and degeneracy it would leave it all behind and build on top of it to reach for the skies above. The darkness and despair of the galaxy continued to pool deeper, trapping the Force or perhaps it was the Force trapping it all. The despondent nature of life, the Force, the anguish and cruelty that fueled the darker paths of the Force. Incredible strength for anyone to harness, those who wish to wield such power inflamed by the grief and agony of the Force Nexus.

Spots of light shined through the darkness, through broken and rundown buildings, small cluster of lights shone inexplicably at most random of times. Irregular sights of such though were few and far between the more tangible threats of Vong creatures left behind from the wars, Sith Alchemists and their forgotten lab experiments. Only the most undesirable of denizens willingly live deep in the lower levels, proving their survival abilities of either their strength to inspire fear or their guile and cunning to circumvent the more dangerous parts of the under levels.

But within the old shambles of a ruined Temple, something prowled the area that proved far too dangerous even for the most horrendous creatures. Husks of long dead Vong monsters and hundreds of bodies of all assortment of aliens. All laid strewn in broken heaps of bones and rotting corpses, shredded limbs and shattered bones, this provided a clear warning.

[member="Marriskcal Lati"] [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

 

[Marriskcal Lati]

Marriskcal Lati
Location: Du Couteau Mansion, Coruscant
Interacting with: [member="Seto Du Couteau"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"] (Soon)

After a lifetime of sleeping on narrow cots and possessing the barest of necessities, the chamber that has been given to her was… exceedingly vast. By her own approximation, if she took care to keep her movements efficient and bladework sharp, the expanse of space was adequate for her to practice her forms… not that it was suited for it.

The floor was covered by a layer of plush carpeting that was soft enough to lay on, while the walls shone with a soft pearlescent glow. But the most mystifying portion of her domicile was the sprawling bed that was found at the far end of her – Hall? Room? – bedroom. Once, enticed by her own innate curiousity and the need to know, the blonde had measured and established that it was vast enough to fit seven of her.

Marriskcal was not quite sure what to think of the knowledge she now possessed.

Did most beings live like this?

Was normal beds designed to fit every being no matter their species and sizes?

Did they need this many pillows?

But the few that she quietly queried assured her that this was quite customary… and so Marriskcal dismissed her wonderings from her mind, ascribing it as something inherently civilian.

Sitting quietly before the vanity, the blonde glanced at the mirror as the maid placed the finishing touch to the high tail they styled it into, tying a thin ribbon into a loose bow. Dressed in a leather trousers and a spidersilk blouse in somber black, with her feet encased in her favoured military boots, Marriskcal could not help but wonder how much she has changed in the past several weeks as she stared at her reflection.

But always one to look towards the future, the young woman dismissed the thought before it could continue on with its meanderings. Giving the maid a vivid smile and a cheerful word of gratitude, Marriskcal summoned her arbir blades and her customary holster that held her lightsaber hilts and throwing knives before making her way towards the foyer to await her brother.

She blinked when she saw the familiar form of the older male in the hallway. With a gleam of mischief in her blue eyes, she approached him from an angle, her steps quiet as she drew up behind him. And then, with a faux innocent expression on her mien, Marriskcal spoke aloud, “What are we burying today, Seto?”

 

[Kaiah Nihl]

Kaiah Nihl
Location: Unknown Building - Garden Rooftop
Daydreaming

​

Kaiah was aware that others found her ‘odd’. Though she’d always counted herself as unusual, even at a young age, it seemed almost appropriate now that others would consider her strange. Unlike those tied so readily to material objects and people, she possessed almost nothing and had cut all her ties. And that confused them. ‘How do you live like that?’ they’d ask. She tried to explain, but it was akin to teaching someone with a million credits how to live with twenty. They found it difficult to comprehend and it was easy to dismiss her as ‘mad’.

Those who were lucky enough to know her for more than a few hours realized her bright and effervescent nature belied a dark and deadly core. They would relate her to a fire, pleasant to look at, yet inherently dangerous. The association amused her. It seemed apt, given her condition.

Still, there were things about ‘normal’ lives that confused her. She didn’t understand the toil and work, day-after-day at the same job. Where was the adventure? Where was excitement of discovery? She didn’t understand those who accrued wealth, or the lavish meals that the nobles laid out each night. To her, deprivation made moments all the sweeter. Who appreciated their fare more? A rich noble, already full, on his third glass of wine? Or a dehydrated beggar, stumbling across an oasis of bread and water?

“Your thoughts are loud and bothersome” the cat said, staring down at Kaiah from its perch in the wall. She sat up from her bedroll, little more than an old blanket and pillow, and stretched her limbs. She looked around, staring out into empty sky before turning back to glare at the black feline. “And yours a somehow both jagged and slimy” she replied. “Yet I too must endure such torment”.

She walked across the roof, discarding the large jacket that kept her warm while she slept and let the cool breeze travel over her skin. Three steps later she looked down a massive drop, almost 300 metres, across which spread a beautiful garden cleverly designed to creep up the building and onto the roof she squatted on.

“The lies I tell you are nothing to the lies you tell yourself” that cat said, its orange eyes providing a stark contrast to her midnight-black fur. “All this talk of others and their lives. It is obvious. You wish you had a full belly, a stable living and your friends back”. Its feline eyes furrowed into a squint. “Amusing really, but not as amusing as your fantasies about being a mysterious and capable warrior”. Kaiah scowled, picking up a broken roof tile and lobbing it at the small creature. The cat hissed and scampered away into the shadows.

It was the third day of her trespassing upon the pretty estate, and the third day she had been unchallenged. Security around the building was extensive and tough, so tough that the owner hadn’t bothered to post any guards in the garden itself, assuming no one would be able to breach the defences. Her demon, having already left her body and in the form of a cat, had shown her the chink in the armour, allowing them both to slip in unnoticed.

She’d originally thought that its help was part of some malicious plot, a chance to lure her into a trap. But when they’d broken through, she spied the creature tearing into a plate of fresh salmon left on a garden table, and quickly changed her mind. It seemed the creature was a slave its form as much as she was.

Her stomach rumbled, a loud and unpleasant sound. “Come demon” she said. “Time to find something to eat”.

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau
Tags: [member="Marriskcal Lati"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

Coruscant Lower City Sub-Section 7334 - Level ????

The darkness that surrounded much of the antiquated temple seemed far too unnatural, even among the more horrid and savage of the mutated creatures of the underworld avoid the darkness. Bodies of their kin littered the grounds as a warning to all who dare approach, only death to found if one goes into the darkness. But even with such grotesque a warning to anybody that enjoys survival above their courage, a few sithspawn forgotten and left from wars past dare venture forward into the utter inkiness of the dark. Something they felt themselves called out, or rather what laid deep within that building signaled out to them, that power laid there waiting for anyone to grasp.

One amalgamation in particular looked both horrid and perplexing, pieces of armor and scales, even some of the limbs appeared eerily different from one another, but it mattered little to the creature. He pushed forward to the dark temple, his legs pushed past the bones and torn bodies of lesser beings. The Sith spawn moved with purpose but before it could even get within a few meters of the large double doors something landed with a heavy thump next to the creature.

The Sith Spawn whirled around, his arm swung wide in hopes of catching what had nearly taken him by surprise, but to his shock he hit nothing nor found anything. He did not hit anything at all because it was his arm that created the large thump and before the realization of being under attacked registered the Sith Spawn found himself falling, or at least spinning and twirling towards the ground. Strange it thought, as the Sith Spawn could still see its body standing perfectly straight-

A small lithe figure, draped with the same eerie darkness that flowed around the temple kicked the headless body and vanished as quickly as it appeared.

​

Location: Du Couteau Mansion, Heading to Main Entrance

Seto learned from the best of keeping a straight face, or any face really, for in Sabaac it only mattered that others knew not how one truly felt at any given moment at the table. The young Du Couteau heir performed such poker face expertly as Marr surprised him by her sudden appeared at his side. The impish nature of his sister never ceased to bring his rather routine life with plenty of excitement, overhead and plenty of headaches.

Not that Seto minded the last two, as he never found his efforts to his sister wasted nor such chore of keeping her happy an actual chore. But not unlike a Noble to wish for easier times in ones life. While Seto would never ask for a different sister, he would ask his sister to better behave from time to time. If only because he could spend more time with her and not working on paperwork to help sooth over yet another issue.

"We're digging something up instead," Seto responded with his lips twitching into a form of a small smirk. "-Reports of unnatural Force signatures had been cropping up and of course the Force Nexus used by the previous Jedi occupants had been reported damaged and pieces missing." Seto further explained.

He paused for a moment, already they neared the entrance and their vehicle awaited them to reach their first check point before venturing deep within the olden parts of the vast Coruscant. Seto focused his attention on Marr, his hands gently placed on either shoulder as his sharp blue eyes scanned her hair and the bow tied on.

With a nod of approval he released his sister and gestured to follow him outside. "-You certainly look dazzling even when sporting the more simple styles." Seto happily cheered forth, "-A Du Couteau like non other, even myself." He added, turning to give Marr genuine smile even if he sounded bombastic.

Seto's own butler often wondered if his young Master was acting far too dotting of a brother, always explaining to the other family members and nobles of his new sister. None of the staff doubted the young Master's sense of pride within his new sister, but a few certainly brought up concerns for the safety of the mansion's windows.

 

[Marriskcal Lati]

Marriskcal Lati
Location: Du Couteau Mansion, Coruscant
Interacting with: [member="Seto Du Couteau"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"] (Soon)

The beginnings of a faintest pout curved her lips at her brother’s calm response to her little bout of mischief. It would seem that she would have to– What was that saying again? Ah yes, up the ante.

… Whatever that meant.

She had only picked it up as something that was catchy, and was usually quoted by main character of those casino holomovies just before he tossed all his credits in for the spinny wheel things or one of those card games. Sarlacc?

When she first came to live with the older male on his estate, Marriskcal was a mere shadow of herself, timid and filled with remorse, filled with an irrevocable belief that her presence was undesired and merely tolerated. For days and weeks, the both of them had avoided each other’s presence, the wounds of betrayal and the finality of her attempt to slay a kin leaving their relationship fragile and tenuous.

And were it not for Kaiah…

Even as the blonde stuck out her tongue at the smirking Seto, she brushed a thumb over the spot where her sister has left her mark, a burnished glyph of unknown allegory. Marriskcal herself like to think of it as one of those ancient devices used to measure time. An hourglass, if she did not remember wrongly from one of the many datacrons she had scoured through at the mansion’s vast archive. She wondered if Kaiah was doing fine, and if the wounds that she had inflicted on her sister back on Jandur has healed without any lasting effects.

“–Sounds… messy,” she said after a moment’s lapse, wrinkling her nose at the thought of cleaning up whatever that was at the lower levels. While she has wandered to the 500s, she had never ventured deeper. From the fearful whispers and the feverish gleams in the eyes of those who she had queried, it sounded like a cesspit. But how much truth were there in their words, the blonde was unable to ascertain. But now with Seto enlightening her as to the presence down below, Marriskcal decided reluctantly that perhaps there were more than a little veracity to the urban legend than she has ascribed to initially.

“Let us hope it will not be too troublesome, and we can be done before dusk.”

And perhaps, the blonde would have once flinched when she felt the touch of another on her person without any prior telegraphing of their movements, but the Marriskcal of present merely arched a brow at the taller male when the weight of his hands pressed down on her shoulders. “You need to stop embellishing your words, Seto,” she countered just as cheerfully, though the smile that found its way to her lips was small and shy, quietly pleased by his claiming of her as family even as she stepped into the vessel.

 

[Kaiah Nihl]

Kaiah Nihl
Location: Coruscant Streets
Appearance:

Spoiler

​

She retrieved the rest of her meagre equipment, a worn leather satchel within which contained her lightsaber as well as a few odds and ends. This included a coin purse, now considerably lighter than when she had arrived on the planet. She’d attempted to get a credit chit on her first day, but banks asked too many personal questions. It was better to carry everything she owned on her. At least then she’d know where it was.

Her feet padded across the cool roof, coming to a stop before a discarded pile of clothes. She picked through the pile, wrinkling her nose at the sour smell before fishing out a pair of old worn boots. She slipped the shoes on, feeling a dull pain as she rubbed the blisters, but left the rest of the pile alone. The clothes she was wearing were in a similar state, so there was no point in changing. The final addition to her outfit was the aforementioned jacket. The garment was a lifesaver, more so than her lightsaber, simply because it had kept her warm during many a night spent sheltered in dark alleys. She doubted it would last much longer however, judging by the large rips at the end.

“You’re growing thin” the cat said, looking up from her feet. Kaiah let out a deep sigh; she had little patience for the creature today and the statement hurt, particularly since it spoke the truth. She was strapped for cash, and often missed meals. Yesterday she awoke to find that she could see her ribs beneath her skin. “I must eat to provide sustenance to both of us” Kaiah replied, a fierce scowl crossing her face. “So perhaps instead of being a snarky little parasite, you could be of use for once…”

The creature paused and looked at her. “Perhaps I can… assist with your situation. But you must promise that after we will pursue my interests”. Kaiah hesitated, conflicted. She knew of what the spoke. There was large disturbance in the force, emanating deep within the city. She could sense the power slightly as she walked through the city but felt it clearly as she slept, where it invaded her dreams and turned them into nightmares. She could feel her willpower wearing down as hunger pangs racked her body. “Fine, agreed” she said. The disturbance was likely nothing of consequence anyway, she told herself. “But you must provide something filling and delicious”. The creature gave something akin to a smile, an expression that looked entirely unnatural on a cat. “I think I know the perfect place”.

- - - - -​

The cat had led her to her favourite place on Coruscant, a small food stand that served huge gourmet burritos. She’d bought from the stand on her first day on the planet and had wished to return ever since. On the rare nights when she didn’t have a nightmare, she dreamed of burritos. But she’d never had enough money to justify buying another.

The line was short at this hour, so it didn’t take long before she was standing before the cook. She felt the cat climb up her back and perch on her shoulder. It gazed down at the large greasy man behind the counter and at the large stack of wrapped burritos to his left. “Can I have a burrito?” Kaiah asked, making no move to retrieve her coin purse. The man sneered and gestured to price list. “You have to pay sweetheart, I’m not a charity”. He had a gravelly tone from a man who smoked too much.

“What now?” she said to the cat, prompting a quizzical look from the seller. ‘You will not like it’ the demon said within her mind, and she felt it move sideways and fuse into her body. The shadows around her face seemed to deepen just as her eyes brightened to a flaring orange. They spoke now, an amalgamation of Demon and Nagai. “I know your name, Elgare” they spoke, Kaiah high voice echoed by a deep baritone. “And I know about Maree. Did you know she blames you? It took her three hours to die underneath that rubble and all that time she cursed your name”. The cook, Elgare, became very pale. The menu he held fell as his hand slackened. They continued: “You are a wretched man, one that doesn’t deserve to live in the galaxy”. They drew their lightsaber from the satchel and ignited it. The crimson light only seemed to cast their face in deeper shadow. “I am an arbiter of death. If you wish to live, then flee now. I will not suffer pathetic scum such as you”.

Elgare let out a squealing gibber and scrambled away. He fled from the stand and ran into a nearby alley. Kaiah felt a shadow pass from her mind just as a wave a sickness flooded her body. She hesitated, before grabbing a burrito and quickly walking away. Soon she was lost in the crowd.

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau
Tags: [member="Marriskcal Lati"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

Lower Levels of Coruscant, Streets of Old Coruscant



"I don't embellish my words with you, especially when my words are meant only for you." Seto countered as he placed both his hands behind his head as they headed over to their transport speeder.

Seto kept up his smile, the ordeal they had suffered in the past had shifted his particular form of speech when he talked to his sister, always wary of thinly veiled promises. He made to catch himself whenever he felt his own words would lead to empty emotion, something he had never or rarely considered his words ever taken as seriously to someone else. In that same vein, I continue to offer the same respect.

Not that he never slipped up, but Seto promised himself to always speak truthfully to his sister, even if his truth seems to be known only to him. As for their current truths, the voyage down to their first checkpoint of entry to the lower levels were rather uneventful, largely due to the impactful presence of the Core Imperials and their close ties with the Coruscanti Police Force and Coruscant Security Forces. Glances outside of their vehicle showed a thriving and living city, citizens all going on their business and numerous speeders soaring through the sky-lanes.

Bakers often are hailed for their artistic ability to paint their cakes in such majestic manner, and to say the Civil Engineers of Coruscant weren’t artists would be called a falsehood. The City Planet Coruscant breathed once more, filling itself with new hopes and dreams of the citizens enjoying their new lives under the guidance of Core Imperium.

But. . .

Seto felt their speeder shift downwards, their view of the top levels slowly vanished and replaced with the countless high-rises and building structures as they descended lower into the City. Speeders and other vehicles slowly vanished out of sight, the luxuries seen above at such high frequencies disappeared. The gold like city slowly ebbed and flowed to silver, the steel colour dominated as much more concrete was seen as the majority of those living beneath the top levels could only afford to walk to and fro.

Here, among the majority of the population, their hopefulness and happiness was rather remarkable, and Seto felt himself slowly drift through the waves of comforting emotion the Force sang out to all who could listen. The threat of war, instability, all of their fears ebbed away to slowly being replaced with hope for a future where they could smile and laugh and enjoy. While steel would never shine as bright or as beautifully as gold, their tenacity and stubbornness to cling unto their faith held a beauty of its own, such a thing Seto could appreciate and respect.

“I never did enjoy large busy cities before, but perhaps Coruscant can change my opinion on them. . .” Seto spoke, his attention back over to Marr for a moment, he knew of his sister’s wanderings through the City, and he had assumed she had taken a liking to such overcrowded planet. He enjoyed the little gifts she would bring back and show them off during their tea time together.

Their Speeder slowed further as it reached and touched down on a small landing pad, their doors opened and Seto stretched himself out. Free from their small vehicle, as the sheer amount of buildings would had made their much larger and spacious vehicles near impossible to traverse with such vehicle. Seto waved at the pilot and nodded before reaching back into the vehicle and grabbed hold of his Data-slate.

If the Top levels were gold, the mid levels were steel, the lower levels where they were heading would be rusted iron. City Maintenance engineers understood perfectly that they only possessed so much time, energy and credits to keep their planet functioning. Thus corners cut and difficult decisions made, and the lower levels sacrificed to keep the above levels well maintained and repaired. Sacrifices, or perhaps simply said that Coruscant wishes to bury their past and rise above it all.

A nice dream.

Seto was told by others that at times, attempts were made to clean up the lower levels, to perhaps remove the rust off of the iron and provide those living within the lower levels a chance to grow skywards. The issue persisted past a few months of repairs and cleanings and that ended many of the attempts. But for both Seto and Marr, their destination was below this level, somewhere worse off than the rusted irons the lower levels suffer with and deeper below to the past previous Coruscants wished to forget and leave behind.

“Best stay close as we move deeper below, the crowds will at first be large before thinning out the lower we go,” Seto suggested. Plans had already been set into motion for them use personal speeder bikes designed to help traverse the lower sections at a far quicker pace than on foot.

First though, Seto willed himself to focus on keeping his mind as steady as he could make it, the Force sang a different tune and the dreary hopeful emotions that had emitted from the crowds above them in the higher levels were slowly replaced with the more survival and nihilism that seemed to prosper openly among the crowds.

Sometimes even a person’s soul rusts over time spent in these places.

 

[Marriskcal Lati]

Marriskcal Lati
Location: Unknown Street, Lower Levels, Coruscant
Interacting with: [member="Seto Du Couteau"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

The sentiments behind his words were genuine and sincere.

The whisper of the stream only affirmed what her heart already knew, that he meant them truly.

Never a creature that fared well with the more intense shades of sentiments, especially ones that made her heart swell and felt as though it was too large to be contained behind her rib cage, the young woman stayed quiet and contemplative. She refused to look at Seto, eyes of brilliant blue carefully fixed on the view of the skyline, though her gaze would flicker every now and then to regard her brother by the reflective surface of transparisteel.

Ever the contrast to the older male, it eluded the blonde how easily the speeder soared past the initial border of the uppermost levels, and how they never needed to stop and identify themselves as the vessel began its descend. Due to her unique position within the First Order, it was a given. As a youngling and initiate, she was surrounded and escorted by a coterie of handlers and agents who paved the way for her. And when she ascended and bore the vaunted crimson armour of a Praetorian Guard, the extent of her authority allowed her to wander around as she pleased and accomplish acts as she desired. To her, it just was.

The slow variation in their surroundings were something that she took note of as something ordinary, even as the glitz and gilt of the city began to show its wear and revealed the tarnished base that lied concealed underneath. She had seen much throughout her wanderings within the levels and sectors of the ecumenopolis, so the darker and grittier side to the glittering jewel of the Core did not capture her interest. Instead, her eyes traced after its denizens, following and observing them as they went on with their lives, so she could better blend in… when Seto’s tenor broke the silence between them.

“If I have to spent the rest of my life on a planet this noisy and loud–” She trailed off, wrinkling her noise in distaste at the very thought, “–I suppose Coruscant is… adequate.”

While Marriskcal still loathed the torrents of neonloud emotions that rippled and shuddered through the Force and the intrusion of stray thoughts that tickled her ears and wandered into her mind, she was slowly making herself a life here. But it was not all terrible on Coruscant, and the young woman often found herself amazed and delighted by the sheer variety of things that could be found in its shops and markets. From rare crystals and gems from the far edges of the galaxy, to woods with enchanting grain and colours from planets she has never even heard of, the latent collector in her was jubilant at the curios and trinkets she found every time she wandered about.

And the crowning jewel of her adventures? The countless snack-food things that were easily found in most places. Before, she could only taste and sample many of them when she stepped foot on their world. Here, she could easily find Atrisian dumplings or even Bespin meringue if she so wished. “I like that we can find a variety of things from all over the galaxy here,” she elucidated, looking thoughtful as she followed her brother out of the speeder.

“You do not need to worry overly much, Seto. So long as you walk with confidence in your steps and do not quail when they meet your gaze, most people who lives on these levels avoid you as they do not want trouble,” she refuted. It was in one’s bearing and poise, and the keenness in the eyes that determined whether one was predator or prey. Before she could continue speaking, the faintest glow of a familiar flame crossed through her senses. Bright and warm, with a touch of something unfathomable and obsidian.

And while the shinydark has only… swelled in mass, as Marriskcal was never one to forget the aura of someone she deemed her sister in all but blood, her eyes grew wide. The blonde swivelled on the heels of her boots, the long tail of her bound hair flickering along with her at the sudden sharp motion.

“I think Kaiah is nearby.”

Reaching out with a tendril of her own presence, Marriskcal’s aura threaded across the expanse, tentatively touching the edges of Kaiah’s consciousness, the feeling almost akin to a gentle pat on the shoulder.

‘Kaiah…?’

 

[Kaiah Nihl]

Kaiah Nihl
Location: Coruscant Streets
Appearance:

Spoiler

​

She was running.

She shouldn’t have trusted the creature, given into the belief that it wanted to help. Its claim about working together with her was a falsehood; the creature had been undermining her since day one. It had been slowly chipping away at her will, stealing precious nutrients from her body. Whispering suggestions in her dreams, leading her to force site across the Galaxy, and slowly building power.

Coruscanti back-alleys were no simple affair. A maze of stairs, drops and sharp corners made it a veritable labyrinth and a home for hard folk with ill-gotten gains. But even the slimiest of criminals knew not to confront the careening Nagai, her eyes like bright orange headlamps in the shadow of the buildings. Kaiah dropped down to the other side of the Ghetto she fled across, stopping to rest by a dig-shaft. Abandoned now, it probably was intended as a foundation for another towering spire.

She breathed in hard and fast, her chest rising and falling with gasps of air. Yet, as she looked up, she felt her latest breath catch in her throat as she spied the creature perched atop an oil bin. “You cannot escape” it spoke, a wry amusement in its voice. “We are bound together, wherever you go – I will follow”. It looked less like a cat now, more like the stretched and warped shadow of a cat. Its eyes were two orange flames suspended in the inky form. “I’m done with our pact, Demon” Kaiah said, slowly back away from the creature. “Part ways now, and perhaps I shall let you go unharmed”.

The cat chuckled, a deep gravelly baritone that had no place in a feline creature. “That’s not going to happen. See, I much rather a body of my own. A vessel from which I will spread fire to engulf the galaxy”. Its form was spreading, enlarging. It grew large, towering over her and blocking out the light. “And what is a better choice than a weak-willed worm such as you? Can’t you see that you were never in control?” Kaiah fancied she could see elongated mandibles rising from the shadowy mass. She drew her lightsaber from her satchel, igniting the blade and illuminating the creature with its crimson glow.

She lunged forward, intending to stab with her blade, but met no resistance. She pushed her lightsaber further into creature, screaming as the shadow-stuff wrapped around her hands. An incredible searing pain spread up her arm and flooded her senses. She dropped her saber and looked at her hands, horribly burned and blistered.

“Amusing” the creature spoke. “But enough games”. The creature reached out toward her head with a dark hand. She felt the creature withdraw, drawing all its strength to its shadow, readying for a final onslaught against her will.

Kaiah stumbled back, her thoughts barely coherent through the intense pain. The shadow pressed forward and Kaiah found herself backed up against the guard rail. “No escape now” it spoke, with a voice that resounded with a thousand years of hunger. Kaiah felt the last of the demon leave her body to join the monstrosity. The orange bled away from her eyes; her irises faded to a light grey.

As the creature moved to strike, she flipped herself over the guard-rail and into the dig-shaft.

- - - - -​

​

She fell for what seemed light a long time, fading in and out of the consciousness. Her hands burned like molten iron. She could see very little and were it not for the rush of air past her ears, she wouldn’t think she was falling at all. At one point, she started to see a light approaching ahead, before realizing in horror that she was approaching the bottom. She pushed out with the force, attempting to blunt her decent. The light came on fast, too fast-

She hit the water hard, the shock of the impact knocking all the breath out of her body. The murky darkness tried to pull her further down, but she resisted and kicking her way up to the surface.

- - - - -​

​

She was cold, wet and in-pain. Reality was starting to blur together. She was walking, that much she knew. But when had she landed in the water? Ten minutes ago? An hour? A day?

Something in the force was guiding her, a herd instinct, a desire for safety. She shuffled forward like a zombie. She could feel other eyes watching her, like predators waiting to strike. She knew she was in danger, but she could do nothing except shuffle forward.

She was at her limit, she could barely walk much further. With one final push she rounded the corner of the alley and spied figures ahead. With a feeling of recognition, she let out a hoarse call. “Marriskal?” Kaiah muttered before collapsing.

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau
Tags: [member="Marriskcal Lati"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

Lower Levels of Coruscant, Streets of Old Coruscant



The slow moving crowd gave Seto pause, while indeed he had noticed how the public often treated him with as much space as possible, his concern also remained on being noticed by everyone. Seto had to admit that his choice of clothing was possibly doing him no favors when among those in the lower levels. His eyes softly glanced around, and quietly understood that perhaps he should have chosen much darker vestiges instead of his normal lights and whites.

"-It is because of our propensities of finding somewhat difficult situations do I draw my concern from. . ." Seto dry responded with a half smile.

Seto snapped his head to Marr at her mention of Kaiah, his thoughts of clothing and crowds evaporated and instead his full attention was on an old friend and one Seto still calls sister as well. Kaiah? Seto searched and allowed his mind to expand outwards with the Force, his fears of the despair and dark emotions clouding his mind ignored as he attempted to locate his sister through all the noise and blurred emotions.

Voices and emotions, Seto shifted through it all and honed in on where Marr directed her focus and finally Seto was reminded of a familiar presence. His wrist slowly warmed that firmly solidified the fact that Kaiah was indeed nearby. His eyes continued to scan, blue eyes danced around every person in the crowd but it wasn’t until Marr broke to a hurried run did Seto finally zeroed in on a close alleyway.

Feet took him quickly, his body attempting to keep up with his sister but even with his own graceful nature Seto barely found himself approaching both his sisters as Marr was already by Kaiah’s side. Onlookers gazed around, a few braver ones stared for moments at a time, but Seto for the most part ignored the curious glances and focused on any hostile intentions.

A small pool of what Seto assumed was water gathered around Kaiah, and furthermore Kaiah appeared worse for wear. This was beyond strange, he had always seen the graceful Kaiah as someone of a Noble of generations passed, carried with a sense of confidence. The form his sister took at the moment was a far cry from when he had last seen her back in the snow. Even then. . .

Seto knelt closer to his sisters and removed his own cape, gently he offered it to Marr first to let her do with it as she pleased. What happened? The question jammed into his head but until Kaiah not only looked better but also felt better, he would need to stow the questions and simply enjoy the fact the three of them were reunited with one another, something Seto had hoped and dreamed and knew it would happen. . . but for it to actually come to realization was something else entirely.

“Our Safe House isn’t too far, if you can steady her I can carry Kaiah until we reach it.” Seto quickly explained to Marr.

 

[Marriskcal Lati]

Marriskcal Lati
Location: Unknown Street, Lower Levels, Coruscant
Interacting with: [member="Seto Du Couteau"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

The very moment she felt the spark of familiarity across the stream that connected them, Marriskcal took off, all pretenses at playing a meek little civilian dissipating as she tore towards her sister, the sharp strikes of her boots struck an unrelenting staccato on the streets of Old Coruscant. Without the usually heavy weight of her armour limiting her, Marriskcal followed the thin thread of presence, using it as a guide as she weaved and cut amongst the crowd that were in her way, disappearing swiftly down a narrow and quiet alleyway.

It was there that she caught her first glimpse of Kaiah in months. Her usually proud and beautiful sister was a mere shade of herself, her warm hair wet and matted and her clothing worn and frayed. But none of that mattered to the young woman when she saw how weak she was and how she was barely standing and using the wall to hold herself up. For a moment, Marriskcal froze, struck silent by the reality of her sister’s circumstances.

And then, she heard her name, low and barely discernable.

The blonde burst into motion, her legs carrying her swiftly through the last several steps to catch Kaiah as she fell against the wall, her arms going around her sister’s shoulders to secure her before she could slip and fall onto the ground. Going to her knees, the young woman cushioned her sister’s head on her lap, her vivid blue eyes flickering over her worn form with a gleam of worry in them. Her heart ached for Kaiah, for the Nagai looked as though she been living as a drifter since they parted on the snowfields of Jandur.

Even as she continued to lament wordlessly over her sister, the ever efficient creature that Marriskcal was laid a hand over her brow and sent a wave of healing energy through her worn form to soothe away the worst of her burns on her hands and chase away the echoes of pain. Even then, the blonde did it with utmost care, lest she inadvertently roused the obsidian that rested within Kaiah.

The young woman gave her brother a glance as he came to kneel beside her, using her other arm to take the proffered material with a tilt of her head. With a sharp flick of her wrist and a trace of her will, Marriskcal draped the cloak over her sister’s motionless form, tucking it under her body wherever she could in hopes that it would retain some warmth.

“She will be fine… physically,” she finally said after some deliberation. “I have stabilised her the best I can for now. Whatever else can wait until we have gotten her to the safehouse, so she can rest and regain some strength… and I can clean her up and do a more thorough scan. When you carry her, please make sure the cloak stays firmly over her. Kaiah… usually feels warmer, so I am worried that she may have been wet and cold for longer that it is good for her.”

It was with some trepidation that the blonde watched as Seto carefully drew their sister into his arms. As they made their way towards the safehouse, Marriskcal stayed close to her brother’s side, her gaze moving from between Kaiah’s unconscious form and keeping vigil to ensure no one attempted anything untoward.

The minutes that passed as they journeyed felt long, and more than once, she wanted to reach towards Kaiah to brush a hand over her brow. And the other times, she wanted to draw her blade as a stranger came too close towards them. But before long, the little mismatched trio reached the front of an apartment located at a quiet part of the sector. Taking the card from Seto’s holster, the young woman swiped it at the lock, letting her brother enter the abode first.

With a final glance at the empty hallways, Marriskcal locked the door behind them.

 

[Kaiah Nihl]

Kaiah Nihl
Location: ?
Appearance:

Spoiler

​

Some time ago…
“I don’t need friends, I can look after myself” Kaiah said, a frown on her face. She wasn’t sure why Ike was bothering her; the man had an annoying fascination with those far beyond his station. Her scowl deepened as he gave her that insufferable grin she secretly loved. “My work doesn’t allow for trust… or for annoying suitors”. She had a mandatory quota in the gym that she had to follow, one that she’d been ignoring lately. A few too many deserts and a pudgy belly had prompted her to actually attend the lesson. Where she had met the clown that called himself an FOSB agent…

“My job doesn’t call for friends or suitors either, but I make time” Ike said, hanging upside down from the monkey bars. Kaiah debated throwing the weight she lifted at his sandy-haired head, but she didn’t want to get in trouble for that (again). “You should consider widening your inner circle” Ike continued in a playful tone. “You moody Ren should watch each other’s backs, lest some Jedi take a stab at it” She gave him her best ‘I hate you look’. Ike laughed, a warm and hearty sound. “Start with making a friendlier face. That one is all scrunched like a Kinrath pup”.

Ike later claimed that the quip was worth the blow to the head.

- - - - -​

She couldn’t sleep. Each night her sleeping mind was plagued by nightmares, worsening each and every day. She would look on helplessly as the dreamscape burned, trapped behind a ring of fire as friend and foe alike burned. Then, at the end, the flames would snuff out and leave her in crushing black smoke. She would wake up feeling cold, a rare feeling ever since adopting the demon.

The other Disciples were off-ship, so she had no one to train with. She padded around the Pellaeon barefoot and alone. She passed by a familiar door, pausing mid-stride. Inside she could hear his peculiar off-brand singing, a complement to his bizarre sense of humour. Ike was right, she couldn't be alone. She at least needed someone to talk to. Yet, as her hand hovered over his door, she found herself silently passing by.

- - - - -​

Ike was dead. Luther Ando told her that the man was pushed off a ship by a group on insurgents on Terminus. There would have been no pain Luther assured her. Ike’s neck snapped as he hit the ground; death would have been instant.

She didn’t need friends.

​

Present
For the first time in a long time; she didn’t dream.

She woke up with a gasp, feeling as if she had plunged into cold water again. She shivered as she sat up, feeling an icy chill that ran deep into her bones. She glanced around at her surroundings. She was sprawled out on a modest bed, with a similarly plain room. Something about the ascetic design chilled her. It was far too reminiscent of prison cell.

She let out another shuddering gasp as she fully regained her faculties. She felt as if she had lost a significant part of herself, a void where a fire within blazed. The dreadful cold emptiness reminded her of Ike’s funeral. She felt her mind darken, starting to slip down into all too familiar paths. She shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. She-

Something was different, an aspect of the force both familiar and foreign. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Friends?” she whispered, daring to hope. She stumbled to her feet, making her way to the door and pushing it ajar.

| [member="Marriskcal Lati"] | [member="Seto Du Couteau"]|​

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau
Tags: [member="Marriskcal Lati"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

Lower Levels of Coruscant, Streets of Old Coruscant - Safe House


Seto kept his cloak tightly wrapped around Kaiah, even so it was a rare sight to see Kaiah shiver in such a way even when covered. The frigidness sent a chill down Seto’s own back as he continued to carry Kaiah, something was not right, and for it to be inexplicable only added to his growing fears. The trek to the safe house maintained a sense of quiet, perhaps mostly due in part to the menacing aura that permutated from Seto and Marr.

Seto had always maintained a veneer of calm and certainty. Menacing and threatening was not a common emotion that Seto presented outwards.

The Safe house opened and Seto quickly marched towards an empty room with a bed. The air tasted stale and dust had collected overtime where the automated droid cleaners could not reach. But the bed was neatly made and Seto gently placed Kaiah on it before he replaced his cape with much warmer blankets and covers from around them.

With a single fluid motion, Seto reattached his cape over his shoulder and headed over to a terminal to find the rest of the equipment and supplies located here. The original mission had taken an abrupt turn and Seto for the moment had little thoughts of how to correct or even find a way to get back to their mission proper. Kaiah’s worn and tired face, flashed across his mind, the strange coldness to her skin led Seto to believe this was a near fatal circumstance that they had found her in..

Flustered, his hands ran across his white hair, there was no enemy to hunt down nor were there someone that Seto could berrate towards. With another shake of his head, Seto when to grab the medkits and made them available to Marr as he returned back to another Computer terminal With impatiently tapping his fingers Seto continued this notion of being lost and worst yet confused.

Seto carefully allowed his senses to stretch further outwards, sensitive to emotions of fright and uncertainty. Perhaps he could figure a trace to the root cause, that perhaps he could find out where or what happened to sister. One could always figure out which musician played which part, Seto need only to listen carefully to the flux of the Force. The situation and circumstance though continued bewilder him to no end and with the pressing matter of a Force Nexus, Seto struggled to properly keep his thoughts organized.

But. . .

Seto sighed softly and nodded once towards his sister, “-This was not how I imagined we’d meet up again with Kaiah.” Seto commentated. He settled himself on the couch nearby and leaned his head gently back. His mind attempting to find something to grasp onto, but until Kaiah woke up, he would need to suffer through uncertainty for a little while more. And the damned Force Nexus. . .

 

[Marriskcal Lati]

Marriskcal Lati
Location: Safe House, Lower Levels, Coruscant
Interacting with: [member="Seto Du Couteau"] | [member="Kaiah Nihl"]

Whispering a soft word of gratitude to her brother as he placed the medkit by her side, Marriskcal took out two patches of bacta and placed it over Kaiah’s barely healed hands.

While the young woman was proficient at healing even when she was in the heat of a conflict, the toll exacted from an attempt at rapid regeneration was severe. And the recipient of her efforts would suffer from intense pain due to the impetus of the flow of her energy imposing its will over their own. But here, in a quiet room devoid of stress and strangers, with their brother nearby and watching out for them, Marriskcal allowed herself to fall fully into a healing trance.

With her azure eyes serene, the hunter picked up her sister’s hands with a gentleness that was rare in a creature such as herself and took in a deep breathe. Slowly, she began to shroud and curl her own presence around Kaiah’s own, influencing her sister’s energy to transfer the healing properties of the bacta that was soothing the worst of her wounds more efficiently. The burnt and blistered flesh began to knit and heal, the dead skin withering and falling on to the bed as a new layer emerged, soft and supple.

Quietly pleased with the aftermath, Marriskcal guided a gentle wave of rejuvenating energy thorough her sister’s form, using it to sustain and enhance the other until she roused and they could feed her. Knowing Seto, the safe house would have some non-perishable food items, set aside and prepared just in case either of them ran into trouble and needed to stay hidden for an extended period of time. Brushing the tangled hair away from Kaiah’s brow tenderly, the blonde tucked her healed hands back under the blankets and left the room to allow her weary sister to rest.

The door has just closed behind the blonde when Seto’s voice drifted across the open space. “It is not…” she agreed in a soft murmur. While Marriskcal had never held any delusions that her sister’s path would be anything less than arduous, and filled uncertainties and tribulations. Even then, she had thought that the next time they saw Kaiah, their elegant sister would stand before them tall and exultant, for her soul was like a finely honed tehk’la blade, beautiful and unfaltering. And so, even when the blonde has known better, a part of her had held hope that the Nagai would have met with success on her journey.

“I think… I may have been… a little too idealistic.”

With Seto still occupied with his thoughts and gathering intelligence, the young woman made her way past him, tapping a finger on his nose before she stepped into the adjoining kitchenette, separated from the living room by a bar table. As she was unsure if Kaiah would be able to ingest solids so soon after her ordeal, the blonde looked for something easy and light on the stomach and looked towards the packets of instant soups.

Pumpkin… corn… tomato…

Satisfied with her decision, for she remembered that her Nagai sister has preferred fruits and vegetables, Marriskcal took out the electric kettle from the shelves as well. Never one to really make a meal for herself and with her only knowledge learned from her ever expedient sergeant, the young blonde skimmed through the instruction and placed in enough water in the appliance. Deciding that instead of making them choose between flavours, she proceeded to plop in… all three blocks of desiccated powder into the kettle and flicked on the switch…

It was when she turned around with three steaming mugs that the blonde caught sight of the door opening and Kaiah’s blazing orange eyes peering out from the sliver.

“Kaiah!” she blinked, placing the mugs on the high table. “You are awake sooner than expected. How are you feeling?” With her hands free and able to help steady her sister if she felt a sense of vertigo, Marriskcal stepped towards the other.