Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 4, 2024 22:53:48 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordShe easily did as he asked. The ease in which she complied, along with the obvious lightsabre hilt under her tunic, indicated she was clearly a Force-user...or at least she was at one point. Between her weariness and depression, Gwyn had no fight left in her, and she would have just laid her weapons down if Jair had desired to kill her. As it was, he was giving her help, unasked, but freely offered, and she was grateful for the reprieve she got from her onslaught of emotions. The soothing relief of a calm mind would have set her to tears again if not for the fact she was indeed calmer and more controlled now.
“Thank you...so much,” she whispered weakly, “I...think I shall lie down for a while. I have a ship, Esden's Freeport, Bay thirty-five...please...find me if I do not return here first. Good day to you, sir.”
She got up, her tear-mixed drink all but forgotten as she made her way slowly out of the club.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 5, 2024 8:41:41 GMT -8
Jair nodded with a genuine smile as she thanked him and headed out. "Bay thirty-five..." he would make sure to remember that, if anything just to check to make sure she was alright before heading out. If she still wanted to go with him, she was more than welcome to, but again, Jair did not feel as if she owed him anything. But with her presence out of the Arya now, his own flashes of memory would start bubbling back up to the forefront of his mind. He headed back over to the tables. They were still empty. He sat right back down at the one he was at before. There was more to be gleaned from here. He closed his eyes, and, feeling a bit oddly refreshed from his encounter with Gwyn, settled into a deep relaxed meditation. The memories came flashing back at a rapid pace. He focused more intently until they slowed down to a point where he could sort through them... interesting... he hadn't had to do this yet, so far... eventually his mind settled on one, and when it did, he relaxed his focus, and slipped back into a deep meditation...
Jair saw himself walking into the Arya, in a memory. But on this occasion he was not alone. He walked in with a young boy by his side. The boy was happily twirling a stick... well, more like a staff... he was always twirling it... Why did he seem so very familiar? He saw himself and the boy sitting down at a table, and a woman meeting up with them. He recognized the woman. It had been a very long time since he had seen her. Wasn't her name... Rae...? Something like that...
~"So you say you two have met?"~ ~"Yes, we have. A while ago. He was looking for his parents."~ ~"Yeah, we found his mom recently."~ ~"Oh, really? Who?"~ Jair could hear himself replying to Rae's question... but he couldn't make out the words... once again, they were obscured. He was getting tired of this constantly happening, so he doubled his focus and listened again... until... he could hear part of the name... but not all of it... ~"Shadows..."~ was the only part of the name he could make out. And immediately he heard that phrase, from earlier, echoing through his mind... "must you always chase shadows?" It took a moment for the echoing to quiet down, but he heard no more voices in this memory. However he could still see the scene. And when the boy stopped twirling his staff for once, he noticed the emerald green stone adorning the end of the staff. Jair's eyes shot open with realization. He knew who the boy was.
"Mark...!"
He said out loud, though, under his breath... What in the blazes was Mark doing there? In this memory? Jair knew him? All the way back this far? This memory would slowly return to Jair easier than the memories of the woman he felt himself longing so deeply for... The one whose full name was still obscured. But this confirmed something quite major. It answered the question he had asked Aerandir before he embarked on this journey. It was clear that Jair DID know Mark's mother. Not only that, but Marks mother must be the one that was so obscure in his memories. It was the only thing that made sense. And now, he at least had PART of a name... Shadows... But there were still SO many unanswered questions. Like, this... feeling... Now, whenever he thought of that name, that deep feeling of longing returned. It was so potent. But why?
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 5, 2024 12:38:41 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair Crawford She hadn't known how badly she needed the rest with a calm mind. The events leading up to the Force Storm had traumatized her so much, she might have cut off her connection to the Force of her own volition to prevent herself from continuing to massacre the surface. It was not even the voices of the sentients that got to her, but the voices of all life itself. Every blade of grass, every molecule of air. It had overwhelmed her to such a degree, the guilt of her desperate act and the ensuing deaths.
When she awoke, she could feel Jair's touch on her mind still, and she drew on it for all it was worth. She still saw the dreams that haunted her, but was able to view it with a calm detachment she'd lacked before. Nothing in her Sith training helped her whatsoever. She was supposed to draw pride and strength from having survived such an onslaught, but she could not...would not take pride in such an atrocity. No doubt it was not as bad as she made it out to be in her own head, but nonetheless, people had died, and she was for all intents and purposes, more of a pacifist than a true warrior.
The weight of destiny and purpose was descending upon her, and Gwyn knew, her path was intertwined with this Jair Crawford's from the moment she'd walked into the nightclub. Her own problems with the Force aside, that man was guiding her towards something, or perhaps she would help him in his journey of rediscovery, and perhaps...perhaps somewhere along the way, she would find peace in this life, this existence.
She spent the day examining the ship she'd appropriated for herself. It was quite opulent, both inside and out. Whoever owned the vessel previously was very well off, and heavily supplied. They seemed to think of everything. The Cargo Hold even had a small manufacturing table, with which she'd designed some new clothes for herself. She entered the Scarlet Arya that night, looking a bit more like a pilot than a noblewoman. She ordered a more classy beverage than blue milk, a fancy drink that glowed red, came in a thin flute and had a bright yellow fruit and a tiny umbrella adorning the side.
She stayed there, for as long as it took, for Jair to return from wherever he'd been in the day. The stars were aligning for something, and Gwyn was morbidly curious to see where it'd take her.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 5, 2024 13:10:51 GMT -8
Jair had lost track of time. He must have been very still and quiet at the tables as it would appear that Gwyn did not notice him there when she re-entered. He was also completely unaware that she had entered. Both would have been completely understandable however, as he was at a very specific spot... just sitting there... eyes closed, intently sifting through memories...
~"Hey. Are you ok?"~ ~"Yeah. How have you been?"~ ~"Scared."~ ~"Scared about what?"~ ~"What Valance is planning to do... I don't know what it is but..."~ ~""But" . . . what? ... You don't have to worry about him hurting me..."~
Jair had been pouring through memories all night... days of seeing and hearing himself pleading with this woman to stay away from Valance. But it was to no avail. And oddly, Jair, in the present moment did not feel the same sense of fear and urgency that he saw within himself in these memories about this whole thing. Which did not make sense, because on ninety-nine percent of matters, Jair did not trust Valance at all. And for very good reason, as well. But for some reason... he could sense that somehow, in this one instance, he had gotten it wrong about him. But how? The details of the memory were still so obscure.
To add to the frustration Jair could not shake the nagging feeling that Valance had asked him to do something... a favor... something Jair normally would not EVER consider, but... what was it? It had something to do with her... this woman... "Shadows..." Marks mother. It didn't help that even now, in the present, he wanted to see her, even though he still didn't fully even remember her name... How long had he been pouring through these memories now? It might have gotten repetitive, and it should have become apparent that there was not much more to glean here, but, as it would seem, Jair lost track of time.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 5, 2024 13:22:07 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn's eyes suddenly sharpened as she realized Jair was here, the whole time. She'd been so lost in her own musings that she had not noticed him before. But she could also see why. Though her own training in the Force was significant, Jair was so far gone, he all but masked himself to the present. It was no wonder nobody had bothered him, nor noticed his presence. But everyone had needs, and bodies spent in meditation that intense would need replenishment sooner than later. So she ended up with a tray of food and drink for him. Carrying the tray gingerly, she approached, placing it on the table in front of him.
“Jair,” she tried softly, “Jair.”
She watched him for a while.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 5, 2024 13:28:31 GMT -8
Jair jumped with a start. "Huh???" He saw the woman that he had helped before... Gwyn... standing next to him. It also appeared she had brought food...
"Oh, it's you!" Jair replied, somewhat relieved. He looked around to get a grip of his surroundings. Yup. He was still in the Scarlet Arya, but... within the present day. He now wondered just how long he had spent sifting through his memories of this place... He would probably be shocked to hear that he had been there overnight. He did not realize that much time had elapsed.
"You came back sooner than... expected..." Jair's voice trailed off as he realized the lighting in the Scarlet Arya was not as it was before... it was, indeed, daytime. "How... long have I been sitting here?" He asked.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 5, 2024 13:37:00 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn pursed her lips. She looked back the way he had been, and figured he was trying to gauge the time, which he confirmed by asking how long he had been sitting there.
“The sun has risen...and fallen again, since you last saw me,” was her flat reply.
She sat down across from him, pushing the tray closer to him for emphasis. She had her own exotic drink still in hand, though she had yet to actually drink it even a little.
“I had not sensed your presence when first I walked in,” she explained, “your presence was masked to all, thus none had disturbed your meditations. Did you find that which you seek?”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 5, 2024 19:26:13 GMT -8
It was... not even daytime. Jair had completely misjudged the lighting in the Scarlet Arya, and not only so, realized he had been there for an entire day. Pouring over memories. It was at this moment he realized how tired he was. And how hungry, and thirsty he was. When she pushed the tray to him he did not hesitate at all and began eating. He was hungry. Very, hungry. When he had finished, which didn't take him very long at all, he looked over to her, with an expression of gratitude.
"I'm sorry I... completely lost track of time. Thank you."
Did he find that which he sought? That was a great question... "What I seek... I sense will take more time to uncover. I have gotten a bit closer, but I sense I still have a long way to go. Still... I also sense that... I have gleaned everything that the Force will show me here, at the Scarlet Arya."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 6, 2024 5:37:30 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGiven that they only just met, Gwyn certainly wondered why she felt so trusting of Jair, but so far, her instincts told her he wasn't likely to harm her. If anything, she was the greater danger of the two, if only for her own self-doubts and fears of what she had wrought unintentionally. But while she was able to draw on the calm that the Jedi had placed on her, she maintained her self-control and nodded slowly at him.
“Where will you go next?”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 6, 2024 9:16:36 GMT -8
Jair pondered her question for a moment. After regaining much needed sustenance, he felt quite a lot better, but he was still, understandably, quite tired. He had lost an entire night's sleep. However, he could still see some faint flashes in his mind. He did not focus too intently on them at the moment. He did not want to overdo it. He probably already did, to a degree. But the images in his mind kept eventually coming back to Felucia.
"I sense that... Felucia is the place I am supposed to go next."
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 6, 2024 9:31:30 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | The Bar | Scarlet Arya Nightclub | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn had never really heard much of planets beyond Brùn, but her home was lost to her, and Felucia sounded downright exotic. Fortunately, the navcom of her ship seemed to be fully updated and had a holonet connection that kept up to date on the latest starcharts. That helped ensure she could get almost anywhere in the known universe. Now she just needed to see if she wasn't misreading things, and see if the Jedi Knight was amicable with travelling with a Sith. No doubt, the Nùe Sith weren't at all conventional, but even they knew of the legendary friction with Jedi, and it wouldn't do if Jair decided to ultimately draw blades with her.
“May I accompany you?” she asked, her voice laced with hope, and a slight hint of desperation, “I have...nothing.”
That word, 'nothing', meant so many things, ironically. She had nothing better to do, she was alone and she didn't want to be alone in a hostile, dark, strange galaxy. She was a beacon of light in the midst of shadow. Her memory came to the forefront. Knights of Ren had her and her fellow Sith Cavaliers, bound, naked and facing the blasters of a hundred stormtroopers. It was join or die for them, and she was the most afraid of them. Her projected emotions had pushed the Cavaliers into agreeing. Her breath was haggard in that memory, struggling to maintain her composure and stay alive, but also unwilling to take lives. The memory faded into shadows, and Gwyn blinked.
“Forgive my overstepping.”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 6, 2024 17:10:55 GMT -8
Jair nodded emphatically. "Of course you can accompany me! I sense that the Force has sent you on this path for a reason, and-"
Jair was cut off by a burst of thoughts seemingly projecting from Gwyns mind. It did not drain him in any way though, because he had to put in no effort at all to see any of it. In fact that's why it took him a bit off guard. Regardless, Jair's expression softened, and he brought his voice back down to a whisper, looking around once again to make sure nobody was trying to listen in.
"You are not overstepping. Not at all. I see that you have been through a lot... you had been taken by the First Order and a Sith faction? Don't worry. Where we are going, you don't ever have to worry about either of those groups again." Jair said to her, reassuringly.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 6, 2024 21:26:44 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Immediate Location | General Locale | Planet/Ship ] Attn: @somebodyGwyn stared at Jair, and abruptly leaned hard against her seat. How did he know? How did he know?!? She had just been thinking about it, did he see her mind? Were all Jedi talented in mind-reading? Or was she just that easy to read? She closed her eyes, her mind going back to the memory again unbidden, but she was not projecting it this time. Instead, she was just remembering. It was humiliating, but it was also nothing entirely new for her. Most of her fellow Sith saw her as little more than dirt, just because she was born and raised in Cheaping.
“The First Order...yes,” Gwyn said softly, but then she looked up at him through a hooded gaze, “but I was not taken by Sith, I am a Sith.”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 6, 2024 21:45:59 GMT -8
The sheer and utter confusion and, quite frankly, disbelief, was quite apparent on the Jedi's face. He paused for a moment, thinking about how to respond to that statement...
"I... hmm. Honestly, probably too many ears in here to risk talking about that... best to save that conversation for when we go to the ship..." And there at least was the confirmation that this revelation would not stop him from allowing her to join in his travels. Although part of that was that he was not quite sure he believed the statement. Something... many things... seemed ever so out of place. He looked around briefly again before speaking again, very quietly.
"All I will say now is... I do not sense... that at all, in your signature..." He also added, with a bit of genuine emphasis. "I should also be clear, I'm not probing your mind. I promise you. I apologize for, well... seeing what I saw, but it took no effort from me at all. I did not anticipate it, so I could not stop the projection... are you aware that you were projecting..." ... he quieted his voice down again... "through the Force?" He asked before motioning towards the door. If they were going to continue this conversation in earnest, they probably needed to do so in a place where there weren't as many potential listening ears around. So he felt it prudent that they consider heading over to the ship soon.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 7, 2024 8:46:13 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Immediate Location | General Locale | Planet/Ship ] Attn: @somebody“I am now,” said Gwyn, visibly mortified. She had not a stitch of clothing on her during that incident, and it wasn't something she particularly wanted anyone to see, but somehow, she'd projected the thought out for Force Sensitives to see. So in some odd way, she could still touch and affect the Force.
She did not understand what he meant about not sensing something in her signature. What couldn't he sense? Truth? She was not lying about being a Sith. Whatever it was, she did agree that they were better served with the privacy of her own starship.
“I will show you my vessel...” said Gwyn, as she got up and began to exit, “...but where is your ship?”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 7, 2024 8:58:36 GMT -8
Jair reassured her. "Please don't worry over it. I could sense that it was involuntary, and I am not at all offended."
He began to follow her as she was heading for the exit. "My A-wing is not far. It's in one of the public docking bays of this district"
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 7, 2024 9:12:36 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | High Street | Zeltros' Social District | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordHaving only ever travelled long-distance on larger vessels, Gwyn didn't think she could stand sitting in a fighter craft for such prolonged periods. She marvelled at this Jedi's endurance and patience. But, while she had the means, she didn't see why he should suffer so in such a cramped fighter.
“My vessel is a corvette, and has a hangar bay, you can bring your craft over,” Gwyn stated, “I have supplies and fuel if your vessel is running low, I know how much fuel a fighter burns for in-atmosphere flight, not to mention travelling through hyperspace. It is the same location I gave you yesterday. I shall see you soon.”
She soon veered away without another word, intending to prepare her craft to receive a visitor. And she was a good Sith, so she would make sure Jair was received like an honoured guest.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 7, 2024 9:31:44 GMT -8
Jair had so many questions going through his mind as she walked out, but now was not the time. Indeed, he would want to be careful, even when they finally got off world to a quieter location, just how much he would ask. He didn't want to pry. He only wanted to be helpful to her, in whatever way he could. And he also could not lose sight of his mission at hand... although, he got the sense that he need not necessarily rush. Perhaps the Force brought Gwyn to remind him to slow down, and not dive headfirst into everything all the time. After all, he had just spent an entire day searching memories, and he didn't even realize it. No doubt he would sleep well soon. But for now, he headed to his A-wing. He hopped in, set his engines for travel within atmosphere, and followed the coordinates to Bay 35 of Esdens Freeport. It did not take long for him to locate it, and when he arrived, he prepared to dock in the hangar of Gwyn's corvette, awaiting her signal for clearance.
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Gwyn
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Post by Gwyn on Sept 7, 2024 10:08:41 GMT -8
[ Gwyn | Cockpit | Morninglord-class Light Defender (Unnamed) | Bay 35 | Esden's Freeport | Zeltros ] Attn: Jair CrawfordGwyn was ready for him when he arrived. The port side of her hundred-meter long vessel lighted up, and the ventral hangar openned up. It seemed that the people who designed this ship, had extreme versatility in mind, because the gold and white pearl plating shifted to open with a landing platform for Jair to easily dock, and then surface would then retract into the ship, doing most of the work for the pilot. Once he was inside, Gwyn left the ship to automation whilst she ventured hurriedly to the hangar bay to receive Jair.
“Welcome aboard my...ship, Jair,” said Gwyn, lightly bowing, “Nùe Sith protocol bids that I provide a customary greeting of the blood of your enemies flowing as much as the gold in your coffers, but I believe that to be in poor taste given your position. Therefore if it please you, I will simply say, may your heart never fail you and your spirit remain steadfast in your endeavours. If you require sustenance, you need only ask, and I can prepare it for you. If not, please join me in the cockpit.”
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 7, 2024 10:35:03 GMT -8
As soon as the hangar opened and he received the clearance signal, he docked his A-wing inside. As he opened his canopy and got out, he noticed she had already run into the hangar bay to great him.
Jair merely blinked at the mention of what her typical Sith protocol greeting would have been... Yes indeed, her alternative choice was, much more palatable to take in. But once again he was perplexed, though also quite grateful, that she would go to such lengths to serve him. Again, he did not feel that she owed him anything. Nevertheless, he nodded, and followed her to the cockpit. As he settled into the cockpit, he finally felt like he could rest, for the first time in a long time. Although, he did sense calm and tranquility on Coruscant, his time spent on Zeltros was fairly taxing.
"I want to apologize for a bit," the Jedi said, with a more relaxed and casual tone that Gwyn had not yet heard from him with any of her interactions with him thus far. His genuinely friendly demeanor was sustained throughout, but this would be the first time she would hear him just talking like... well like a normal person, and not like someone whose only purpose was being a Jedi on a mission. "I've been so focused on, well... everything lately that I haven't quite been myself."
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