Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Safety In Numbers [Sebastian]

Zeltros
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Everyone was so friendly here, much to his horror.

There was a whiff in the air of something heady to the senses, which Vik was unable to place, but he felt good and he felt carefree, against his better judgement. Whatever it was had made him drop his guard, and rather than avoid the passersby he found his eyes lingering over them, they were all pink. Well most of them, there were many strange people walking the streets until the rain came. Thank the Gods for the rain, it always washes the sense clear and the mind refreshed to give rebirth to common sense. Everything is clean, even the grimy windows caked with soot from the transports are shinning once more as if new although the puddles at his feet are black with the muck. It was a nice night, he enjoyed the flashes of the pink and red neons in the murky water as he walked hands in pocket.

Gradually, he heard music growing every louder. It wasn't coming from anywhere in particular, it just seemed to permeate in rain as if rejoicing for the heaven sent life but as he turned the corner, there it was. A street party in full swing, people of every known race dancing in the rain soaked to the skin, and most of their skin was showing. There was that whiff of something again. Pheromones.

Before he could turn away and head back, arms grabbed hold of his, pulling him along with a feminine giggle. She, and it was very obvious of her sex, would not let him go but danced with him in as the water ran down her body, she could have only been sixteen. As much Vik tried to protest he couldn't, the words failed him, she was so beautiful and he looked into the young girls eyes. In an instant his mind jolted with images of her secrets, filing through his mind so quickly it was dazzling, she could have been sixteen but the men and women that she had known physically .. and then blood. She moved closer to him, her body swaying in time with the rhythm until pressed against him. Blood, spilling from her mouth and in her hands the quivering dying beats of a heart.

She had killed so many.

Vik snapped, pushed her back and turned to run, as fast as he could, he did not care were. The further away he got, he slowed as fatigue gripped him until out of breath he leaned over resting his hands on his knees sucking in fresh air. As his breathe began to slow he leaned his back against the nearest wall to rest and only now did he take in his surroundings. A narrower street, nothing extraordinary about it except for a small blue neon flicking in the night. 'Wayfarer'

[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

Sebastian Thel

Guest
S
The warm day dropped to a chill as a layer of rain dampened the city streets. With his briefcase in hand, Sebastian left his appointment for the day and tried to remember the way back to his hotel. Lights reflected the wet surface of the ground beneath his quick feet as he ran to the stop to catch a speeder, which he was certain his client had caused him to miss. Wrapping his hand around the street pole, he watched the speeder car which had been waiting for him take off and disappear into the night.

"Oh karkmothery!" Sebastian cursed as he leaned against the street pole with a sigh. Drops of rain clouded the vision through his glasses and caused the lights flickering around the square to appear blurry. Pulling himself to the side of the street, he removed his glasses and cleaned the frames on his sleeve, before sliding them into his pocket.

Of all the places to be stranded for the evening, Zeltros was the last on Sebastian's list. A client who had employed him for a series of risk analyses had brought him to the wretched world, which had been unexpected to say the least. People with skin of red and pink gallivanted across the evening as they came and went from clubs. Running a hand through his damp hair, Sebastian looked around, somewhat disoriented for a place to dry off and wait until the rain cleared.

"Hey cutie!" A sweet and lively voice called from the doorway of a nightclub as Sebastian walked down the street. "Wanna go somewhere private?" Jolting upright, his shoulders stiffened and his eyes grew wide as he felt the uncomfortable grip of a hand around his arm. He turned his head to see a woman wearing very little clothing gripping his arm and trying to pull him into the club.

"No!" Sebastian cried as he tried to pull himself free. The feeling of the woman's physical touch caused himself to wince in disgust. As she continued to moan, he pushed her aside and ran ahead in a short sprint, almost slipping on the wet duracrete as he passed the brilliant blue sign of the club.

Turning into a narrow street, Sebastian avoided the cooing calls and loud chatter of the city, where he took shelter around a dim corner. Shadows hid the shape of him, distracted only by the garish light of the blue sign. He stopped to catch his breath and looked up to catch the gaze of another man staring, lost and confused at the blue sign. Sebastian's soft brown eyes creased in a concerned expressed as they exchanged a momentary glance.

"Hello, are you alright?" Wet hand still gripping his briefcase, he stood at his full height and cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "This planet does my head in as well." He shrugged and managed a chuckle, then extended a hand for the man to take. "Do you need any help?" Sebastian held out his hand for the man to take if he wished. Although he disliked touching others, he knew it was the kind thing to do.

"Come on, why don't we call a taxi." Sebastian gestured towards the street and offered to help the man find shelter for the night. "Are you hungry?" He asked. The man looked respectable enough and not threatening, which made Sebastian trust him. A cautious glanced watched people as they walked by the corner, waiting for the street to clear so that there was nobody to meet them on their way out.

[member="Vik Fagrrowan"]
 
There was a staccato buzzing from the neon sign, as the rain shorted the energy source and the blue artificial light flickered. There was no one around, nothing in the small street that posed any danger and Vik began to feel a sense of relief wash over him and eventually his breathing returned to normal. But those images, the blood was hard to shake from his mind it was so gruesome, he could not understand how someone could do that, to feast on another persons dying heart and deep down within the feeling of it all he knew that the girl needed it to survive .. what kind of creature was she? There was so little he knew of the wider galaxy, let alone the people within it.

He lurched forward, his stomach heaving as if to expel it's contents and he tasted the bile in his mouth. His stomach was empty nothing in it to abort and the acidic taste burned his dry mouth. His whole body trembled with the unwanted spasm and small beads of sweat formed on his brow. What on Midvinter had cursed him so? why was this his burden to bear?

Vik almost jumped out of his skin when a voice shattered his 'peace'. With alarm he turned to the source of it to find a young man around the same age as himself but regardless, Vik pulled back a few paces weary of the stranger. He would not look into the young man's face for any length of time, just enough to take in his features but avoided his eyes. No more secrets tonight.

The words of the young man welcoming from a voice gentle to the ears and Vik so wanted to trust him, he needed someone to be able to trust and there did not seem to be any feeling of threat from him, something within Vik informed him so. It was a strange thing, like a tiny voice in his mind that would direct him to follow his instincts, he knew of the Frostvatn deep in his homeland and how that worked to give his people the power that they possess, he had it too. Used it as well, but it was not that that had curse him so, the power of the Frostvatn had always been his saviour.

And was one standing in front of him now?

The young man seemed just as perturbed as he by this place, although he seemed to know more of it, experienced life out there perhaps. Vik reached for his hand took it, in a show of good will and friendship and simply nodded his head in approval. "I am hungry", he affirmed, and scared too. He pulled himself together, standing tall before speaking some more. "What is this place?", he asked as he poked his head into the street from which they had both come.
[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

Sebastian Thel

Guest
S
The stranger lowered his head and looked as though he was about to be sick. Beginning to worry, Sebastian reached forward and tried to hold him, before the man swallowed and stood upright. Sebastian realized that his stomach must have been empty, which the man confirmed. As he shivered against the wall, Sebastian could only see himself in this stranger, at least how he used to be and a pang of sympathy weighed on his chest.

"Well let's go and get something to eat." In a mild voice, with very little expression, Sebastian extended a hand and offered to buy dinner for the two of them. "... But would you rather go inside first?" Having struggled with anxiety throughout his teenage years, he had since learned how to recognize stress in other people and the posture of the man told Sebastian that he would rather eat inside.

"Do you have anywhere to spend the night?" Sebastian asked, slightly concerned that the man might be on the streets. He cupped his chin in thought and contemplated the situation. "I have a hotel room, we can go there if you like." He said as he gave the man time to collect himself.

"You don't need to be scared." He said in a calm and reassuring voice while motioning to turn around. "I don't like it here either." Pausing for a moment, he gave the man time to answer, and decide whether he wished to eat in a restaurant or go inside first. "Believe me, I wish I knew." Sebastian said with a chuckle.

"Actually, scratch that." He paused as he stood on the edge of the small street. "I don't wish I knew." With a smile and a small laugh, Sebastian prepared to lead the stranger down the street. "My name is Sebastian Thel, what's yours?" He asked while shifting his eyes in concern. He was only doing what he thought made sense and questioned his ability to offer any real emotional support to this man.

[member="Vik Fagrrowan"]
 
The doors of the Wayfarer opened and voices of people spilling out into the small street cut the peacefulness of the area, the people had been enjoying the delights of the place and now heading to their homes or onward to more partying, but Vik did not care about that, in fact he only slunk back and found safety in the shadows of the wall. The small group did not come their way but walked in a strange way in the opposite direction, much to Vik's relief. "I think I would like to get out of this place", he said taking up the offer of the young man.

He pulled his hood up around his head and covered his pointed ears, and took out his dark glasses putting them on to hide his eyes. "I would like to eat", he added now aware that it had been a long time since he had. Although Vik had enough credits to buy his own food, he would accept the young man's generosity but he would make sure to remember to return the gesture. So now he was at the mercy of this stranger, but deep down Vik knew that there was nothing but a sense of kinship between them, he knew he was alright.

"My name is Vik, Vik Fagrrowan of Midvinter". Vik even attempted a tired smile. "Thank you for your help", he added very grateful for somewhere to go and get away from all this madness.

In the distance the sound of transports traveling the skies between buildings, buzzed and whined, the sound of music and distance voices seemed to be everywhere, the rain had not let up but continued on in a gently fall that soaked through to the skin. As he stepped out into the main street once more, Vik turned in the direction in which he had come, the place in which he had met that strange girl.

"Can we not go that way?", he shuddered at the thought of her. And maybe one day he will understand or learn more of the meaning of all this.
[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

Sebastian Thel

Guest
S
From behind him, Sebastian heard the cries of joyous city-goers leaving a club. He turned his head to watch the crowd of people, both Zeltrons and those of other species, spill into the streets, before looking back around to the other young man, who recoiled back into the shadows. He seemed very aloof in his manner, which reminded Sebastian of himself, making the mathematician even more drawn to help him.

"I think I agree with you." Taking one more look behind him, Sebastian cringed as he watched the people, some reeking of alcohol continue to walk into the street. "Let's go to my hotel then." He said to Vik as he turned back around. "Don't worry, we don't have to go that way." With a smile, he extended a hand forward and gestured to Vik to follow him, then left the alleyway with the other young man following behind. He gripped his briefcase in one hand and lead him into the night.

With Vik beside him, Sebastian walked through the streets of Zeltros and kept a watchful eye over his shoulder for any approaching party-goers. They stopped on the corner of the street and Sebastian raised his hand to hail a speeder taxi, which parked around the street post and opened each door. He watched Vik enter the other side, before slipping in himself and waiting for the cab to take off.

Few words were exchanged between the two men as Sebastian wracked his brain for something to say. While he could try his best to actively help Vik, providing conversation remained a challenge for both of them. The speeder taxi stopped at a hotel on the outskirts of the district and Sebastian stepped outside, with Vik exiting from the other side.

"Just let me put this back in my room." Sebastian said to Vik as they walked through the main entrance. The hotel was comfortable without being overly luxurious, with a nice restaurant and moderately sized rooms. They used the elevator to travel to the floor where Sebastian stayed, before walking to his door, in which he slid the pass key and walked inside. He placed the briefcase on the lounge before walking outside to meet Vik.

One again, they used to elevator to travel to the restaurant floor and walked past a waitress who smiled to Sebastian. "A table for two please." He asked and she lead him to a waiting table beneath a window. He sat down, welcoming the rest and glanced from each side of the room to the other, before stopping to look at Vik for a moment. "Order anything you would like." He offered and picked up his own menu to look at the choices.

[member="Vik Fagrrowan"]
 
He was in no position, no alternative than to follow the young man and after their taxi ride, Vik found himself in a hotel. It was far more pleasant then anything he had had previous experience with. It was clean for a start. But there was people about, one person was far too many for Vik's liking and so he walked in with his hood around his head and eyes cast to the ground. In an attempt to make himself appear more incidental he shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders, the only thing in sight was Sebastian's feet.

The wait outside his room was a chance to give Vik a pause, catch his breath as Sebastian did what he had to do and place his case in safety. Vik did not care what was in the case, had no interest in it's contents. But for once since leaving Midvinter, Vik felt a little safe in the empty corridor. He allowed the sense of relief wash over him, enjoying the solace for the moment until Sebastian returned. He felt comfortable in his company, something that he had not experienced since leaving the wilds of Midvinter in which he would spend his time with the creatures of the forest. They did not ask question, nor did they hold secrets but would come to Vik with open hearts and a sense of trust in him.

Sebastian did not ask questions, at least not yet and he supposed at some point his friend would get curious but there is no one, no living person in this galaxy that did not have secrets and he assumed his friend was filled with them .. just as Vik did himself.

Before long, Vik was lead to the dinner halls he avoided the waitress and let Sebastian deal with her for now. He did not have to look anywhere, although there were people here as well, they were invisible to him. Vik looked toward Sebastian but not directly, "Thank you", he uttered as he picked up the menu on which there was nothing he recognised and the descriptions of the meals did little to help. He pulled his brow inward, non-plused over it all, "I just want a piece of meat", there was even a wry smile on his lips.

Vik placed the menu down, although he was very grateful to Sebastian for helping him, and getting him off that street, there was a burning question playing on Vik's mind. "Why are you helping me?", he asked but there was no suspicion in his words but genuine curiosity.
[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

Sebastian Thel

Guest
S
Looking over his shoulder at every turn, Sebastian noticed Vik become increasingly anxious and wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing him to the restaurant. With a sigh, he followed the waitress to the table and sat down, where Vik mused in a disoriented manner over the many choices on the menu. Sliding a hand into his pocket, Sebastian found his glasses, which he placed over his ears in order to read the menu properly.

"That's no problem." The mathematician said as he smiled, offering a kind look over the top of his glasses. "I'm sure they can make you just a piece of meat if you ask." With a shrug, Sebastian shot one glance to Vik before looking back over the menu. "Or would you like me to ask them?" He offered, assuming that Vik would not feel comfortable asking himself.

A slight pause followed Vik's question, causing Sebsatian to place the menu down and contemplate his answer. "Because like you, I used to be very afraid." Having been dreadfully anxious during his teenage years, he could now recognize stress in somebody else and had been drawn to help Vik. "I know what that's like, so helping you just made sense to me." While he found it truly difficult to answer a somewhat personal question, Sebastian raised his eyebrows in thought and nodded.

"I deal with uncertainty and risk." Sebastian said as he read the menu, trying to decide for himself among the choices. "That's what I do, I solve problems for people." As he spoke, a waitress with brilliant pink skin swanned by the table with a notepad.

"Are you both ready to order?" She asked while twirling a strand of purple hair. Scratching his head, Sebastian looked up at her and set the menu down.

"The soup, please." He answered as he handed her the menu.

[member="Vik Fagrrowan"]
 
He listened with full attention to the young man across from him, Vik was very grateful to him for saving him from the alley way and providing him with a meal, and this Vik would never forget, as is his way. There are many things, many reasons that make someone the way they are. Life experience can do that, change the nature of someone over time, or a thing that is unknown that informs on them and until such a thing is discovered, life remains a mystery or a curse depending on which way someone views their raw deal.

"I would like a piece of red meat, cooked raw and with a side salad of greens please", for all his many faults and problems, Vik knows what he wants when it comes to food. However his head remained lowered as the waitress arrived and took their orders. There was a strong sense of relief after she left, it was not that he did not like people, in fact it was the opposite but with his curse he just could not have them for company unless they are of similar disposition and from what he could tell, Sebastian was.

He pushed his knife and folk forward before allowing himself to gaze up and center is look upon Sebastian's nose. "Firstly, thank you", he said with genuine words, "and there is something I need to tell you. I have this .. problem. I can't, I can't look people in the eye for when I do I see into their very souls and what happens is that I, I see their secrets. And that could be anything from the smallest one to the larger". He did not dare looking into Sebastian's eyes to seek if he believed him or not, thought him mad or whatever.

"I can't control it and it is the reason I seek to be alone". He pulled out his sun glasses, "It is why I wear these, even at night, although they do not prevent the images they do help me shield where I look and not make people too uncomfortable in my presence". Vik would give anything to have some means of controlling his gift.


[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

Sebastian Thel

Guest
S
When Vik ordered his meal, Sebastian sat upright and removed his glasses, which he slid into his pocket. He fiddled awkwardly with his fork as he struggled to think of a response, all the while listening intently to Vik as he explained his situation. Like Vik, he failed to directly make eye contact and stared into the wall, even though he was listening to every detail.

"This problem..." The engineer began, already formulating a solution to the problem in his head. He spoke quietly, unable to properly lift his voice while trying all the same to come across as gentle. "Is it caused by the Force?" Creasing his eyebrow in curiosity, he scratched his head as the waitress soon arrived.

The Zeltron woman shot Sebastian a wink as she set a plate baring a slice of red meat and a salad on Vik's place. She balanced the bowl of soup with one hand as she set it down before Sebastian, who nodded back with a smile, muttering the words "thank you" in the process. There was a moment of pause between them as the two young men took a moment to savor their meals. Dipping a spoon into the broth, Bas sipped it lightly, the hot soup burning his tongue. He set his spoon in the bowl and waited for the soup to cool.

"Whatever the cause is, I could design an implant which blocks the unwanted ability and stops you from reading people's secrets." Speaking more confidently this time, Sebastian procured his notebook and immediately began jotting down figures. He gasped when he forgot his glasses, which he pulled out of his pocket and placed over his ears. "I build things like that." He said as he turned away from the wall to face Vik, his focus quite intent.

"It would go on the side of your head and wouldn't hurt at all, but I'd need to know more about this ability you have before I determine any possible side effects." Pausing for a moment to roll his head to one side, he postulated functions and rates of change, while awaiting a more detailed explanation from Vik. "It could be removed whenever you liked." Sebastian said in a reassuring tone while he took a further sip of his soup.

[member="Vik Fagrrowan"]
 
There was that word again, Force. However, Vik had come to realise what that meant, it was the same source of energy that he knew only as the power from the Frostvatn, he did not understand it as such, it was something that had always been there, not just for him but all his people in Averlorn. He knew how to use it, that skill was growing daily but was it this that had giving him this ability? No, that was from a place far different and almost impossible to explain, especially to someone that did not know of the Gods of Midvinter.

"No", was all Vik had opportunity to say, and even then it was said with a degree of uncertainty. He leaned back in his chair as the waitress placed the food in front of them both, and Vik could not help but grin as she flirted with his new friend but apart from a polite gesture for Sebastian, there was little sense of emotion behind it, the waitress was quite pretty, Vik had noticed that much. However, after she had left them, Vik began to eat listening to Sebastian speak of the possibilities of assisting Vik rid himself of this thing. He did not really understand Sebastian subject matters like implants and side effects are not known to him, he was still coming to terms with the machinations of the wider galaxy in the broader context.

But he did his best to explain once the pretty girl had left them, "At least I don't think so .. I . I can feel when something, my abilities is pulled from the force .. this is different", it was hard to explain something you have little knowledge, but the idea of having something to control it, gave Vik a little hope that one day he could turn it on or off. It is strange how when presented with a solution to a problem, a personal one, there is a sense of fear of letting it go, even if you hate it. It was an odd clash of emotional baggage that he found himself pondering.

It was all he had ever known after all, what would he be without it? Who would he be without it? Vik's brows creased as he thought upon his and chewed his food absently.

[member="Sebastian Thel"]
 

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