When You Hear That Trumpet Sound [Curupira Hawk]

[Ket Van-Derveld]

When I hear that trumpet sound​

I'm gonna rise right out of the ground​

Ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

Corellia​

Coronet City​

The Dead Man's Hand Bar​

11:55 pm, Galactic Standard Time​

A bottle of whiskey. A smudged glass, half full with ice cubes clinking against one another. A hand holds the glass, raising it to thin, pallid lips. The murky brown liquid it contains flows slowly, over those lips and burns it's way down his throat. Eyes shut for a moment, his head shakes slowly, a sound of painful satisfaction follows. The clock ticks away, the seconds moving slowly like grazing banthas. There he sits at the bar, the wood stained and worn away from the years of those who sought to drown their sorrows. With a sigh, he set the glass back down, the free hand reaching for the bottle on it. He lifts it, pouring a few fingers worth more into it. The ice rises, and he raises the glass once more. The bartender looks to him, his expression one of pity, as the man drinking had been there for days now. Never moving, he had sat there, drinking quietly, the dim light of the bar bouncing off his features. Worn and weary, he sat there, thinking of all that had happened. To those here, to the regulars, he was a nobody, a man and nothing more. If only they knew.

The stool he sat on lurched backward, as heavy black boots found their way to the floor. The thud of of his footfalls could be heard only by those near him as he made his way to the rudimentary jukebox, and a few credits found their way inside it. The song that had been playing was replaced by something much more somber, and as the guitars filled the room with their melancholy sound, worn leathers found their way to the seat once more. Sitting quietly, he picked up the once more empty glass, and filled it from the bottle again. Ice raised, and the glass made it's way to his lips once more, sipping from it. Eyes closed again as he quietly sung along with the music.

Well, look way down the river​

And what do you think I see​

I see a band of angels​

And they're coming after me​

​

Ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

There ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

​

Well, look down yonder, Gabriel​

Put your feet on the land and sea​

But Gabriel, don't you blow your trumpet​

Until you hear from me​

​

There ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

Ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

​

Well meet me, Jesus, meet me​

Meet me in the middle of the air​

And if these wings don't fail me,​

I will meet you anywhere​

​

Ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

There ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

​

Well meet me, Mother and Father,​

Meet me down the river road​

And Mama, you know that I'll be there​

When I check in my load​

​

Ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

There ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down​

There ain't no grave​

Can hold my body down...​

​

Spoiler

@[member="Curupira Hawk"]

 

[Curupira Hawk]

She knew he was. The Deceased Star didn't hide these things from her even if she now had her own Templar-stamped ship. And once she knew the name of the planet and city, finding Ket took very little effort. It was a few places with the real cool names. Like The Dead Man's Hand Bar. Curupira had left her Templar-class Light Freighter which still didn't have a name in the spaceport and got her Kybuck speeder bike, which had come with her new shiny ship. Fact was, Curupira could really get used to this Templar business.

Short while after, the redhead parked the speeder bike outside of the bar. If he wasn't here, there was a few more choices but this one had the coolest name in Ruu's book so she chose to check it out first.

Once inside, the music reached her ears first, before she took in the place. Ain't no grave can hold my body down... F*uck, that was gloomy. Arching her brows for a quick second, Curupira let her golden gaze wander over the crowd. The usual site of most bars. Then an idea spurred to her mind, making the woman grin. Oh, yes, she was. She was so going to do this. Ruu turned on her heel and headed over to the jukebox and looked over the list for a second before dugging into her small little hand-held purse and got some credits out. She selected a song and waited there, her hands at the sides of the jukebox while she waited for the lyrics the start.

I'm a rockstar, I'm a dealer
I'm a servant, I'm a leader
I'm a saviour, i'm a sinner, i'm a killer
I'll be anything you want me to be ​

Her head swayed to the side and her lips formed the tiniest of smiles. That was much much better. The other thing was just gonna drag her down with it and Ruu didn't do depressing. Never. Ever. No depressing. Not allowed. And if you thought about it, you'd realize that was true. Curupira Hawk did not due depressing. She never even dipped her finger into that pond. If she did... well, that probably wouldn't end well for anybody.

Silent as a witness
Make your heart race with a death kiss
I'm a soldier in a blood war
In the peace corp I'll be everything you'll ever be ​

Now, whether her mate was in this bar or not, she still hadn't found out. The song had caught her immediate attention and Curupira had to fix that problem. However, once the song started playing, she expected a reaction from him if he was. If he wasn't, the right song was right.

Loser number zero
Play the victim, end up a hero
I'm a teacher, preacher
Liar, I am everything, anything ​

@[member="Ket Van Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The glass had raised to those same lips for at least the 10th time in the past few hours, the one holding it feeling a need to be reckless. He felt urges he'd not felt for a long, long time. The urge the deprive someone of air, the urge to pull spine from skull, the urge the utterly annihilate something. Ket Van Derveld felt the need to destroy something beautiful. Little did he know, the liquid demon that coursed through his veins into his cracked and twisted mind would give him the opportunity sooner than he'd realize, and in a most profound way. His neck moved dramatically to the right, a fair few snaps making a rather loud sound as the vertebrae within the flesh popped in quick succession. Sapphire eyes opened, and he cursed under his breath as the song soon came to end, the final guitar strums however were cut short. His temper flared for a moment, wondering who he'd have to slam into a wall for cutting one of his favorite tunes short. Yet, peripheral vision could see a fair few heads turn toward the jukebox in the silence. He wanted to pay them no mind, but then another song began to play. One that he knew all too well. The drink having gotten the better of him this night, at first, he began to nod his head to the rhythm, mouthing along to the lyrics silently. Had he kept himself on top of his game, he might have figured out why this song of all songs was blaring from the bar's sound system. And that, my friends, is when things got interesting.

"Wow, she's a sight for sore eyes."
"You said it man, I'd like to give her a ride on my speederbike..."
"Yeah, no kidding. Girl like that, she's probably slumming it in a joint like this."
"I'm gonna go talk to her."
"You don't have a chance, man. But dressed like that, she's not gonna be dressed for long!"

Laughter erupted from the men within his vicinity, disturbing his peace and quiet. Even the ice in his glass moved from the bass that emanated from these pathetic little creatures that passed for men in this city. Sighing deeply, he rolled his eyes, and turned on his stool, and that's when he caught sight of her. Red hair like the flames of Mustafar, a golden gaze like a shining sun, legs that never ended and in a dress that could make anyone's blood boil. Without even knowing it, his voice escaped his lips.

"Curupira..."

It was then that he put two and two together. His head snapped to his left, looking to the slimy denizens of the bar that had been making such comments at his Ruu. HIS. RUU. Ket was now in a very bad, very hateful mood, and had an excuse to go to town on anyone and everyone. As the next one began to speak, he was cut off as he seemingly lifted into the air, clutching at his neck. The man clawed at it, drawing his own blood, his eyes giving off utter shock and complete disbelief at what was happening to him. The other males near him were equally as shocked, looking to him just floating there. Ket reached out, and grabbed one by the forehead, and howled in anger like a wolf about to pounce upon it's prey, twisting the head until his neck snapped like a twig. The rest of the men at the bar began to scurry and flee as the bartender pulled out a blaster. As he leveled his aim, Ket took yet another of the men and plunged his hand into his neck, ripping his jugular out and throwing it away like a discarded piece of garbage. The blaster's trigger clicked, and the bolt flew out of the barrel at Ket's head. Quickly, he grabbed yet another of the men, and yanked him into it's path so hard that by the time the bolt hit, whiplash had caused him to die almost instantly. Tossing yet another body aside, Ket growled and grabbed the bartender by the collar, and drug him over the bar itself, growling and speaking in a voice that sounded as if 1,000 voices had converged into one.

"Do that again, and I will not only kill you, but every last person you love. Then I will use you and your family as kindling to burn this place to it's foundations."

Shoving him away, he spoke once more. "Now pour me another drink, you scummy little piece of poodoo."

The commotion had indeed escalated to the point that the entire bar had taken notice. There he was, clad in his leathers and boots, his long leather coat the only thing covering his torso, and all of him was coated in random splatters of blood. He looked to his mate, licking his lips, and strode forward toward her. A grin only she had ever seen once more formed on his lips, and his hand shot out, grabbing her by the back of the neck. He drew her close, but did not kiss her, no. He moved to the side, and whispered in feral tones to her, the heat of his breath warming her earlobe.

"They spoke of you like an object, morsel. I could not, in good conscience, let them do so without a proper... response."

 

[Curupira Hawk]

There was laughing somewhere in the back. Curupira sighed and glared into the ceiling. People were disturbing her song time. Why were they doing that? People needed to shut up. Promptly. Curupira was not happy. Not in the least bit.

I'm a mover and a shaker
The oppressor, stimulator
I'm a coward I'm a fighter
I'm everything ​

She had turned on her heel, the song not doing what it was supposed, only for her eyes to land on him. He was here. Some seconds after, Curupira realized things were not going to go well tonight. His face told her that quickly. And before she could actually do anything, she just ended up watching an entire scene unfold before her eyes. One went up, chocked out of his air and then another got caught by his forehead. In all honesty, Curupira had forgotten about the anger she was feeling just a bit ago and her eyebrows gently rose, waiting to find out what would happen next.

And he howled which just made her inhaled a long deep breath, watching him twist the man's hand until she could see the unnatural twist of the neg. She could practically hear the sound even through the loud music.

It's revelation, celebration, graduation
Times collide watch the world awaken
All the past regrets from days gone by
Let it go, let it die​

The only thing that managed her distract her from the scene was the sight of the blaster in the corner of her eye. Oh, no. No, no, no. Blasters to a fun show? That just wasn't cool one bit. But Curupira knew better than to actually move. Ket got this. Admittedly, she did slightly twitch as the bartender fired his weapon. Her mate used another man as his shield quickly enough but Curupira still lowered her head slightly exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding. That is so not cool.

It's a new day for the faceless
Take the torches from the useless
First amendment, second guesses
All dependent, I'll do anything to help you​

Through the music came Ket's voice, making her look up, to see him with the bartender. A threat? Curupira felt an urge she didn't often feel. Her golden gaze remained focused on her mate, registering his approach. His hand on the back of her neck, he drew her close and she had expected a kiss. She didn't get it. Instead, he told her what had happened as the skin of her ear felt how close he got.

Curupira had one thing to say at that point. "I'm going to kill the bartender now." It was that simple.

@[member="Ket Van Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ket sighed at her words. "Well, if you must, I will do nothing to stop you, my love. But I do have one request..." Ket then took his hand, caressing her face gently, fingers tracing her jawbone. As they found their way to her chin, he let his lips meet her own, kissing her deeply. Tongues intertwined passionately, his own emotions going wild. He felt love, contempt, passion, fury, anger, joy, bliss and pure hatred all at once. He was a long tenured Sith Lord, a Master of the Force, and one of the few people in the galaxy that could topple empires with but a thought. yet with her, he felt like he was just a student, someone who knew nothing and could do less. She drained him of coherent thought like a drug, and he would have it no other way. She was his drug, his fix, his high. She was his reason for still being, his own reason for saving the universe as a whole. He preserved life in order to destroy it at his leisure. And why? Because he knew it would please her. The more horrid the death, the wider her smile. And one thing was for sure in his own mind. He didn't care what anyone else thought, her approval was what kept him going. And so it would be.

"Let me handle it for you, my morsel."

And with that, Ket turned, and he closed his eyes, concentrating on the Force proper. He searched within himself, and grasped the conduits of the Dark Path as if they were tangible, delving into the Darkness like an old friend calling in a favor. Eyes snapped open, and he let out a howl like a man's last breath, as electricity jumped from his fingertips, and reddish-purple bolts of Force Lightning jumped from his hands, striking the bartender first. Yet, instead of grounding upon him, it became a storm of lightning, jumping from the helpless, blaster wielding bartender into the next two helpless souls near him. From them, two more for each, until the bar lit up brightly like a solar flare as over half the people with the bar were struck with this electrical hellfire. And as their bodies smoked and fell like dominos, the jukebox changed it's tune, another song playing through the speakers...

Temptation awaits as she opens the gates​

and I kneel down before her​

The scent of her rides in the breath of the night​

and I'm breathing the curse​

​

I breathe and I drown in the circle of fire​

the glow of the flames​

And I embrace the demon-desire​

the glow of the flames in my eyes​

​

The pleasure and pain... now they are the same​

for I have fell from grace​

I've been waiting for so long for the feeling this strong​

for this bliss of escape​

​

I breathe and I drown in this funeral pyre​

the glow of the flames​

and I embrace the demon-desire​

the glow of the flames in my eyes...​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

Curupira merely gave a quick nod. He would not stop her from what she wanted to do. He couldn't. Not in this situation. The idiot had drawn on her mate. The redhead didn't handle that easy. She didn't handle any forms of threats on her family. But there was a request first. Her golden eyes focused on his, waiting as his hand moved at her jawline and chin before she finally receieved a kiss she had been expecting from the moment Ket had come to her. As soon as their lips came together, she could forgive him for making her wait this long. And as the kiss deepened, she forgot what she was forgiving him in the first place as her fingers caught to his coat and pulled, wanting to negate space between them.

The kiss had done what it was supposed. Though Curupira was no longer a Jedi and meditation shouldn't have been something part of her, those long kisses from her mate brought her into a calm, peace. It threw her into a high frenzy but it also made her find a sense of serenity. That was one of many unique effects Ket Van Derveld had on her. But the effect itself had a limiting duration. Soon she was remembering what had her in her mood, what had made her want to murder. Curupira didn't just murder. She had her fun, amused herself, lives lost in the process was part of it. But pure murder was reserved for those moments of anger.

But he wanted to do it for her. She let go of his coat, her fingers sliding the fabric quickly before Ket turned around. She couldn't help herself, she leaned to the side, her hair falling to the side as she watching the electricity spread out before turning into lighting, shooting straight at the bartender before spreading on to others around the bar, roasting even those who were irrelevant to her issue. Which made their lives completely irrelevant. On most days, they would have put a smile on Curupira's face, maybe even a laugh because it was pretty funny how the lighting struck them. Today though, it was personal and seeing the man fall made her content, satisfied. His death was justice.

Straightening her spine, her lips formed into a small smile as the tune changed, making her head move to it before she leaned closer, wrapping small her small hands around Ket's upper arm. "Judgement and sentence by lighting" was the comment that exited her lips before the chuckled, shifting her gaze up to his face. "Now I could use a drink."

@[member="Ket Van Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ket felt those fingers wrap around his arm, and his eyes closed as he felt her touch. His mind began to race, one scenario after another played out within his mind. Their first meeting proper, where dozens were cut down by the electrical hellfire he felt the need to release just to talk to her, from the countless people he'd slaughtered for no other reason than to see her smile. He felt helpless within her grasp, for if Ket Van Derveld had any weakness apparent, it was her. With that golden gaze, the way the starlight glinted off her fiery read hair, the way her lips formed that smile he was utterly powerless to ignore. Never in his life had he felt the way he did with her. It was feeling he longed for when he did not feel it, something he would gladly do anything to attain, if even for a fraction of a moment. And in this moment, he felt it so strong that he would do anything to keep it. A drink she wanted? Not by anyone's hand other than his own.

He closed his eyes once more, and began to concentrate upon the Dark conduits of the Force, channeling it into his arms, his hands, his fingertips. As the music played, he howled like a wolf before it tore into it's prey, and let loose tendrils of purplish-red electricity from his fingertips. It bounced from one patron to another, faster still until within seconds, all let loose a scream of utter horror before they all fell to the floor, smoking and black like used kindling. He let his coat drop from his shoulders as they all fell like dominos, and hopped the bar as the last one careened into the wooden floor under his feet. Mixing her a drink of Corellian Whiskey, Rose water and a bit of carbonated water, he held it out to her with a smile.

"Drink, my love. For whatever you could desire, I would do for you a thousand times over..."

 

[Curupira Hawk]

The howl from [member="Ket Van Derveld"] made her smile but the spreed of electricity that began to strike down one by one before her golden eyes, that just brought on a darker shade in her gaze, the smile turning into a smirk. There was something embedded deep within the petite redhead, something powerful, always quickly demanding to come out. The sweet cheerful personality that was Curupira Hawk hid something deep and sinister and for the most part, she could keep it in check unless given cause. But these moments, these wonderful moments of death and destruction caused by her mate, they fed the demon within in.

Now that really helped her keep it in check but at the same time, made it stronger, somewhere deep with her. A demon fed was a demon hungry. And as her golden eyes turned darker a shade watching the feast of corpses spread through out the bar.

When they had all screamed their last screams and fell, smoke signifying their crisp feel, Ket left her side, her fingers releasing him as he wished to go ahead. His coat fell to the floor, her head merely slowly swaying to it for a moment before she looked back at him. The redhead moved forward, taking a seat at the bar while her mate mixed her up a drink then held it out for her. Drink my love, she heard him say, her gaze remaining on his before he continued... I would do for you a thousand times over. She took the drink from his hands and took a sip, feeling the whiskey burn through her mouth. After a couple of miliseconds, she swallowed it and let it burn down her throat. As it faded, she felt it taste and nodded. "I like this one." All the while, her darkened gaze never left him. Scenarios ran through her mind, he didn't have to even try hard to read them as they were so close to the surface. She was still thirsty but not for the drink of which she took a sip, not breaking eyecontact. The demon was was still hungry.

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

"You know, this is funny, Curupira..." he used her full first name for the first time ever. Such was an odd occurrence, but such was his mindset. "...but truly, I wonder my lot in life. Why is it I do the things I do? Why am I the way I am? Why do I go from utter bastard to caring samaritan and back again? I feel as if I have never known myself. You know me better than anyone still drawing breath..."

Ket sighed lightly, his eyes averting from her gaze as he scooped up a bottle of Corellian whiskey from behind the bar. He spun the top off it with his thumb, and raised it to his lips, taking a long drink. Using the forearm of the same arm that held the bottle, he wiped his lips. He meandered over to the jukebox, his footfalls uneven yet still controlled. He perused the catalog of music as he spoke once more. "Am I dammed to be this all powerful Sith who never uses his power for more than a free drink and a song? Am I meant for greater things? Will I take over the galaxy itself? Will I die trying? Will I ever know my daughters more than in name only? Will I leave a legacy worth something or will I just end up a dead husk in a pauper's grave?"

He sighed as he finally selected a song, letting a few credits slide into the slot and hitting play.

"Utopia, utopia​

In the distance you’re not forgotten​

Utopia, utopia​

It’s a place you have never seen before​

​

Time will turn our prophecies into​

Pure reality that made the world this way​

Utopia, utopia​

Through the half light we’re coming down your way​

​

And we, we are making history​

The greatest things are yet to be seen​

The everlasting search for utopia​

​

I believe there always will be you and me​

Never mind the pain and misery​

Tonight, right here, right now is my utopia​

​

Utopia, utopia​

For the dead we always travel fast​

Utopia, utopia​

Lost for centuries, found at last​

​

Well we, we are making history​

The greatest things are yet to be seen​

The everlasting search for utopia​

​

I believe there always will be you and me​

Never mind the pain and misery​

Tonight, right here, right now is my utopia​

​

My utopia​

Utopia​

​

And we, we are making history​

The greatest things are yet to be seen​

The everlasting search for utopia​

​

I believe there always will be you and me​

Never mind the pain and misery​

Tonight, right here, right now is my utopia"​

​

​

Spoiler

[member="Curupira Hawk"]

 

[Curupira Hawk]

Her full name, given to her by Ma'dri, left as a remnant from times she chose to no longer remember, rolled of Ket's lips and the sound of it made her link. The demon restracted so deep that she felt more like what seemed to be herself than just moments ago. Ruu had never heard him say that before. Lot in life? She blinked again. Curupira Hawk lived in the now and here. She didn't think of the future. Just knowing that in the future she'd given birth to a daughter whom she now know gave her headaches. And here Ket willingly thought about it, why he did things. She didn't say anything though, listening to him as he spoke, questioning. Did he turn from utter bastard to caring Samaritan? That made her bite her lower lip, surprising a laugh. He was hardly a good Samaritan, there was hardly any reason to think that.

Did she really know Ket better than anyone still living? Sometimes, she thought she did. But more often than that, she liked being surprised by the unexpected. She expected the unexpected was a better train of thoughts and it was one of the things she loved about her mate. The redhead hated ordinary and boring and somehow the strings of Force had somehow guided her to where she had met Ket, to ensure she would be here and now and even much later. Curupira finished her drink as he stopped talking, getting himself a bottle, then wandered away from the bar.

She turned in the bar stool, her golden gaze wondering as he started up again. Was he damned to be so powerful and yet use it on small things? Cura fidgeted slightly in her seat, the verb not sitting well with her. Damned implied lack of control. Damnation implied something that couldn't be changed. She didn't believe that to be true. There was control and freedom. But Ket stell went on, talking about greater things, taking over the galaxy or die trying. She was still holding on to the empty glass when he said that and without so much as as thought put into it, through the Force, her strength unleashed in a small portion, crushed the glass slightly that cracks spread through it. The skin on her head broke in a few places but she didn't even notice at that time. "There will be no dieing," she muttered over his own words.

But Ket just kept talking... would he know his daughters in more than just name? Daughters? She blinked. "Daughters?" She said quickly. There was Chloe, whom she had met. Had she told him something? And again, legacy and dead husks in pauper's grave. The music started playing after that, her fingers crushed the glass a little tighter. She felt the sting then as the Force had left her side, her head turning to the side, seeing the fully cracked glass, the red mixing into it. Releasing her pressure on it, the free shard fall to the ground, with a few left there. She pulled them out and let them drop to the ground as the lyrics reached her.

"You think too much of the future," she suddenly said, careful not to speak over the lyrics so she could hear them. The song suited her. But Ket could do that, find a good one that suited her, not just to dance for it but just to reach her. "...there will always be you and me," she spoke with the lyrics. "The rest of the galaxy never mattered. If it burned today, it wouldn't matter." Jumping off the stool, she was careful to keep her blood hand away from her dress. "And was is they say? Those that over-think, don't do... no..." she stopped and thought of it for a second then shrugged. "Something like that. If you want to rule the galaxy, rule it. If you want to burn it, burn it. But none of them matter one bit."

Walking slowly with the beat of the music, she stopped a few inches behind him as she closed her eyes as the music played. "You and me, we'll live forever. One way or another. And we'll know our daughters..." that still baffled her but Curupira trusted Ket to know it to be true so she would too, no matter how he knew. "...and raise them and train them in our images. Not what the galaxy thinks right but only us." Why he over-thought that part so much was beyond her. Their Chloe should have been proof enough of that. When she finally opened her eyes, she moved the rest of the way and leaned against the jukebox, carefully putting her hand to the side. The wounds mattered little to her even if they stinged some. Instead of thinking about it, she looked to his face and just followed the music: "Tonight, right here, right now is my utopia." The lyrics conveyed her message just right. All those questions were unnecessary, things would progress as they should have.

[member="Ket Van Derveld"]