No Heart

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

Everything felt suffocating.

Perhaps it was the constant rain pouring on everyone's heads or the invasive amount of advertisements scattered throughout the city that made Arekk feel like he was being strangled to death. Lithios wasn't in a better place two years after his arrival but it continued to thrive, to provide him with opportunities many would kill to have, yet...

He felt he was owed more, something more valuable. To give your life for. What was that, though? He couldn't say.

Old acquaintances had come and gone for the last few years, faces from the past that bring the best and also the most hurtful memories flooding back like a tsunami. The booze supressed all those painful memories, sitting alone in the Triple Overdose Club while enjoying a cancer stick or conversating with the girls who served drinks helped a bunch too.

"It's not a pretty thing to witness." Arekk said to the droid bartender, who certainly didn't speak much but rather served drinks on command, a half empty glass of Savareen brandy resting in front of him. "I bet you don't care, do you?"

The droid shook his head negatively and immediately countered with: "Do you want some more?"

Funny but he wouldn't say no to a drink. It kept him alive somehow... Hopefully someone else could.

​

——————————————————————​

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Lithios was a rare stop these days. Archaeological digs had a tendency to be further away from more developed systems. Illegal digs especially, and while Amea would never admit to being up to no-good, there was no denying that the law wouldn’t be all too appreciative of her kind of grave robbing. One could argue that archaeology in itself was grave robbing, but using such a statement as defense rarely ever worked, or at least so Amea had found.

Stepping into the Triple Overdose Club, a name with both meaning and history no doubt, Amea took a slow walk through the crowds while throwing a wary glance around her. She didn’t necessarily fit in. People were a bit more rougher around the edges here compared to her, but she knew how to navigate around the worst ones. Came with her other occupation.

And there at the bar she saw the one man she had come to expect in places like this. Air blew from her nose in an amused chuckle as she focused on the droid bartender by Arekk’s side.

The droid turned towards Arekk’s right side.

“Is that your friend?” It was a simple question meant to divert his attention elsewhere. Away from Amea. “That is your friend.”

With the window open Amea swept up to the bar on the opposite side of Arekk, finger poking his shoulder with an amused albeit questioning stare.

“We have a habit of meeting in places like this.” She said as the droid poured her a drink, free of charge. She nodded at the droid and then took a sip. “You look worse for wear.”

 

[Arekk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY66fdMt4vc​

​

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"That or you just like to visit me." He mused with a grin while tugging on his leather jacket, sitting upright while coiling his fingers around the glass of Savareen brandy on the counter. "I will take that as a compliment. How are you, Amea?"

That was a wonderful sight to lay eyes on, Amea Virou. It had been a long time since the two had seen each other, aware of their last meeting was back at his apartment after a great evening partying to eventually crash down there. It was fun to say the least, furthermore for the slicer that had been going through a rough patch back then.

The Triple Overdose Club was by now Ethos City's trademark nightclub and it was constantly packed throughout the evenings, hosting all kinds of people and personalities ranging from high ranking organized crime figures to murderers and bounty hunters. Truly a hive of scum and villainy, it was only amusing the two of them would be sitting right here.

A retired Jedi/crime lord and a grave-robber, you can make a holoflick out of this.

"What brings you to this heavenly planet?"

——————————————————————​

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

The lights dimmed as strobe lights in the back began to pulsate with a paralyzing intensity in tempo to the beat. There were two kinds of people in this situation, the blinded and the ones who walked away. Amea was one who would turn away and look back at her friend.

“Well, I tried vacationing once but the galaxy sort of took that from me.” She shook her head and took a drink. “Other than that the underground market for legal artifacts and gold coins is booming.”

She had put emphasis on legal as if to hide the not-so-well-hidden truth lying between the lines. With the lights flashing against the back of her head she prayed for the mix on the dance floor to end. She was already blocking out the noise as best she could which was a struggle in itself.

“Employment.” She said in response to the man’s second question. “For a world of ultra-futurism it sure has its fascination for the forgotten past.”

She took another sip of her drink and put it back down on the bar top.

“Heard of Keiran Oren?” She asked rather to the point. “I don’t trust him, but he pays well enough.”

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"Vacations, huh? Well, if you ever need one you know who can get you tickets anywhere." That sounded awful, no time to spent all by yourself in paradise? Arekk would go crazy if he wasn't able to go somewhere sunny to enjoy drinks, the view and the ocean. "That's a funny way to put it, Amea. I'm glad business is booming, can't say it's the same here. Chit's been a karkshow ever since the Black Aces and the Sunriders started their war over the Red Light District's turf."

The underworld had begun its usual feud on the streets as homicides became rampant, blood and tears mixing into one under the unforgiving rain of Ethos City. The vile of the city was at each other's throat, when weren't they, in broad daylight and night time. It was their way to put things to an end over territory and operations, the only way. "That's just the way things go here." An old lady mentioned to Arekk once. "It comes with the place. You get used to it."

Amea was hoping the mix of strobes and flashy neon lights stopped while Arekk had his mind on a different kind of mix, the one that usually involved drinks. He had been sitting at the bar for five hours or five years, depending on how you looked at things. He definitely didn't try to look at things, not anymore. But he was alive and that's all it mattered though escaping somewhere but here temporarily would be nice.

"Should I? I know a lot of people." He mused with another grin, playfully jabbin' Amea's shoulder while necking his drink and grimacing at its sour taste. "Can't trust anyone, even if they have all the credits in the galaxy."

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[Amea Virou]

“Criminals being criminals.” Amea huffed in amusement at the man’s remark. “And, I don’t know. He is big in some of the older circles. Runs a fuel import company, pretty sure he uses people like me to make sure his pipelines aren’t impeding upon any sacred ground or ancestral tombs.”

She finished off the rest of her drink and looked at Arekk.

“Rich people are, if anything, superstitious.”

The music in the background began to shift in atmosphere. The strobelights didn’t let up and the bassline of the floor began to buzz through the floor, lending a sense of unease within the entirety of Amea’s body. As much as people seemed to like these kinds of places, they were still very far from places she would visit by herself. It was more common she was dragged out to them. The only reason she even was here was to catch more news about her potential employer. Something didn’t feel right about him and it was hard to think he was on the up-and-up.

“Rich old criminals tend to double down on it.” Amea frowned and looked over at the dancefloor. “I meant to listen in on his activities. His henchmen favor this spot but I have failed to pick them out amongst the crowd.”

She turned back around towards Arekk.

“Supposedly they got a secret society thing going. Secret handshakes and all. Highly secretive and acts on a need-to-know basis.” Amea’s lips twisted into a frown. “Usually means they are either ancient vampires, part of a big corruption scheme, or are huge try-hards.”

“Hoping for the third one, expecting the second, unsurprised by the first one.”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System
"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————
Amea Virou

"They will do anything to chase all that paper, you think they're idiots but one needs to be really smart to reach the top like they have. Supertitious or not you've gotta hand it to them."

Unlike his companion for the night, Arekk had been spending his time by the bar simply to drown any kind of sorrows that continued to plague his mind to this date. Some things never change and many of those in the man's life really haven't despite him wanting to make a complete change, the liquor was too good to pass on.

Suddenly, all of the music and playful neon lights made the fallen Jedi feel suffocated as if someone was putting their hands on his neck and started squeezing his throat until the oxygen fell to none. Poking Amea playfully on the arm, Arekk grabbed his glass of Savareen brandy and walked out the door with her, feeling extremely relaxed as rain drops fell on his curved cheek.

"Knowing Ethos City? All three." His eyes looked into nothingness before they refocused on Amea, grimacing. "That's dangerous territory you're getting into. Are you sure you wanna find out more?"

——————————————————————

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

It was funny how rain worked. Amea’s hand reached out to let the raindrops crash against her hand before she withdrew it. From inside the club there were beats of a surprisingly upbeat song that continued to try and force its way into her already ringing ears. In that regard the change of scenery was nice, Amea would take rain and cold over ringing ears any day. Not that they had stopped ringing just yet.

“We’ll see. I haven’t said yes just yet, or started digging properly for that matter.” She said and let out a sigh. “And I mean, I do have a job to take care of with or without him. Just a matter of if I end up killing myself in an accident or having someone else do it for me by poking at the wrong bear.”

It was the truth, people in her line of work didn’t exactly have the greatest life expectancy.

“Well, regardless, it’s good to be out of that damn club.” She said and closed her jacket up tight. “Pretty sure my ears will ring for a week.”

“Damn.”

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"If you've come here to ask my help, you don't even gotta say it. Count me in for anything."

Everybody had a check-out date, even the baddest of motherkarkers in the underworld. Not even oneself would last forever regardless of the line of work because that's just how life was. The ringing on Amea and Arekk's ear had gone to practically zero but they could still sense the pulsation coming from within the nightclub as the bass boosted music erupted like a Rancor's roar inside a cave.

"You're probably wondering how I can tolerate places like this." He made a gesture with his index and thumb as if he was drinking, a dorky smile adorning his face. "Well, if we come out unscathed from this job... What about a vacation? You said you didn't have one so I'll pay for one."

Anything just to get out of here and actually do something, the monotony of the rain and the neon-lights every day had to stop. He loved Lithios and everything described but some times Arekk wanted for life to call him out there to do something, then return. This was a good chance to get out of the routine.

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[Amea Virou]

“Appreciate it.” Amea said with a weak smile at the man. While she didn’t really question why he visited places like the bar at all, she would hear the man out. Or so she assumed. He went to offer a vacation after the job if she decided to go after it. In the end that was the question that lingered even on her mind. Secret societies would always come and go, and in the end it was just more likely to be more effort than it was worth. Cut one head off and it would just change name and logo to rebrand itself as something else.

A vacation still something she would have appreciated. It didn’t feel like she had done much to deserve it just yet though. Gotten herself beaten down, thrown herself into dangerous crypts, and in general sought out trouble that could get her killed.

Actually, when was a person ever made ‘deserving’ of a rest?

No one would ever know, or so Amea assumed.

“We could just skip to the part about the job and go, you know.” Her eyebrow perked. “That look in your face says you need to see something that isn’t what you usually see or do.”

“And I mean, I love getting wasted in a dusty cantina as much as the next gal, but it kinda loses its meaning after a while if you do it too much.”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"Don't mention it."

Amea's words came like angels out of Iego as he wondered if he was a mindreader of sorts. It was amusing in a way though he was pretty obvious of his intentions or thoughts through mere expressions or words. Adventure was out there waiting for them and they had already made their minds up about going, it was only a matter of coming up with a plan and setting a date to get out of Lithios.

"You know me too well, Amea." Arekk said while reaching in the depths of his leather jacker for a cigarette, igniting it and blowing smoke out of his nostrils after a drag. "Can always get wasted back at my place. I must say, however, I haven't touched a single bottle since. Nowadays, though? I'd rather do that by the beach."

The sooner they got out of Ethos City, the better. For now it was time to take shelter from the rain and wait until the next morning, make a good plan and depart the city as soon as possible.

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[Amea Virou]

Didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize when someone needed a break. Amea’s face tensed up into a bothered grimace as the smoke from the man’s cigarette got blown into her face by an errant wind.

“Wasn’t thinking about your place.” She said with an unamused expression. “Neighboring cities, planets, anything else really.”

“And I am pretty sure Lithios has no beaches.”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System​

"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————​

[member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"That's what I meant."

It didn't take to be a rocket scientist to know that Lithios didn't have any beaches, no. The sorrounding planets did, however, have such magnificent places were the sun was warm and the water was so clear that you could even see the sealife going about its business freely. As soon as they got out of Ethos City, the better things would be for both Amea and Arekk.

Everybody deserves a rest from time to time.

"What are we doing then?"

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

The frown of discomfort turned into one of contemplation. Amea’s hand latched onto her forearm as she considered it. She had always liked warmer planets and sunshine. Sometimes during her childhood she would visit warm planets to vacation on. Some people would probably even associate her with these paradises. They were still common stops after all. It just happened through less legitimate means of travel.

“I am not too picky.” She said and looked over at Arekk. “Preferably somewhere the galaxy wouldn’t be trying to add to my scar tally, really.”

Tombs had a way of making that happen. A lot.

“I’ve waded through enough muddy beaches and traversed enough dark alleys to have bad memories of both.”

“But somewhere warm is certainly… Preferable.” She shrugged and look out over the cityscape. “Know a place?”

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System
"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————
[member="Amea Virou"]

"I've got the perfect place in mind. It's a resort on Batuu with marvelous beaches and an incredible booming city ready to receive all kinds of tourists."

Arekk already saw himself enjoying a cold alcoholic beverage while resting near the ocean on the beach, palm trees sorrounding them both while the sounds of water splashing against the coast created this relaxing lullaby to fall asleep on. That had to happen either way, no doubt about it.

He had heard about the resort once or twice through some work acquaintances that had spent their 'vacations' on Batuu, giving him all the juicy details on how the resort's attention to its clientele was worthy of a royal family almost. Room service, big rooms with massively comfortable beds and a view that was more breathtaking than the one Arekk had here on Ethos City.

"If we're talking about scar tallies, then I guess I'm screwed." He said while beaming a massive grin to Amea, shaking his head. "More than preferable, that's for sure. Do you need to pack up or something?"

——————————————————————

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

A tourist trap. Amea would allow it just this once. Often times it was a fifty-something split whether or not it was actual good quality to those resorts or if it was just bad quality that had been concealed under a pretty filter. The kind of place where the faults were hidden in plain sight and distinguishable if you just looked close enough.

Amea raised her arms in a shrug with a grin of my own.

“Have you ever known me to not live out of the clothes on my back, Arekk?” She chuckled and let them fall by her sides again. “No, I am good to go.”

She began to lead them away from where they were and towards whatever struck her as a transportation terminal. Mostly out of habit, she was rarely in one place long enough to warrant a personal transport.

“So this Batuu,” She said looking back at her friend. “Knowing your circles, I assume you will have to cover a lot of the costs for me. Correct?”

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System
"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————
[member="Amea Virou"]

"Hey, come on Amea. I know! But still had to ask, right? Doesn't hurt."

Tourist destination for the more adinerate kind of people, yeah. That's a great way to put it.

The transportation terminal wasn't as full as he expected it to be, outbound shuttles were rarely used by people of low resources who covered most of the Ethos City demographics. A holomap showing all the available destinations, including Batuu, offered them any sort of information required about the planet itself and the resort.

Mountains, forests, the sunny beachside and even the criminality rates. All the necessary intelligence required to make a good decision, throw in the suggestions of Arekk's friends and you've got yourself two tickets booked to go there right away.

"When has money ever been an issue for me?" He nodded as she inquired about the travel costs, a credit chip already being inserted into the terminal as she finished talking. "Just kick back and chill, Amea. Don't worry about paying a single dime. It's my gift for you."

——————————————————————

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Something about the way money just seemed to seep out of Arekk’s fingers reminded her of someone she once knew. Always had their way with money and always knew that no matter how much they spent there was more waiting there. Arekk was much the same, seemingly getting more and more for doing things that Amea most likely knew better than to ask about. If he wanted to spend that on her as one friend to another she wasn’t exactly going to complain. The part where she complained about not getting her vacation on was by no means a joke. She had burned good money on that cruise trip, and then it was just straight up torn out of her hands first thing that happened.

“You know, most friends just kind of buy each other gift cards or little trinkets.” Her grin thinned out into a small smile. “What I mean is, I do appreciate it. Thank you.”

Their little shuttle arrived and they would both get in. Getting seated allowed them a brief moment to look out at the landscape and part of Amea had to wonder what it was like to actually live in a place like this. She grew up in a rather isolated place, and while she had undoubtedly stayed in places such as Coruscant and Lithios before it was undoubtedly not something she had any lasting experience with. The lights of billboards and advertisements, the constant buzz of traffic as it passed you by. It was amazing and tantalizing, but from the short vacation she had Amea had also managed to find reason. As Arekk already knew she had an aptitude for technology that went beyond what she had ever cared to explain. If he would just know the truth of that, maybe this entire thing would just come undone. No, she couldn’t risk that.

At least not yet.

“There is a strange beauty to a city that never turns the lights off or sleep.” She said and looked back at him. “Nobody ever seems to find rest in places like this. You just keep on feeding on that constant stream of information until your sense simply cannot take it anymore.”

She let out a scoff-like chuckle at that.

“I guess that was the only thing that managed to stay with me during my first vacation. Sometimes you just gotta get away, let go, and move on.” Her frown returned. “Even when it hurts the most.”

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios, The Meissa System
"I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
——————————————————————
[member="Amea Virou"]

"You don't have to mention it. I might have enough laying around but it'll eventually run out, I know that."

Wealthiness doesn't last forever if you don't know how to manage all that cash coming into your accounts, Arekk having left behind the life of wrongdoings and just living off his profits had allowed him to amass enough credits to live comfortably until he dies of old age. More money burned during the day than he wanted to admit but all in all his finances were still up in the greens.

The fallen Jedi knew all along that living on Lithios was not going to be any different to Coruscant except he wouldn't have the burning memory of his family's home destroyed every time he walked through the streets where he grew up in. Ethos City and most importantly the rain seemed to wipe away any kind of issues that seemed to affect him to this day and he appreciated to be here and not there. The buzzing traffic, the show of neon-lights and the many distinctive landmarks and people made Ethos City the place to be.

"It's paradise and hell for some." He said while looking outside the window, seeing how the shuttle was ready to depart for Batuu. "You just have to make the most of it with what you have."

——————————————————————

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

The rain smatter against the shuttle seemed to die out as they reached the appropriate altitude. The booms and bustle of the city almost seemed to die out and only then did Amea find it in herself to lean back into her seat properly. The opposite of a carefree disregard for which tendrils her mind latched onto was to overly worry herself with returning to her old habits. Lithios was a very active and interactive place which made it not just heaven but also hell for someone like her, for someone like the person she wasn’t trying to be.

The ride went on, they shared a few words between one another but with time the climate would seem to change. Rain changed for sunshine, streets for league upon league of water. The mere sight of it was enough for Amea to lean even further back into her seat and let out a sigh of relief.

The shuttle touched down and she reached for the door.

“Let’s see then-” She opened the door and the warmth was most certainly noticeable in its difference. “Oh my. That’s certainly warm.”

She withdrew her hand and ushered Arekk out of it.

“You’re the local here, technically. You should lead the way.” That grin he had seen so many times before seemed to return.