|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 16:46:09 GMT -5
Post by Latus Itani on Jul 22, 2009 16:46:09 GMT -5
(4th wall... hmm. Nah.)
It was slow in coming. His mind gently eased out of nothingness and back into reality. His thoughts flooded back into the void, activating the once heavily used neurons for the first time in years. His eyes fluttered open, staring up at the canopy above him and the clear blue sky beyond. Gasping for air the aging man sat up, his hands running through the grass upon which he laid upon just a moment ago. Looking down at his hands his eyes graced the seam where his prosthetic hand and wrist connected to the pale arm beyond. Flicking it back, a hole opened in the palm and a silver cylinder shot out into his outstretched hand. The edged of his mouth quirked upwards eventually building into a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Shooting his gaze back to the sky he threw up his organic fist and shouted to the clouds.
Bout time you lazy kid.
He waited for a moment for the response that would never come before standing and gazing around him. He was standing in a grove of trees, large deciduous trees every few feet. For the first time in several years Latus ignited his silver lightsabre. Striking a pose he closed his eyes in focus. Taking a step foreword he spun into motion, whirling the beam of light over and around him, swinging in huge horizontal arcs. His mind focused on the moment, enjoying the feeling of whirling his lightsabre in a graceful display of light and acrobatics.
If only for a time, I will live for the moment.
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 17:41:44 GMT -5
Post by Talau on Jul 22, 2009 17:41:44 GMT -5
It had, indeed, been several years, and the worrisome mother, sister, and Contess had not only lost her fiance (again), but also her brother (AGAIN). Vaguely she wondered if it was in her nature to drive others away...it seemed to happen often enough, they would come into her life, then vanish again, perhaps reappearing for a short time before vanishing again. The aging woman shook her head slightly as she allowed Gilnar to have his head and wander where he pleased. She had just needed to get away from the palace, and she had done that, now she didn't care where they went.
Truth be told, she missed the old days. This wasn't to mean that she missed the fighting, or the death...certainly not the death...but she missed the action, the feeling of usefulness, of helping others...of being something more than a politician.
Talau felt....trapped.
Sighing, she barely dodged the branch of a tree...funny thing was, it was without a thought that she did so, without so much as batting an eyelash or a flicker of her grey blue eyes. By her age, and with everything she'd seen, experienced, the rilan woman hardly needed to give it a second thought, she reacted on instinct when it came to moving. The force said move, you move, you don't just sit there and wonder what might happen if you don't....that ended up with you dead...sometimes worse.
Yes, there was a 'worse than dead'.
It was called living in hell.
Hell, that was an odd thought. If one believed in the force, there really was no heaven and hell, there was just OTHER...yet, she believed in all three. How did that work? Even she didn't fully know...but she couldn't accept the thought that her spirit would just melt into the force and be no more. SHE...well, not just she, but everyone....had to go SOMEWHERE. Their personalities, their memories...perhaps their energy would go back into the force, but their consciousness had to be something else entirely, right? One didn't exactly receive random emotions or thoughts from the force...it flowed in it's own pattern, it was too much of a collective 'thought', too neutral, to be so many individuals. So...that led back to: where did one's SOUL go when one died?
Her only thought: heaven and hell.
Huffing at this line of thought, grey blue eyes shifted fully to grey. With a sigh, the woman finally blinked around at her surroundings. She didn't recognize where they were...
Nar? Where ARE we, and why?
The rosh nickered slightly at her and tossed his mane about in his amusement. Well...at least one of them was having a good time.
We are in an orchard you silly woman...somewhere near Celeban I would assume. As for why...well I think there is someone over here. I can't tell for certain however, since my nose is fairly dry and dust clogged from the heat so I can't smell much.
Talau sighed and shrugged, keeping her mind and her senses through the force open enough to detect any danger. Like many days when she'd had to 'escape' her duties, she had donned her old jedi clothes...the browns and tans of the clothing comforting in its nostalgia. The only thing she'd left behind were the chocolate colored robes, preferring to keep as much heat AWAY from herself as possible, so she had opted for her cloak, which seemed to shift colors easily with her surroundings as the threads of metal reflected the colors, and the grey threads of cloth absorbed the light to keep her from shimmering and shining like a mirror. In this way, Talon and Helluin remained easily concealed on the back of her belt.
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 19:18:48 GMT -5
Post by Latus Itani on Jul 22, 2009 19:18:48 GMT -5
Ah to live, to be free. Latus found it hard to escape the feeling of joy that was nearly palpable as his blade spun close to ground and tree. To his relief he found that his skills were not diminished by the passage of time. Time... There was something. How long had it been, exactly? His movements ceased, leaving the small grove in which he stood silent save for the blade's humming. The Broadsword, his ship, the war on Rilia, Talau. Deactivating the silver blade he slid his free hand into the dusty leather of his vest groping around until his hands touched metal. Quickly he withdrew his datapad; the screen remained dark even as he jabbed the power button and Latus' heart sank.
Great, in the middle of nowhere reminiscing about times gone by though I have no idea where and when I am. But... wait?
Moving out from under the canopy the gristled man looked up into the sky after the waning sun. Sure enough his heart lifted, if only slightly. There they were, the moons that he had become infinitely familiar with. The moons of his unofficial home, Rilia. He brought his hand up to scratch his chin. While his fingers caught on the fairly long stubble, he thought back to the time he had spent on the little world. Groves of an orchard. Where were there orchards? Still scratching his chin, Latus began to walk. To where, he didn't know. He was on Rilia, that was what mattered. It seemed that he had all the time that he could want. Deciding to leave the force out of the picture for now, Latus flicked his wrist again, sliding the silver handle of his weapon back into the shadowy confines of its holster. Bringing his mental blocks to bear, the ex-smuggler strode into the forthcoming, enjoying the journey and leaving the destination to fate.
If not by myself, how did I get here. By the force, the Broadsword!
His ship, the Broadsword, was simply nowhere to be found, if that wasn't obvious. Not only that but with his datapad dead there was no way to slave it to his location. A smirk graced Latus' mouth as he thought of the parking fees that had most likely been leveled against him. That or she was most likely impounded by now. The sun was warm on his cheeks as he stepped from the shade of one tree into another. Pausing he looked about; for some reason he thought he could hear hoof beats. After a moment of looking with nothing of consequence making itself evident he continued on.
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 19:55:17 GMT -5
Post by Talau on Jul 22, 2009 19:55:17 GMT -5
Talau let out a rueful little chuckle at his reply into her mind.
You can't smell and I can't see whoever you think might be out there you old horse.
Gilnar's ears flicked backward against his head and he stopped abruptly, nearly sending the woman in the saddle into the back of his neck. The large head swung round to allow one large blue eye to glare at her.
Don't insult me, Talau. I may look like a 'horse' but I'm not...I'm immensely more intelligent.
Whooo...calm down there Nar, I was teasing you and you should have known that. Hmph...maybe you really are getting old and persnickety.
She ran a hand through her greying hair and sighed, shaking her head slightly. The last thing she wanted was a fight with one of her closest friends.
Then again, I suppose we both are, aren't we? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.
The black and greying beast beneath her sucked in a great breath that made his sides (and thus her legs) expand, and huffed it out again through his large nostrils, making them flare out in a heavy snort. The leather of the saddle creaked and groaned as she shifted in it, lifting her weight slightly to adjust and get some use out of the muscles in her legs. Finally the black and white head swung back around to the front and his ears perked again, swiveling around to the front, just as Talau caught that first word. Without even so much as a motion or signal, the rosh headed off at a trot in the direction of the voice he had just heard.
After a moment, the woman thought she felt something...someone...suddenly "vanish," or at least diminish, in the force. Wary now, she called Talon to her hand. Being who, and what, she was, Talau couldn't afford to not be cautious. Pressing outward through the force warily, the woman found her senses pressing up against something hardened...a barrier...another mind. Withdrawing from it swiftly, she reinforced her already considerable mental bulwarks...another precaution, and one hard learned through her "time" with Chronos. Damn woman.
As they neared the source of the voice, Gilnar slowed to a walk and flicked his ears and swiveled them around so one faced the direction of the unknown person, and the other backward toward Talau. Sighing again, she gave the rosh a light pat on the neck and led him through a grouping of trees.
What she saw there left her speechless and disbelieving.
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 20:37:28 GMT -5
Post by Latus Itani on Jul 22, 2009 20:37:28 GMT -5
The wind had picked up as the graying-haired man continued to walk past tree after tree. Stopping, Latus pounded his left fist into his right palm, generating a reason why he couldn't remember how he got to Rilia in the first place. Senility. That must be it. Laughing to himself he walked foreword again. No, thats not it; too easy. The wind had begun to pick up, blowing Latus' leather vest around a fair bit as he walked. Placing one hand over his eyes he fought with his mind, trying to recall everything that he could remember up to that present time.
You aren't that much of a fool, Latus. You returned to Rilia delivering water purifyers. Tal's a countess. Daeron and Daawn, Nikos, Jenno, everyone was there. Why does it all seem to go dark after that?
Stopping he looked around again, there was the sound of hoof beats again. Thought he was, again, greeted with nothing out of the ordinary. Merely the blowing of leaves and the rustling of grass met his eyes. As his mind continued to draw blanks, Latus slowed to a halt in a small clearing between some of the trees. Reaching into his vest again he slid one of his polished chromium blasters out from its holster. He turned it over once or twice in his hands, the brilliant metal reflected the sun in a most dazzling way. Nothing. With a twirl about his fingers and a motion it was returned to its place in his vest.
From the vest a tone almost too low to catch met Latus' ears. Tearing his datapad from its place, the man pushed button after button until, finally, the dark screen burst to life. His heart skipped a beat as a frantic and all-too-happy warbling broke from the speakers.
Well, well. I thought you were scrap metal for sure R4. Uh... wait... no R4, I'm all right. Track this signal and relay directions to your location. And... yes, its good to hear from you, too.
What a splendid turn of events. Latus smiled as he stowed his datapad; if R4 was still operational that meant the Broadsword was as well. Perhaps the day was going to turn out all right after all.
A thought crossed his mind as he waited for his droid companion to comply to his command. It concerned the Morequai. While they did drive them back in the Civil War, who knew if they were still kicking around. The snap of a twig brought Latus' mind to a sharp point, the edge whetted on the idea of a fight. Spinning on his heel he snapped his wrist back, caught his sabre, and ignited it. His other free hand dove into his vest and ripped the blaster from its place as he struck his stance, sabre up and blaster at the ready.
Both eyebrows quirked upward at what he saw and his mouth dropped open. While she had crossed his mind more than once since he had awoke, he never hoped that they would meet each other in the middle of nowhere. Astride one of her noble court steeds she looked like something out of fantasy, the wind blowing her lightly graying hair around and causing quite the visual effect. Flicking his blade it deactivated. There was no need to worry, not now. He hesitated on the idea of being humorous, coy, sarcastic, with her. Maybe ask if she could give him directions back to the spaceport. The ghost of an idea vanished with his mental blocks as he reached out to her, both physically and with the force. Taken in by the moment, he honestly did not know what to say.
I... Its good to... Uh, hi.
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 22, 2009 21:12:53 GMT -5
Post by Talau on Jul 22, 2009 21:12:53 GMT -5
Stormy grey, nearly lifeless, eyes reflected the silver of his saber blade which swiftly vanished into its hilt as she gave Gilnar a brush of her mind to get him to stop. He didn't need telling twice. Even as her brother would lower his barriers and reach for her through the force and, stammering, also physically, she kept her mind stiffly guarded. The disillusioned woman even went so far as to cut herself and him off from the roiling emotions that fought for control of her.
So it really was Latus then?
The wind whipped around them and she was tempted to bend it to her will to kick up what little dust there was and try to make an escape. Here he was again...seemingly back from the dead again...for what? The third time? She was tired of counting the times her heart had broken...first Nikos and Jenno come and leave to war again, then Sanariel vanished again, and then her brother...at least her children kept in touch with her from time to time, if only to let her know they were alive...if only to speak for a few moments then be off again to their own lives.
She studied him through sobered eyes. Watched as his lengthened hair fluttered in the wind, the way his slightly beaten leather vest snapped between his arms and sides, and she tried to think of something...anything...to say.
...Brother...alive again I see?
It was more of a statement than anything else, her normally warm voice even and emotionless as she blinked at him. When will he leave me without a word this time, I wonder? the tired woman mused to herself. Letting out a soft sigh, she pulled one foot from a stirrup and swung her leg over the back of Gilnar, lowering herself to the ground before pulling her other foot free. Patting the rosh on the flank, he took the hint and made himself scarce without wandering too far.
I was...worried....about you.
"Worried" didn't cut it...she had been more than worried, she'd been distressed and had even mourned him in private. They weren't getting any younger, and while her heart had begged her to defy the potential truth of the matter, the galaxy was still far from safe for force users...and the combination led her fairly logical mind to the conclusion of death. No, she hadn't felt anything...but that was also part of the problem...she hadn't felt....ANYTHING. Not from him, certainly not from her love, and only occasionally from Nikos....Jenno had been the only one (oddly enough) for her to be able to still feel as 'alive' consistently, even if she got nothing else from the man. She'd tried many times to touch them all, but only ever found Nikos and Jenno's presences...because of this, Talau had only found one way to cope...
Mourning.
Now, seeing him alive, she didn't know how to feel or act. How did she live with this?
|
|
|
Reunion
Jul 23, 2009 20:10:52 GMT -5
Post by Latus Itani on Jul 23, 2009 20:10:52 GMT -5
The glimmer left his eyes, the smile fled his lips; he could easily tell that something was wrong. He expected her reaction to be much more... warm than this. The feeling that warmed his heart only a moment ago slowly drained away leaving a gaping void in his chest. Latus' attempts to connect with his sister's mind were tossed aside as it connected with the barriers protecting her. Taking a step toward her he swept his hands aside, discarding his weapons. Her words had no sense of warmth to them, hardly the sister he had come to love. As she swept from her steed a thought crossed his mind, no different from before.
Worried? I'm not particularly the most helpless guy in the galaxy. How long was I out. By the force, must have been longer than I even considered.[/i]
Turning away from her he stroked his chin, deep in thought. He tried to run over every even up until his memory blanked, searching, hoping that perhaps he could find a clue. Withdrawing his consciousness from around her mind he tried to understand the tendrils of the force that slipped through the clearing around them.
Nothing.
Not a hint. Not a whisper. That certainly was saying something given Latus' affinity with the force. If he had just disappeared from the surface of Rilia without any form of communication with anyone whatsoever that might turn a few heads. Looking over his shoulder at his sister, that seemed to make the most sense to the aging Feanturi.
Shaking his head he took the few steps to one of the nearest fruit trees. He had to clear his head; the fog seemed to encompass everything now. He couldn't think. Sliding his back down the tree he slid to a seat. Looking up at her his eyes shifted to a deep blue and his face slumped. Whatever had happened, he had hurt her. That was what mattered.
I... missed you, Talau.
|
|