I Can't Hear Your Bad Vibrations

[Cedric Grayson]

The music thrummed in Darius' ears like thunder. It rumbled through his chest; resonating within his heart and spreading down to his extremities. All other sound was drowned out by its unabated cacophony. Occasionally, he could hear the thumping of the neighbors against his walls. There was no doubt that he was keeping them up, given the particularly late hour of the night, but he could not bring himself to care.

He leaned as far back as he could in his chair without tipping it over, closed his eyes, and let the violent riffs of the guitars take his mind to places far from where his body was anchored. He sat there in the darkness of his apartment with naught but the sound as his companion for hours, content to simply listen.

When the music finally came to an end, he found that his ears were ringing. The sun had long since set below the horizon, and the lights of Coruscant served as illumination from the outside. Dairus blinked in confusion, gesturing with a hand toward the apartment's control pad. The music had ceased -- evidently his subscription had run out. Cursing, Darius glared at the glorified datapad, as if his baleful stare alone might bring the music back. Unfortunately, his extensive efforts bore no fruit, and he found himself sitting in silence.

"You'd think after all we did for the alliance we'd get some kinda penchant," Darius grumbled, knowing full well that his counterparts quite likely did receive some form of of pay. It had been his choice to walk away from the order, and the greater alliance as a whole. Darius Sedaire had disappeared into obscurity of his own volition -- this was all his fault.

Grumbling to himself, Darius reached out into the ethereal realm. He felt the familiar yet distant presence of Master Julius, and the voids that had once been filled by such good friends. Darius drew his arms about himself and scowled, cutting himself off from whatever connection he had maintained with the force for the moment.

His friends were gone. The girls were gone. The political machinations of the alliance and the war itself had taken them. Darius had made the decision to leave the order shortly thereafter; deciding that their ruling position within the alliance were not something he could identify with.

Not for the first time, he wished he had accompanied Master Julius. The whom might as well have been his father, and whose name Darius bore was off making Corellia a better place. Darius sent messages from time to time claiming that he was in deep on some Sith holdout world in the, but the reality could not have been farther from the truth.

The youth had taken to an apartment on the upper tiers of Coruscant, maintaining the small home with the credits he made from working at a local speeder shop. None of his fellow workers knew who he truly was, nor did they ask. Everyone around here had something to hide, and they certainly weren't going to go prying into other people's business.

For the fourth time, Darius attempted to make the music resume. Alas, his efforts were once again in vain. Confronted with the deafening silence and the overwhelming lack of people, Darius drew his legs up close to his chest, and turned to watch the skylanes above, as if the passing speeders might take his worries away with them.

 

[Alecandria]

Her arms were beginning to ache, all thanks to the locked position in which she had held her arms. According to her chrono strapped around her wrist, it had been several hours. At some point, her feet had begun to ache as well. For most of the day, she had been travelling whilst staring at the illuminated screen upon the datapad. She was on a mission, or rather an errand, to track down someone and deliver the pack that weight down upon her shoulder.

Find someone on Coruscant, they said. It'll be easy, they said. It'll be quick, they said. How foolish she had been to find not fault in their words. Silently, she cursed them for their charismatic ability to persuade easily. So too did she curse herself for being so utterly gullible. When the name of the vast city-planet had been named, it would have been far wiser to have declined immediately. However, Alecandria DeLeon considered herself to be a respectful and considerate individual. To have denied the request from a superior would have been rude and ill-advised. What harm would come from getting on the better side of her superiors. None at all, right?

Nope. She'd been on the planet for a full week's cycle. She'd gotten lost countless times. Twice she'd nearly been robbed, and thrice she'd had to intervene in disputes between local compatriots in three different cantinas. To add icing to the metaphorical cake, she managed to leave behind her stock of credit chips; when she attempt to return to retrieve them, she found that they had been snatched.

With her mood already soured, Alecandria grumbled under her breath and complained about trying to find a needle in a hay stack for the thousandth time. The individual that she was supposed to find was supposedly a man, one around her age. From what she was told, he was in hiding and keeping himself cut off from the force. Also, that he was a pompous putz. Of that, she had little doubt all thanks in part to the difficulty that she'd been having to endure in tracking him down. From the report she had been given, he was rumored to have purchased an apartment. The Galactic City was host to countless amounts of them, so the information had not been as valuable as her superior had suggested. Not even the fact that it was in the upper tiers had been of an significance.

The crepuscular inhabitants around her were paid little mind as she followed the path before her, following the map upon her datapad. It was a better guide than her eyes would have been. It was, after all, her first time making an appearance in the Galactic City and after several unfortunate, fruitless results from confronting locals she had given up seeking any of the residents for any fraction of assistance or advice.

As she was about to call it a night and give up the hunt for the evening, a moon glimmered within the sea of stars from within the apartment complex of to her side. Her crystalline blue eyes locked upon the source. Those that were adapted to wielding and molding the force were unique, and according to her documents the signature matched what could have been nothing less than a Jedi. Without hesitation, the raven haired woman threw herself through the threshold and flew up the flight of stairs that would carry her to her target.

Halfway up her ascent, the flare vanished causing her to pause. Someone didn't want to be found. Even if it did not end up being the guy she was sent to deliver the bundle to, it was certainly worth investigating. Not to mention, it was not worth losing. "You're not getting off that easy," she said, to no one in particular, as she took the steps three at a time.

Judging by where the glimmer had been from, she left behind the stairs and raced down a long hall. It was a long shot, but she chose a door and stopped before it. If she had to check every door, she would. She was bound and determined to accomplish her task, through fire and flame. Nothing would cause her to fail; she would not let those that depended upon her down.

Alecandria took a moment to smooth the white robes that clung to her form, easing the wrinkles that her ascent had created. After clearing her throat, she held her datapad to her chest with one hand and lifted the other. And knocked.


[member="Darius Sedaire"]

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The knock at the door made Dairus twitch. At first he looked down at his datapad, thinking it was the source of the noise. Nothing but a blank screen was there to greet him, and so he came to the conclusion that someone was indeed at his door. That was terribly odd. No one he worked with knew where it was that he lived. When asked, he only gave vague answers that could never really lead to his secluded home. He never ordered in, never gave his address to anyone unless it was absolutely required.

So whom was at his door? Irritated, Darius rose up from his chair and threw on a simple sleeveless shirt. He was still indecent by Coruscanti standards, but then the young man really could not find it in himself to give a damn. With a glare that would have made a Rancor nervous, Darius pressed his eyes against the viewing glass of the door. What he saw was a woman perhaps slightly older than himself with long black hair and clothing that suggested travel. He did not recognize her.

Frowning, Darius set a hand on the DC-15s he kept on the bookshelf next to the door, and undid the lock. "What do you want?" He asked, not having to fake the tired annoyance in his voice. He cracked the door just enough so that the woman might see his face, illuminated by the flashing lights of the city beyond.

His eyes narrowed as he took the woman in. Her presence within the Great Ocean was palpable now that he could actually get a good look at her. Some kind of Jedi? A Sith come to deal with veterans of the great war? His grip on the pistol tightened, and he adjusted it so that he could spring it out from the back of the door if needed.

"Who are you?"

[member="Alecandria"]

 

[Alecandria]

With a fist still raised for a second knock, Alecandria paused as the door opened. While the city's illumination gave her view of his face, it did not grant her the finer details. Before she spoke, the woman lowered her datapad and tapped the screen a couple of times and brought up a portrait. After a quick glance down at it, she cleared her throat and returned her blue gaze upon the crack in the door. "Yes, erm. Apologies for disturbing you at this late hour. Hi. Hello. I'm Alecandria DeLeon and I have a delivery for you."

One would think that when delivering something the name of the recipient's name would be given. It had not taken long for her to notice when she'd received the transcripts to realize that it lacked a name. When she'd confronted her companions, they had told it that a name wouldn't have been sufficient enough to provide, as the individual had a tendency to use false aliases in attempts to disguise themselves from friend and foe. If only she had had a name, perhaps her quest would have been all the more less complicated.

"Forgive me, but do you mind if I come in? I have precise instructions to make sure that you receive and view the contents. Mister..." Her voice trailed off as she drew the pack from her shoulder and lifted it up, holding it between herself and the threshold. "It will only take a few minutes out of your evening."

Inwardly, Alecandria despaired. Whomever this individual was, his annoyance was obvious and she could not blame him. Particularly if he was the person described in the documents. With any luck, he'd allow her in and she could make sure that the contents were accepted and she could be on her way. A part of her doubted that it was going to be easy, especially when compared to the week she'd had prior. '

Even with her uncertainty, Alecandria smiled warmly. She was not going to let anything damper the hope that this was the end of the nightmare of a request. Nothing in her power, at least. Unless, of course, he wanted to make things difficult.

[member="Darius Sedaire"]

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Darius was all piss and vinegar. Why in Corellia's Nine Hells would a pakcage be arriving this late at night? More importantly, who would have sent him anything to begin with? He had not ordered anything in months. All his groceries came from one of the local stores, and he had enough of everything else not to worry about it. No one from back home knew he was here, save for perhaps Master Julius, but even that seemed unlikely. This was all looking quite suspicious.

Even still, Darius decided not to refuse the woman's smile. With a sigh, he cracked the door open enough for her to step through. He stuffed the blaster pistol into the lining of his pants and stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. The apartment's was dark ,the only illumination coming from the various outside lights that shone in through a large glass window pane. The apartment itself was sparsely decorated. A holo-vision hung from a wall, and a sofa sat along its adjacent twin. Two chairs were to either side of that, and the open kitchen lay beyond. Two others doors led off to what one would assume to be a bathroom and the bedroom.

The door creaked shut behind the two of them, and Darius gestured toward the couch. "So," he began, "Who in Corellia's Nine Hells is sending me packages this late at night, or at all really?"

He paused, fully examining the woman now that she was caught in the neon lights of the city outside. "You don't look like any kind of employee I know."

[member="Alecandria"]

 

[Alecandria]

Pleased, Alecandria stepped through the threshold and entered into Darius' apartment. With what she could make out from the city's illumination did not leave her with any lasting impression. It seemed humble enough, and comfortable enough. More than happy to oblige the request for her to sit, the woman settled herself down upon the couch and deposited the bag beside her. The way she sat was modest enough, her knees together and her spine erect, shoulders square and chin lifted. She was no less than the painted picture of eloquence and proper manners. She was a guest, but a humble one. Even though her robe was travel worn, she portrayed her dignity upon her sleeve.

"Your friends from Corellia, of course," came her matter-of-fact reply as she turned her crystalline blue gaze upon him. "They send their regards and wish you well. The pack contains a message for you, as well as some supplies. I was not informed on the details, and as I was not invited to take a look myself, all I have to say about them is what I have said."

After placing her datapad upon her lap, she clasped her hands together and mirrored the same smile she had put on outside of the door. "You may not find recognition because we've never met, so naturally I would not look like any familiar employee. I am in association with your friends, as I've said." She paused for a moment, turning her head towards the large window.

When she returned her focus upon him, Alecandria gestured towards one of the chairs. "Please, don't remain standing on my account. I'm not here to harm you, and nor would I wish it upon you. Don't let me be a burden. It is late after all. I apologize if I woke you."


[member="Darius Sedaire"]

 

[Cedric Grayson]

She knew the Greens then? It didn't surprise Darius all that much. For whatever reason, they seemed to care an awful damn lot about him. He hadn't done anything to warrant that care aside from being the padawan of Julius Sedaire. Julius, of course, was a bit of a celebrity on Corellia. He had led the rebellion that freed the world from the gnarled clutches of the Sith, and hurled himself into the spotlight in the process. So far as he remembered, Julius was not too pleased with his newfound position of leadership.

"You're pretty polite," he mused, settling down on the messy couch adjacent to her. "You carry yourself like a Jedi. I can feel the force coming off of you. You're one of 'em," the boy's brow furrowed. "Well, I'm not coming back, if that's why they sent you. I didn't make the cut."

With a gesture, Darius called forth a bottle of water from one of the shelves. Such casual use of the force was not advised by the order, but then Darius was beginning not to care all that much. He'd failed in the end. Mediha was probably dead, Kinsey in the hands of the Sith, and the war over. He'd fought the good fight and come out at the bottom. What did he owe the order?

"They can't drag me back with a pretty face," he mumbled, reaching over for the bag she'd provided. He wasted no time in tearing it open, and found himself frowning when he saw what the package contained. It was a crystal; silvery-green and gleaming in Coruscant's nightlife. He held it up to examine it further.

"...What was your name again?"


[member="Alecandria"]