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Lost In The Rain

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck6ZfYfO-6U[/media]​
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]

A new day.

Living on Lithios was a different experience than he had gotten used to, nothing compared to Coruscant or the other planets where he once set foot.

A massive urban sprawl that took pride of their technological advances and its harsh weather was certainly the perfect place for someone to disappear, like Ar'ekk has been doing for a week now.

He wouldn't exactly call it "disappear" but try to escape from rebellious thoughts, ancient memories still stuck in his head that don't seem to escape. That sudden urge of ripping your shirt in rage and screaming until your lungs give out... Not wanting to go back to the past.

Like any other day, Ar'ekk walked throughout Ethos City by visiting oftenly (and honestly always) packed districts such as the Merchants' District. This helped him to get his head cleared up from any clouding thoughts and to cope with that sensation of being alone in such a big place like this one.

The hundreds of buildings in the district clustered together to blot out the natural sky which resulted in a dark landscape that is illuminated only by the neon and flashing screens that batter the people with an onslaught of messages.

As usual, the rain permeated the city with an horrific yet common downpour...



 
[member="Arekk"]

Neon lights and downpour. The sounds of busy crowds overtook the senses as Kaili walked down the streets of the city with a sixth sense probing at the items around her for any and all information she could get. The day’s work was already done, the tour on her last ship over. Her sources had been wrong and the shipment she had signed up to oversee was never attacked which either meant that the reported pirate movements of the sector had been incorrect or that they got lucky. In either case she wasn’t going to complain, a day without punching scum was as good as the other as far as she was concerned.

Reaching the merchant’s district she took a seat under the cover of the first roofed café that she could find. While the quality of the establishment could be questioned she was hardly one to be all that picky anymore. Her hands reached up to grasp at her hood to pull it back and let it cling against her neck with a wet kiss. Her damp black hair hung with a frizzled yet surprisingly tight knot against her shoulder. Once done with the cape she moved her hand to swipe her locks out of her vision and withdrew a datapad.

Encryption on, self-made security measures put to max. Her fingers leisurely tapped at the on-screen keyboard with uncanny precision, a side-effect of having grown used to the holographic interface of the holopad that rested on her wrist. But one of them was for work and the other was for fun. Or rather, one of them was for Kaili Talith and the other was for Amea Virou, and right now Kaili was at home on Borleias getting over her friendly yet heart wrenching break up with a long-time partner.

It was easier not to focus on the distinct feeling of ‘something is strange’ when you were out and about.

Her messages to her benefactors were sent away to report the uneventful trip to her current destination and that their packages were safe. There was nothing more that needed to be said. It was a relationship that benefited from sparing both parties of all the questions.

Putting her pad back into a small bag by her hip she returned her full focus to the cup of caf on her table. It was a nice little planet this one, maybe she would stay a while to get a better grip on it. Or maybe it was best to stay away from the pretty before she found the ugly. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it just yet.
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]

To withstand such a cold weather, a warm cup of coffee would do wonders to kickstart your body. His own was shivering from head to toes, a cold breeze going down his spine. As he walked to the nearest roofed café, Ar'ekk flared up one of his cancer sticks from a twelve-pack he religiously carried around everywhere.

Out of three available seats, one of them was already occupied by a girl busy reading the latest holonet news on her datapad, perhaps. It was none of his business. He tried to find the sweet spot once he sat down, eyes lingering briefly on the datapad and then at the shopkeeper.

"Hey, I'll have a regular coffee."

The rain became unforgiving as the minutes passed, cascading down on everyone with practiced bravado. Twilight crawled across the sky, laden with foreboding.

Footsteps of countless pedestrians, the wet pavement reflecting the lights from the massive neon billboards and the sounds of advertisements sorrounding them were a welcome sight that would make anyone feel at home.

Smoke blowed out from the man's nostrils, his gaze fixed on Kaili's datapad with an apparent interest. He wasn't one to chime in where he didn't have any business to attend yet something made him look. Whatever she was reading looked important, her squinty eyes and furrowed eyebrows told a thousand stories.

His palms wrapped around the hot steaming cup of coffee as his eyes moved forward, trying to be as discreet as he could be. Hopefully, she didn't see him snooping around or that would be really awkward.



 
[member="Arekk"]

He wasn’t even subtle about it. Amea’s eyes set on the corner of her screen to catch him by the corner of her eyes. There he was still, trying his best to peer into the contents of her pad before she eventually did put it back in her bag and turned to face him in full. The din of raindrops against the roof above their heads played like the white noise of a broken radio and offered a momentary

“Nosy.” She said with a rather to-the-point tone to her voice and let her consciousness seep into his own data device for a more thorough probe of her own. “No one ever tell you it’s rude to try and read other people’s messages?”

His name was Arekk, and his password… Amea frowned. Security wasn’t everyone’s top priority then. Then again, not everyone was a Warden of the Sky with a heavy focus on living two lives at once. Curious brown eyes met with a set that could almost mirror her own. It would seem that it was almost like looking at herself had she been a man for a moment.

The frown that had set on her lips curled up into a smile as she laughed it off.

“A smoker and a coffee drinker, huh?” She said and leaned back in her chair with an amused expression. “You don’t look like the typical wageslave...”

“Cop?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]

Oh no.

He felt like dying once Kaili decided to confront him for being a noisy person. It wasn't his intention and he really, really tried to play it off but ultimately failed. Gulping once and trying to clear his throat, Ar'ekk's glance clashed with the girl's and only then he decided to speak out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to chime into personal affairs."

The cigarette he was smoking dangled from his dry lips, smoke coming out from both his mouth and nostrils. Both hands were sweaty and pretty cold despite seeking comfort from his cup of hot steaming coffee.

"Not really."

He said back to Kaili, a grin forming upon his face and feeling a little less pressured about the matter. Little rain droplets fell on the back of his blazer as he sipped coffee, trying to think what else to say next. A little awkward silence overtook their conversation before he broke that off with a simple yet cheeky question.

"Slicer?"



 
[member="Arekk"]

The way the neon light danced around his face offered a sense of mystery to the conversation that really didn’t have much of a business being there. All things considered they were still pretty friendly and taking aim at each other’s titles without knowing what they even fired at. Cute in a regard, though mostly frustrating. Amea would never actually let up who she was and neither would this man. He didn’t strike her as the type to open up about such a thing.

“Maybe once.” She responded to his question and sipped on her coffee. “Was it the datapad?”

Her hand patted against the damp cloth that kept it hidden as her eyes lingered trying to get a read for who he was. He was outgoing at least, to a degree. He didn’t shy away from the conversation and the setback of being caught seemed to only really graze his pride. Apart from that he didn’t exactly look like a ruffian. Too many teeth for that, and his jacket was far too expensive to give the idea.

“You are running away from someone, or something.” Kaili said and shifted her attention to his eyes again. “Something in your posture, the way you look at the people around us…”

“... What would make a man like Ar’ekk, if that is your name, run away from something?” She spoke with a grin that gave away her own satisfaction at timing that particular bomb. “Card debts? Piracy?”

“... Anything that would make you my problem?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]


"I like how you went from cop to all those other things, it's funny."

Clever girl. He knew his name through the datapad he had concealed beneath his jacket, its security was not too difficult to break if you knew what you were doing. Ar'ekk was pretty straight forward when asked a question and certainly did not hesitate to reply back by relying on his quick-wit.

"Maybe you're right on that, running away. But not in the way you say it, rather passively."

Running from the past, yes. From everything he once had become, Lithios was his first-class ticket to start over and forget about everything that transpired and led him to this point. Nar Shaddaa, The Hawk's Circle, Malachor V and a bunch of other life defining moments in his life...

His attitude towards Kailia was slightly more open as the minutes passed by and the caffeine kicked into his system, his body adjusting to the harsh weather and the cold rain storming above the tin roof protecting their heads.

"That's my name and trust me, I'm trying to stay away from trouble. You won't have a problem with me."

A pack of twelves with a label on them that read "A" on the side laid by the table and by taking the initiative, he offered one of the cancer ticks to her companion for the evening. Ar'ekk simply beamed a child-like grin as he held the pack of cigarettes open, smoke blowing out of his nostrils.



 
[member="Arekk"]

“Girl’s got to throw a wide net…” Amea chimed in before the man continued. She wasn’t all that far off then. Truth told it was more for shock value to determine his reaction when being called out by name when none had been shared. Some people dropped all facades of friendship and pleasantries when it happened, but not this guy. Perhaps that said something in the end. Amea continued to lean back in her chair and watch the man with a sense of apprehensive silence as he explained himself.

“Well,” She said with a hand rejecting the offer as she leaned forward back onto the table. “That’s good enough for me.”

“I’m Amea Virou.” She nodded and gave him a casual salute, no handshake. “I work freighters.”

She raised the cup on the table towards her lips and took another sip of the caf. It wasn’t the freshly ground delicacy she had grown used to when she had been the literal god-queen of a whole planet, but it would do. All things considered it felt good to be down from that pedestal. Nobody here knew who she was, and that wasn’t just because she was wearing the disguise. The disguise was in truth just a small aversion until the reality of who she had once been settled down and disappeared.

It was hard to blend into crowds when your face had once adorned skyscrapers on Coruscant. Not all over, but in the general area where you worked, of course. The change into something else was just natural to her, and with an upbringing from a Lorrdian master there was never going to be any doubt she could change her voice too. Where Kaili had a soft if a bit high-pitched voice, Amea spoke with a more sultry yet oddly rougher undertone. It was like a meld of someone she knew and the heroes in the holonet movies. She had of course taken artistic liberty with it to create a perfect disguise just for herself.

“What brings Arekk to my table then?” She spoke with a curious grin. “The sights?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]

"Ar'ekk Daesharacor."

He beamed a small grin as he left the pack of twelves on the counter after their rejection, nobody really liked to smoke even under this type of weather except himself. Ar'ekk carried himself with a bit of secrecy yet also revealing small glimpses of his life to people he considered, as a first reading of their body language, trustable and Amea was one of them.

"Freighters. Someone with your technology skills? I doubt that but I'll take it. Amea who works freighters..."

The back and forth friendly stabs and sayings amused him vastly enough to already feel comfortable within the conversation, she was clearly lying and he was trying to keep his life secret at some extent. After all, Lithios had become the place to hide and start your life again without worrying about your past catching up to you.

His caf was too hot for his own liking so he decided to put it away for a moment to enjoy his cancer stick, if that could be called "enjoyment".

Releasing a thick cloud of smoke upwards and allowing it to vanish, Ar'ekk's eyes laid upon the girl and tried to get a good reading of her. So secret, so intriguing.

"Oh, the sights are beautiful. I also like the coffee here, it's really good."

How cheeky.

"You?"



 
[member="Arekk"]

Amea who works freighters. It wasn’t actually a lie, not really, it just wasn’t all that specific as to what she actually did on those freighters. She shrugged at his compliment over the tech stuff. As much as the Kaili inside of her wanted to keep her affinity concealed there were times when she quite simply didn’t seem to let herself. It was a curse! No, not really.

“Oh, the coffee is agreeable.” She said and laughed, mentioning nothing of the sights. “A bit darker than I would have made it myself, but you win some — lose some.”

Her eyes set on the floor for a second to watch the way the rain water seemed to pour down the drain right outside their little roofed off cafeteria. She looked back at Arekk with a slight smile before she chuckled.

“No, really though. I work ships. Got a thing for navigation and other systems.” She shrugged. “Girl can make a good living with those skills.”

“So what about you? What do you do?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kaili Talith"]

He grinned evilishly for a moment, shaking his head in friendly disbelief. Curling his fingers on the cup of coffee and sipping once again, Ar'ekk nodded and saw that Kaili was being honest with him and he could feel that. Sometimes you do what you gotta do to survive and he knew so much about that. Too much.

"To your surprise perhaps but computer terminals and networks. Usually called "slicer" or "techie" but yes, that's what I do. Whatever you found about me was put there on purpose, you never know who you might encounter."

Now you could say that was a smooth way of trying to keep the spotlight away from you and saving face after being hacked but he had no reason to lie, even if it was an stranger like the girl sitting besides him.

He felt at peace sitting down here and enjoying a cup of coffee with someone he could talk to about things he found interesting, Lithios could be more than what it actually is.

It was truly a privilege to be living here and Ar'ekk made sure to enjoy each day to the fullest, no matter how small or meaningless the task he was performing was.

"You are a local?"



 
[member="Arekk"]

Bait and switch. Interesting. Amea shuffled in her seat at the reveal and gave the man another once-over in an attempt to see if he was full of it or not. She had worked security breaches that few people would really want to admit to having ever breached. In her anger she had once assaulted an Alliance listening post on her own simply because, well… It was a long story at this point. Love made you do stupid things.

“As local as Sullust.” Amea laughed it up. It was the easiest to insert a new identity into the files of a crumbling nation. “I was out and about way before, well… You know.”

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in a frown. Coruscant and the chaos that had beset it, leading to its destruction, was painful for both personalities that Kaili and Amea held for different reasons yet they both helped fuel the emotions needed to put behind her words to bring about a convincing cover story.

“Know a lot of people that weren’t as lucky.” She chuckled and took another sip of her coffee. “What about you?”

“Recent events phase you at all?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"]

Truth be told, he concealed his intentions pretty well by just the way he carried himself through conversation but appeared truly honest regarding the apparent "bait-and-switch" Amea was probably thinking of.

"What do you mean?"

Ar'ekk was born and raised in Coruscant for all he knew, lived there for most of his life leading up to his teenager days before leaving to become a Jedi.

He was not up to date with any news whatsoever since he had decided to live away from everything on Lithios, the man pondered heavily about what Amea was refering to.

"Past events, maybe. Something happened?" He responded, sipping from his coffee cup at unison with the girl as a rain droplet fell on his curved cheek.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Coruscant had undergone some sort of civil war or massive destruction considering it was the hub of the Galaxy and most ill-minded individuals had their eyes the ecumenopolis for thousands of years already. Even then, he wasn't prepared to hear more bad news coming from his homeworld.

First it had been his family and now the entire place, maybe?

How long would things keep going bad?



 
[member="Arekk"]

Amea found that one hard to believe. Her gaze shifted into disbelief at what he was insinuating about not being up-to-date on recent events. It was a bit like someone being unaware of the Gulag Plague at this point, wasn’t it? It was hard to go anywhere without having someone or something throw the headlines in your face and he was saying this was just something that had somehow managed to slip past him?

“You are not serious.” The girl said and crossed her arms. “You are yanking my leg here.”

A deep breath parted her lips and she shook her head, fully aware that she was taking his bait on the subject. Her jaw lowered, her lips parted even further and she closed her eyes trying to find the words.

“Coruscant?” She asked and shook her head in still evident disbelief. “The collapse of the entire Galactic Alliance, the massive loss of life, and the vacuum that is shaping up in interstellar politics?”

“Come on, man. Don’t expect me to believe you have not heard of that.”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"]

So it was true.

Coruscant indeed fell down and the Galactic Alliance ceased to exist, its citizens left without any sort of hope for the time being until somebody else was put in charge of the planet again. Whoever it could be, they better not have a hidden agenda. Ar'ekk was not surprised one bit.

"My homeworld. I can't say I'm surprised because I am not. Coruscant is just a distant memory for me, so is the rest of the galaxy. Would you believe I tried really hard to disassociate myself from my past?"

He paused for a moment.

"Looks like I succeeded."

Ar'ekk was certainly not jesting regarding his zero knowledge of Coruscant's current state and the events that had transpired without him knowing a single detail. A man like him simply wanted to forget and he managed to do that in the blink of an eye. Yet... it was his home.

He was not up to date with any news whatsoever since he had decided to live away from everything on Lithios, the man pondered heavily about what Amea was refering to.

"I did not know until you told me."

The man sought refuge on his already empty coffee mug, leaving a credit chip on the counter to pay for the duo's beverages. His eyes looked around aimlessly, trying to put words to his thoughts and feelings.

His childhood friends, his old home, everything he once knew is long gone. The decision to stay away from everything kept making sense and this hurtful reveal only contributed to that thought even more. It was the right thing to do.

"That's why you are on Lithios?"



 
[member="Arekk"]

Oh. Amea’s arms dropped to her armrests at the reveal that Arekk came from Coruscant and had seemingly tried to hide himself from his past. She could recognize that feeling of wanting to get away from things. She hadn’t come to terms with herself yet and the decisions that she had pulled just a few weeks ago, but she knew that she had done the right thing.

Hopefully.

Didn’t make it any less heavier to carry.

“Oh, well. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news then.” Amea spoke with a frown and tried to be genuine.

“I mean, I guess?” She answered the man’s questions. “There is a lot of pain out there right now. You just gotta move day through day, make the most of what you have. Me being on Lithios is more because of work.”

“Worked a tour on a ship headed here delivering foods and other basic necessities.”
She frowned and took a sip. “Lots of preserved foods and such.”

“I guess if you’re asking why I work what I do…”
She shrugged. “I guess, let’s just say I have a need for a job that lets me think a lot. Freight is nothing but when the downtime allows it.”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"]

He enjoyed what was left of his cigarette by toking and blowing smoke out of his nostrils, letting his lungs get invaded by the poisonous smog that traveled throughout his system.

Amea's words did not the impact she would be expecting as the bearer of bad news, not even a single bit of emotion showed after the reveal from him.

Maybe he stopped caring long ago...

"As I said, Coruscant is nothing but a mere memory. It's been too long." He replied, puffing from his cigarette and letting it fall on the gelid and wet asphalt.

"That's my plan too. To work, live and move on without having to worry about a thing and because of that... You're left with a lot of time to think."

Maybe leaving everything behind was the right thing to do. To get lost in a sea of people to never be seen again so your past doesn't catch up to you, that was a smart choice.

And that choice? It was reinforced everyday by either other people or actions witnessed. No remorse, no bargain to go back.

"Anyways, my coffee's gone cold and cigarette fulfilled its purpose. You're doing anything tonight?"



 
[member="Arekk"]

It felt so morbid to understand that indifference about what happened at this point. Amea had seen things herself, and they weren’t all that pleasant. Things that had been etched into not her own mind but the mind behind it. The memories were something that helped fuel her own desire to keep on being this anonymous hero that some people had come to see her as. The Effigy ideal was still in a bit of a pre-planning stage, but it was bound to take off at some point, right?

“Tonight?” Amea mused quietly and took the final sip of her own admittedly cold caf. “I was probably planning on sleeping and catching the first tour out of here.”

“Not that there's anything wrong with this place, I just feel at home in space.”
She said and put the cold paper cup back down on the table before her and leaned back in her seat. “And being on the move means less of a chance to run into people, and makes you harder to find.”

“Uh, not that I don’t want to be found. I just also don’t want to be in one place for too long.”
She shrugged and shook her head. “Anyway, why? Did you have something in mind?”
 

Arekk

The Flesh Of Fallen Angels
LITHIOS
Merchants' District, Ethos City



INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"]

"This is Lithios. Nobody will come here for you or me, it's an uncharted planet."

He was right about the planet being uncharted, only those who had been given the exact coordinates of Lithios could set foot there.

The Meissa System and Lithios itself did not show up on any holomaps, managing to stay out of the radar for many ill-minded people was a miracle. Trouble wouldn't not find them here unless that's what they desired.

"The night is still young and I have issues getting some sleep for a while now. Perhaps you'd like a drink or something of that style? I can cook too."

Ar'ekk wasn't one to enjoy much of the night life but the Entertainment District had a plethora of establishments where they both could have fun either drinking, dancing or both.

Or if Amea desired, they could enjoy a nice dinner in the comfort of his own home, without any double entendre, sheltered from the rain and the cold. It was up to her now, anyways.

"Or whatever you want to do, really. At least let me make up to you for snoopin' on your datapad."



 
[member="Arekk"]

Uncharted planets weren’t as safe as some people thought they would be. If someone wanted to find you, truly, they would. Even if only those who lived here was aware of its existence there was still more than just a few loose lips. Given the size of this place it was more than likely that the secret that was Lithios was just a single error away from stepping out of obscurity. The woman behind Amea was well-aware of how easy it was to broadcast a set of co-ordinates and the scum that was likely to follow after. Kiara had been isolated even worse than Lithios had been, yet it had been discovered too hadn’t it?

The brunette leaned back in her seat and looked at the man as he made his proposition. A date of sorts, even if it wasn’t outright stated to be as such. She had to admit he wasn’t her type, but part of her wanted to indulge him. Or maybe even herself. The lonely nights kept her up every now and then, and it was always good to meet more people out there. While he lacked the more… Feminine features that Kaili looked for he was still a man who provided good enough company for her.

“How about a drink, and then you give me food?” She said with a slightly lopsided grin on her cheek. “Or vice versa, of course.”

Kaili was a good cook, Amea wasn’t. The separation of alter egos was one she had to keep up even if she was fairly certain that she could outcook this man with her eyes closed. Amea on the other hand couldn’t, and as such the brunette merely let her smile fade back and her attention spread out across the streets of Lithios.

“Well you’re the local.” She spoke and rose from her seat to signal that they should move. “You lead the way.”
 

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