Private Journey Without, Journey Within

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua stood in the darkness, stunned by the sight. It was his friend, it was Kay... but Kay was with him. Another Kay? Was this some kind of illusion? A trick of the Force to lure them in?

Whatever it was, Ghorua was ill-equipped to deal with this kind of threat. If it even was a threat.

The Shark watched as the Kay nearest him entered the room, and sat down as well, the other Kay's sadness seemingly infecting the one he'd entered with. Ghorua stood transfixed at the door, trying to understand what exactly was happening.

After his moment's hesitation, the bounty hunter entered after his friend, taking a knee next to her, warily staring over at the other one. He paused a moment, before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, if only to remind her he was here.

"Are you alright?" Then, looking at the other. "Are... are you?"

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[NPC Treasury]

The one that travelled with Ghorua the Shark nodded a little, though she didn't speak. Instead she had her brows furrowed as she tried to puzzle it all out.

The other wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was futile as the tears continued to fall. She didn't look at either of them. Ghorua's voice should have startled her, but it didn't. Instead she only reacted as though she was within a dream.

"They're gone....all of them....and it's my fault....all my fault....I should have....I shouldn't of given in....I let them win....I pushed them...and they are gone....I am cursed....this is my punishment....and it's well deserved...so well deserved..."

After a moment's silence she repeated it all word for word with the exact same pauses. Over time it had become a mantra of her own making. She had long lost count of how many times she had repeated it. Time held no meaning here.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

If it wasn't entirely clear to either Kay before him, Ghorua was rather confused

He looked between the Kay's the gears behind his eyes beginning to turn. Something was starting to click in his head. He had been thinking of this mission like just that; a mission. Something tactical, to be analyzed and categorized. But this wasn't a mission. It was a fairy tale.

And fairy tales always had morals.

Ghorua's eyes lit up with understanding as he looked down at the Kay he'd entered with. He then turned to the one reciting her mantra, and attempted to break it.

"None of this was your fault. Not a second of it. You were torn down by simple minds, because you cared too much. That's nothing to be ashamed of. And even if the rest of the galaxy were to turn against you..."

"I'm still here."

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[NPC Treasury]

The Herglic's voice was deep, cutting into the thick air like a knife. The Kay reciting the mantra stopped. She didn't look up at Ghorua the Shark at all. She merely kept her head bowed down. But still her voice was heard after a few moment's silence.

"You're not real...You're inside my head....Playing games with my head....Go away Mayhem! Go away! Leave me alone!!" As her voice rose the house trembled and shook momentarily until the weeping began once more, albeit more softer this time.

The other Kay kept still as a statue with empty eyes...

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Mayhem? Who is that?

It didn't matter right now. What mattered was that his words seemed to have an effect. It was promising, if not a little terrifying that the house shook under this Kay's emotions. He looked back at the Kay he walked in with, and noted her distant stare.

He addressed them both, kneeling in front of the Kay on the ground, but faced towards the one he'd trekked in with. "That's the thing, Mi'lady. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

He stretched out his hand with an upturned palm towards the crying woman, as if offering to help her up, to prove his form was physical.

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[NPC Treasury]

Mi'lady? Mayhem never called her that. Ever.

She slowly looked up at Ghorua the Shark , her cheeks wet with tears. Her brows furrowed with disbelief. "I'm....I'm dreaming..." She started to hold out her hand to his, but then stopped herself, convinced that her hand would just go right through his own. "This is my nightmare...And now you taunt me...I'm not ready to wake up. I don't want to be alone. I wake up and you disappear. That's how it works...."

And again she lowered her head as the tears began to fall. The house shuddered before it too seemed to groan as though it was shifting on it's foundation.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua felt hope for just a moment, as the Kay before him began to reach out, before retracting her hand. Ghorua narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to peer inside the mind of his friend.

Assumedly it was his friend, and not some illusion of the hellscape he found himself in.

Ghorua dropped his hand, instead plopping down cross-legged across from the distressed Kay, shaking the floorboards with his weight. "Only way to find out is to try. And until you do, I'm not goin' anywhere, either way."

The Shark checked on the first Kay once more, then pat the ground on the other side of him, as if inviting her to sit with the two of them. Then, he turned his head to the crying Kay once more.

"Do you remember Bespin?"

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[NPC Treasury]

Trying leads to failure. That was how it worked. That was her experience. She tried to do her best. She tried to save everyone. And yet...she lost everything for it. Including herself.

But here was Ghorua the Shark , sitting much like Lord Mayhem does, asking her to try once more. The softness of his voice though. It was....not something that Lord Mayhem could copy.

The other Kay remained perfectly still, her eyes continuing to be empty. They didn't even register Ghorua's movements at all. Instead she looked like some life-sized doll.

"Bespin?" Kay spoke between her tears. "The mists...rhe mining platform...the monsters in the deep....I remember..." They nearly lost their lives that day. And Ghorua was nearly taken prisoner. They wanted him badly for some reason. Yes....she remembered....she remembered it well.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua felt a surge of hope as the Kay before him spoke of their memories together. So she still existed after all. In helping the Kay he found, he'd almost given up hope that they would reclaim what was lost.

The Shark choked out a laugh, getting a bit emotional in the moment. "I, uh, I don't think I ever told you this before, although I'm sure I've implied it many times, but you saved me on Bespin. In more ways than one."

It was easy for Ghorua to return to that time so long ago, his thoughts dwelled on it often. "When I was up in that cargo area, I was sure that no one was coming for me. The First Order certainly wouldn't have, and while little Darlyn and I were friendly, I doubted he would risk his neck for me."

"And Lady Kay? The senator who I kidnapped with razor wire and sold off to a warlord? Of course she wouldn't help me. Why would she? Kark, I would have left me to die out there." Ghorua's tone was jolly, but hid dark barbs. He had been alone. Well and truly alone.

"But you didn't leave me. In spite of it all, in spite of me being who I am, you saved my life. And then, when it was all said and done, you invited me to tea."

"I'm nowhere near as good or as kind as you were back then. Never will be. But the least I can do is save you now." He held out his massive hand again.

"How about you and I go get some tea?"

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[NPC Treasury]

Kay listened quietly while Ghorua the Shark spoke. Her tears still fell, but they were silent on her cheeks. Instead her thoughts dwelled on the memories of that time....

She remembered all of it, including the sounds and smells. It was a nightmare to be sure, but mostly for Ghorua.

Still, all of them barely got out alive before the platform plummeted to the surface of Bespin.

And then he spoke of herself and how things were. Yes, she invited him to tea as she did with many. It was known amongst her friends of her addiction to Sapir tea. And she had often shared her teas with others. That was partly why she opened up a tea shoppe on Altiria/Anarris...

Kay lifted her head as he invited her to tea. Her cheeks were still wet, yet the tears had stopped flowing. Instead there was a small smile. "Yes...I'd love some..."

Yet no sooner did she reach out to take his hand that she faded out, turning to mist before disappearing.

Moments later, the other Kay gasped for air as though she was just suddenly waking from a dream. "...tea. I'd love some tea." It took a few seconds, but she found Ghorua where he was before, although in a slightly different spot.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

As soon as Kay disappeared, and the Kay behind the Shark continued her thought, Ghorua whipped around, his face reading visible shock. If it weren't entirely obvious up to this point, his experience with the Force had been limited to it's combat applications. Namely, being targeted by those combat applications.

These tricks? Feelings and visions and beliefs? Entirely out of his wheelhouse.

But Ghorua had vowed to go with the flow ever since leaving the Jawsome, so he went with it.

With a heave, the Shark got to his feet, and cocked his head to the side at Kay. "How are you feeling?"

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[NPC Treasury]

Kay got to her feet as well, albeit slowly, as though she had been sitting for far too long. The house seemed to stop creaking and the air lifted. "I feel like I could use some tea." But really she felt as though she was in a dream. Kay flexed her fingers and ran her fingers along her arms and face. She had died. She knew that. She remembered the explosion and being thrown, she remembered hitting her head on a partially buried rock. She remembered the ash falling like snow...

And then she found herself here in the Netherworld where darkness and despair ruled. She ran from the monsters and hid in this house that suddenly appeared. This house became her sanctuary and her prison, and she considered it her punishment for a life gone wrong. So many died because of her actions or lack thereof. So many abandoned her because of it. So she kept everyone away and lived in isolation.

Yet here was Ghorua the Shark , somehow making his way to the Netherworld to keep her company. No doubt his end was just as bad. "How did you come to die? Old age? Or a competitor?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua watched as Kay took stock of herself, trying to piece together exactly what was happening. First there were two, then there was one...

Again, 'go with the flow.'

But going with the flow could only do so much, especially when your friend asks you how you died.

"I flew here," he said slowly, not quite understanding the question, or perhaps hoping she'd misspoken. Even as he did, he started connecting dots. The strange terrain of the world, the feeling of dread that hadn't left him as if he didn't belong, the portal...

"Oh, chit. I flew into Hell, didn't I?" Ghorua punctuated the statement with a hauum from his blowhole. A second passed, before Ghorua chuckled quietly, muttering under his breath. "I flew into Hell. Minna's not gonna believe this..."

While in the middle of a minor breakdown, Ghorua gestured towards the door. "You know what? Let's go get some tea. I think I need some tea right now."

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[NPC Treasury]

Kay's brows furrowed in thought. Ghorua the Shark flew here? He wasn't dead?

Her thoughts delved back into a time when she was a Senator for the Republic. The Gates to the Netherworld were opened and she had gone in to rescue a friend that had gone too soon. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect that someone would come for her here too.

Was she even worthy of it? Things happened for a reason, surely. Was all of this for some higher purpose? Was she needed?

Kay was snapped out of it as Ghorua gestured towards the door. She gave him a nod and led the way through the hall and down the stairs. The house changed as they moved, as though it was a living painting being refreshed and filled with life. Outside of the house was much in the same way. The fog was lifted, yet still hung at the tree tops. It smelled like spring.

"How....long has it been? Are my children okay?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua followed Kay, watching on numbly as the house seemed to shift around them, rejuvenating from it's previously dilapidated form. What that meant, he didn't know, nor did he think too hard on it. He repeated his mantra of 'go-with-it' in his head as the world changed around them, the very weather lightening as they stepped outside.

"I'm not sure. You went missing... died, I guess... a while ago." Ghorua gave a reassuring grin. "Your kids are okay, last I heard. Doing what the Arenais do; changing the galaxy, wherever they go."

The Shark hesitated outside, looking up at the mist clinging to the boughs of trees in trepidation. "Let's get you to them. And whatever you're doing to lift the fog, keep doing it."

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[NPC Treasury]

A while ago. That wasn't much to go on. Had it been months? Years? Decades? No doubt there had been plenty of changes throughout the Galaxy during all that time.

Kay hesitated a little as Ghorua the Shark mentioned taking her to her children. "I.....don't think that I'm ready to see them yet. I should get my bearings first. I wouldn't even know how to explain my return to them. They could think it was a Sith trick."

That was something that she would think anyways, if Veiere had walked in her door. He was the one that she longed for the most, having once been Force-bonded to her. That bond was severed when he died and it had left her feeling quite alone. It was at times insufferable.

"How far away is your ship?" Their footsteps were just as empty as before, and no warmth came from the light. But at least the air wasn't as dense.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"If you say so," Ghorua conceded, giving his friend a dubious look. "If you don't think they're ready, if you're not ready, you don't have to see them right away. I don't know what I'd think if my parents showed up out of the blue."

Ghorua had talked with Kay about his family before. His mother had been an opera singer. His father had been a spice boss. They were both presumed dead long ago, Ghorua had never figured out what happened to them.

"Not far," the Herglic offered as Kay asked about the ship, leading the way with a quickness in his step, as if he expected the mists to drop at any second. "Only past a few more of these buildings, if memory serves."

"Do you not remember anything about how I got here?" The Shark listened to the hollow footsteps, felt the shallow light, saw the blanket of mist in the air, "You helped me. Or, at least, a part of you did. You led me to you."

"Which is crazy to say, by the way. Crazy."

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[NPC Treasury]

"I'm not ready...." In truth she was scared of their rejection. She didn't have to worry about that with Ghorua the Shark for he had found her. It was an easier thing for him to believe than anyone else.

Kay furrowed her brows as she tried to piece her memories together. Did she remember how he got there? "I think so? But I'm not sure. Everything's fragmented. I feel like I'm getting out of a dream...and not a pleasant one at that. I just hope that I can leave here. And if not...if I disappear or something..." She gave him a small smile. "At least I know that someone cared to try."

Lonlieness was a huge part of her last days of life and it took over her in the Netherworld as well. But at least Ghorua showed her that she wasn't alone. She just needed to take his hand.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

She wasn't ready.

Ghorua observed Kay's face, as he had done so many times in their lives. He had a solid grasp of what muscles did what when someone was feeling a certain way. Fear of rejection. Loneliness. Acceptance, all of it was as easy to read as one of Minna's old children's holos.

"They will still love you," he rumbled. "When you're ready for them, they'll still love you."

That, he was sure of.

He didn't like thinking about what might happen should they try to leave, and she was unable to pass. It was concerning, to say the least. "It'll be fine," he said, although his tone was unsure. "One problem at a time."

Ghorua could see the Jawsome in the distance. The nightmare was almost over.

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[NPC Treasury]

Kay nodded a little. She wasn't as certain as Ghorua the Shark was. It wasn't so much a question about love as it was a question about belief. Coming out of the Netherworld wasn't without consequence. Returning from the dead wasn't something that was common practice. Or at least it shouldn't be.

She took hold of his arm as they continued to walk, just like she usually did when they'd go to events together. It was a subconscious movement, but it made her feel better. Maybe him holding her would keep her from disappearing.

"Where will we go when we get out of here?" Kay wondered how much of what she had was still left. "My last home was on Altiria/Annaris. What about you?"