Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael slipped into the booth across from her, stretching like the seat had been waiting. "Relax. If this place wanted us dead, we'd already be charming the wrong person."
Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos
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Private Sand, Static, and the Shape of Secrets
- Thread starter Kaelon Virex
- Start date
Character
"That's not comforting," Blair replied, though her mouth twitched. She ordered something clear and suspicious
Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael ordered something darker and more honest.
The holo-flicker above the bar stuttered to life mid-sentence, light bleeding into form. A reporter's face, sunburned and triumphant, hovered just above the crowd.
"…confirmed excavation site approximately twenty klicks south of Mos Espa," the hologram crackled. "Independent crews believe the dig may predate recorded settlement. Locals warn against interference, citing old tomb markers and—"
Kael leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes sharp now. "Pause it."
The holo-flicker above the bar stuttered to life mid-sentence, light bleeding into form. A reporter's face, sunburned and triumphant, hovered just above the crowd.
"…confirmed excavation site approximately twenty klicks south of Mos Espa," the hologram crackled. "Independent crews believe the dig may predate recorded settlement. Locals warn against interference, citing old tomb markers and—"
Kael leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes sharp now. "Pause it."
Character
Blair frowned. "I don't control the cantina feed."
Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael didn't answer. He simply stood, murmured something low to the bartender, and slid a credit chit across the counter. The holo froze mid-blink.
Character
Blair stared at him. "You just bribed public broadcasting."
Kaelon Virex
Character
"Sponsored curiosity," Kael corrected, eyes never leaving the image. "Look at the angle of the dig. The stonework isn't moisture-era. It's older. Intentional."
Character
Blair crossed her arms, leaning back. "Or it's a collapsed outpost and someone wants clicks. Excavation sites don't automatically mean tombs."
Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael tapped the table, projecting a quick schematic from his bracelet. Faint lines ghosted into the air. "That ridge south of town. It lines up with old burial routes. Tatooine had cultures before it had names. People buried what they feared and what they worshipped in the same places."
Character
Blair's jaw tightened. "Kael. We're journalists and consultants, not grave robbers."
Kaelon Virex
Character
"Explorers," he said lightly, then softened when he saw the edge in her eyes. "And careful ones. I'm not talking about stealing. I'm talking about understanding why L.T.I. suddenly cares about mineral rights near a dead zone everyone avoids."
Character
She looked back at the frozen hologram, the reporter's confidence caught mid-frame. "You think there's an artifact."
Kaelon Virex
Character
"I think there's something old enough to scare corporations into sending polite invitations instead of armed teams."
Character
"That's not reassuring," Blair said, fingers worrying the rim of her glass. "Tombs mean history. Belief systems. People who don't want outsiders poking around."
Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael studied her then, the way her apprehension wasn't fear but respect. She cared about the story, about the lines you didn't cross even when the headline begged for it. It made him pause in a way few things did.
"You don't have to come," he said. "I can scout. Quiet. No disturbance."
"You don't have to come," he said. "I can scout. Quiet. No disturbance."
Character
Her eyes snapped back to him. "Absolutely not. If you go, I go. I just won't pretend this is romantic."
Kaelon Virex
Character
"Sand and ancient death," Kael grinned. "My best look."
Character
She rolled her eyes, but a smile betrayed her. "If we do this, we document everything. No touching. No removing. And the second it feels wrong, we leave."
Kaelon Virex
Character
Kael lifted his glass in a small salute. "Agreed."
The holo resumed, the reporter's voice spilling back into the cantina like nothing had happened. Around them, laughter rose, dice clattered, life went on. Outside, the suns slid lower, painting the desert in warning colors.
The holo resumed, the reporter's voice spilling back into the cantina like nothing had happened. Around them, laughter rose, dice clattered, life went on. Outside, the suns slid lower, painting the desert in warning colors.
Character
Blair stood first, already all business. "We go at first light. In and out."
Later that night
The motel squatted across from the cantina like it had learned long ago not to promise comfort. One story. Flickering sign. Doors that opened straight to the outside world, daring the desert to wander in. Blair booked the room under her name without comment, fingers moving fast, efficient, already halfway into tomorrow.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of cleanser and old heat. A single window framed the street like a tired eye. Blair dropped her bag, rolled her shoulders once, and pointed toward the fresher corner of the room. "I'm showering."
Later that night
The motel squatted across from the cantina like it had learned long ago not to promise comfort. One story. Flickering sign. Doors that opened straight to the outside world, daring the desert to wander in. Blair booked the room under her name without comment, fingers moving fast, efficient, already halfway into tomorrow.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of cleanser and old heat. A single window framed the street like a tired eye. Blair dropped her bag, rolled her shoulders once, and pointed toward the fresher corner of the room. "I'm showering."