Bottom of the Barrel swimming in wine

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce began to roll the vial in his hand like a pair of dice before holding it up to her. With a smirk on his face gave her a wink before placing it back into his medical kit. Finishing his drink he stood up and held out his hand to the young woman.

"Well this should be interesting, so much to do and so little time, where should be begin. I got it, you look starved. Let's go grab some grub Tori, not here of course that would be awkward for you I'm sure. We can go some place nice and quiet, some place you can eat and peace and build up your strength."

All kidding aside Bryce was quite serious and his tone of voice seemed to now carry more gravitas. Getting one unwound from an addiction was no easy task and to attempt to do it in one night was ludicrous. Still caring for others was in his bones and with his bet in place he had at least a obligated patient, if not so willing.

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

She lost, she wasn't as quick as she thought, SO WHAT! She looked at him angry at herself, angry that she lost but one thing she was an Organa, a Treadway and she would not break her word.

With great reservation and distrust she took his hand, "ok" She didn't know what to say, she was waiting for him to reveal his real colors it wouldn't take long but she had a growing problem. The longer she went without a fix the more her body would begin to react, and her mood would change more.

She had never gone very long without drugs there was always something available.

Eat a real meal though she had to admit it appealed to her, a lot. She ate very little as it was simply because she couldn't afford something else.

"So then where do you want to go?" She clenched her teeth she was afraid, hungry and really wanted something

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce knew a place, a much more subdued and relaxing atmosphere. That place was his ship, the H-Wing Medical cutter called "The Shining Starr". wanting a more private seting and a place that would be a controlled setting he lead her to his main observation room and invited her to sit on a comfy coach. Even though Tori was a quite attractive young woman, even in her present state, Bryce was in full helper mode and instead of joining her went into the galley.

"Hope you're hungry! He said as he began to warm up the stove. Taking out some of his finest Fen-hare meat, Groat cheese, Fatu bread rolls and exotic spices he quickly whipped up something like cheese steak sandwich. Serving it with a bowl of mixed greens and a nice glass of Biituian wine. Placing the plates of food beside her sat casually on the other side of the couch and took an all to big bite of his sandwich. Once he was finish chewing he turned his full attention to her.

"So Tori, tell me more about yourself."

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

His ship, great she knew this was trouble. Feth

She looked at the food, and then to him. She lifted the bread she wasn't sure about this so she picked a few pieces of it from the sandwich eating bits here and there. The wine, not so bad had that taste that said more. No buzz for her though she was long past a drink giving her relief. Though she had to admit sitting there the smell of food made her stomach growl and rumble aching to be fed.

"About me. like what, you know where I work. Are you wanting....like birth, how did you get here type stuff?" She just didn't trust him completely no matter what he did, and he knew it she could tell by the way he watched her.

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Her body language said volumes, like a pensive child she squirmed and picked at her food while she down her wine like it was water from the gods. This was not going to be easy, her shields were up and she was at battle stations. Ok so the quiet setting wasn't working, plan B it was...

"Look, I ain't here to bed you Tori so you can relax. You ain't even really my type. What I want to know is this what you wanted in life. Now I know from you accent you aren't from this neck of the woods right? Even though you're tweaking like a mother karker you still have pride in the way you carry yourself. A family trait I'm guessing huh?"

BB was fishing, not even sure if what he was saying was completely accurate. But it was the way the force was pulling him, she wasn't just another fallen soul. She had a purpose, a destiny, one that if she continued on this path would be lost to her. So it would be tough love and cold reality for Tori until she decided once and for all to get her head out of her shebs.

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

She laughed she had never heard a guy say that a girl wasn't his type, wait so that mean, "So you like boys, ok, I can get on board with that" She smiled looking at the food again.

"Yeah family trait" She continued to pick at the food not because she wasn't hungry but when you don't eat a lot your stomach shrinks up and then there isn't a lot of room for food, so slowly over time she might be able to finish the food he had given her.

"No I was raised on Balmorra." She was that wasn't a lie but how much did she tell this guy really? Was he going to cart her off back to Alderaan? What did she want from life, this life or any other.

She sat there quietly for a moment thinking about that, "I want everyone to stop looking at me like poor Tori" Poor Tori her parents died, Poor Tori living off her sister, poor Tori who will never amount to anything, poor Tori, god she was sick of it.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

"Nah, I like strong women. One's who know who they are and where they want to go."

Bryce let those words linger for a minute to drive home the point. Self-pity was a strong emotion to validate a drug problem. If she was going to grow out of it, she would need to be strong and self-motivated. Not this dependant stim addicted person who now ruled her life.

"You want people to stop looking at you with pity, then stand the kark up and make them. You know what look over in that mirror. I want you to see who everyone else sees and honestly ask yourself does she deserve to be anything else but poor Tori?"

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Part of her wanted to stand up and slap him, another part was stung by his words. She didn't know what to say at the moment, she thought about Claire and how she had always worked so hard to get where she was. then how her customers didn't think of her as her sister, she was the 'help'. Feth.

She was tired and this guy was just like yelling all the time at her, all this for a meal? Maybe she should starve.

She pushed the food away, she had eaten what she could.

"What do you know about it really? You probably have had everything just handed to you right." She waited for him to answer.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

"Kark girl I grew up a feral orphan in the wilds of Taris, you know the planet that spawned the Rakghoul plague. Watched my mother be torn apart bloody bogstalkers when I was eight. Father was a fething rich man who had a taste for exotic slaves and wanted to sell his own offspring just to turn a fethng profit. I live by my will and whits for fifteen years. It was only when I left Taris did things change for me, lucked into a job that helped me earn this ship. Helps liberate a planet from the black rose and stop a sith spawn plague by the time I was seventeen. At any moment I could have been poor Bryce, but I made a choice. I fought, with everything I had for a better life."

Bryce paced in front of her, undeniably pissed off before speaking again.

"Where is your karking anger? You say you want to people to stop having pity on you, STOP PITYING YOURSELF! Fight for something, anything kark. Live not curled up in a hase of death sticks and booze but among people..."

He paused again...

"You know what, I think I was wrong. I though there was someone left in their work helping. Someone who wanted to carve out her own destiny. I see now I was wrong, only one I found was poor little Tori. So why don't you see yourself out, my charity only extends to those who deserve it..."

This was her final test, if she truly wanted to get better she would stay, get angry or somehow show she was willing to change and get it. If not Bryce's conscious was clear. He had helped her with no expectation of return. If she was too far gone to be helped then so be it.

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

"My family was homeless on Balmorra, we lived in boxes until my father got a job. Even then it was hard, we lived in a couple of rooms. We had enough to keep us alive. For years we clawed and scraped our way out." Tori shook her head, those days were hard. They had gone from having everything to nothing all because someone wanted something from them that wasn't theirs, well her family to give. Fething people.

Tori looked at [member="Bryce Bantam"]

"Where's my anger?" She laughed, "WHAT you want shouting?" Tori moved, "WHAT YOU WANT SOME OH POOR ME? WHY? HMM WHY? BECAUSE YOU EXPECT ANGER.' She was shouting, "ANGER OVER WHAT NOW, MY LIFE, MY CHOICES, MY LACK OF FUNDS...FETH YEAH I'M ANGRY...BUT WHO IS LISTENING," She stepped back, "No one cares about it, why yell."

She sighed heavily defeated by it all, 'It's not that I don't want to stop the need. It hurts when I need it. It hurts when I don't. But I'm in so deep now...I don't think there's help for me." And beside she thought, I don't want to go home and have to admit to being wrong, or looking like this. But that was for her, not a stranger who had good intentions, well she was beginning to think he had good intentions.

She, just didn't trust anyone, any more.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

There we go Tori, you do care, BB thought. Bryce let her think a bit more as he went into the galley and grabbed a protein shake. He hated them but it would be easier for her to drink. He hadn't been blind to her eating troubles. It was common in someone who is heavy into addtiion. Placing it gently by her side he kneeled down on the ground next to her so he would be looking up at her in a non-threatening way.

"If you want to get better then there is help for you. The question is do you, I mean are you willing to put in the time, make the sacrifices needed to get better. I can tell you that demon who rules your life will never be completely exercised from you. But you can conquer him, control it so the true you can come back. All you need to do is make the choice. The rest just takes time. So I ask you again, do you want to get back to you? Whoever that is Tori?"

 

[Victoria Treadway]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Did she want to get rid of it had it given her any relief, anything that she could hang onto and pull herself up. No. It had been an escape at first, a way to forget her pain, forget missing her parents or being jealous of her sister.

She took the shake from Bryce, just looking down at him he had a serene positive look, something genuine that she had not seen in sometime.

"Are you going to help me? You really think I can get a control of this?"

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce smiled before answering, "Yes on both counts, but it will take some sacrifice on your part..."

The boy's voice trailed off, what he was going to ask was not going to be easy for her to do but he knew it had to be done.

"You need to leave this place, this is where your addition lives. It has friends here, triggers and places it can go to feed itself. You need a place to make a clean start, one where you would be surrounded by family and friends. Do you have any place like that?"

Having a "fresh" start would be critical to helping here stave off relapse, and a support structure would help with the withdraw she was sure to go through. Any please could work really but if she had one with those asset it could only help here in her struggle.

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

"A place that doesn't have a way to get what I want. I can't go home Alderaan just has too many things that make me want to run away. Balmorra is filled with memories too." She had to think about where she could go. "Vena. I have a cousin there I think she would understand, even though she's never met me"

Would Arabella take her in?

"Its not a calm place, but I don't know anyone, and..." she shrugged she felt ok about it right now but what would happen when she really wanted to have something, really wanted to...relieve her frustrations.

She sipped again, it was kind of grainy but eh...so far it wasn't killing her.

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

"Well Tori, have ship will travel, I can take you anywhere you want go, just as long as it is not filled with triggers and contacts to help you get fixes. We need you to be in a supportive place, filled with people and purpose."

Bryce stood back up and sat down next to her. Looking over at the sofa's arm he grabbed screen device and activated it. keying in a serise of commands the view screen in front of them came on and began to display the system she had talked about.

"Anywhere that will keep you away from this place, just name it... I can also put huttball on this as well if you need a distraction."

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

"Vena its really the only place left unless I just stay with you. I mean you know if you're taking care of me, wouldn't it be better if I was with you?" She wasn't trying to be confusing she was trying to think and even though the protein was growing on her, and her craving for a little something to take the edge off creeping up she well, just knew she had to beat it or die trying.

"I can clean...I wouldn't eat my cooking. And...I..." She really didn't have any other talents, she needed a job. Part of the problem of how she ended up this way, she couldn't find her own identity couldn't find passion.

And when it finally started to spark, well...her parents died. and so did the spark.

She swallowed hard she could use something.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce paused for a moment before responding, not quite sure what to say.

"I don't really need a domestic person, pretty much got that covered. Any interest in the outer rim. I happen to know a group out there who can always use a hand. If you need work they got plenty of openings, on the job training too. Now I'll warn ya it's not easy work, will be real challenging but extremely rewarding also. So what do ya say, any interest in setting up shop in the outback?"

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

The Outer Rim, no one would find her there or would they? Could she do this? She had her doubts, some of them festering just beneath waiting for the trigger that would send her over the edge once more.

"You'll be there?" If he was taking her away, if he was helping her beat this addiction, he wasn't going to just drop her off somewhere and leave her to fend for herself among a bunch of strangers cause...well then she could just stay right here. She knew eventually she'd have to take charge of her own life, but if Bryce was offering a way out to start. She would need to lean on him for a bit until she felt stronger, safer, and the fight over what made her feel good would be hard fought.

She didn't want to be alone to do it.

A doctor would be just about to help, right? Right.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce could hear the fear in her voice as well as feel it around her. That tough false shell was finally down and he was able to get a true read on her.

"I'll always be around, maybe not glued to your side the whole time but never that far. We can take this slow, baby steps till your more secure, sure of yourself and all. It will be... interesting I guess."

Kid has a knack for picking up folks, hunger, hurt, tired, or broken he was a healer by nature. A warrior by choice...

"So then its' settled, to the Outback and a life of adventure?"

[member="Victoria Treadway"]

 

[Victoria Treadway]

"To the Outback and whatever lies ahead."

What was ahead what would happen? what would she do now, hopefully someone would have an idea.

She had no idea. [member="Bryce Bantam"]