Not So Average Encounter

[Trixter]

Trixter wasn't one to drink. But he always found himself in a bar. He didn't know what drew him to enter them, however when he was there everything seemed slightly clearer. Not that it mattered, his illness would always be a factor in his life and he embraced it with open arms. Some considered that to be a curse, to realize you truly are insane. He thought it was a gift.

Sitting in the corner, where he always sat in bars, he examined and studied everyone. He would occasionally make eye-contact with individuals. They were all sickened by his face and dark demeanor.

He laughed.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Bars weren't an unusual haunt for the Chiss hybrid, as they'd been commonplace in her life for as long as she could remember. In a way they represented some token of familiarity where others were lost. There were always the same drunks that had the same tendencies, no matter the planet or time of day. With that came the same perils that were inevitable to anyone choosing to enter such an area, something she was experienced in dealing with, in ways that were typically less than beneficial to those that had originally thought it a good decision to approach her in an inappropriate manner in the first place. To most she might have appeared harmless, perhaps fragile even, but that was far from the truth. Sayl hadn't survived the streets of Nal Hutta for no reason.

This particular establishment wasn't an exception to any of the above mentioned scenarios, but all it had taken was some creative maneuvering and she'd managed to convince most everyone that it was best she be left alone for the remainder of her time there. It wasn't that she'd necessarily scared them outright, and in fact most times she preferred the more subtle methods of dissuasion. Those were, nine times out of ten, the tactics that seemed to attract people's attention and get the warning across clearly: this was not one to be harassed for any amount of time.

So it was that she sat on a stool at the bar, the perfect vantage that allowed her to observe the people without in turn being watched herself, blending near seamlessly with the crowd. Sure, there were always the curious glances here and there, but that was nothing new. As long as they started and stopped at simple looks, there was no cause to complain. Sage never did give me a good reason for not coming with this time. Usually he jumps at the chance to go somewhere like this. The presence of her twin at her side was almost central to her being, despite the fact that they'd only been reunited a few months ago.

Stifling a quiet sigh borne of nothing more than boredom she leaned back on the bar. There aren't even any good pockets to pick this time.

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

Trixter sat silently observing. His examination was cut short by a sudden glance. He locked eyes with a young lady who was sitting at the counter.

Something strange filled his lungs. He couldn't quite understand it but he liked it. Grabbing his drink he stood and slowly moved over to the empty stool beside her.

Sitting he leaned in just slightly to get her attention. "Why," he drew out, "Hello beautiful."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

OOC: On my phone. Will fix any errors when I get home from work

 

[Sayl Bane]

Despite the fact that she'd both sensed and observed the man cross the bar to sit next to her, Sayl couldn't help but start slightly at his presence that wasn't really all that sudden. That meant there was something else about him, an aura that she hadn't quite picked up on that was raising her hackles on planes other than the physical. It was a feeling she'd often attributed to instinct at a young age but now recognized it to be Force sensitivity. And such a thing had never failed her before. Everything about the stranger told her to tread carefully, from the way he moved to the way he spoke. There was a sense of unbalance that he seemed to emanate.

Her eyes flashed crimson for the briefest second, as they were wont to do when any emotion gained a strong precedent, but still she didn't miss a beat. "Beautiful, huh? That's a new one." Taking her time, she studied the new arrival for a moment. That was one face she wouldn't be soon forgetting. "I think I've heard all the others in the book." A faint, almost teasing smirk. "You must be quite the charmer." It may have been unwise to goad him, especially given the fact that she was perfectly aware of her own uneasiness.

Letting her gaze wander absently about the room for a few seconds, she focused once more on the man. "I get the feeling you don't come here often."

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

Trixter gave a wide and merciless grin along with a small chuckle. "You think I follow the book and it's 'rules'?" he asked with a dark tone. He eyed her for a few moments. He couldn't place his finger as to why he was drawn to her. Yet here he was, talking to her.

He took a small drink and stared at her. He didn't blink or look away. He just stared into her soul with that plain and wide smile. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said with a rich sense of happiness. "I'm Trixter," he chuckled. He bowed slightly to her and returned to staring.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

That was an obvious alias if she'd ever heard one. Granted, it really wasn't anything new, when one considered just where they sat. Given the circumstances Sayl decided it would be in her best interests to introduce herself by a nickname as well, due in part to the off-kilter feelings she still harbored towards him. Those same feelings were only kindled more by the way he watched her, unblinking, reminiscent of some type of predator studying its prey. That was something she would at least pretend to ignore for the moment. This was no time to show just how uneasy she was feeling, not with someone so unpredictable. "Most people call me Sixer."

There was a faint darkness that seemed to roll off of the man in waves, something she attributed to her innate but of yet untrained Force abilities. So this one was a dark sider. It wasn't something that came as too much of a surprise, given how she'd perceived his demeanor without aid of the energy field. And unlike most others that claimed themselves to be Jedi, at least in some loose semblance of the word, she had no issue with those that walked a different path as long as they treated her with much of the same relative indifference.

Now she pondered his statement regarding, as he'd put it, "The book and its 'rules.'" The plain disregard he had for that sort of structure was blatant, but not something she entirely disagreed with. Being one raised without what most people would call common morals, her own code was something along the lines of, 'If I don't get caught, how bad can it be?'. It was refreshing, in some sense of the word, that he seemed to share the same viewpoint.

"I think we can agree there, at least. Rules make everything...boring. The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules."

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

Trixter started laughing as she spoke of rules. He almost couldn't contain it, which got some stares from other people. After several moments he finally calmed himself down. Taking another drink he turned so he was facing her completely.

His eyes examined the young girl, from her feet to her eyes he moved up and down her body with his eyes. He couldn't stop thinking of her comment on rules. He just couldn't stop thinking that someone may actually understand his views on rules. "I have no rules," he informed her. He didn't say anything else. He wanted to see her reaction, to analyze her response.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

A simple shrug. Their conversation was beginning a bit tamer than she'd imagined it to be, after the way he first impromptuly introduced himself and then his behavior afterwards. Past experience had told her their encounter would most likely be short lived, but it seemed that it had failed her in this regard, something she wasn't quite sure how to feel about just yet. His commentary was refreshing, at least, though his values seemed to lie in perhaps a different plane than hers, despite their similarities. There was an intrinsic difference somewhere, she just couldn't quite place it.

"That makes you about the same as half of the galaxy. Everyone here," She gestured to their surroundings, specifically the denizens in various states of intoxication or debauchery, "Thinks the same way, I'd bet. There's nothing easier than getting away with some in a society that thrives in its own lawlessness. Unfortunately the peacekeepers of the universe don't agree." What she failed to mention was that she was, in some way, undergoing training to become a Jedi herself, though it was plain those values weren't sinking in as they were intended to.

His continued almost systematic study of her earned a raised eyebrow. "Something you like?"

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

He couldn't help himself but feel a sense of security when talking to her. He rarely let his guard down however talking to her, for some reason, made him feel like he could in this one instance. Though her comment was incorrect, he wasn't the same as anyone. He would like to think that at least. He knew for a fact he was one of the few who suffered from the Dark Plague Virus and he knew that he was utterly insane.

He loved that though; being insane felt good and freeing. "I'm a one of a kind, like a joker in a deck of cards," he replied happily. He smirked when she questioned if he saw anything he like. He was lying to himself that he didn't have an odd attraction to the young lady.

Though he hated listening to his feelings and hated admitting to them even more. "No," he informed her, "Just trying to figure you out."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

In response to that she held up two fingers. "There's always two jokers in a deck, not just one." Sayl smiled almost lazily. "So either you have yourself an incomplete deck, or there's someone else out there that shares your same belief system. Pick your favorite scenario and run with it." She still carried that same air of nonchalance, though she studied him just as intently in return. If he wasn't going to bother to disguise his curiosity, then nor would she. There was something about him that drew her in yet pushed her away at the same time. A feeling she couldn't coherently grasp just yet.

"There really isn't anything to figure out. I'm not as interesting as you seem to think I am. You, on the other hand..." Trailing off, she tilted her head slightly in some expression of thoughtfulness. "There's an untold story somewhere."

Sure, she wasn't telling the complete truth, as there was a bit more to her own personal tale than she would tell. Whether he was referring to her general behavior or a fragment or two of her past she wasn't sure, but at the moment she wasn't inclined to reveal either to this stranger. Her past was something she never talked about with anyone, the only exception being her twin, and she wasn't about to start making exceptions with someone she had less of a reason to trust than the average galactic citizen.

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

"I do enjoy multiple options," he chuckled. He looked down at his drink, letting her gaze and study him. He could feel her eyes wash over him, as he did to her several moments before. In his mind his maniacal laughter grew louder and louder as she tried to figure him out. He stopped himself from laughing out loud when she correctly guessed he had a untold story.

He turned back to her, again with a wide and cracking grin. He studied her once more but only for a moment. Reaching into his force powers he tried to read her. Like all attempts he made in the past, he couldn't get much. But he did feel something, feel that she was force sensitive like him. After his mind grasped this he did chuckle. This one wasn't like his laughing before. It was dark; sinister. As if he had discovered a dark secret that wasn't meant to be found.

"Well..." he trailed off, "Jedi or Sith?"

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Wasn't that the question. Given her current situation, as she lived in what could be called a temple of sorts, most in her position would have answered 'Jedi' right away and left it at that. Sayl wasn't most people. Unlike many of those that inhabited the galaxy, she was well aware of what distinctions separated the two groups, as well as what stereotypes first came to mind when one thought of either of them. She had every reason to believe that he would disregard those just as much as she did, if not more. Still, it was a question that begged her careful consideration. This wasn't the simple plane of black and white that he, and most others, made it out to be.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. Not having considered the thought beforehand herself, this really was more of a spur of the moment answer on her part. "I guess you'd probably call me a Jedi, but I'm not really all that sure. The only reason I'm training with them is because they were the ones that got to me first. If it'd been the Sith, then that would be my answer." To her, it wasn't about personal dogmas or codes. Regardless of what she was taught, if it didn't line up with her own morality, however skewed it really was, she would ignore it just as completely as if it had never existed in the first place. The same went for any rules that she dubbed inconvenient.

"How about you, then?" It was true she could more or less sense his allegiance already, but she wanted to hear it in his own words.

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

A little bit of hope inside him died upon learning she was Jedi. But then she went on to explain herself and that hope, the hope of gaining a potential ally, was restored. He wasn't phased when she asked the same question. He asked her to reveal information, which she did, so it isn't shocking when she asked him to reveal some fact regarding himself.

He thought, again, on what she said. Something about it intrigued him. Again he found himself examining her. He stopped himself and looked up to meet her eyes. "I'm a freak. I am a outcast. I am... Trixter," he said with a small chuckle and sinister smile.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Once again, not an entirely straightforward answer. It was something Sayl was beginning to expect, the more they continued talking. But if there was one thing she'd learned on Nal Hutta, it was how to get people to tell you what you wanted to know, whether or not the other individual was completely agreed to the idea or not. Something told her that he was at the very least allied with the Sith. The same overconfident or otherwise uncaring aura that often accompanied dark Jedi or rogues wasn't present with him, which only left one option in her eyes. He didn't seem the type to be a freelancer, or unaffiliated.

Reaching up a hand, she brushed a lock of raven hair out of her eyes, biding her time until she had to answer. "That still doesn't answer the question, really. You're a dark sider, so I'd guess Sith first. Care to tell me if I'm right?" She returned his smile with a decidedly more crooked one of her own. "And it's nothing new, being an outcast, at least for me. Tends to happen, when you've lived on the streets for most of your life. The finer points of a civilized society are lost on me." That in and of itself was the reason she wasn't fitting in the greatest with her life as a Jedi, something she was aware of. But she wasn't the type to give up without at least giving something a decent try.

The same went for conversation such as this.

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

He wasn't surprised she was asking if he was Sith, or rather stating it with such a confidence he was almost shocked more at the confidence then the question. Then she went on to reveal she grew up on the streets. He started piecing together her and her motives a bit.

He drank what remained of his drink. "I use them to get what I want, but I'm not loyal to them," he explained. It was true, he carried the title of Sith and was a member of their growing force. However he wasn't loyal, and he only ever joined them to use them in his own ways and for his own goals.

He thought back for a moment, about what she said about there being two jokers in a deck of cards. He looked at her, intrigued again. "Are you the other Joker? Surely you aren't loyal to the Jedi, and to society's standards for good and evil?"

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

This discussion was beginning to become a bit more philosophical than Sayl had imagined, and these were worldviews she hadn't really spent time considering. Life to her was really about living in the moment and doing things the way you wanted, with little concern for much else. A practical way of life, in her eyes, and it had sufficed in keeping her alive for this long, and soon thereafter her brother as well, though they already shared much of the same mindset. These questions were a bit of an exception to her typical train of thought.

"To answer that, you'll have to define good and evil for me first. I'm not really loyal to anyone besides myself and my twin." She wasn't sure how smart it was, mentioning family, but it was bound to come up and some point or another. "And I don't have much patience for what society thinks." Contrary to what he seemed to believe, she wasn't a Republic Jedi. Really, she wasn't sure what kind of Jedi she was. The faction she was studying under called themselves the Ession Reformation, but that didn't tell her anything about how their order of Force users was intended to function. Even her master hadn't revealed much on that front.

"I suppose I could be the other joker. Then again, none of us ever abide by society's standards, really. Nobody's 'normal', whatever that means in the first place." She shrugged, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the bartop. "They can say they are, but people say a lot of things. Anyone can claim to know something, but not believe it. I know a lot of things that I don't believe."

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

Trixter chuckled and leaned slightly towards her. "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you," he stopped trying to find the word. "Stranger," he finished with a laugh. He leaned back to his original position.

He still faced her and couldn't help but still be drawn to her. "There's no difference between good and evil, right and wrong," he explained. He leaned in again to whisper, "Yet you and I are different," he leaned out again.

He took another drink and met her eyes. He stared at her, into her soul. He could tell something wasn't right about this girl. The same wrong that he had, something in her head was loose like his mind was. And he wanted to see if he could prove it by challenging her with words and wisdom. He hoped this would be the first spark of that challenge.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Her lips pursed thoughtfully, and Sayl couldn't help but smile at all that he had to say. Those first ten words he spoke would be something she'd remember for some time. It was a philosophy that she could appreciate while at the same time being wary of it. "Like I said, there are plenty of things I know that I don't believe. There's nothing to say that isn't one of those." Some of what he had to say may have held some small iota of truth for her, but she wouldn't let him know that even if she completely trusted it herself. Her first instinct when it came to anyone was to distrust them and whatever it was they had to say, something she could thank both her father and life on the streets for.

Doing her best to ignore his unwavering stare, she turned her attention to those quiet words he'd whispered, watching him just as closely as he was her. "Being different doesn't have anything to do with good and evil, or right and wrong. It's our own way of thinking that separates us." She spoke slowly, thinking through everything she was saying before speaking, something unusual for her. "I guess I don't know how to put it. It's something that I haven't thought about. We just are. The specifics really don't matter all that much."

[member="Trixter"]

 

[Trixter]

Spoiler

I don't know why but I instantly thought of this during this monologue (6:38): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zyhQjJ5UgY

He gave another low chuckle as she explained that it didn't matter all that much. He again leaned in to her, ready to whisper. "Everything matters. Everything moment is a moment spent moving towards something much larger and darker then us," he explained with a certain flair in his language, his voice growing deeper and darker.

"Yet here me and you are, not following the system and doing something no one else would do," he leaned out and smiled. This time when he smiled he did it to emphasize his scars. It was so wide and had a certain scare to it. He took out his blaster and lifted to her hand and placed it so she was aiming at his head. This scared a few of the pedestrians and even the bartender. His smile disappeared and he looked into her eyes, unfearful and ready to pull the trigger.

"Introduce a little anarchy," he continued, "Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos," he stopped and stared deep into her soul. "I'm an agent of chaos... Oh and you know the thing about chaos?" he asked, waiting just a moment before continuing. "It's fair."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

A small smirk found her lips at what he had to say about no one else partaking in what they were doing. Sayl had a thing or two to say about that. "You haven't met my brother, then. There aren't many things he wouldn't do, believe me." That wasn't far from the truth, if she had to guess, though it was likely he wouldn't have been so quick to make conversation with the man after the way he'd introduced himself as she had. If there was one driving force behind her actions, it was curiosity, and once piqued it wasn't all that easily quelled. At least, not without good reason.

The unexpected handling of a blaster by him caught her off guard, but she did her best not to let it show on her face, though her eyes flashing red for a brief moment revealed the emotions she was otherwise keeping under wraps. Instead of moving her hand away or attempting to shake his grip off she gazed into his eyes steadily in return, smiling faintly. "Playing fair doesn't interest me. That usually ends up letting the other person win, something I'm not all that interested in. I like staying on the right side of the game just a bit more than being fair about things."

Her grip on the blaster became just a bit more confident. "Unless you care to elaborate?"

[member="The Onyx"]