Private On to Triumph or to Judgement Day

[KitKatt]

Kat felt Hawk's thoughts drift towards her and she glanced at him, but his expression was difficult to read. His feelings were not as easy to read as her twins had been, but then that dyad had been strengthen by dark magic, existed for decades, and was a naturally occurring one since birth. Would she always be able to read Hawk this way? Would this connection fade? There were a lot of unanswered questions that lingered in the woman's mind, but she had to place those aside to deal with the matter they were facing.

She handed the witch the helmet that was still wrapped tightly in her cloak. The witch took it and their fingers brushed just for a moment. The witches eyes widened and she tilted her head, staring at Katarine.

"You have a destiny child."

Kat's face darkened. "So I've been told." She did not want to talk about the prophecy of some dark Jedi cult that she did not believe for a moment, no less in front of Hawk Hinata. The very idea that Katarine was some shadow self of an ancient dark goddess was ridiculous to the woman, and it was embarrassing to be associated with such evil in front of one of the greatest Jedi of all time.

The witch seemed to guess what Kat was thinking and smiled in amusement. "So you will be told again. The past is not dead child."

Katarine's deep green eyes widened and her thoughts trailed to Daxium. That nudge she had felt in the Force... back at the lake... hadn't she imagined that?

The witch was impervious to the Jedi's wandering mind, choosing instead to start examining the helmet. A spell was muttered under the woman's breath, so that when she unwrapped the helmet her fingers glowed purple with protection against the helmets pull. The witch twisted the helmet around, examining every inch of it and muttering what sounded almost like whispered song. It was some time before this song stopped and the witch sat the totem down on the table before them.

"This is a binding totem. It makes a connection with whomever it is presented to. The longer it makes contact with that person's skin the deeper the connection will become. Eventually, if this connection is not broken, that person will become possessed with the channeled demon. This possession allows the demon to walk freely in our world, disguised as the soul it feeds upon."

The witch said all this quit factually but Katarine suddenly felt as if reality had warped. How deep did this magic stuff really go? Was it not all hokey religions and ancient superstitions? Or is that what she had forced herself to believe in the naive hopes it would protect her from her past?

"Does it work on whomever touches it?"

"It depends... how far along the possession is. Once a demon is in charge of a soul it is very difficult to separate from that soul. If the possession is far enough along the demon will sense this totem and will come for it. The demon needs this to keep the connection strong. I would advise against handling an item such as this."

"Do we known which demon is being channeled?"

"It would be a lesser demon. Those that serve a master. To bring a truly powerful being into this world from the next would require a great sacrifice of many souls."

Kat glanced at Hawk, wondering if he too was thinking about the putrid lake.


Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

It was as Hawk had feared, if not somewhat worse than he had imagined. The totems allowed the demons in service of Tenebris to possess whoever came into prolonged contact with them, the demons devouring the soul of the person they possessed as they did so.
The sacrifices of the Mandalorian hunting world had accumulated in a huge lake of blood, an offering of such magnitude as to weaken the shackles of the dark god and bring him into the mortal realm of existence. Fortunately for them, the rituals to set him free had not been completed and the temporary dyad between Hawk and Kat had been enough to scupper his emergence. Should a violent uprising occur on Coruscant however, the deaths serving as sacrifices in Tenebris' name than Hawk doubted that they would be able to prevent him rising a second time.

"This is not the first time you have encountered such dark entities?" The witch Mother asked rhetorically, perhaps seeing the look that passed between them.
"I can help you more," she smiled with a gleam in her eyes. "The demon linked to this totem should be simple enough to find with the right spell to track it, but..."

"You want something from us?" Hawk finished her lingering sentence.

The witch clicked her tongue at him reproachfuly, "I may be an exile; a brothel mistress, and an underworlder but the Daughters of Allya never concede to evil Master Jedi...at least not when they aren't young foolish and in love. To track the demon I will need a few things. I will need the would be host...or at least some part of whom you took this totem from. I will need the spike of an armoured rat; the drool of a corridor ghoul; three conduit worms, and a box of fudge from the quaint little shop on the corner of JoKo's Alley...it helps me focus when I cast."

The corner of Hawk's mouth curled into a smile, he quite liked the witch.

"We'll get you what you need." He told her.

 

[KitKatt]

Katarine and Hawk were dismissed with their bizarre shopping list. The daughter lead them back to the second floor and from there they descended the stairs.

“Come back and see us for your next birthday Sir.” The girl at the front desk waved at Hawk and winked at him.

Kat grinned and glanced sideways at him. “You know I think you impressed quit a few women in there. Master Hinata… super Jedi… super ladies man.”

She was still grinning when they stepped into the street and had to blink to adjust their eyes to the different level of light.

“Im guessing our host should be easy enough to find. If he really is being possessed hes likely still hanging around where he was told to go last time. But what the hell is a corridor ghoul? Unless she means ghoul in the metaphorical sense because we could probably go back in there and slap a bib on any one of the men waiting in the lobby.”

Ah sarcasm, her go to defense mechanism for an uncomfortable situation. It probably wasn’t fooling Hawk, given their recent events, but anything to avoid admitting how much this magic stuff freaked her out was worth a shot.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Their meeting with the witch Mother had given Hawk a lot to think about. It wasn't until they hit the foyer that he remembered where they were. It seemed like a lifetime ago now that they had stepped into the brothel not quite knowing what to expect. Since then the weight of a serious threat to the stability of the galaxy had once more settled upon their shoulders.

Kat's cheerful taunting cut through his brooding thoughts and brought a smile to his lips while also going some way to unfurrow his brow. If they kept walking into galactic strife at this rate he'd soon look as old as he should be. Hawk stopped as they stepped into the street, the light picking out highlights in her hair and her eyes sparkling as she blinked to adjust them. Kat continued to talk, but if anyone had asked him in that moment what she had said he would not have known; though he had heard every word and somewhere in his mind he knew it was important.

"While you had eyes to watch those watching me, you missed those focused upon you." He smiled and instinctively reached out his hand towards hers.

The moment his fingers touched her own he realised his mistake. A sensation of intimate closeness washed over him. It was not the same intense overwhelming bond of the dyad, but it was strong and Kat seemed framed by an ethereal glow. Why had he never noticed her in this way before? Even the overbearing rainbow of neon illuminations that lined the district faded next to her.

Hawk's brain began to catch up with the situation and decoded the words Kat had spoken a moment ago.

"Err...Corridor ghouls, they're ummm, they're mutant creatures that live in the bottom fifty levels of the underworld." He said thickly and looked down at their touching fingers as if he would be able to see the connection.

 

[KitKatt]

"While you had eyes to watch those watching me, you missed those focused upon you."

Katarine snorted her disbelief while her eyes were working to adjust to the light outside. Men were predictable, especially those type of men. It was far more impressive to attract the stares of women than men. Women could have their pick, and it wasn't surprising they would pick someone like Hawk. What was surprising however was him reaching for her hand.

She turned her attention away from the neon streets and stared at him curiously. There was a warm feeling washing over her as she watched him staring at their fingers in curiosity. Was he feeling that too or was he contemplating what the witch had said inside? Was he looking for some sign that Katarine was a dark creature sent to rip apart the heavens? Or was he also wondering what this warm sensation meant?

She smiled faintly at him, and felt her cheeks glowing pink with embarrassment. "You going senile on me Hinata? I know you are an old man but we have a job to do."

She gently pulled her fingers away from his and regretted it almost immediately as she was taken with unexpected a desire to embrace him. Grappling with this sudden madness she shook her head, almost like a dog trying to get water out of it's ears.

"Corridor Ghouls, lower levels, right."

She started to lead the way towards the lower levels of the city, hopping she wasn't blushing anymore and wondering vaguely if he could make a corridor ghoul drool as easily as he suddenly seemed able to make her.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

For one glorious moment Hawk stared at Kat as she blazed like a star in front of him, radiating both light and a warmth that filled him...but then it ended as her fingers left his, leaving him with a great sense of loss.
A faint rise of colour in Kat's cheeks hinted that he had not experienced this phenomenon alone. Hawk wanted to reach out and take her hand back; to bring back the light and the warmth, but he stopped himself. If this were some residual effect of their dyad than it would likely eventually fade, and he wouldn't be much of a gentleman if he let this...whatever it was...develop, he couldn't take advantage of Kat in that way.

Hawk placed a hand over his face and groaned as he realised he had been watching Kat walk away with a silly grin on his face, seemingly transfixed by the sway of her hips.

"This is going to be hard," he muttered to himself before setting off after her.

It seemed impossible, and yet the lower levels of Coruscant seemed to get darker and more repulsive the lower they went. The few citizens who lurked here either scurried hurriedly into dwellings that looked as if they had once been temporary lodging for maintainance workers, or peered at the two Jedi with feral glowing eyes from the shadows.
Hawk had never been down so far into the underworld, but he had heard about the mutants who lived down here, and some of those stories involved cannibalism.

A thick wire hummed overhead and sparked, showing them with droplets of fiery rain. The sudden light illuminated a dozen or so figures skulking in the shadows, several of them humanoid but two or three corridor ghouls with them. Were the mutants keeping them as pets?

"That conduit sparking up there likely has worms feeding off it. Do you fancy the climb, or negotiating for some drool with these nice people?"

 

[KitKatt]

To say Katarine had a bad feeling would be the understatement of the century. The lower they went the more on edge she felt. Eventually they were so low and light was so scarce that all they could see was glowing eyes and the few lit signs that existed. Some of these creatures had never seen daylight. There was fear and suffering everywhere down here.

"That conduit sparking up there likely has worms feeding off it. Do you fancy the climb, or negotiating for some drool with these nice people?"

Was running back to the surface, curling up in a blanket and trying to forget this horrible place an option? Somehow she didn't think so.

"I'll talk to our new friends. You can get the worms and fill me in on all the shocking details afterwards."

She smirked at the pun, knowing it was groan worthy, and started slowly towards the group being illuminated in the flashing light. It was weird to see them lit up for a moment, then almost in shadow, then lit up again. Somehow it added to the horror of the situation. The lake of blood had been bad enough, but these ... things.... were straight from a nightmare. They were humanoid, or at lest maybe they once were. They had stingy dirty hair, and loose flaps of skin in odd areas. Their eye sockets were completely overgrown with skin, but the faint movement of eyes behind the skin could be seen throbbing. She felt her stomach go queasy. The ghouls didn't look much better, though less humanoid of course.

"Hi...."

As soon as she spoke they hissed at her and crouched defensively. Things were certainly off to a good start.

She held her hands up, as if to show she wasn't holding any weapon. "I just want some slobber from your companions. I'll pay you."

More hissing followed this and Katarine wondered if they could even speak Basic. She was just wondering what the official language of mutated freak was when the one in front spoke in a raspy voice.

"Why?"

"I am a collector of exotic memorabilia." She smiled at the creatures, but they seemed almost insulted by her witty lie, and her smile faltered. "It's a long story but like I said, I am willing to barter for it."

"Surface money isn't worth much down here. But maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement."

"Such as?"

"What interests us most."

Kat felt a stab of annoyance as the other creatures laughed. The sound was more like a dozen snakes hissing than any laughter she had ever heard, but the meaning was plain. They were toying with her.

"And that is?"

"Your flesh."

Katarine felt the warning in the Force the second the creature spoke. She turned, just in time to see that while they were having this discussion a group had surrounded her. One of the ghouls launched itself on her, and hit her with a massive thud. It was like having a giant dog bare down on you. She landed on her back and threw her arm up to keep the creatures fangs away from her face. It was growling, and drooling, and snarling as it snapped it's jaws trying to get to her. She fished for the small blaster she kept and tried to aim a shot at the dog like creature. The first bolt missed but the second went through it's neck. It whimpered just like an injured beast and collapsed on top of her. She heaved it off of her just in time to see others coming.

So much for the plan.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Hawk grinned at Kat's attempt at humour, it was adorable...Hawk shook his head before his thoughts started down that path again.

"Good luck."

The Jedi's eyes fell over the shadows illuminated intermittently by showers of sparks from the conduit overhead. He could sense a primative intelligence, but also a hunger.
With a last glance at Kat, Hawk leaped up to a nearby ledge and then vaulted from it to an overhanging beam. The beam groaned under Hawk's weight as he hung from it and he paused for a moment to see if it would hold. He looked down to see how Kat was getting on and saw her on the floor grappling with one of the ghouls.

"I see negotiations are going well," he called down to her with a chuckle.

The beam he hung from gave a severe screech of grinding and tearing metal and began to move. Hawk pulled himself up on top of it and kicked out sending himself upward and the beam crashing down to land behind Kat, causing the mutants closing in behind her to scatter.

Hawk landed upon an ancient maintainance walkway. Parts of it had rusted through, but after a few cautious steps Hawk decided that it was stable enough. Edging along the walkway, Hawk began to inspect the conduit. It was infested with the worms as he had hoped, but the ones he found were huge; he had pulled out several meters of one worm before giving up. How was he going to find three that were small enough to carry?

 

[KitKatt]

"I see negotiations are going well,"

"oh...just fine and danddy." Katarine gritted her teeth as she threw the dead animal off of her and got to her feet. A second latter Hawk had assisted with those closing in, and the mutants, now noticing Hawk for the first time, seemed to hesitate. Clearly getting up that high made them wonder if Hawk was a Jedi and if he was a Jedi then Kat surely was too. They didn't seem to want to engage her with this new knowledge.

"Right, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way." Katarine said sarcastically as she put the small ancient blaster back in it's holster. She did this slowly and intentionally so the creatures could see the lightsaber hanging underneath her jacket.

She glared at them for a moment and then stepped over to the ghoul she had shot. It's carcass was smoking slightly and smelled disgusting, but still Kat felt a twinge of regret as she looked at the body. She had not wanted to hurt the creature. It was a senseless loss. She sighed and with a wave of her hand, summoned a discarded can from the plentiful trash littering the streets. She tipped the can towards the dead creatures mouth and with her finger fished out as much drool as she could. It was squelchy and smelled worse than the dead beast did.

When she was finished she raised the can as if in a sarcastic toast to the mutants, and turned to see where Hawk had gotten to.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

The walkway groaned beneath him as he edged further along, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoing through the darkness. Hawk's hands were covered in a foul plasma discharge that covered the worms he had tried to extract and a couple of times his fingers slipped from the conduit causing him to fall. Fortunately the walkway was broad enough to allow for these slips, yet he did not want to test its durability to withstand such impacts too extensively.

Finally, at full stretch Hawk found what he was looking for. A cluster of immature conduit worms was gathered around a central energy relay, each just under half a meter in length. Hawk extracted three of the worms, their natural plasma discharge acting as an insulating gel upon his hands. With a brow furrowed in disgust, Hawk deposited the worms into a pocket within his robes. Then the walkway collapsed in one almighty metallic screech.

Hawk leaped away from the falling walkway and reached out for a nearby ledge, however his hands were still covered in the plasma discharge of the conduit worms and his fingers simply slipped off it. The Jedi tumbled through the air as the ground rushed up to greet him with a sickening swiftness. Hawk twisted his body and flung his hands behind him using the force to push against the ground and slow his descent, but the wind was still knocked from him as he impacted the ground on his back. Stars swam before his eyes for a few moments before he was able to drag a breath into his lungs, and when his vision cleared he was staring up at Kat.

"Next time...the lighter one of us...climbs the centuries old and rusted through walkways." Hawk coughed out among breaths, resisting the playful urge to wipe the conduit worm plasma on Kat's robes.

 

[KitKatt]

Kat had crossed the street at a run towards the place where Hawk fell. For a few moments she feared the worst, but when he opened his eyes he seemed mostly unharmed.

"Next time...the lighter one of us...climbs the centuries old and rusted through walkways.”

“Well we can just put you on a diet then.”

Kat smirked and offered her hand to pull him up. It was still covered in drool but his own hands didnt look much better. Once he was on his feet she rubbed her hands on her pants, trying not to picture how unpleasant laundry was going to be in the future.

“You know since we reunited life has gotten very dirty.”

She cringed as she pulled some drool flecks out of her long brown hair. She wiggled her fingers to get the drool to fall off and then pulled her long hair up into a pony tail so she did not have to think about how dirty it was.

“Let’s go before my new friends decide they want a rematch.”

It was unlikely but Kat was more ready to leave this place than she was willing to admit.


Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Hawk smirked and let Kat help him to his feet. It was such a natural gesture that it wasn't until he was standing that he realised there had been no strange intimate feelings or other effects of their touch. Perhaps the connection between them was finally fading away...or maybe the conduit worm plasma meant they weren't touching skin to skin...another part of his mind chimed in. Either way he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Kat and her friendship were both very important to him, especially now that they were stranded out of their own time together. He would do nothing to jepordise that or take advantage of their connection, but he couldn't help but feel a little empty at the thought of not feeling his heart race at her touch.

"I don't think it's your new friends we need to worry about," Hawk commented as he looked beyond Kat and saw two Mandalorian warriors emerge from the gloom. "It seems some old ones have followed us here."

Another pair jetpacked in behind him making it four visible opponents, but now that Hawk was aware of their presence he could feel more of them in position all around and above him and Kat. There were at least a dozen of them out there, and they felt...wrong...very very wrong in the force.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Hawk murmered almost to himself.

One Mandalorian stepped forward and raised his hand. Hawk felt the air ripple and the force balk at the corruption as a blast of purple energy streaked from his fingertips towards Kat. Without a moment hesitation Hawk leaped in front of her taking the energy blast in the chest and being blasted back into Kat.

"You have to run," Hawk gasped as the purple energy continued to crackle over his body. "Take the worms; get what we need from the man and return to the brothel. I'll find you there." The lie was clear to see on Hawk's pained face.

Hawk reached out and lightly touched Kat's hair, a tingle on his fingertips brought a smile to his face; perhaps it had been the worm plasma after all. Hawk kissed her lightly on the cheek and handed over the worms.

"Go!"

A second blast of purple energy clashed with Hawk's blades and he ignited them both and crossed them in front of him, his feet sliding back upon the floor as he bore the impact. He knew it sounded like he thought Kat was weak and that was why he was sending her away, but that was not true...it was him who was weak and he could not bear the thought of her being taken or killed...he was protecting himself from a fear he didn't know he had until just now.

 

[KitKatt]

Several things happened with such speed they made her head spin. Hawk was thrown into her and before she could do more than worry that he was seriously injured he was instructing her to run. She frowned slightly, her fears confirmed that she would never be the great Jedi he was, and even worse, that he knew it too. Before she could process this terrible realization however he had kissed her cheek and something in the darkest parts of her mind stirred. The presence was weak and pathetically small but there was no denying the deadly growl.

Understanding blossomed in the woman instantly. Whatever Hawk was feeling it was genuine, and it was strong, strong enough to reach her twin wherever or whenever he was. Hawk wasn’t telling her to run because he thought her incapable. He was telling her to run because their connection had stirred up some other genuine emotion and he did not want to see her hurt. That was no reason for a stubborn woman like Kat to run. She would not leave him, though truthfully Hawk would be a lot safer if she left him now, given the monster she now knew was coming for him.

One problem at a time.

She stuffed the worms into her filthy drool covered pockets and stood up straight. A snaphiss announced the two white blades seconds before they caught another bolt of energy. She felt a wave of dizziness as the darkside crackled so close to her but it did not feel normal. It was unnatural and just … wrong.

Katarine reached out with the Force and knocked one of the warriors backwards into his comrades.

“You aren't getting rid of me that easy Hinata.”

She twirled sideways to avoid another blast of energy, and vaguely registered the cuss word that meant one if the surrounding Mandos had been hit. This victory was short lived as her shoulder caught a blaster bolt from one of the mandos on the roof. She screamed and as the muscle convulsed she dropped one of her blades.

Kat swooped down to retrieve her weapon and avoid more blaster shots, and saw that her weapon had fallen through the grates of a sewer entrance. It was lying in a ray of neon light that broke up the otherwise pitch black surroundings.

Realizing they were about to get a lot more filthy she slid her booted toe under the sewer grate and slung it toward the Mando nearest Hawk. It hit his helmet with a clang.

“Down!”

Kat jerked her head toward the now open sewer hatch and hopped both that Hawk understood the plan, and that the Giant Dianoga really was a myth.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Purple energy continued to crackle from the fingers of the Mandalorian warrior and Hawk gritted his teeth as he held fast against it. The demonic energy made Hawk feel nauseous and bile rose in his throat. It felt similar to the power of Tenebris and, though much less powerful, still of an otherworldly strength.

It seemed that the rest of the Mandalorians were happy to sit back and contain them while the four surrounding them had their fun. Hawk was also very aware that Kat had refused to leave him.

"And there you were ready to blame me for all the dirt," Hawk lofted an eyebrow at the open sewer. "I'm not sure what's worse, the accumulated stench of an ecumenopolis or demonically possessed Mandalorians trying to kill us." He half grinned.

It didn't seem that there was much of a choice now however. The Mandalorians seemed to be through toying with their prey, having realised that escape might be on the cards for them, as blaster fire zipped past them from all directions.

"Time to go!"

Hawk dropped through the hole and fell into nothingness. The sewer was much deeper than it appeared from the surface. A moment later however and Hawk's boots hit firm if a little damp ground. The smell was something awful, but it appeared that the sewer line was not actually in use. Hawk deduced that it was likely an overflow pipe, ready to carry waste water away during a storm. He waited a moment more for Kat to join him, and just before something blocked the light above them he could have swore he saw something else watching the scene from high above. The Jedi quickly forgot about whatever it was that watched them, there was enough to concern themselves with as it was.

"Something covered the grate, but I doubt it'll take them long to get through. We can follow this pipe back to the main sewer line where it connects to the underworld levels above. We still need to find our guy with the totem from ealier...and some fudge."

Hawk held his lightsaber aloft to light the way and set off in the direction they had come from, the pipe on a gradual incline as it headed to the upper levels of the underworld.

 

[KitKatt]

Kat's boots hit the hard sewer stone with a splash. She wanted to vomit the moment the smell hit her nostrils, but that might actually make it stink worse so she held it in. Hawk kept his lightsaber lit and they started the trek through the wet pipe. Kat was fiddling with the hole the blaster had left in her shirt. The adrenaline was subsiding and her shoulder was throbbing, and the skin was red and puffy where the bolt had made contact. It didn't look very deep however and she was lucky it wasn't a poison tipped dart. Madalorians loved their darts.

"If we make it out of this alive I am going to a resort that has a spa, and not leaving until I'm the cleanest person in the galaxy."

She followed Hawk through the slightly slopped sewer and kept glancing sideways at him. He seemed normal enough, with no sign of whatever had just happened in his mind on the surface. Had this dyad done more than connect them? Or was this a normal aftermath of something like that? She wondered how much this galaxy knew about Force dyads. Maybe there was a library book she could browse on the subject. The thought made her laugh. Sitting in a library sipping caf seemed heavenly compared to their current den of sludge.

The walk wasn't a long one since they weren't going deep into the sewers. They found a ladder that lead back up through a cover and out onto a grimy street. They climbed the metal foot holds, which didn't look like they would support any weight at all but miraculously held both Jedi. The air was slightly better up here, though Katarine was still keen to get out of the underbelly of Coruscant.

"They are probably working towards every available sewer exit so we shouldn't hang around this one. Do you have any idea where we are, in relation to the man missing his totem?"

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

The vibrant glow of Hawk's blade led them through the dark and rather disgusting sewer. Hawk's stomach churned at the thought of becoming accustomed to the smell; he rather his senses not become used to it and carry on taking only small breaths rather than fill his lungs with the foul stench unwittingly.

The dark energy that the Mandalorians had wielded against them had not left Hawk with any permanant damage as far as he could tell, though his body felt somewhat more soiled than even trudging through a sewer accounted for.

Hawk also knew that Kat was hurt. He could sense her pain at the wound in her shoulder. Everything inside him wanted to reach out to her and use the force to aid her healing, but something stopped him from doing so. As impossible as it seemed there was something that she was keeping from him; something that had managed to stay separate from him even while they were combined as one in their dyad. What troubled him most was not that she kept it from him, but that he had felt whatever it was stir within her when he had kissed her. It was as if someone else had stared at him in that moment with an intense burning malevolence.

Kat's question broke through his thoughts and brought him back to the moment, and the repugnant smell that existed within it.

"The man has been touched by the same darkness as the Mandalorians, but he is not hiding it from us as they are. Extend your senses beyond this sewer; there is a nightclub in the district above. I sense him there." Hawk nodded to a ladder nearby that led up into the gloom.

"I've had no time for a diet, so you should probably go first." Hawk smiled at her despite himself and the brooding thoughts that had concerned him before, he reached across and placed a hand upon her shoulder allowing the warm light of his power to radiate into the wound.

 

[KitKatt]

Just one encounter with her past was enough to bring back all the self doubt and second guessing. When Hawk told her to stretch her feelings she felt foolish. She should have known to do that already, but her past was working its way against her confidence.

When she did extend her feelings the first thing she picked up on was doubt, but oddly not her own. Hawk helped heal her shoulder and she smiled at him weakly. She could see concern, confusion, maybe even suspicion in his eyes, or maybe that was her own feelings reflected back at her.

He must have felt the same thing she had back in the alleyway. Their brief connection had allowed him to sense the darkness in her mind and that fact was a crushing blow that destroyed the last bit of naivety she had been clinging to. Hawk had felt it too. Kat was not imagining it. Somehow over a century after her birth the past was catching up to her.

She wanted to explain things to him, but how did you start a century long story? A better question was when did you start it? The planet was in danger, the galaxy was in danger, and considering the mando were probably still looking for them, they were in danger too. It didn't seem like the best of times for a horror story.

She reached up and took his hand he had placed on her shoulder, trying to think of what to say. Eventually she squeezed his hand gently and held his own eyes with her deep green ones.

“Hawk… trust me okay?”

She would tell him what he had felt stirring in the back of her mind. She had to tell him at this point. If any of the feelings between them lingered, or were anything of substance, then Hawk had to know how dangerous those feelings were. She just needed the right time to approach the subject.

Hopefully he understood what she was asking for. At any rate she retreated back into playful sarcasm, her most favorite of shields.

“I will go first but no fudge for you latter on. Its bad for the waistline.”

She grinned and turned towards the ladder. It wasn’t exactly solid, but nothing in this hive of broken construction materials was. It groaned in protest at the added weight but remained in tact through her climb.

Hawk was correct that their destination was a night club. The pulsing music and neon knights got louder as they approached.

“I doubt he is going to fall for a pick up line twice, but he might remember me. I could spook him out the back and you wait to grab him. Or the Witch did say she needed him or a bit of him… could try to covertly get some hair. What do you think?”

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Hawk smiled and let Kat talk. He knew what she was doing. The Jedi Master had spent decades teaching younglings and Padawans; he had spent decades helping to hone the skills of Jedi Knights from several Jedi Orders; he had sought deep knowledge and understanding of the force alongside some of the greatest Jedi of their time. He had seen it all before.
For all his martial skills and proficiency with both blade and the force, there was one thing above all that set him aside from others. There was a reason that people followed where he led. Hawk could read people and understand who they were in ways that they often kept secret even from themselves. To understand someone in such a way; to be able to see how they ticked; their joys, fears, hopes and ambitions laid bare before him made it easy to gain their trust.
If Hawk had wanted to he could have sought to manipulate those around him; the thought had always terrified him and he was ever vigilent of his own influence. In nightmares he had suffered as a young Jedi Knight he had watched himself manipulate his way to power; the galaxy at his feet. These nightmares had prompted one of his first entries into the Jedi Archives, a concept which was controversial to the Jedi at the time. Hawk had advocated for doubt at a time where Jedi were instructed to act without hesitation in service of the force. He had taught that only through doubt of one's own motives and biases could they be sure that they were following the will of the force and not their own ego.
At the time Hawk was labelled a radical and split away from the Jedi Council with a few other young Knights who shared his views. The Jedi Brotherhood had accepted them, but it seemed destiny had no intention of allowing him to isolate himself on an outer rim desert world. The Brotherhood's leaders betrayed the order killing many before Hawk and his friends had forced them to flee, and suddenly Hawk had found himself in the very situation he had sought to avoid. He was thrust into a position of leadership where he would have influence over others.

With the shake of his head Hawk roused from his thoughts. It would not do to linger on the past. This was not something he has done to her...was it? His thoughts strayed back to the feel of his lips on her skin as he had kissed her. Had he been thinking of her then, or had it just been something he had wanted to do? Even now the thought of kissing her filled his mind, but instead when he pictured it it was their lips that met in a soft lingering kiss. Had he been reading the situation wrong this entire time? Hawk tried to recall the moments of intimacy between them, had Kat felt something too or had he merely projected what he had felt into her mind effectively manipulating her through their dyad?

Her hand was soft in his, but no tingle or wave of warmth filled him. With a huge effort on his part Hawk had erected a barrier in his mind and repulsed it. He didn't know if Kat would feel it, and he hoped she did not feel as empty as he did because of it, but he needed a clear mind. He needed to be able to doubt his actions and the feelings he had towards her, and he could not do that while flooded with pleasant feelings or intimate thoughts every time they touched or got close.

"I do trust you, much more than myself right now," he whispered to himself as Kat climbed up and out of the sewer.

It was great to be back in the fresh air and Hawk took a few very deep breaths making sure to exhale all the new to ensure the last of the sewer air left his lungs.

"I think we look like and smell like we just got out of a sewer and they'll not let us into the front willingly," Hawk chuckled. "We should find an alternative entry point and take only what we need from him; if there's no need to involve and endanger him further than that is what we should aim for."

Hawk nodded down an adjacent street to where a large vehicle had just pulled up to a side door.

"Looks like they're taking out the trash...and so long as we don't end up riding in the back of that thing for some reason we should be able to slip in when they bring it out. It should even mask our smell. "

 

[KitKatt]

Katarine could feel him pulling away from her and it puzzled her. On the one hand it was a very wise thing, and Hawk was a very wise man. The best thing Hawk Hinata could do is get as far away from Kat as space would allow and hope some other sap messed up and directed her personal blood hound in another direction. Perhaps he was wise enough to know that, even if he didn't have the details.

On the other hand she felt panicky. True these feelings werent the young foolish first love feelings she had felt with her husband, but they didn't really seem like the friendly feelings she used to have towards Hawk. She found herself wanting to get to know him deeper and wishing he wouldn't go away. Maybe that was normal. It was a lonely galaxy when you were a century old after all.

Deep down she knew it didn't matter. She wasn’t going to be responsible for the death of another person, and that meant being alone.

I think we look like and smell like we just got out of a sewer and they'll not let us into the front willingly.

“Good point.” Kat had not thought of that, though admittedly she was doing everything within her power to ignore how filthy she was.

…… and so long as we don't end up riding in the back of that thing……

Katarine raised her eyebrow at Hawk. “Do you know what a jinx is?” She smirked and hoped they wouldn't end up in a trash compactor.

They moved silently and carefully until they found themselves in a room off of the establishments kitchen. She could hear the pulsing music beyond the swinging doors, and smell the fried bar delicacies.

Luckily they did not have to go into the kitchen and ruin anybodies meal. Instead a small hallway lead out into the club. All along it were small doors, one of which stood open to show mops, buckets, and janitorial supplies.

Kat picked up one if the janitor smocks and threw it to Hawk. They could pretend to be custodians and possibly slip by security long enough to get to their target.

Hawk Hinata

 

[Hawk Hinata]

Hawk quickly donned the disguise and held the broom awkwardly, caught halfway between a staff fighting grip...and an attempt not to hold it in a staff fighting grip. It wasn't like he'd never held a mop before, but his mind was in such a state of readiness that his muscle memory and instinct took some thought to override.

Peering through a crack in the doorway, Hawk surveyed the club beyond. The music was intrusively loud and a spectrum of lights flickered and pulsed to the rhythm. Scantily dressed women danced on platforms and in cages above the ogling onlookers. Hawk turned his head away as he noted some weren't even as modest as that. As he turned he saw three Mandalorians shove their way past the helpless door staff and stand surveying the club as he did, and behind them at the bar he spotted their gifted orator from before.

"Three Mandos doing a perimeter check of buildings near sewer exits. I don't know how their demon powers work in regards to sensing us, but our guy is right behind them." Hawk relayed what he saw to Kat.

With the wave of his hand Hawk knocked a bottle of alcohol from the back of the bar and sent crashing to the floor. A communicator on the smock buzzed and a frustrated voice bellowed over the sound of the music that they needed a clean up at the bar.

"Looks like we're up. You snag the hair, I'll clean and keep an eye out for our demonic friends."

Hawk opened the door fully and walked into the throng of revellers. A small gap appeared as they parted just enough to give the janitors room to pass, but other than that, and the occasional glare of disdain, paid them no heed. Hawk approached the bar and the bartender began yelling about how long it took him to get there, and that he had a bar to run with only one other member of staff all night and they weren't even paying him overtime. Hawk nodded sympathetically but wasn't really listening. The mop he held swept through the liquid on the floor, but his eyes cast around the room. The three Mandalorians had fanned out, though their search pattern appeared to take an unusually long router near the dancing girls.