Private Inside Man

[Kal]

Teeth and scales and carnivorous instincts - this was even worse than the Rodian!

Resisting the urge to scratch the damn scales only by virtue of knowing the futility of the action and the urge to leave this body for a better, more fleshy one only by virtue of knowing full well how valuable the Cha'a might prove to be, Kal sighed melodramatically, the noise coming out more like a growl from the lizard's throat, provoking furtive glances from nearby pedestrians.

Air just-a-bit too moist to be comfortable, presumably due to a localised error in the Alsakan environmental control system or perhaps a quirk of this body's preferences, his annoyance spiked further, a flicker of white light making its way into his eyes before he squashed it.

Come on Kal, you were stuck in a crazy Princess' necklace for weeks once, this is nothing.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Though the Infinite Empire was long gone, the City of Xenvaer still stood as a testimony to the advancements of its Rakatan overlords. All throughout the architecture one could find traces of the toppled Empire, strange to behold, with symbology lost to time, even in its present, lived-in state it was an historian's greatest dream. A treasure trove of knowledge seeped into each and every building block which made up its walls.​

​

And though they had eventually succumbed to the allure of the darkside, which thrust them into a perilous fate, Asha could not help but be awestruck. It was the Rakata who had made hyperspace travel possible, who had brought forth strange technologies which had led to much of what they took for granted today. They had brought an end to her forefather Je'daii, too... A fact she could never overlook. But even now, even countless eons after the fact, she knew there was much still that could be learned from the echoes left behind.​

​

It was her first time upon this particular planet; Asha was not usually one for such urban sprawl, she flourished among nature, give her verdant jungles and babbling brooks any day and she would be a particularly happy woman indeed, give her bustling cities with countless souls all with their own noisy place in the Force and she folded in on herself. It was too much.​

​

With a slow intake of breath she did her best to set such preferences aside. One did not grow without some level of strife. Stagnation was the death of progression, after all... Though she might not have enjoyed it, she could still observe. She could still absorb. So she did.​

​

And then a strange presence in the Force tore her attention away from the intense beings of the past. She turned from the sculpture she had been observing, depicting what she could only presume was an actual, once-live Rataka, and peered through the crowd. Her eyes narrowed, brows furrowing as that presence seemed to dance on the edge of her senses. Simultaneously within and without reality.​

​

Thoughts of ancient civilizations melded away, and she began to walk through the crowd in search of whatever oddity she had unintentionally unearthed. This wasn't something she could pass up.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Distracted as he was by the annoyances of his current puppet, Kal remained entirely oblivious to the attention he had inadvertently drawn. As far as he was concerned, he was there to grab what he needed, get it to where he needed it, then ditch the oversized lizard for something comfortable.

Focused on not to accidentally push people to the ground with the sheer bulk this form sported, he passed through the crowd with movements that seemed less natural, more mechanical. Almost as if the individual in question was used to smaller, weaker bodies but was able to compensate through strict control of every motion - and just a little bit of prescience. It was quite a busy street, after all.

Suddenly twisting out of the way to avoid a collision with a teen fiddling with the latest OmniLink, he executed a strange pirouette-like motion as he struggled to avoid other pedestrians, eventually settling into an unsteady pose mere centimetres from a rather surprised-looking businessbeing.

"Achrr. Sorrrry about that." Force, even the vocal cords were too alien. He really needed to bring the native mind under control.

Muscle memory was all well and good, but it was so much easier when the host's mind parted with its experience.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Her eyes scanned the crowd as much as she felt through the Force, drifting back and forth and looking for a sign that could be indicative of something, or more someone, out of place. The more she focused the easier it was to pinpoint a general direction, but the streets were busy and any number of them could have been the source.​

​

Someone stumbled at her side, tripping over their own two feet before she caught them mid topple. As she helped them back to an upright position she glanced at their expression and quickly realized the truth. Simply a drunkard, exiting a bar. She helped him all the same, ensured he was okay, before moving on.​

​

It was overwhelming in truth, like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was too loud here, too busy, and she felt herself on the verge of overload. She had not been so close since regaining her sight and hearing, she certainly had not experienced it since Cloud City and the Healing Crystals of Fire...​

​

And just before it all bubbled over, and left her a wreck, the answer seemingly fell into her lap.​

​

Up ahead, a Cha'a that moved as though it ought to have grace and poise but fumbled at nailing the fundamentals. Whose words came from a mouth unused to so many teeth, and unsure how to form the words it needed with so long a maw. It looked the part, that was for certain, had she not already been looking she might have overlooked the oddities entirely.​

​

But the more she watched him the more she came to realize the truth.​

​

That was no Cha'a. At least... It hadn't been one before today.​

​

She tilted her head softly to the left, and pondered her options. Curiosity was a difficult beast to tame, and oh was she ever so curious. Was it a shapeshifter? No... That didn't explain the duplicitous nature of its presence. Then what? How?​

​

The girl decided she might as well follow, see if she could figure out more. Wait for the perfect excuse to engage it in conversation, and see what it might unearth if it even gave her the time of day.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Kal made his way down the street while doing his utmost to avoid any further awkwardness, not to mention get used to this new body of his. A few days or even weeks would have been ideal, Force knew he had never lacked time, but this kind of opportunity was fleeting. It was not merely what was in the Cha'a's head that was of value, but also the places he had access too. Places that would worry if he suddenly disappeared for a while.

Stiffening ever-so-slightly as the sensation of being watched overcame him, he continued on his course, waiting to see if it would pass. It did not.

Arriving at a decision, he diverged from his intended course, taking a few quick turns until finally he emerged in a more-or-less empty side alley. A snarl quickly convinced a trio of shady-looking young men to find somewhere else to hang out, his bulk and vicious teeth certainly didn't hurt.

If his newfound stalker arrived, he would spread his hands to display his unarmed nature... while at the same time gathering his will to ensure he would be able to strike first at the sign of a blaster. This body had many enemies and while raw strength was not his specialty, he was not inept.

Clearly not skilled enough to notice that he was being followed by a Force User, however.

"You are following me. Why?"

Lief​

 

[Lief]

If Asha was made aware of the fact that she was being led to some strange corner of the world, down a side alley to Force knew where, she did not let that sway her judgement in any way.​

​

She continued on in the same way she had, only really faltering when she noticed that they were no longer surrounded by countless others. It would be easier for him to tell that she was following, she knew, in fact she had that exact thought pass through her mind. She still followed.​

​

There was no way she couldn't. The man before her was too odd a specimen, an anomaly in the Force, and it had to be investigated.​

​

So when the creature rounded upon her she was somewhat prepared. To her surprise, no weapon was held or drawn. Just a question posed between the pair of them.​

​

"You are not what you appear to be," she said by way of explanation, squinting some as she tried to get a better, more clear look at him now that he wasn't moving. "Forgive me, I do not mean to pry..." This was certainly a first for Asha, who made a point to very rarely involve herself in the business of others if she could help it. "You are simply... Fascinating. You hold a duplicitous state within the Force. How can this be?"​

​

She realized after she spoke that if the one before her was not at all remotely sensitive then her words would be odd. Confusing. But she knew that something had to understand, something had to exist within the Force or else it simply would not have made sense.​

​

But how?​

​

Kal​

 

[Kal]

She was here for Kal himself, not the body he wore. That changed things. Especially once her intent became evident.

Allowing his preparations to disperse harmlessly, he eyed her thoughtfully, quickly confirming his own suspicion. She had a presence above and beyond that of someone who was merely mundane. He would have internally chastised himself for not noticing her following him, but her having concealed her presence remained a possibility, or perhaps he had simply been distracted, or gotten too used to the polarised presences of the Jedi and the Sith.

"I ssee." Seeming to consider her question for a long moment, he eventually opted for truthfulness, as he so often did. Deception had its place, but only rarely against Force Sensitives, doubly so ones not overtly hostile. "Thiss body is only mine temporarily, while the original mind remains... dormant."

Seeming to get a slightly better hang of his faculties as he spoke, he tilted his head inquisitively.

"You are different too. Most mortals have such loud presences. Always struggling." Often against themselves, in his experience.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Asha had made it quite a point to never really hide her presence in the Force. She rarely took it upon herself to go to places where extremes existed, not without due cause. She tended to drift among the outermost reaches of the Galaxy, lost in pursuit of whatever the Force threw her way... Or exploring worlds with ancient civilizations, such as this.​

​

Though this one was not at all her usual haunt. She preferred ruins, not living breathing cities.​

​

No, there was no hiding it. He simply must have missed it, locked inside the lizard as he was.​

​

Whoever inhabited the creature was forthcoming once her reason for following had been made clear. She was relieved to discover that it meant her no ill for her curiosity, in fact it regarded her with a similar curiosity soon thereafter.​

​

"I need not struggle, when I am where I am meant to be..."​

​

She shrugged a very loose and inoffensive shrug, and took one slow step toward him. Still inspecting, admiring, reaching through the Force and finally sensing both forms separately. He had not lied, the true owner of the body was dormant. Would it recall any of what had occurred? Or would it wake up, believing it had simply slept for much longer than it ought to have?​

​

So many questions. But now that she was face to face with it, she didn't rightly know which to ask.​

​

"Have you no body of your own?" she inquired, quickly realizing that to many that might have been an offensive question to ask indeed. She frowned with that realization, and shook her head slowly, "I suppose I mean, what causes you to lay claim over another?"​

​

There was surprisingly little judgement. The one inside had not been harmed, and though it went against some of the morals she had come to stand by her intrigue was hard to deafen in that moment.​

​

It was simply too fascinating.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

"I need not struggle, when I am where I am meant to be..."

A rare stance, for a mortal, but he could see the logic. The Jedi claimed at times to be in balance, to be mere conduits of the Force's will, but those he had seen had been far more tumultuous. A result of years of constant war or a flaw in their ideology? Difficult to say.

He himself had never sought to make himself a tool of the Force, though he did drift along its currents often enough.

"I have no corporeal form but those which I claim temporarily, no." Eying his current body somewhat dubiously, he shrugged. "I usually prefer mindless forms - like fresh clones - for that reason. Willing participants are situationally useful too, usually as the result of some bargain or another."

Grinning wickedly, he rubbed the Cha'a's hands clawed together. "The unwilling have their uses too, of course. Take this one, for instance. He chose of his own free will to engage in all manner of predatory behaviour, so I chose to use him to deprive his organisation of their precious credits."

Stealing from the mob was rather risky, for the average thief, but it was not like they could shoot up the Netherworld. He remained unconcerned.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Predatory behaviour.​

​

Well, it certainly felt better to know that the stranger inside wasn't simply targeting whoever, random innocents off the street. There was a moral compass in there somewhere, then. Good... It was still a strange concept to one such as she, and she wasn't sure she wholly approved, but she didn't have to, did she? Asha did not control the lives of others.​

​

Nor was she a Jedi set on imposing her own beliefs on others.​

​

"Curious... You exist without form, yet you exist all the same. Have you a name?"​

​

She thought he must have, he had a personality, he had thoughts and likely feelings if he chose his bodies in such a way. Surely then he must have had a name...​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Waving a hand to indicate that her evaluation was so-so, though hardly a complete misimpression, he set out to correct her. Could hardly let a fellow seeker of knowledge go uninformed, now could he. "Not exactly. I have a form, just not one meant to interact with Realspace directly; many spirits are similar, though I dare say I am better adapted to this realm than most. A foot in each world, if you will."

In response to her question, Kal bowed extravagantly, the movement very likely halfway-serious at most when enacted with the towering form of his Cha'a sleeve. "Kal of Greystone, at your service. Wanderer, scholar, and purveyor of peculiar curiosities and curios peculiarities."

He introduced himself differently to each person he met, as a matter of habit. "May I ask your name?"

There was a chance he would have heard of her, though he doubted it. He was well-informed on many matters, but there were just so many mortals out there. Teeming masses in which one could drop billions without it making so much as a ripple - and that was just this galaxy. As the arrival of the Vong and those like them had made evident, there was life outside too. There was even life in other, stranger dimensions.

It was enough to give a lone Shadow like himself a headache, but alas he lacked a brain. Or even a nervous system.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He was open with her, spoke freely of his state of being. She could sense no deception in his words.​

​

That was a rarity in this Galaxy. Most were out to get something, they would not exchange information without receiving something in return, or they'd refuse to let others find out information about them. Especially if it could be used in some way against them.​

​

It was a freeing experience, to be sure.​

​

He used the phrase spirits, realspace, realms. She closed her eyes for a moment and visualized it, putting it all into place within her mind. She was one who walked the strands of time, viewed many different realities that were ever changing in ones future. This was something she could come to comprehend, she knew.​

​

"You're one familiar with the Netherworld?" she inquired. Asha had been there, followed the great Sargon Vynea into that void and held the door open for their return. It resided as more of a blur within her mind these days, something she sought to forget, but she recalled enough.​

​

"Kal of Greystone," she reiterated his name, sharing in some of the theatrics he'd shown by way of her tone, "I am Asha... Je'daii Seer and Tea Connoisseur!" Not quite so fancy as his many titles and claims to fame, but that was all she had going for her.​

And truth be told, that was perfectly fine with her.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

There was some recognition in her tone, above and beyond the usual familiarity, if he was not mistaken. Had she actually been there or merely studied it and its secrets? Impossible to tell, at least without close scrutiny. "Familiar? Oh yes, very much so. It is a second home to me, its ever-twisting paths and malleable realities as naturally comprehensible as gravity and heat are to your kind."

Which was to say, intuitively known, to a certain extent, yet something that had to be studied to truly be understood.

Asha Hex. Not a name familiar to him, but the Je'daii were a different matter - less prevalent than their extremist cousins in the Sith and Jedi Orders, but important, historically. An ancient ideology which he found far more appealing than the fringes most were drawn to.

"The Je'daii and Seers are known to and of interest to me, tea less so," Statement trailing off into a thoughtful silence, he eventually nodded to himself. "I suppose I would like to know more - of the Je'daii, primarily, I take it the tradition yet endures, despite historical challenges?"

He was not entirely averse to tea either, albeit in a lesser capacity; culinary impressions were always interesting, to an ordinarily bodiless spirit.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

A knowing look was in her gaze, that much was to be sure. In part replaced by a faraway stare, as she relived the time she'd spent there. How long had it been? Minutes? Hours? Had weeks of her life bled away in that place? She didn't know. She hadn't even gone on with the others, she'd been safe beside the Chasm. That had been haunting enough, especially with the view of the eternal wandering souls across the river, seeking a way to her yet never quite finding it.​

​

To have explored further?​

​

It did not bear thinking about.​

​

She shook her head of the thoughts, and snapped back to reality.​

​

"You move between them freely?" she inquired, so many questions... Too many? She couldn't tell. He didn't seem irritated by it, at least.​

​

She pushed thoughts of the Netherworld to the back of her mind, and exhibited a smile as he spoke of Je'daii, Seers, and Tea. Where would Asha Hex be without a little tea?​

​

"We follow in the footsteps of our forefathers insofar as we are able," she confirmed, with a light nod of her head, "Though with Tython belonging to the Light it's far more nomadic than it has been. What is it you wish to know, friend? There are not many left in this Galaxy who would humour one such as I, most have forgotten their roots, and others? Well, they still stick to foolish notions that the Force can only be viewed in one facet."​

​

That was not to say that any of them were correct, of course. Jedi, Sith, Dai Bendu, Je'daii, Witches... Countless, endless, Force Sects existed, each with their own views, beliefs, whims. In her youth Asha had sought to study as many of them as she could, though duties kept her from fully pursuing such these days. Je'daii though she might have been, she believed that the Force truly exhibited itself differently between individuals. She would not claim the Je'daii had all the answers, for doing so would undermine the very core of their sect.​

​

There was still too much about that metaphysical energy for anyone to claim true dominion over it.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Nodding cheerfully, the movement seeming somewhat off on the massive rough-looking lizard-man, Kal quickly reaffirmed his statement. "Yes, more or less. Slithering through the cracks is almost always doable, if made a bit more complicated when attempting to bring physical matter with me."

Another reason for his oh-so-often bodiless existence. Swimming through the currents of the Force was far more appealing than public transit.

He really should procure a spacecraft of his own, soon. Something to keep any new findings in, perhaps alongside a clone body or two.

Appearing confused for a moment, he tilted his head at her statement. "Why is that, you seem nice enough?" Mortals were always in such a hurry, in his experience, perhaps that was it - too busy striving to build a legacy to be remembered by to take the time to understand their world. "I find your stance more appealing than that of your more schismatic counterparts, personally, but then I suppose many people prefer simpler solutions."

Why spend a lifetime mastering the many facets of the Force when you could dedicate oneself to one and name the others heretical?

"As for what I wish to know, everything seems a bit ambitious," Chuckling to himself, he shook his head. "How about this - what do you seek?"

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Intriguing... Truly."​

​

She tipped her head to one side as she pondered on the implications of that. For as small as her part in their journey had been, the Netherworld had been a difficult place to slip in and out of. There were pockets of course, such as the mountaintop she and Sargon used to enter, but once inside navigating ones way back out again was no easy feat.​

​

"That you can come and go as you please... The ability to do such would certainly have come in handy on our... visit."​

​

She forced back the shudder which arose at the mere thought of that, and shook her head. Allowed a smile to return to her lips.​

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"Many look at those who do not conform and view them as either the enemy, or not worthy of their time. Jedi see me as an impure version of themselves, a relic that should remain in the past. And the Sith just see me as a Jedi."​

​

A loose shrug. Truth be told she did not rightly care what either side thought of her. They weren't the focus of her attention, after all.​

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"Most refuse the notion that the Force is truly multifaceted. It's always light this, dark that... Surely one who has traipsed between realms must know that such a blatant duality is incomprehensibly small when compared with what is truly possible."​

​

At this point in a conversation Asha would usually have been making tea. Alas, a dark alleyway was hardly the place for such things, and the one named Kal didn't seem all that interested in the beverage. Perhaps she'd have him try it all the same, some other time.​

​

"What do we seek, or what do I seek?" It wasn't a huge distinction in truth, Asha had dedicated her life to the Je'daii after all, but it was a distinction no less. "I seek further understanding of the Force... An end to the near constant - nay... constant - chaos in this Galaxy of ours. Beholden to none but ourselves, and the people. Not propelled on or held back by politics."​

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Not a great answer, she knew, but it was often hard to conceptualize such into clear, concise words. She scratched along the right of her jawline for a moment as she pondered it some more. Then she shrugged again.​

​

"What of you, Kal of Greystone? What is it you seek out of this existence we call life?"​

​

Kal ​

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​

 

[Kal]

It seemed her viewpoint was closer to his than he might initially have assumed; the Force was a complex, multifaceted phenomenon and to reduce the waxing and waning of its ever-shifting currents to merely the Light and the Dark had always seemed... primitive, to him. The distinction was not entirely without merit, to be sure, but the Sith and Jedi alike afforded far too much importance. The danger of fanaticism.​

"Yes. It is a useful distinction, at times, but I regard it more as an abstraction than absolute truth." Just as people came in innumerable different shapes and sizes, so too did the Force. What one saw as the Dark, another might view as Chaos or simply a collection of related concepts.​

Eying her curiously, for a while, he eventually nodded. Her desires seemed genuine.​

"A noble cause. Not an easy task, but one whose execution may make the Galaxy a better place even if not wholly successful." Visibly thoughtful, he took the time to properly consider her question, even if it was one he himself had asked her just now. It was quite significant, after all.​

"Like you, I seek knowledge and understanding. More than that, I want to see the galaxy, study its peoples and phenomena, and find my place in it."​

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Oh one could certainly argue against the existence of light and dark, even the Je'daii of old acknowledged it and chose to strictly stray away from either facet. But there was more to it than that, it wasn't just one extreme or the other. There could be moderation.​

​

There was moderation.​

​

She nodded her head some to what he said, but seeing as they were in agreement over it there was no real need to keep talking in circles so she dropped it and instead focused on the rest of his words.​

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"Be the change you wish to see, or however that phrase goes I guess."​

​

It was nice to hear that he was on a path very similar to her own, in fact it had her smiling as she listened, and eagerly nodding to many of his points.​

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"To learn and grow, to meet new civilizations and submerge oneself in them... It's such a freeing experience. I've never known a home, just constant travels. It is nice to see others embracing theirs."​

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Her head tilted ever so slightly to the left as she regarded him some. Strange as it was, their meeting, it felt willed. Was it fate or mere luck that had pulled her off course to follow him? Or just her own crazy curiosity?​

​

"Well, Kal of Greystone... If you're ever near Tribunal Station, you're more than welcome to come check out our facilities, learn more about our ways. Fellow thinkers and explorers are always welcome."​

​

Whether he'd take her up on that offer, now or later, she had no way of knowing, but it was said with a true sincerity. The Galaxy needed more people willing to open their minds and think quizzically. To not accept things simply because they were the norm.​

​

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

A fellow wanderer, it seemed; like her, he had no one place he could call his home, though that was not to say that he did not have places he could stay for a time. Sooner or later, however, his curiosity would see him wandering back into the galaxy, determined to know more of, well, everything.​

"I have never understood how some are able to live their entire lives in the same place, doing the same things, thinking the same way," Kal said, before shrugging and flashing her an uncanny reptilian grin. "I suppose it may well be in their nature, however. The search for stability and safety."​

Mortals were oh-so-often motivated by the urge to reproduce and subsequently protect their offspring; a side effect of natural evolution.​

Giving her another thoughtful look, he considered the prospect for a short while before nodding. "Yes, yes I think I might just do that. Your ways are of interest to me, I would like to know more." At the very least, he should be able to learn something new even they turned out not to suit him.​

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"I think most long for what they know. Seek to remain around family units, clinging to their culture. I suppose for one without any of that it's easy to fall into the wonders of wandering. To crave new experiences."​

​

But he was right. Asha couldn't imagine ever doing so. The closest she had to a home was Cotan Sar'andor - wherever he was, she knew that she could find solace and company. But her worldly possessions? They were slung upon her back, quite literally. She had barely a thing to her name, no property to speak of. And the only family she had had vanished off the face of the Galaxy.​

​

One could not cling to that which did not exist. There was no getting attached to places or belongings with such a life.​

​

Perhaps that was why Asha was so enthusiastic about getting to know new people. It didn't matter what they were, who they were. She had sat with former Sith, trained Jedi, even come to appreciate the company of a droid in the form of Kiss. Her place was not to judge or persuade or tempt.​

​

She simply did as the Force bid.​

​

When he agreed to one day visit she smiled, and was about to pull out a piece of flimsiplast with whatever the equivalent of space-coordinates were, for the station, before thinking better of it. If she gave it to Kal, it could simply end up in the hands of a very confused lizard. So instead she told him them and hoped he'd remember.​

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"I won't keep you any longer, friend. I appreciate your being so open to talking, I was perhaps tempting fate a little here... So many might have shot me down for following them the way I did. Apologies for that."​

​

With that she bowed toward him and, provided he didn't try to stop her, proceeded to venture back the way they had come. There was still a lot of history to explore here, after all, and no doubt Kal had business of his own to tend to.​

​

Kal ​