Dealer/Debtor

[Thal Mantis]

​

The dreams came back. ​

​

Memories, hazy, violent images. Swords, blasters. ​

​

Screaming, cuts. Blood. His. Theirs. ​

​

Teeth, gnashing. Hands, fumbling for throats, faces. Things to hold, things to crush, things to break. ​

​

Bones shattering, fists- ​

​

He awoke, startled as usual. He reached around, trying to establish where he was, if he was safe, and if he was under attack for real this time. Fortunately, he was at Silver Rest. It came back to him like a soothing wave- a warm blanket of comfort and safety. Hardly any safer place in the entire galaxy, he wagered.

He sat up on the bed, and was faced with an uncomfortable sight-

The bars, the door.

He was here of his own design, his own volition. They locked him away for what he did at the Red Tower. Took his lightsabers away. Put him here for safekeeping, theirs and his own. Granted, the people he killed were no better than monsters, slavers, criminals. But that was not the Jedi way, revenge, retribution. Justified or not.

He lost count how many of them he killed. But as far as he knew, he killed a majority of them. He knew Point Nadir would take a long time to recover from not only the loss of life, credits, security- but their public image was forever tainted. They were unable to stop one rampaging man, how were they supposed to stop anything else? Thal supposed that was as good as any outcome. He made it burn, but he did not collapse it like he wanted.

He didn't cut it's head off, but he slit it's throat, and he could watch it drain itself over time.

Now, there was a cold reality-

Who was he, without his revenge?

Who was he, without his mission?

He had accomplished what he dreamed of since childhood.

Now what?

He sat up on the bed, watching, as he had been for the past few days, the passing Jedi that came through here now and again.

[member="Romi Jade"] l [member="Auteme Denko-Durren"]​

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

The sound of a frolicking child was heard against the wroshyr wood floors of the silver rest creating a hollow sound as the girl advanced down the hallway. It was a bright and early morning for even the wookies still laid in their beds intent on their slumber. Come to think of it you could barely see the sun over the horizon through all the flora. Alyssa blasted past the guards to the cell block the two of them giving her an awkward glance as she ran in without even a glance at either of them.

There weren't many prisoners in the cell block just the occasional scoundrel or two Alyssa didn't know what that said about the Jedi, there weren't many guards inside either though maybe they were all asleep, she sure wished she was. But there was work to be done and it has been put off long enough.

She had a certain "project" she had to learn what it meant to be a Jedi and she figured the best way to find out was from someone who strayed from the path. After passing a corridors worth of empty cells she reached one with her target in it @Thal.

Word was that he was in there for going on a rampage or something like that. Definitely not the Jedi way which was perfect for her assignment. She only hoped he would give her the answers she desired because if not she would probably fail the assignment based on her own procrastination. She approached the cell her hair a complete mess and her vision still dilating to the presence of light. She tapped twice on the cell and waved at the man inside.

"Hi there!"

 

[Auteme]

Auteme wasn't quite sure what to do as of late. Another attack on the Jedi by the Mandalorians -- by Kaine Australis. She'd recovered, both mentally and physically, though it sickened her that she might be getting used to combat. At least she'd succeeded in protecting the archives; for the most part. Now she just needed something to do.

Perhaps she wasn't fully over what had happened, as there she was, searching for the man she'd seen fighting that day. Like the frolicking padawan she had questions, but part of her just wanted to give the man a little comfort and a nod of thanks for his role that day. That was why she'd brought a tray of food from the cafeteria. She assumed that prison food, even with Jedi captors, wasn't very good.

When she arrived she felt mildly that she was intruding -- it seemed that another teenager had had the same idea as Auteme. She stopped over to the side, partly waiting for the two to finish -- or perhaps, begin -- to speak. It'd be rude to interrupt.

[member="Thal"] [member="Alyssa Shinobu"]

 

[Thal Mantis]

Thal slowly rose to a stand, his mighty, imposing brute mass of height approaching the cell. Firstly, he wrapped his hands around the tray of food that was offered to him. His hands were marked, scarred and calloused. The beauty marks of a pugilist. From a man who had spent the near 20 years he was alive fighting, and attempting to stay alive. Some times he scraped by, sometimes he took victory by the throat.

He took the tray with the smallest of smiles, setting it on the small table in his cell. He lowered himself into the seat, looking over to the two younger Jedi that gathered to look at him. For a moment, he was back at the Red Tower-

Eyes harshly staring down at him, judging him.

He blinked, and he was back at Silver Rest.

"Hello."

His voice was accented, one of a person who hadn't spoken Basic up until a few months ago.

[member="Auteme Denko-Durren"] l [member="Alyssa Shinobu"]

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

Alyssa was about to ask the man a few questions when another girl arrived with food. Was she the prison guard? she wondered but upon closer inspection the food appeared to have come from the cafeteria. Dang Alyssa didn't even think the cafe was open this early, speaking of what could she possibly be doing up this early. Surely she couldn't be here for the exact reason as her right? Either way she had a job to do and she was here first anyhow.

"Uh hey! Good morning and all that, let's cut to the chase. I have a project about the Jedi way and you strayed from the path so I just figured maybe you could help me?"

Her voice was small and timid by the time she had arrived at her proposition, it was a strange question to ask of someone who was jail for murder like one of those weekend morning holonet shows. Alyssa reached into her bag and pulled out a Holopad. She made a silent plea with her eyes beckoning him to help her out.

Thal | [member="Auteme Denko-Durren"]

 

[Thal Mantis]

His eyes narrowed.

Hate wasn't the Jedi way.

Annoyance, however- that wasn't in the tenets. Thal stopped eating and thought how he should respond to the girl.

"You should learn to be more careful with your questions. I don't know you, and you want to speak of my darkest hours, the reason why I am in this cell?"

Thal stared at the girl, trying very hard to suppress the growing, familiar feeling of rage in him- he was presently working very hard to contain it.

"There are better examples than I. Go seek them out."

He turned back to his food and began to eat once more, his back facing the younger Jedi. He seemed to have no vested interest in speaking to her any longer.

[member="Alyssa Shinobu"] l [member="Auteme Denko-Durren"]