Private Where The Wild Things Are

[Xyoz Maji]

Not every hunt was targeting a top dog. At times, it was over thieves. Others, wild beasts. This was one of those jobs. On a heavily forest world the call for a Bounty Hunter was sent out. Something had been devouring the local wild life and domesticated animals. Only blood splatters were left, and the occasional carcass if the creature's meal was interrupted. Whatever it was didn't match the local fauna and threatened the whole ecosystem if it was left unchecked.

The reward? Whatever the locals were able to scrounge up. They lived simple lives in buildings of wood, nothing like the vast cities of Coruscant. What really brought attention was a league of environmental scientists that had decided to host it. The small bounty of hundreds skyrocketed to thousands. And as more hunters came back with tales of a beast they couldn't kill, the prize only grew. What started as a request for assistance had become a beast hunt for the ages.

At least for the people on world, and the scientists with an odd interest in keeping the ecosystem in balance.

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai had to admit that taking a job for glorified pest control was something she had rarely done in the past. She struggled to recall more than one or two jobs that involved going to a planet to shoot the hell out of the local wildlife. But it was a lot easier than going after force users or the like, plus it was practice to hone her senses after everything that happened. The only thing that took her by surprise was the bounty on this pestilence. With how high it was getting, it didn't sit right with her. She was going to pack some big guns for this.

Her freighter touched down in the little town and Shai disembarked. Along with her typical loadout and armour, she brought along a powerful rifle just in case a particle bolt didn't get the job done. From the look of it, she wasn't going to be the only hunter out there if the amount of ships and people armed to the teeth were an indication. She didn't care for any of them. With her rifle in a case on her shoulder and her helmet clipped to her belt she marched to the cantina for info on where to start. It took a bit and naturally a bribe for more information that wasn't utterly vague, but she got a lead on where to start.

A carcass was spotted outside the town, apparently where the beast was fired upon the previous evening. A few other hunters were around it, trying to figure out which direction they had to move towards. Shai said nothing as she approached the carcass and knelt down next to it. With a few sniffs she found out more than just about every other hunter here. The scent was not only clear through the rotting meat... it was familiar. It couldn't be possible. There was no way in the galaxy it could be legit. A cold chill ran through her cybernetic spine as she looked around and sniffed for a scent to follow. Shoving one of the hunters aside, she dropped to all fours and sprinted into the forest on the outskirts of the town. It couldn't be possible... but if it was, she had a couple of ideas on how to sort this skug out.

She stopped by a tree to catch her breath and make sure her weapons were ready for use. The scent was getting stronger. She didn't want to get blindsided on this one. If he was such a problem, chances that he would attack her was highly likely. She discarded the case and loaded her rifle with incendiary slugs before quietly continuing on.

With each step she grew closer. She could feel the anticipation and thrill of messing him up getting to her. The heartbeat in her ears nearly caused her to miss the footsteps of another group making their way through the woods. Despite their caution, she knew they wouldn't last long. Especially the scientist between them. He might be carrying a blaster, but he likely wasn't too clued up on how to use it properly. She let them continue forward, silently stalking them for some bait.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

Hunger. Tired. Thirst.

These emotions drove even the simplest of beasts forward in their day to day life. For the ancient being, it was all that remained of him. The Hunger consumed his mind, leaving just the primal needs to fuel his existence. But he was not without thought. It was like a fever dream, him barely aware of what his body did to keep them alive. Watching his body move on it's own in a haze of hunger.

So, this was all he was?

It was a question he asked every day when the haze pulled back enough for him to see. Dead bodies of animals who's souls only further burdened his mind and pushed him to savagery. What was it today? He caught glimpses of his hunt. A large pack animal, out in the open. It didn't even try to run from him. Why? He ate it regardless, devoured as much as he could in a flurry of teeth and claw.

Then he was in pain. Why did it hurt? What.. A sound? People. Shot? A low growl escaped his throat before he ran into the trees. Pain, hunger. They overwhelmed his sense of self again, as they always did. Again he faded. Where was he this time? The pain had stopped. Whatever wound he received was long since healed, but the dull ache of something was still there. He didn't understand it, but it was a tracker.

Smart hunters trying to keep the payment to themselves.

He was in his den. An empty cave that no animal dared to near. They learned early on to avoid anywhere his scent could be found. Step by step the group of hunters entered his domain. They were so quiet, so ready to get the jump on this creature while it slept. Only, the scientist wasn't like the others. He tripped, scattering loose rocks over the hard floor. Words escaped him, swearing, but to Xyoz they were little more than sounds of panic.

His faintly glowing eyes opened, staring towards the group. He could see all of them. Trespassers. Then gunfire. Blasters ripped into his body as he went to stand, burning flesh and punching hole after hole into his body. Pain overwhelmed his mind again. For a moment his gaunt, monstrous form buckled. They could see him now. Dark fur, matted with long dried blood. He fell still, the hulking form impacting the ground with a dull thud.

Silence hung in the air. This.. Was too easy. "You mean, after all this time hunting this thing. After all it's killed, it goes down this easily? What a joke." A human hunter scoffed in disbelief, turning her gaze to the scientist.

Who, didn't look much like a scientist now. A wide, sick grin had spread across his features as he stepped forward, arms spread. "It's truly you. You're here! Of all places, you're here!" The other hunters immediately looked unsettled. The human spoke up, her eyes narrowing.

"Who? This thing? You know this thing?"

"It is our lord. The Insatiable!" He cackled madly. Slowly the mangled creature pushed itself back up. Wounds were already knitting themselves back together, slowly piecing what should of been dead to life. Red glowing eyes opened, staring down at the group. Fear washed over the mercenaries as the scientist spread out his arms wide. "Feast, my lord! Feast and remember!

The words were only sounds to the beast. Red eyes narrowed as it took a step forward. Blasterfire erupted again, heavy slugs and lasers impacting his flesh. Ripping it away to reveal bone. Only, the wounds were healing as fast as they were formed. The Sangnir abomination moved then. Powerful arms struck out at those firing, sending the group scattering into the cave. Bodies impacted rock walls with dull thuds. One by one they were sent flying until they started to flee. The cultist cackled madly all the while.

Until his lord didn't give chase to those running. Xyoz turned his gaze down at the still somewhat laughing figure. More noises. Then anger. Angry noises. Was he yelling at him..? "Kill them! Eat them! Feast!" He didn't hear the words. Instead, the lumbering creature just turned to leave. This place wasn't a shelter any longer, so now he needed to find a new place to rest.

He was starting to feel hungry, anyway.

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai hung back and watched as they approached what seemed to be the creature's lair. From the smell of it, she wouldn't be surprised if he was in there. The scent was strongest in that direction. She flipped out her bipod and set her rifle on a nearby tree trunk as she waited to see what was going to happen.

It didn't take long for blasterfire to rip through the air and echo from the cave... like that would do anything to him. They wouldn't be expecting a mortal karking animal to be attacking them in there. Things went quiet and Shai waited to see what was going to happen, the lack of immediate screams wasn't something she was expecting. Then the cheering... why the hell was one of their own cheering? The shouting and shooting started back up, and soon the hunters were bursting out of the cave to get as far away from the beast as possible. Shai took a deep breath and waited for him to emerge from the cave.

The moment he emerged, however, she didn't fire as she had planned. His head was directly in her crosshairs and her finger was around the trigger, ready to plunge a couple of rounds into his thick skull... yet she didn't fire. With a frustrated growl she set the gun aside and rose from her shooting position with her two pistols out of their holsters. "It is you! It karking is you!" She barked at him with rage in her cybernetic eyes. Flipping her blasters to the sonic setting, she marched towards him. "All these years and this is what you've been doing? Hunting and murdering like a karking animal?" She shouted, halting a good distance away from him. She doubted that he would remember her in this state, but she was going to refresh his memory very well.

Her pistols came up and fired two rounds each at him. It wouldn't kill him, though she was sure that having his organs and ear drums rupture would hurt him real good. "Does this ring a bell at all you overgrown mutt?!" She shouted at him before blasting into the air with her jetpack, out of range in case he decided to attack. She hovered in the air, firing a few more rounds at him. She waited for him to heal up so he could hear her loud and clear. "I'm going to tear you apart, you karking selfish skug! Might not kill you but it's gonna make me feel a hell of a lot better!" She roared before firing a concussion missile at him from her jetpack.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

Something familiar pulled his attention. Machinery had it's own scent. Metal, oil, copper. Fake things that weren't the familiar scent. They muddled it. He sniffed the air, standing from all fours much like a dog. The source. Immediately his head snapped towards the trees, right where Shai Maji was perched. He couldn't see her, but even lost to his hunger as he was he couldn't help but feel a pull.

Then a voice. They didn't register in his mind as words, but he understood the emotions behind them. Rage. He growled and lowered himself. Haunches stood on end, teeth were bared. A warning to stay back or he'd attack. Except, then he was shot. Lasers and slugs did little to immobilize him for long. Enough shots in the right place could bring him down until he healed, but many didn't know that. The hunters didn't know that.

Sonic was the closest thing to nearly killing him asides from fire.

Pain ripped through his form. Flesh was slammed into, bones were broken, but that's not what stopped him. Organs ruptured. The internal damage from just two shots popped a lung and his spleen. He felt the pain, hacking up blood as he dropped to the ground. Pain only lead to anger, though. Fear, hate. Hate for what was hurting him. His body started to heal as he lunged forward, his claw ripping through the air to impact the ground just where Shai was.

All that remained was pain, then. Shot after shot hit his body. He turned to flee, trying to get away from the onslaught of sonic blasts. They shattered his limbs before he could. Continued to break him as he tried to crawl away. He couldn't die from this, but the pain. Even his feral mind understood it. Perhaps that was a boon, though. No matter how much pain he felt, he didn't stop trying to get away. He couldn't understand her rage, only that so long as he was alive he needed to get away.

Then a rocket hit him. His body scattered, limbs impacting the ground some distance away from the core of his body. His chest was ripped open, organs on full display. Broken, bloodied, bruised. And yet, his heart still beat. Slowly they'd heal. Slowly his flesh would reform and regenerate. Slowly Xyoz would piece back together, but the damage was extensive. Bone reformed, covered slowly by muscle as he reached out, forward, trying to drag himself still ever away from the source of pain.

 

[Shai Maji]

Her weapons had pretty much the exact effect she figured they would have. There wasn't much left of Gnox after that missile hit him, and yet he still kept trying to get away. She touched down a couple feet away from him and crouched down to glare directly into the beast's eyes. The was something very wrong with him if this was his entire existence at this point. What the kriff happened to him after he disappeared?

"Look at you, Gnox." Her voice was cold as she watched him slowly heal up. He was going to be fine, but she knew it wouldn't take long for his limbs and muscles to regenerate. Luckily she still had her jetpack ready to go in case he tried to take a swing at her. She shook her head slowly as her crimson gaze practically ridiculed him. "Do you even remember me? Or have you just swirled so far down the drain that you don't even know your own name?" She stood up, wanting to coat him in melting hot plasma to see if that would decommission him more permanently... yet her arm stayed by her side.

With a sigh she knelt down again as a more sympathetic look adorned her hard scowl. "Say something, dammit." She ordered him. "Say something or else I'll karking blow your head off next." Her tone was as sporadic as her own emotions. One moment filled with rage, the next moment she took pity on him. "Gnox... if you don't say something, I'll use every single weapon at my disposal to try and put you out of your misery." She warned softly. Her attention was drawn away from him when she heard a commotion nearby. She rose and hid behind a tree as she noticed the hunters returning. Looking to the cave, she started to wonder where the hell the scientist was. With a low growl she slid her helmet on and hid from the hunters, they were her more immediate concern.

She moved away from Gnox and let them get closer to inspect what was left of his mutilated body. It was time for them to go.

She stepped out from behind a tree and raised her pistol, flicking it to its normal setting. The particle bolt flew through the air and impacted with one hunter's head, leaving nothing but half of a torso in its wake. More shots followed and the other hunters were torn apart by her hand cannons. Now she had to find the scientist...

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

If he had the mental capability to respond, he certainly didn't have the physical. Beady red eyes that had only just reformed stared blankly up towards Shai Maji . The eyes of an animal, desperate to live. And yet, there was something familiar there. Gnox. Was that his name? It was the only word he seemed to recognize. And.. Her? Did he know her? His arms started to regrow enough for him to push himself up.

Not that he could. Around him more people started to show up. People not Shai. People who shot him before. They were here to kill him? He growled, though it sounded like a meek whimper with how little of his throat he still had. Were they going to shoot him? He saw barrels. More pain. Anger welled in his eyes. He didn't want more pain. Then, blood. Around him they all died, blow apart by the familiar one's guns.

Their blood coated the mangled form of the Sangnir as he continued to heal. Except- Now he was healing faster. The blood, greymatter, and bone were absorbed on contact, causing the slowly regenerating being to rapidly become whole. Muscle wrapped around bone, which was then wrapped by flesh and fur. He pushed himself to his feet, standing on two legs as his red eyes scanned around him. Things were.. Less hazy.

Sentient souls.

Where was he? He blinked slowly, turning his gaze around. Everything was still fuzzy, and his mind still couldn't make sense of everything. Another voice joined. "My lord! You did devour them! Praise be to thee, Gnox!" He understood the sounds, mostly. He reached out then, setting a hand atop the beings shoulder.

"M.. My Lord! You.. Do you reme-"

"Enemy."

".. Wha-"

His head was gone in a moment. Ripped from his shoulders. Fresh blood coated his newly grown fur, though it too was absorbed. A frown settled on his lips. This was.. Wrong. He tossed the body aside, hastily trying to wipe the blood off before his body absorbed it. Then a scent. Her scent. Halfway through the frantic cleaning he froze. And turned his head towards where she was standing.

There was barely any sentience in his gaze, but he remembered her. "Shai." His shoulders immediately drooped. "Sorry." He couldn't explain why he was sorry, but he knew he was. Somewhere deep he knew he'd done something terrible. Which, just had him look more like a puppy being scolded than someone genuinely sorry. The difference between knowing why and just feeling it.

 

[Shai Maji]

Emerging from the trees she used as cover, she came to a halt in the open to watch as Gnox healed and turned his attention to the scientist. From the sound of it, the guy was a big fan right up to the point he lost his head. A smirk formed behind her T-visor at the sight, she would have done the same if she had to be honest.

Though something got her curious about him. He... spoke. It was rough and thick with feral backwards savagery, but it was quite clearly a word. And then he tried to get the blood off himself. Her T-visor was blank while her crimson eyes stared at him in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Her pistols were still in hand just in case he turned his aggression in her direction... but it seemed that it wouldn't be the case. He seemed to soften up as he turned to face her, even managing to utter her name and an apology. Her confusion turned into complete disbelief as she holstered her pistols and removed her helmet. "You... remember?" She asked softly as she took a few steps forward.

She clipped her helmet to her belt as she carefully approached him, staring up at him with a shocked expression adorned on her face. It couldn't be right. She didn't see life in his eyes, merely the eyes of an animal. Yet he spoke, clearly said her name and even apologized. She wasn't sure that he actually knew why he apologized, but he did it nonetheless. "There's still something of you in there after all..." She muttered, studying him for a few seconds.

Her head turned in the direction of voices nearing their position. More hunters. There would still be a bunch of them and her talking to the beast wouldn't exactly go down well. They didn't have a lot of options, and none that included smuggling him off-world without issues.

She looked back to Gnox with uncertainty. "Alright, listen up. There are more hunters after you... um... more enemies." She explained, not sure at all that he actually understood her. "You. Trust. Me." She spoke clearly and slowly, pointing to him and to herself to help him understand. Too bad her parents didn't exactly speak "mutt" or something. "You. Play. Dead." She pointed to her blaster and then to him. "Me. Help. You." She drew her blaster and took a few steps back, not sure at all if he got what she was telling him.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

Shai Maji would be met with a predominantly blank expression. Gnox didn't understand much, only able to piecemeal the information to try and figure it out. And yet, he didn't just run off. He would have any other time. Returned to the forest to continue existing to just.. Exist. The blood he absorbed and the flickering consciousness it brought had him linger. Enemies? His ear twitched before he turned his head towards the sound of the hunters. A low growl echoed in his throat as he crouched. Enemies. Enemy.

"Kill."

That should of been all there was to it. Enemies, kill. Survive. But more sounds came from Shai, pulling his attention. Dead? He tilted his head, looking between her and the gun. For the briefest moment gears seemed to turn behind his eyes.

He didn't understand it. Help though, that he understood. He stood up straight again, no longer looking like he was about to run off to war. "Trust." No, he didn't know what the word meant at this time. But she said it like it was important for him to do. Ironically, it was just him saying he trusted her judgement. The beady red of his eyes dimmed, fading to a more neutral orange. Brown.

Human.

But they changed as soon as a branch snapped close by. He growled deeply, immediately turning towards the source. Haunches raised, teeth bared. Attack dog waiting to strike.

 

[Shai Maji]

She almost lost him again for a moment as his attention shifted to the approaching hunters. At least his wits stayed put and his attention turned back to her. He seemed to get her message and she watched as his eyes started to shift. Unfortunately whatever he had planned flew out the window when the sounds grew closer. Her hopeful smile disappeared as she gave him a slap on his snout. "Hey, stay put." She ordered with annoyance in her voice.

This wasn't going to work. They didn't have the time to get him to shift, get him dressed and then act like he was with her this whole time. She didn't talk to anyone upon arrival, but there was always the risk that someone could have paid attention to her as she left the town. She couldn't risk any of this. "Ah crap. Okay... Gnox, trust me." She muttered as she saw the silhouettes through the trees. They were out of time.

With a sigh she stepped back and drew her pistols. One fired a few sonic bolts at his body while the other fired particle bolts at his head. Hopefully it was enough to utterly obliterate any semblance of him being alive... and that his healing would be slow enough for her to drag his carcass away. With that done, she turned her weapons on the approaching hunters, who were quite surprised at the sight. "Sorry boys, this one's mine." She quipped as she stood over the "corpse" of Gnox. "And them?" One quickly retorted as he pointed to the bodies around them. Shai glanced around and snickered. "Tried to steal my kill. They got what was comin' to 'em." She rested her boot on Gnox's shoulders as she glared at the hunters.

"Y'all can turn around and kark off, unless you wanna join these guys?" Her pistols were ready to fire and they knew it. With grumbles and cussing they left the area. With a sigh of relief Shai holstered her weapons and tossed one of the corpses against Gnox in hopes that he would heal quicker. Then she sat in front of him, waiting for him to heal back up.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

​

Attack mode engaged. Gnox was already lowering his massive form with the intention of running off to fight. That was.. Different. Wait. His hazy mind could already tell that was different. Usually he'd just run from people. Avoid fighting as much as he could. So, why did he feel the urge to run forward? Then a bap on his snout. He blinked and stared blankly, too stunned and surprised to move. It pulled his attention completely from the incoming threat, at least.

He tilted his head to the side. Trust. He could do that. "Tru-" Just as he started to repeat the word again his head was blown off. Completely off. The upper portion was erased, leaving just the open bottom jaw flapping in the wind as he hit the ground with a dull thud. The damage was extensive, and the wounds suffered to his body from the sonic more so. Once more, he was on the brink of death but couldn't fall over. The damage alone kept his healing from it's usual speed. Hell, it was far slower than it had been the last time she did this. His reserves were running low.

By the time she tossed the body towards him, he barely had started healing the missing part of his skull. The effect of the body was instant, though. Blood, still fresh, was practically ripped from the corpse. Whatever was left within the body leaked out of the wounds, floated in the air. Swirled around unnaturally as the literally mindless body sought to keep itself alive. His skull reformed instantly, muscle and flesh wrapping around it. Gnox slowly pushed himself up, more plopping into a seated position as he held the side of his head. Headache was an understatement.

But the world around him was clearer. Things were still hazy, memories were still mostly blank. But, the unnatural red glow of his animalist eyes faded. The orange returned, confusion filling them as he looked towards Shai Maji .

"What.. Happen.." The question came out, though he was still struggling with basic.

 

[Shai Maji]

With pursed lips and wide eyes she watched as his body absorbed flesh and blood from the corpse, quickly reshaping to heal the extensive wounds throughout his body. In the literal years she had last seen him, she had forgotten just how wacky his healing could get when he had this much damage to heal up. "Well I'm skippin' on dinner tonight." She quipped dryly as his head finished up its healing cycle.

What surprised her was the change in his eyes and the more coherent words. It was like he was slowly bouncing back from his feral state. "I blew your head off to chase the hunters away." She stated calmly. "Wait... do I just have to keep shootin' you in the head 'til you're back to your old self?" She asked rhetorically. It was an option she would gladly explore at this rate. A few more rounds or missiles at him felt like it was well deserved after the stunt he pulled with her. But now was not the time for that.

Rising from her seated position, she looked him over in thought. "We need to get you back to the ship..." She pondered for a moment on how to do that. "Okay... do the weird shape shifting thing." She gestured to his body in hopes that he could understand what she meant. "Like that thing you used to do. Turn... normal or something. I can't take you back to the ship like this. You're already costing me credits as it is." It was simply ranting at this point, less directed at him directly. "Came all this way for easy credits and instead I'm stuck with my ex. Karking lost his last two brain cells as well in the process." She grumbled to herself as she fetched her rifle and clipped it to the side of her jetpack.

She turned to face him again. "Okay...? Start changing or something! Turn into... that dude or someone." She pointed to one of the corpses as she spoke.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

".. What?" There were too many words to follow. Gnox just stared blankly at Shai Maji , trying his best to comprehend what she was saying. Something about.. Shooting him? That stood out the most, given how much that'd likely hurt. He didn't want to be in pain. Pain sucked. Wait she was still talking. The hulking figure crouched lower to get eyelevel, really, really trying to understand all the words she was saying.

Change? His eyes drifted to the corpse she pointed to. A minute in silence passed before it finally clicked in his mind. "Change!" There was an odd excitement to his voice as he stepped closer to the body. His form twisted and cracked as he shrunk down. It sounded painful, though for him it wasn't. Getting shot was painful, but this? This was fine. By the end he looked like the figure, a man of human origin. Complete with the wounds that killed them, though.

"This..?"

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai breathed a sigh of relief when he seemed to get the idea of what she meant. Thank kriff this wasn't going to be so hard after all... a thought that came far too soon as she watched the beast slowly turn into a man complete with a part of his head blown off among other wounds. With a sigh she dragged her hand over her face in defeat. This wasn't going to be an easy run. "No, not that." She groaned as she approached him and stuck a finger straight into the head wound.

"Without this. See? This. Not. Good." She instructed as she stepped back. "Just look... normal. No beast. Just you. Like... old you, or something." How the hell does one even explain to a barely sentient monster how to look normal? "You got that weird look you always used. Go with that." Another slap against her forehead. This wasn't helping. "Just... change to something that doesn't look like a corpse. More hunters are comin', we need to get the hell out of here." She warned.

Turning away for a moment, she studied the surrounding area for anyone or anything out of place. Why was she even helping him? It wasn't like she still held some degree of care for him... right? This entire day had been a flop. Stuck with him, losing out on credits, killing people without any good reason, it was a hell of an inconvenience. Once they got back to the ship, she was going to have round two with the backwards savage monster.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

Again he winced under the abuse of Shai Maji 's frustrations. Which only made him frustrated. Gnox bared his fangs as she jabbed a finger into the mimicked wound and stepped back. He could tell she was frustrated. But the words she spoke, most of them were just noise to him. He grumbled to himself, defiantly crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't have to linger either.

Why was he?

The figure closed it's eyes, sighing heavily. No, just running off would likely make her madder. She shot him the last time he tried to run. Or was he running because she was shooting him? Everything was still so very fuzzy. They needed to leave. Leave? Ship. People? His expression twisted into focus as he tried to piece the puzzle together. Well, it shouldn't be a puzzle to anyone else. That he realized.

And that annoyed the crap out of him.

But, he did figure it out. They needed to leave. And people didn't like corpses. That's why she jabbed the wound. His body would tear and break again as he shifted his form. This time just to him. The Shistavanen original self that he was. He kept his arms crossed over his chest, opening his eyes to again look at Shai. Though, it was obvious he was worried. He really, really, didn't want to get shot again. Or poked.

".. This?"

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai frowned at him as he snarled at her in frustration. If he had a snout, she would have slapped him again. ”Hey, hey! Don’t get annoyed with me, I’m helping you over here.” she scolded him.

She was about ready to give up on this and simply keep shooting at him to see if she could salvage something from this... then he changed. She watched as he changed once more and this time it was a form she was very familiar with.

She fell quiet for a moment as she stared at his new form for a second or two longer than she intended. She finally cleared her throat and quickly threw some clothing from the corpses at him. ”Let’s get you dressed then let’s get out of here.” her voice had shifted dramatically, simply devoid of emotion as she helped him get dressed and led him back to the town.

She thanked the Force that they managed to get around any prying eyes until they were airborne. Shai only relaxed after they were in hyperspace and Baby took over. Getting rid of her armour, she returned to the mess room and got a beer from the fridge before she dropped into the sofa. After a few sips she looked to Gnox for a moment. ”What happened to you?” she asked, almost rhetorically. She didn’t exactly expect him to answer.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

He just stood there. Trying not to be menacing, but not knowing what to do next. His mind was still foggy. What was Shai Maji 's plan for what came next? .. Were they supposed to run? Then he was hit in the face with clothing. Somewhat blood soaked clothing. At least, it was. As it he and the woman would get the bits of cloth on, the blood that soaked into them would be further absorbed by him. He didn't seem pleased with that course of action, but he didn't complain.

All it did was make his mind that much clearer.

It was a confusing and somewhat frustrating process, getting him through town and onto the ship. On more than one occasion his attention was pulled by an animal that ran by, and it was obvious that he was planning to run. He never did though. He wasn't going to just up and leave, though he wasn't sure why. On the ship he just sat on the floor, staring out the window at the passing lines of hyperspace.

Trying to remember. "... Mind hazy." Rhetorical or not, Gnox answered. He turned his gaze towards Shai, just watching her for a moment. "Are.. You okay?" He smelled it early on, and it still caught his attention. She didn't smell.. Whole. More machine than anything.

 

[Shai Maji]

Her head tilted slightly at his words. She was starting to think it was less of him simply saying stuff to repeat her and more of him struggling to recall Basic. His mind seemed to be returning to its old self, but it still had a way to go. She didn't even want to know about manners and etiquette with dinner... this was likely going to be a long trip to wherever it was safe for them to hash things out.

Then came the words. At face value it was a simple question. "Of course I am..." She thought about it. With his current situation, that question likely held a lot more depth than he could form into words. With a heavy sigh she took a long swig of her drink before she walked over to sit down next to him. She remained quiet for a while as she stared out of the window alongside him, trying to think on how to put it into simple words for him to understand. There was no simple way to explain it...

"No... I'm not." She admitted. "I've lost everything in this fight of mine. Against the Sith. At first it was my clan... and my arm... now my body." She looked at her cybernetic hands. The synth-skin did a good job of covering the beskar cybernetics underneath, but the lines and scent was a dead giveaway. "I'm barely a person anymore, Gnox. I'm a karking machine at this point. My organs, my spine, my arms and legs..." A sniff escaped her before she hurled the bottle at a wall in frustration. "My life's fallen apart! And now you're here. After leaving me and all the memories we had! After I got your karking carcass out of the Sith Empire and spared your life... here you are again!" She pressed her face into her hands as she started to sob.

She glanced at him for a moment. "My life is in ruins, Gnox! Every time I go to sleep it's only nightmares and that karking Sith's face I see! I see people and stuff I'm supposed to know, and I don't. My memory is karked, my mind is karked, my mood shifts at the drop of a hat... I'm lost, Gnox!" Her cheeks were stained with tears as they streamed down her face. With a shudder she bent forward and rested her head against the floor beneath them. "I don't know why I'm here. I should have jettisoned you out of my ship the moment we left atmosphere, and yet I can't get myself to do it. After what you did, I still can't karking get rid of you." With her head against the floor, she sobbed away and hugged herself to get some form of comfort.

Xyoz Maji

 

[Xyoz Maji]

For once, he understood. Not every word, but watching how it affected her to say them, to understand enough. It made everything clear. It made everything worse. The burden of knowing, he'd forgotten what that was. To know what to be guilty about, and what he'd done to Shai Maji in leaving. The one thing he hated to see more than this guilt he felt, though, was her crying. How long had he been gone?

"Xyoz." He spoke the name, unable to keep it to himself as she continued to refer to him as Gnox. The name given to him when he was found by the Sith. A title of a monster. But he didn't want that name. Memories from before were.. Hard to come by, but he remembered that much. He reached out, setting a hand on her back. Was it really alright for him to comfort her? No, likely not. But he couldn't just sit here either. If it came to her hurting him more, he'd accept it.

"Whatever you want, I will do. .. No more tears." This was frustrating, and it showed in his voice. There was more he wanted to say. More he wanted to do to make her feel better. To help. But this was his limit, at least for now. "I.. Leave only if you. .. Need."

 

[Shai Maji]

She was a wreck through and through. Her mind swam through all manner of dark and desperate thoughts as the tears streamed down her face onto the durasteel floor beneath them. Then she felt his hand on her back, causing her to flinch slightly at the sensation. Slowly she lifted her head to look at him as he reassured her in his broken Basic.

"No, I ain't done with you, you ain't going anywhere." She sat up and wrapped her arms around him to hold onto him as she gave a hard sniff. "No more tears." It was a task easier said than done in her current position, yet she understood what he meant by it. For a long while she sat in silence, merely holding onto him as she pressed her face against him, the person she likely hated and loved the most in the entire galaxy simultaneously. After what felt like an eternity she pulled back and wiped her eyes, looking at him with a mixture of happiness and anger. "If you disappear on me again, I'll karking end ya." She warned with a sniff as a smile managed to break through.

She picked herself up from the floor and pulled him along to place him on the couch beside her. "I'm not gonna lie, I wanna keep shooting your head off 'til you can't heal no more... but kark me, I'm happy to see you again." She admitted softly with a chuckle. "Though... what was that name? The one you mentioned earlier?" She asked softly as she studied him.

Xyoz Maji