Private Sorry to Bug You

[Melydia Gold]

D X U N​

The forests of Dxun were a ripe playground of life if one only looked hard enough, if hard enough meant not hard at all. From beasties to buggos and various things in between, the creature called Melydia was all too pleased to flit about from one cave or tree to the other, collecting new creatures for her small collection. Friends, she'd called them each as she added each one to her bag and doodled them in a journal. Other, bigger friends that didn't lend well to carrying around were simply doodled and asked bribed to follow along. In the couple days she'd been on the system, Gold had amassed a wonderful grouping of creatures.

And then the tinkering began.

You see, some friends were broken. And that just wouldn't do. So Melydia set about making them better, be it introducing them to other broken friends, adding some other sort of organic material, or simply just encouraging the healing process to take hold. Sometimes it did just that. Other times, some...unexpected side effects occurred. Regardless, Melydia was intent on making the friends better, and making new ones in the process.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

The ever-shifting paths of the Nether bordered realspace in places and stranger things yet in others; the populous worlds of the galaxy weighed heavy on its tapestry, the constant flow of life and death serving as a ready conduit for his kind, but there were other places that were just as accessible. Korriban, Tython and the like, for obvious places, but also places like this.

Dxun. Vibrant, deadly, bursting with life and crawling with death.

Drifting cheerfully through the foliage, unseen by the world's many ferocious predators, Kal was alternating between following a shifting path through the jungle and stopping to examine flora and fauna alike. Slowly but surely he caught up to the presence he stalked until there it was.

A woman, one who wielded the Force like he did, surrounded by creatures great and small, many of them altered in some way or another. Chimaeras and hybrids and limbs reshaped in her image, how lovely. Curious, he drifted closer, not making much effort to hide beyond his natural subtlety.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

Large, amber eyes were focused in their craft with hyperfixation. She was seated among the forest foliage, coaxing another of her small friends awake after a merging with another, less lively friend. Left alone they both would've died - maybe, Melydia assumed as such at least. But together, they'd learn to thrive. Or they should, anyway, if everything went well. She couldn't guarantee their survival, not yet.

Something caught her attention, a flicker in the corner of her eye. She turned, the thing wings protruding from her back flickering for just a moment as she did so, as if brushing away foliage that threatened them with the slight movement. That's when she saw them, an entity encased in shadow, just barely visible among the shadows cast by the surrounding trees but their presence was nevertheless unmistakable in the force.

She smiled. She liked new friends.

"Hi there," she called out with a voice of multitudes, as if she herself were a small hive of individuals. "What's your name, shadow friend? Or can I just call you that?"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Watching the woman work was quite fascinating, the application of her will bringing life where there was none, or rewriting beings she saw as flawed in some way; some of her improvements would be an advantage to the creature in question, he was sure, but others seemed less ideal.

All captivated his interest, however, so much so that he seemed to have slipped into the visual spectrum.

After a moment's hesitation he returned her smile, the shadowy matter where his mouth seemed to be twisting into a tentative smile. <I think of myself as Kal, you may use that.> Mouth remaining unused, he opted for telepathy; shifting air to produce sound was quite the chore, for his kind. <What is your name... friend?> Seeming somewhat hesitant, it was clear that Kal was a bit unused to such friendliness.

It was not that long since Noelle Varanin had summoned him and shoved him into a Soulstone, after all.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She gave a slight shudder as she heard the voice telepathically. It wasn't painful, no, just unexpected. The next moment she was fine, picking up the small creature she'd just awoken and gently petting its head. The creature squirmed at first, for fear it would be altered once more, before realizing that no pain would come to it this time and simply accepting its fate.

Her smile widened when the shadowy friend, Kal, did respond, however. Many friends could not talk or chose not to. Which was also fine, just meant for a very quiet time. All friends were lovely, surely, but a loud friend was always appreciated.

"We-er I am called Melydia." The I's and we's were often used interchangeably, so much so that the creature had to remind herself of the proper usage every so often. "We've been called other things before, though. Gold, Lord Shaper, Hollyhock...You can call us any of those, though, Kal friend."

"Are you broken?" She asked a moment later, head tilted to the side with a wide look of concern.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

We or I, what an unusual thing to be confused about. Uttered in her multifaceted tone, it made him wonder - a slip of the tongue or something more? Perhaps her origins lay in the arcane, as his did, or perhaps she was many in one or one in many. He had heard of such beings, but not met them.

<Not as far as I am aware.> A sense of self-contentment accompanying the desire for growth accompanying the message, he drifted closer, ivory orbs following the motions of her creatures. <Thank you for your concern, Melydia friend; do you often fix broken things?>

The beings surrounding them certainly gave that impression - an additional appendage there, two-made-one here. Interested as he was in the myriad forms of life, it intrigued him - he had seen many a product of Alchemy and related practices in person. Resided within some, conversed with others, a select few had even tried to eat him, despite his incorporeal nature.

He did not like those very much, but the rest were nice.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"That's good. Being broken is no fun at all." She nodded sagely at that, wings fluttering behind her as she adjusted her posture again, relaxing and turning to face Kal more now that she was certain he wasn't going to attack her. He did call her a friend, too, after all. Friends don't attack other friends.

The nod turned more enthusiastic with his question. "Oh yes, we fix a lot of things." She gestured to several creatures in turn. "We fixed that friend's leg. Those two would've eaten each other but we decided they'd be better off as friends, so we merged them and now they'll never be lonely again." A hand drifted back to the forest floor, focusing on a small patch of flora, accelerating the growing process until a spiney, multicolored flower poked out from its bud.

"Being broken is no fun, just as being lonely is no fun either. So we fix."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

She was odd, this one, but not in a bad way - and then, so was he.

Shadowy form solidifying somewhat, he bobbed his head at her explanation, seemingly considering it quite sensible. Never once did it occur to him that some would consider such acts a violation of the natural order, a crime against the will of the Force. <How very nice of you!> Telepathic voice sincere, he extended a single shadowy appendage towards the flower, grazing it as if to examine what she had done.

<I have tried to fix things too, but I need more practice. Life is very complex.> Concentration evident in the way his eyes glowed a brighter white, the flower slowly grew a few additional bone-white petals, leeching nutrition from the soil in the process. <Like that... but I don't think they do much.>

Ideally, he would like to create things of his own too, but that would take a great deal of practice.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

For not even a moment, part of Melydia was half tempted to shield the flower, for fear that her shadow friend would hurt it. But the thought was gone about as quickly, if not quicker, than it formed and she was content to watch another take interest in the life around her. Excited, even. Others she'd met were all caught up in their duracrete necropolis, or only interested in what destruction she and her friends could incur. Those people, Melydia had decided, were not friends. Just acquaintances who'd get angry if she tried fixing them.

"Well, there's a lot here to practice with!" Her free hand gestured to the forest life all around them, eyes shifting to watch Kal's work on the flower with enthusiasm. "It's only complex when you think of it as such. Well, that's a lie, it's very complex. But if you just focus on the small bits," she reached out towards another plant, willing small spikes to sprout from its stem, "The rest comes in time."

She smiled up at the shadow friend. "That's a good start!"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

A lot to practice with indeed - was she a native, or was that why she'd come here? Drawn in by the very overabundance of vitality that had shone bright enough to be visible even on the Paths he walked? He was leaning towards the latter, there did not seem to be much civilisation on this lovely world, for whatever reason. Perhaps most people were worried about being eaten.

<That makes sense; if the little things work, their sum should too.> Eying the flower again, he considered the prospect. Flowers wanted to grow but did not want to get eaten or squashed before spreading. He did not think they had much more complex needs than that.

Reaching out for the flower once more, he spent a while tinkering with the petals he'd grown, feeling a sense of satisfaction as they visibly grew heavier, little bulges appearing on their bottom. <Little seed containers! So that it can spread if it's unfortunate enough to get eaten.>

Shadowy features twisting into a frown, he tilted its head. <It's only a surface change, though, not to the source, so it will only work for this one.>

Perhaps that was for the best, it probably wouldn't be good for the jungle if there were little pretty flowers everywhere.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

An enthusiastic nod followed him. "And if it doesn't work, we'll fix them again." It was a simple mentality, free of the intricacies of existence and other big words people threw around. No need to assign any morals or other things to it, just simple problem-solving. Speaking of fixing, she picked up another of the small creatures at her side, turning her attention to assessing the being with a curious gaze. "Oh, we're going to need to get you something extra, won't we? Don't worry, friend, we'll fix you right up."

Her attention shifted back to Kal at his exclamation. "That's great! And then it can spread everywhere and you'll have even more friends! Even the eater can become one, if the seeds take in their stomach."

Her head cocked to the side, lost in a thought. Such was the nature of many of these creations, very one and done so to speak. Sometimes, Melydia had to wonder if that would be her fate, too. Which wouldn't be bad, maybe, so long as she wasn't lonely when she went. That wouldn't be fun at all. "It's a start though. And if it goes well, you can always make more!"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

It was a simple approach but, he supposed, an effective one. If it's broken, fix it, and if that doesn't work just keep trying to fix it. There was quite a bit of room for mistake when dealing with complex mechanisms, however - an erroneous alteration could easily kill a beast, err, large friend.

<Very true, no point spending time and effort making an improvement inheritable only for it to prove ineffective.>

Turning away from their flower, for now, he directed his attention at the newest recipient of her help - a small avian, of sorts, but with stunted wings not able to bear its weight. It was colourful, and pretty, and quite unable to survive long in its current state. An interesting conundrum, and not one he was yet capable of answering with any confidence. <This one was broken from birth, I think.>

Flitting around, the pale light of his eyes deepened as he examined the subject of sorts. <I do not think it is as simple as restoring the function?>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

"Yes, yes, and if we fixed everything right away, we wouldn't have anything to do later."

Melydia stared down at the avian creature with wide eyes. It was familiar, not in the sense that Melydia had worked with it before, but its plight bore a little too much resemblance to someone she knew a little too well. Watching it struggle, with all of its colors brought her back to a time, not too long ago, when she herself was a mess of broken genes and flesh, barely able to move and certainly not able to function without assistance.

It was a kindred soul of sorts, even if the bird itself wasn't aware of it.

"I can fix it," she declared through clenched teeth as the usually chipper voice lowered with a new gravity. She poured over the creature, willing her own essence into the being, trying to will it to grow, to morph, anything. "I can fix it," she repeated, maybe more to herself than anyone.

"I need to fix it."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

It seemed the avian had awoken a spark of determination as of yet unseen in his new friend, her usual whimsy replaced by certainty of purpose. It was almost as if it represented more than itself, to the winged woman. A stand-in for her own struggles, perhaps, or a resemblance to a childhood pet. He really did not know enough about her to be sure just yet.

Leaning closer as its very flesh began to writhe, a single shadowy tendril was extended as the creature let loose a pained chirp - reaching out for its ever so simple mind, he coaxed it into a restive state, blocking out the pain and the fear for the sweet embrace of apathetic bliss.

<Its little heart beats very quickly, I think, perhaps it needs improvement too?>

He did not wish for his new friend to be distraught by the unexpected death of the avian, that would not do at all.

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She kept focussing on the avian friend, willing it to be well, to improve, to survive. Her fingers shook slightly with the amount of concentration and force she was putting into the project. It hurt, too, a couple of the spikes that protruded from her face starting to almost wilt from the strain. But she couldn't stop, not now. Not when the creature needed her.

She nearly broke when the avian friend gave a pained chirp, stopped only when the shadowy tendril reached out and seemed to comfort the bird. A blessing, for sure, as much as she wanted to make the creature better, knowing it was in pain didn't help the process.

"I haven't worked with the heart before," she admitted, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. It was one of the few things she didn't mess with, for fear of ruining a friend. But for bird friend, she didn't seem to have a choice. "C'mon little buddy, you can do it."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

As she worked her art to restore (no, improve) the avian creature, the strain began to show. It was to some degree to be expected, though the intensity she displayed throwing herself at the task concerned him a bit. Kal had only just met her, but he already quite liked her - he did not wish to see her saddened by anything happening to her new bird-thing, but her harming herself in the attempt to help it would be even worse.

Still, he had to trust she knew what she was doing; she was the expert, not him.

A sense of agreement radiating from him, he bobbed his head. <Hearts are difficult. Very connected. Is it possible to form a secondary, at least for the moment?> He had heard of creatures with two, so why not this one - enough to keep it alive if something went wrong, perhaps?

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

She wanted this to work. More than anything (ignore the fact that she'd make that argument in nearly any momentary situation). It was an odd situation, assigning so much meaning to one little creature. Nevertheless, Melydia looked at this broken, colorful creature and only saw herself. Or what was herself, once. A vision of self she had never wanted to return to.

For a moment, she didn't know if she could do it.

Her brow furrowed at Kal's suggestion. It could work, maybe. "Maybe, if I..." her focus shifted, trying to create where there was nothing. And she succeeded in creating something. Oh something was being created, indeed, though perhaps a bit too much. "I can fix it," she repeated, sure of herself now. The being's wings grew to a more normal size, beginning to spike. Her eyes widened, surely she'd done it!

What she hadn't realized was that the avian friend went limp in the process.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Watching her work was a fascinating experience, especially from the front-seat afforded him by extending his presence so that it encompassed the little avian. For a moment he was as excited as her, watching the creature grow, his heart idea sort of paying off, and then... oh no.

<It's taking too much space.> A simple statement, though one with heavy implications - worried about the heart as they'd been, the organs around it hadn't been given the attention they required, and now suffered from it. DIsplaced, pushed to the limit, maybe if they...

Even as Melydia celebrated her momentary success, Kal paused, a tinge of sympathy accompanying his telepathy.

<I don't think it's working anymore, and I don't think it's fixable.>

Melydia Gold​

 

[Melydia Gold]

That was the problem with organs. All so intricate, so interconnected. To focus on one would mean to focus on all the others, something far more complicated than just the cosmetic changes that Melydia spent so much time with. And for a moment, she really did think she was making headway.

"No," it came out more as a whisper. Her fingers wrapped around the small body, trying to will life back into it, anything. Her eyes stung with a liquid, one she didn't quite have a name for. This wasn't the first time a project had gone still. No, that was part of the process. Yet, usually when they did, she was ready to move on to something else. This time, however...

"Nothing's unfixable, not really. They-they just need a little more."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Despite the little thing going still, she would not give up, though her efforts seemed less like the meticulous work from before and more like the flailing of someone desperate to make things better. As in the Force as elsewhere, such was rarely met with ideal results.

Trying to project comforting thoughts alongside his words, Kal very much wanted to make her feel better, but also to not give any false hope.

<There are ways of restoring the dead to life, but not this time. Too complicated. I could make the body move, but it would just be a puppet.>

He did not think Necromancy was the path she wanted to walk; she was full of life, surrounded by it, while that strange art leaned firmly in the other direction. There were ties between life and death, a great big circle, but Necromancy was the subversion thereof. Not necessarily evil, he was not as dogmatic as the Jedi, but hardly an easy path to the restoration of proper life. Simulacrums were more its domain.

Melydia Gold​