Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The Bonds of Catastrophe

A tense moment passed as Irajah said nothing. Ghorua feared for the worst. The Shark's whole body burned, a reminder how much this ordeal had taken from him, how much it may take from him, including a new friend. But as her breaths became stronger, Ghorua allowed himself to breathe as well.

Then her eyes opened. More than a welcome sight.

Ghorua couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed as if he were alone, as if he hadn't a care in the world. As if they weren't fighting for their lives. His deep guffaws shook the room, probably not helping the doctor's headache. He was simply happy to be alive, happy that Irajah was still alive, happy.

Maybe he had inhaled too much gas. To be honest, he was feeling quite light-headed.

"I suppose I didn't, did I?" Another fit of giggles. The giant Herglic sunk to the floor, and leaned against one of the walls, supporting his frame. His face grew more serious, but his eyes had brightened slightly. "We should rest a few minutes, but then, we really should keep moving. Who's to say if this gas is going to spread any further?"

Ghorua let his eyes trail over Irajah's face, gauging her state. "How're you feeling? Anything I can do to help?"

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Squinting up at him, she winced slightly.

"Talk a little softer?"

It was good to hear him laugh. She recognized the feeling behind the sound. The sheer, unadulterated relief of having cheated death- no, not only cheated it, but taken something back from it.

She didn't argue with his assessment that they had to keep moving, but she also didn't argue with the rest a few minutes part. She wasn't going anywhere for the moment. Dizzy, nauseated- her vision was coming back slowly, but with each breath of cleaner air she felt progressively better.

Better, sometimes, was a relative term.

Eventually, after a longer silence than he'd experienced from her so far-

"I think I'm ready to try to sit up, but, if I fall back over, make sure my head doesn't hit the ground any harder than necessary?"

She didn't fall again, but she got up slowly, in stages, giving herself time between each movement to make sure her head was clear enough. Halfway there, she glanced over.

"Thank you."

After all, now he'd saved her life.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]
 
"Sorry."

Ghorua sat in the hallway patiently, letting Irajah rest and recuperate. The encounter had been too close, and somehow even scarier than facing down the Sith. Battle, he knew. Sith, he knew. A chamber filled with leaking gas?

A little out of his comfort zone.

Ghorua smiled encouragingly as the woman slowly stood up in stages, testing her strength. He got up as well, using the wall to propel him to his feet. He swayed a little, but stood proud, his head just barely scraping the ceiling. He laughed slightly when Irajah thanked him, walking over slowly, and placing a hand lightly on her shoulder, careful not to crush her with the appendage.

"I suppose that makes us even. You saved me from a crazy madman, and I carried you down a hallway." The Herglic chuckled again, remembering to soften his words. He gestured to Irajah, beckoning her forward. "Let's get going. I'd rather not stay in one place for too long."

Ghorua walked down the hall, keeping a hand on the right wall. His left shoulder had begun to burn again after carrying Irajah all that way, but he'd live. His limp was still there, but barely noticeable. A new determination had entered his step. He didn't want to die, and he didn't want Irajah to die. His only option left was for both of them to survive, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

They walked down together, Ghorua having to slow down for Irajah. They walked for a while, but Ghorua had lost all sense of time. They had both been through quite a bit, and it showed in their pace.

But eventually, eventually, there was hope.

Ghorua's hand hit a divet in the wall. He paused on it, glancing sideways at what it might be. He was greeted by a panel, small against his fist. A sliding door, too small for his girth.

Ghorua's voice was hopeful, but tinged with... something. Sadness?

"Service elevator."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Irajah leaned against him for a moment.

"Fair's fair," she said with a slight smile before standing up all the way.

She knew she was slowing him down as they continued their trek. Honestly, if it had just been her, she might not have been able to get moving again at all. She liked to think she would have- never give up, right? But she was just so tired. Logically, she was aware that it was probably some lingering effect of the gas. But all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep. The thirst, the pain, all seemed distant, separated by a heavy, comfortable veil of beckoning repose. But she kept moving, one foot in front of the other.

Because [member="Ghorua the Shark"] kept moving.

A thrill of excitement moved through her though when he found the service lift. She shook her head, trying to clear some of the dust that seemed settled heavily in her mind. At first, she didn't notice his tone, and stepped up with a tired eagerness. After all, this was what they had been searching for! A way out! The light indicating the lift was working flashed.

"Finally, we can-"

She frowned slowly, only realizing as she stepped up to the door way-

Ghorua wouldn't fit.

Slowly, she started shaking her head.

"No. NO. I'm not going to leave you here," she murmured, looking up at him. "This can't be the only way down. There has to be another one." There was an edge of desperation in her voice. Was she certain of that? Or was she trying to convince herself of that? "There's got to be another way."

​With the after effects of the gas, she was having a hard time getting her mind to work properly. There was a solution here, surely. But everything beyond 'leave him' and 'keep going' was still lost in a haze.
 
Ghorua stepped back from the lift as Irajah went up to inspect it, waiting with bated breath for when she inevitably realized what he had already figured out.

He was too large to fit.

When she finally did, he kneeled down to her level, a guilty expression on his face. He let her speak, yell, protesting against the situation, but Ghorua knew it was the hand they had been dealt, and they had to make the most of it.

"Yeah, there might be another lift for me, somewhere. And you can bet I'll look for it until I breathe my last. But," Ghorua felt a tear well up in his eye, and slowly ride the contours of his face. "I don't want you to take that chance with me."

Ghorua slowly reached out a palm, and nudged the Doctor inside the lift. His hand was shaking slightly, and it wasn't from the effort. He wouldn't force her to leave him; he couldn't bring himself to do that. Besides, if he shoved her in and pushed the down button for her, she would only return a few minutes later. It had to be her choice to leave. "You gave me hope, Irajah. We wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't even have a chance." The Shark chuckled, the tear finally falling from his chin, and spattering on the ground.

"We've gone through enough, Ms. Ven. It's time at least one of us ended this."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
The anger from earlier simmered there, just beneath the surface. Unlike Ghorua, Irajah had no fear of her anger. And for good reason. She was small and weak and not many people would even take that particular emotion from her seriously.

But when it flashed, there was fire in her eyes.

She reached out, wrapping both of her hands around his.

"That's not a choice you get to make for me," she spat out, gritting her teeth.

"I saved you sure- but you saved me too. And I don't just mean from the gas back there."

She stepped forward, out of the lift where he'd tried to gently guide her.

"So here's what's going to happen," she continued. Her voice was steel as she moved to stand right in front of his face. Kneeling, they were closer to the same height, but she still had to look up.

"I'm going to keep looking for a way down we can both take," she crossed her arms over her chest, exhausted but defiant. Her expression dared him to argue with her. "You can either come with me, or stay here and pretend I went down that lift without you. If I don't find anything, then I'll come back and then we can talk about what we're going to do about getting you out and I'll cry my eyes out the whole way down. But I'm not crying right now. To hell with that. I can't make you come with me- and I wouldn't try."

It was then that her tone softened some. She reached up, wiping gently at the trail the tear had taken. Her voice was quieter, more tired now.

"So. It's your choice. Stay or come. But I'm not quitting yet. And I think I'll get farther with you than without you"."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]
 
Ghorua let his gaze travel down to the floor, feeling a strange concoction of emotions well up within him. The most prominent of which was guilt, maybe some sadness, and a dash of hope. Here was Irajah's chance to escape, and her chance to finally leave him behind. He had expected her to take the opportunity with a tear and a shrug.

He hadn't expected her to step out of the lift.

His deep black eyes trailed back up to hers, no more trails of water adding to the first. No one that met him would consider him emotional, after all. Yet, he felt something in his heart leap when Irajah angrily confirmed she would be staying with him, at least for a while longer. Despite her aggressive reaction, and despite of himself, he smiled.

As the Doctor trailed her hand over his tear stain, Ghorua brought his own massive mitt over it.

Ghorua grinned, supressing his laughter. It wasn't the time. As much as he may have tried to pretend, he would be more than glad for the company, for at least a while longer.

"Doctor's orders." With that rather simple comment from such a regularly eloquent being, the Shark let Irajah's hand free, got to his feet, and began his trek, looking back softly.

"Thanks. For staying with me, I mean. Not many people would do that."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Following him, Irajah still looked grumpy. Slightly mollified, however, that he'd agreed (Doctor's orders indeed!), but really, they both knew that it was hard to coerce a ten foot tall being to do *anything* he didn't want to do.

"Well," she replied, her tone matching her face, "Those people don't deserve knowing you then."

She meant it. Her grump had transferred on to those imaginary people now. You didn't leave someone behind who hadn't left you behind. That was a rare thing, and worth making space for.

Even if [member="Ghorua the Shark"] technically took up a lot of space.

Still worth it.

The anger had cleared some of the cobwebs from her head. She was still exhausted, but she could keep going. For now at least. She wondered idly how the folks they *had* left behind were faring. It was a distant thought, not even concern wasted on it- there was nothing more they could have done for them, after all. Still, she hoped that they would make it.

With a bit of a second (third? She'd lost count) wind, some of her more normal aspects kicked back up. And asking questions, talking, was one of them. As they plodded along, she piped up suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What made you get into your line of work? I mean, yeah, you're big and all, but that couldn't have been it."
 
Ghorua had silently begun his trek down the hallway once again, different emotions wrestling for control. On one hand, he was disheartened that Irajah hadn't escaped when she had the chance. If they encountered more difficulties, and she died, it would be his fault for not making her leave. On the other hand, he was incredibly happy that she was coming along. As much as he may pretend, Ghorua didn't want to face his possible death alone.

Irajah's comment only strengthened his latter argument. She was truly a remarkable person, that much couldn't be denied. She had almost immediately seen through his muscle, where many others would fail to recognize him as anything other than scum.

The Shark was mildly surprised by the Doctor's next question, but wasn't unprepared for it. He had asked himself that question many times over. Even so, he had never truly came up with an answer that felt right.

Might as well give it a try.

"I think... that's exactly what it was." Ghorua folded his arms in front of him, massaging his aching biceps. "I didn't want to be a bounty hunter when I was a kid, if that's what you mean. I wanted to follow in my parents' footsteps, go into business." The Shark chuckled nonchalantly, as if they were simply getting coffee together, and not fighting for their lives.

"My dad always told me, 'Son, you may be big, but your mind will always be your greatest weapon. Don't forget to use it'." Ghorua sighed lightly, reminiscing on old time. "But then, my parents got themselves arrested, and I was..." He struggled to find the right word, "...ejected, I suppose, into the big wide galaxy. Where else could I turn, if not bounty hunting?"

"To be fair, I don't think I ever had the patience for business. I'm a man of action, always have been, always will be. On the hunt, I get to use both my brain and brawn, and simultaneously clean some of the scum off the boot of society. Do some good, in my own way." Ghorua chuckled, seemingly light-hearted. "Of course, I'm no doctor, but I don't think I'd have the patients for that either."

"Get it? Patients?"

Ghorua summoned a goofy grin, somehow achieving it with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.

"Why did you go into the medical field? I can't help but wonder how you got so fervent about that doctor's code of yours."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
She had a hundred questions for him, but she kept them for now. This was what he was sharing- some of the hows and whyfors, as much as she wanted to know- seemed personal enough that she wouldn't pry. Despite the seriousness of the first part, his jokes did bring a smile to her face. At least until he asked her the same question in return.

Fair was fair.

She didn't frown, but her smile drew down, more contemplative than anything else.

"My father was a Doctor. My mom was an artist. She died when I was thirteen," she said, her tone soft. Wistful but not specifically sad. It had been a long time ago, after all. And her memories of her mother were good ones.

"It was after a prolonged illness, something my father couldn't cure. We made her as comfortable as we could, but..." she trailed off for a moment, offering a self deprecating chuckle.

"I'd been pretty sure I wanted to be an artist before that. A painter. But I guess after that it seemed.... kind of silly. Childish. And, being a child, I decided that I didn't want to be that- that if I had known more, maybe I could have helped more. If I'd paid more attention-" she stopped, shaking her head and laughing, but there wasn't a lot of joy in the sound.

"So I decided to become a doctor. Because, maybe if I did, no one else would die."

Smirking, Irajah looked up at [member="Ghorua the Shark"]. "I grew out of that. But not the doctor bit."

Mostly. Just like her father though, death still chafed. Not because it was cruel, or unfair. But because she couldn't beat it.

She paused, brow furrowing slightly. In the distance, a small light, close to the floor, flickered in the dark. A small, querulous, beeping bap echoed toward them, followed by the low sound of servos.

Irajah didn't recognize it as a mouse droid at first.

"What the kark is *that*?"
 
Ghorua listened respectfuly to Irajah's story, quietly putting together pieces of her personality, connected by what she revealed about herself. The Shark understood trying to dodge death. It was a large part of who he was. The only difference was he had only cared about his own life for a long time. He could feel that beginning to change within himself. It had been slow at first, sullen twinges and guilty boiling in his stomach, but it evolved. It was still evolving.

Ghorua didn't know whether that was good or not.

He considered voicing his thoughts on the matter, aiming to further the dour mood, when he heard a strange beeping. He stopped in his tracks, reaching for a wrist weapon, before realizing he didn't have one. The sound was alien to the Bounty Hunter, and for that reason, he was extremely cautious as he removed a slugthrower from his holster. He squinted into the darkness, sniffing the air deeply. Subtle hints of the heating gas still tinted the edges of his senses, but no other scents immediately caught his nose.

"Who... Who's there?" Ghorua had to clear his throat, and projected out into the darkness. It was only then he noticed the small light, close to the floor, and pieces began fitting together.

Oh. A droid.

Despite his usually-cautious demeanor, Ghorua lowered his pistol, and smiled.

The Mouse Droid petered forward, whistling and booping weakly. Ghorua could see the slight damage on the small entity as it wobbled with a broken wheel, listing to the left slightly. It had to correct it's trajectory a few times before bumping into Irajah's foot. It backed up and tweeted, before once again ramming into the doctor.

The Herglic kneeled slowly, careful not to startle the little droid, and examined it. A few nicks and dents, but the main body seemed completely intact. "Heh. It seems to like you." Ghorua reached out to the being, but pulled back quickly as it gave a shrill whistle, and wheeled around to the other side of the human, as if to hide from the intimidating form of Ghorua.

He wasn't bothered much by it. He was too intrigued by the situation. A clever glint flashed in Ghorua's eye as a new plan coagulated. "You think it's got info on entrances and exits in it's memory bank?"

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Irajah looked down, a little perplexed as the mouse droid toodled in to her heels again.

"Hey, stop that."

Crouching down, she held out her hand, like one might to a frightened animal. The droid beeped quietly for a moment before rolling crookedly under her palm. She didn't pet it- that would have been ridiculous. But slowly, gently, she reached with her other hand, picking up the small droid.

As soon as it's wheels were off of the floor, they started spinning madly, the mouse droid tootling wildly for a moment.

"I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay," she murmured, putting the droid back down slowly. It wheeled back and forth a few centimeters, unsure, before rocketing around behind her again.

"That's weird," she said, perplexed. She had never seen a droid act like this around a person it didn't know.

She looked up at [member="Ghorua the Shark"], pondering his question. "It probably does. Question is just can it show us. We don't have any other way to get that information. Not without- well, you know."

Breaking it. She didn't want to say that out loud, in case it understood and ran off.

The droid blipped and she looked down, craning her neck for a moment before turning around.

"I know you're tired. You've been through a lot today," she said quietly. "We get it. But maybe we can help each other. Do you know how to get out of here? A turbo lift? Or something? If you can show it to us, we'll get you out with us. Get your wheel fixed. Sound okay?"

Well, this was one of the stranger things she'd done today.
 
"Negotiating with a mouse droid; not how I thought today was going to go."

None of today was how I thought today was going to go.

The droid seemed to find Irajah's terms agreeable, bleeping happily. Ghorua spoke a little binary, but not enough to understand any of what the little being was saying. The droid's affirmation alone was enough to give the Herglic a small bead of hope. If he believed there was a way out, then there must've been.

The mouse droid took a 7-point turn, and revved it's tiny, broken wheels, starting at a slow pace down the hall. Ghorua gave the Doctor a befuddled smile. "Um, well... After you. Let's hope this goes better than the last guy we tried to save." The Hunter immediately winced, feeling the scar of painful memories reopen. Perhaps not the time.

Nor the place.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Irajah's wince mirrored his own.

Too soon.

"Well, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic. So. We should be safe enough," she said, but the attempt at a joke fell flat. Her heart wasn't in it.

She fell silent, expression pensive as they followed the mouse droid. It was a slightly meandering path, but then, the little thing couldn't really help it. Every now and then something in the building would creak or groan, and the droid would freeze or suddenly reverse direction, tootling shrilly.

Skittish little thing, wasn't it?

They came to a four way intersection. She paused, watching as the droid circled a few times, beeping mournfully. The path to the left was blocked off by debris. With some help, Irajah would be able to clamor over it, and while it would be a squeeze, [member="Ghorua the Shark"] could fit through as well. At least she understood part of the droid's problem now. There was no way it could get through on it's own.

Looks like they were all going to help each other after all.

"If one of us goes first we can pass the droid through to the other," she suggested, eyeing the rubble. Some of it didn't look particularly sturdy, and the way the wall was partially collapsed in there made her nervous.
 
Ghorua couldn't banish the small smirk that had sneaked it's way onto the corner of his mouth since the droid had revealed itself. In such a dark time, he couldn't help but enjoy the brief respite. He glanced ahead into the darkness, then to the doctor at his side.

A simple shrug bobbed on the Shark's shoulders, and he went forward into the darkness.

A short walk ensued, and Ghorua remained silent. He didn't want to interrupt the new peace that had permeated the area. He would rather not jinx this newfound peace.

Finally, the trio made it to a blockage of sorts. A diverging of paths, but the one they needed was blocked by debris. Ghorua eyed the obstruction, poking a stray piece of rubble, frowning as it tumbled down the jagged barricade. "Hmm..." Ghorua exhaled through his blowhole, and placed his hands on his hips, thinking. "I don't like this one bit. This hall is obviously unstable. Any more shifts, and... bad things could happen." Ghorua frowned. "Watch your step. Or... your treads, I guess," he quipped, with a quick glance down to the mouse droid.

"I'll go over first, then you can come with the droid." The Herglic sent a quick smile behind him. "If it supports my weight, it'll support yours. Besides, if anything happens to me, you'll still have our little guide. I'm sure there are other ways out of here." A bit of a dark undertone hid behind his happy veneer. He knew one of them had to take the first risk, and logic dictated it to be him. Before his stance could be disputed... again... he began to step over the rubble, groaning as he accidentally brushed his shoulder against the wall. At the tightest squeeze, Ghorua had to push through on his hands and knees. To say the least, it was uncomfortable.

Finally, Ghorua made it to the other side, grinning. He had survived. That meant it was probably safe for Irajah to come over as well. Ghorua yelled through the opening, the giddiness bubbling to his words. "Come on over! It's safe, I think!"

Ghorua took the time to examine his surroundings, and his smile melted.

The ground was marred and broken, fractured by hairline cracks. Ghorua shifted his feet, and felt the breaking of stone beneath him.

"Uh... Or maybe not. The ground's unstable."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
The mouse droid had grudgingly accepted being picked up this time. After all, it wasn't getting past the blockage without it. But when [member="Ghorua the Shark"] mentioned the other side being unstable, it's wheels began to spin wildly again. It tootled in distress, but Irajah just offered a small shush this time, rather than putting it back down.

"How unstable? Like, 'cut through the floor and head down another level' unstable? Or 'Irajah does something stupid' unstable?"

She was referring to her going first and testing the floor. Despite the choice of words, there was curiosity and a certain 'we'll do what we've gotta do' tone to her voice. She moved up to the hole in the rubble. She had to stand on tip toes to peer through properly. She casually tucked the mouse droid under one arm, trying to get a clear view into the dusty darkness on Ghorua's side.
 
"Eh, try a bit of column A, a bit of column B, and I'll throw in 'one wrong step and either could happen' for free."

Despite the situation, and his previous coping mechanisms, Ghorua didn't frown or smile. He crafted a neutral, careful expression, showing his honest emotions. He didn't know what would happen. If he had to guess, if they fell through, they'd find themselves back on a regular floor of the complex, surrounded by broken stalls and stores.

Not a place he wanted to be.

"I don't see any other options, though. This is where the droid wanted to go, so... When you come over, watch your step." Ghorua lowered himself to the floor, sprawling his limbs as far as he could, to distribute his weight. Then he began his slow slide forward, over the unstable floor.

Ghorua could feel the building below him giving to his weight. More hairline cracks spidered across the surface, catching larger holes and even spiraling up parts of the walls. He would be making Irajah's path behind him more treacherous, but it was necessary.

Ghorua had slipped back into professional mode. Overcoming difficult obstacles felt normal to him.

He felt most at home in chaos, after all.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
Peeking up and over, she assesed for a moment. The plan had been to hand the droid through to him, but, no plan survived first contact after all. Hoisting the mouse droid up (it's wheels spinning frantically), she clammered up herself a moment later. After perching for a moment in the opening, she grimaced. The droid once again tucked under her arm (slightly less distressed now at least) she slid precariously down the other side of the rubble pile. Her tunic caught on a durasteel rod, tearing it slightly, but otherwise she made it down unscathed.

For a moment she looked down and around, frowning at the broken floor.

She thought twice about putting the mournful beeper down again, instead holding onto it as she watched [member="Ghorua the Shark"] make his way across- surprisingly delicate for a being his size.

The hairs stood up on the back of her neck.

"Move to the right," she said, her voice soft but insistent. "Then angle across the hall, don't just go straight down it."

The Force? Probably. She couldn't have explained exactly what was happening, or what it felt like to someone else. She just knew that he needed to trust her.
 
Ghorua felt slightly awkward as he realized Irajah was watching him slide across the floor. The initial awkwardness of the situation dispersed when the good Doctor directed him away from the center of the hallway. He glanced behind him, a thankful expression gracing his hard face.

"Will do." Straight and to the point.

Not usually the Shark's style.

Ghorua pushed his bulk against the edge of the hall, wincing as another crack in the stone parted. The Herglic reached out with his uninjured arm, grasped a handhold, and pulling himself forward. He continued like this for too long, either finding something to propel him, or shimmying forward jerkily.

Suddenly, his hand hit smooth stone.

Hmm?

Ghorua had crossed the cracked floor. But he didn't trust the ground quite yet. Plus, it was dark here, without Irajah's light. He could be mistaken. He stayed close to the ground, and slowly feeled his way around the floor, finally content that it was safe enough to stand.

Would he stand yet? Not a chance. Not until he was sure.

"I've made it, Doc. There's solid ground about... fifteen to twenty meters out from the rubble. I'd wish ya luck, but I'd hope we don't need it."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -
 
If he could crawl across safely, surely she could walk? She weighed a fraction of what he did.... and she was carrying the light and the distressed mouse droid.

"Yup, just a hop, skip and a jump!" She said with a certain amount of forced cheer. "Piece of cake." The second bit sounded less sure.

"Gonna need you to stop spinning your wheels wildly every time I tip a little," she muttered, looking down at the droid tucked beneath her arm. It toodled something that could have been an apology or agreement. She hoped anyway.

Sliding out onto the damaged area, she could feel the groans and pops more than she could hear them. If [member="Ghorua the Shark"] hadn't caused the whole thing to collapse, surely she wouldn't?

Unless the stress from his passing made her own just one insult more than the structure could handle.

Irajah tried not to think about that.

She followed her instincts, moving slowly. More than once she backtracked, taking a slightly different route forward. Focusing entirely on the meter or so directly around her, she slunk carefully across the expanse. Once she actually felt something start to give, but she was able to pull her foot back before anything went too wrong- it was the only time the mouse droid squealed in distress, so that, at least, was something.

It was easier to breath freely once she was across and standing next to Ghorua. She put the droid down carefully.

"I think that's the first time something has gone completely according to plan," she remarked, her voice a little shaky from the crossing as she looked up at him with a weak grin.

"Maybe our luck is changing."
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom