First Reply Festive Hearts

[Rayne Lo'to]

Festive Hearts
Chalcedon
Tags: Open (DM for later entry)
Extra note: Priority to folks I haven't threaded with yet : )

outfit​

The streets of Chalcedon were bustling on a particularly warm and breezy spring afternoon, bustling with life as people from all walks of life on the planet took to the streets in celebration. Knowledge retained orally, lingering in the waking world through the Gulag Plague, spoke of their liberation nearly 25,000 years ago when the ancient and evil Rakattan Infinite Empire collapsed for reasons now lost to time. Now, countless generations later, the people of the planet still gather to dance and sing in honor of the freedom they gained when their cruel masters were struck down.

Rayne was very much a passive spectator to all of this. She had arrived on Chalcedon with the hopes of engaging in the ever lucrative market of exchanging scrap. Instead, as she decided to follow the whims of her curiosity, the young woman found herself face to face with a celebration of massive proportions. It was jarring, given her childhood on the streets of Nar Shaddaa. Seeing so many people happy all in one place was simply captivating.

But the abnormally tall woman was not beyond being noticed herself. It would happen very quickly. A local woman, who seemed perhaps ever so slightly intoxicated, took Rayne by the arm and dragged her out into the square where people were dancing. Then she was simply passed around, switching from elbow to elbow between all kinds of folks as she scrambled to understand what was happening. Her body moved with grace, or her legs did at least. It was out of instinct. She was quite good at dancing. In a rather contrary sight, however, her upper half was stiff, her eyes flitting about in a panic as she tried to keep up with what was even happening. The Twi'lek was on the verge of a panic attack. She wasn't this social at all, so the rather open and jovial nature of the townsfolk was a lot to process.

And of course, she couldn't ask them to stop. She had no voice.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

He was in a festive mood, it seemed, as even after Darth Nwul 's celebration on Thule The Shaper once again found himself at something of a party. Albeit now he was more subtle in entrance and appearance. The corona of his dark power was hidden, his robes now replaced with a more regal, though still quite refined, outfit. A local Chalcedonian pendant hung around his neck in the spirit of the festivities and his usual crown had been shaped into a circlet of much less profound splendor. His angled and steel-grey eyes kept a surprisingly placid, keen watch over the dancing and celebrations, food, drink, all was provided in celebration of the vanquishing of ancient oppressors despite more modern ones on the planet's very doorstep.

The Shaper could not help but chuckle at this, gently tipping back a drink himself, and sighing in enjoyment of the finery before his senses in the Force were peeked by something all too familiar... emotion. Dark, frantic emotion. Fear, to be precise, worry, anxiety drew his eyes through the crowd like a moth to a flame. Doubly so as he felt the Force sensitivity of the being exuding these emotions, untamed and unfocused, like an unpolished gem refracting light into his very eyes. Taking a moment to focus on the viridian Twilek that seemed to be emanating the emotions he studied her, lips moving in ways that did not suggest an attempt at speech, eyes wide and fearful as a newborn animal in the crosshairs of a hunter.

The Shaper felt no pity, no remorse even, but he was nothing if not a pragmatic myth among the Sith. The Force would not have drawn his attention here for no reason, but he would not be subject to it's whims in aiding the woman in the traditional sense. He would not demand the dancing stop, he would not disrupt the festivities with some valorous display of good-hearted heroism for her benefit. No instead The Shaper stood and with a fur cloak billow out from his wake he would approach the floor and begin to weave through the dancing bodies with practiced skill, the frantic mass of movement hardly disturbing his cloak let alone touching the ancient Sith Lord. His vision in the Force was piercing and nigh absolute, and so it was he timed his entrance to the very moment he desired.

With lavish ease did The Shaper draw Rayne Lo'to against him, meeting her eyes and giving her a single, solitary nod as his voice echoed out to her worried mind, draining her fear away to strengthen himself with the connection. Calming her only because it was convenient as he murmured.

"Calm yourself, and we will see you removed from this place."

With safety promised he would begin to half-guide and half-dance with the Twilek, making as little a scene as possible with her, guiding her body in the necessary motions if she was too frightened to do it herself, and once they were free of the crowd he would release her as instantly as he had come to her 'rescue'. All the while he would stare down at her with cold, steel-hued eyes, his voice low, contemplative as he stated.

"You are still worried."

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

Rayne rather suddenly, in her daze, found herself in the arms of a very bizarre man. Tall, but not quite as tall as her, and ghostly pale.

"Calm yourself, and we will see you removed from this place."

He hid his intentions with the force, but his actions were very clear. The young woman's anxieties began to slip away, but only for a brief moment. It didn't take long for her mind to resist such intrusions, even unconsciously. Rayne was by no means a trained force sensitive, but her power was primal, drawn from an ancient lineage unseen by the naked eye. The resolve of her mind was strong, even if the scrapper remained oblivious to such things. This at the very least wouldn't be lost on an experienced force user.

She was far to worried about the strange situation that she had found herself in. It was certainly odd, but the stranger did usher her out of the dancing crowd without so much as stepping on a single toe, promptly releasing her, much to her relief. Of course, the anxiety still lingered. Even without a clear force presence, the previous drawing upon her emotions had set off flairs in her mind. Rayne's defenses were very much up.

And this stranger seemed very much aware of such a fact.

"You are still worried."

Rayne sort of stood there for a moment, a bit in a daze. It seemed like such an obvious observation, given that she was just dragged through a crowd by a stranger in a rhythmic fashion. She'd glance around with a frown, looking to see if she was being watched. Her use of technomancy was something she was trying to do less off. People were sometimes weirded out her use of a vocoder through no manual input. The force was still alien to many people in the galaxy. She didn't seem to really have a choice now.

"Yeah," Rayne answered through the clipped to her waist, giving a furrow of her brow, "You talk weird, like the creepy way."

His cadence was rather cold and unsettling. Her reaction was reasonable enough, at least as far as she was concerned.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper noted with calm passivity as the woman brought her mental defenses to bear. Not at all an unexpected reaction, given her hysterics of only a moment prior. She seemed quite confused, again no surprising, though what was surprising to The Shaper was her use of the Force to interact with a small electronic device on her hip. An application he knew of, and could use of course, but given his age and craft the thought of having to rely on technology to speak was more than a bit repulsive to him. Of course he did not show this, though his steely eyes did flicker down to the vocoder briefly, before he tilted his head enough for his long, raven black hair to spill like an obsidian waterfall past his shoulder. Just a tiny bit of amusement in his tone as she claimed he spoke 'weird'.

"You talk weird, like the electronic way, thus I would say we are equal on that account, hmm?"

He did not mind looking up at the prodigiously tall woman, not at all, though he did idly wonder internally how horrified she would be if he made it known he could shape her flesh to allow her to speak? Though he would not offer, of course, it would at least be somewhat tempting he would assume. Nevertheless he gave an easy, charming smile and tucked his hair back into place, his head tilting forward knowingly as he retorted.

"Although, I do not tend to get lost in the middle of a dance floor quite so easily. One would think, given your stature, you could see how to free yourself. Never mind your first instinct toward someone who has helped you is to insult their manner of speech....."

Waving a hand softly, he would motion to a nearby cantina with outdoor seating for the festivities, and meet Rayne's eyes with his own, unperturbed by her greater height in a way that still made it seem like he was the one looking down upon her as he offered.

"Perhaps something to eat and drink would help? You do not seem the most well trained with your abilities and emotions like those you have currently could.... hurt someone. I would even purchase the food for you."

Tag: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

Rayne frowned as the man spoke, tilting her head as she listened. It made sense, and she had been rather rude from a certain point of view, but she wasn't very much a fan of being pulled about by strangers. She'd start with a dismissive shrug, but her attitude would shift as the man continued to speak.

"Perhaps something to eat and drink would help? You do not seem the most well trained with your abilities and emotions like those you have currently could.... hurt someone. I would even purchase the food for you."

Almost immediately as this was said, Rayne broke out into a sweat. Why would he have interest in training? More and more this interaction seemed to be a far more insidious arrangement, increasing the rate of her beating heart ten-fold. The young woman had no interest in being trained by some weird cult if that's what was on the table. She simply wanted to continue living her life, eating instant noodles and watching soap-operas on the holonet. Rayne would be very clearly bothered by such a statement.

But she was also terrified of the man. She was terrified of many people, really. Height couldn't hide how soft she was. Rayne would get snappy all she liked, but she feared confrontation.

"...Sure," she answered, both cautiously and reluctantly.

It was a free meal in the end of the day. Rayne was very much broke.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The miasma of uncertainty and fear that began to radiate off the woman at the mere mention of her untrained status and food earned a slow, subtle raising of the eyebrow from The Shaper. The woman was, most certainly, a mess in any sort of social situation it seemed and while the fumbling mute was partly aggravating in her oafish uncertainty her fear.... her fear on the other hand was promising. Fear was a powerful tool, even if it was one's own heart that it gripped in it's frozen clutches, seizing one's breathe and senses. Nonetheless The Shaper showed nothing of these emotions on his face, lowering his brow slowly, and gave a slow nod as Rayne finally acquiesced to being fed. Earning a rather quiet internal comment within the depths of The Shaper's mind.

'Not at all unlike a frightened animal. Terrified, not knowing what is best for herself, and quick to trust any hand that feeds....'

Instead the tone he spoke to her in was softer than his normal tone, almost a low hum of resonating baritone warmth, as a false mask of reassurance took over his features.

"Come. You're probably starving...."

Turning and beginning to walk with a wave of his hand indicating she should follow The Shaper would calmly approach the cantina in question, a sign reading that they were free to seat themselves, and with a childishly simple expression of the Force he would move their chairs back from the table and sit. Eyeing the menu on offer, all of it far too pedestrian for his tastes, he would once again offer a small smile, teeth gleaming brightly, expression in a practiced mask of calm, confident politeness.

"Get whatever you like, money is no object, just.... do your best to alleviate your fears. I believe you know as well as I do that losing control of yourself can cause a lot of trouble for everyone around..."

Not truly giving Rayne Lo'to time to dwell on that his face would dip into a small frown, false concern expertly crafted painting his features, as he would then ask her in a tone of worried curiosity.

"Does this sort of thing happen to you often? I can't imagine it's easy being all alone like this...."

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

Rayne couldn't help but pout at the mention of probably being 'starving.' She wasn't that broke. The young woman knew where to get herself a meal and was very much not going to starve. Not any time soon anyways. The man seemed to playfully flaunt his force sensitivity, pulling out the seats for the both of them. It was so strange, the growing casual nature of using the force, but there was really no clear indication what this man actually was.

Jedi? Certainly not, right? It was hard to say. He continued to loop back to the idea of controlling her fear to ensure that she didn't hurt anyone, which certainly felt Jedi-like. Other than that, however, the connection wasn't happening in her mind.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the menu. It was expensive. She didn't like drawing on the funds of others at all.

"Does this sort of thing happen to you often? I can't imagine it's easy being all alone like this...."

"I get by just fine," Rayne insisted, crossing her arms. "I'm not helpless..."

She knew how to make money and live comfortably, at least on a budget. He didn't need to make this about her being 'sad' or 'alone' or anything. Rayne had grown up on the streets of Nar Shaddaa. The Twi'lek very much recognized that even statements that seemed concerning could be prodding to weaken the mind. It was a road to manipulation, and she'd see herself not walk that path.

"Do you play godfather with every lost girl you find?"

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The pout the tall woman made in response to his mention of her compromised ability to feed herself was his first clue, one The Shaper noted with stoic passivity, and as he sat and observed her he noted her surprise. Evidently she had very little control of her emotions, and what was better, her emotions ran strong and close to the surface of her consciousness. From her shock at the pricing of the menu to the indignant pout and crossing of her arms she took to in response to her own insistence she was not helpless. All that he had observed of her up to this point coalescing into a few observations that rewarded his earlier clue.

There was something to this woman, a pride of self-reliance, a desire to stand on her own two feet, currently revolving around being fiscally able to support herself but even beyond that. Now that.... that could be worked with. That was something her question to him left as possible as an open-door invitation and he gave a small, relaxed smile, even letting himself chuckle as he shook his head gently. His response coming with an undeniable bit of truth to it as he sighed.

"You would be surprised how often I play godfather, but I don't have a habit of finding lost girls, especially ones as lost as yourself."

He let that comment hang in the air a moment before he leaned back in his seat, studying her with his eyes, not at all afraid to meet her heterochromatic eyes with his own uniformly grey orbs. His head giving a small tilt to the side, adding a note of curiosity to his voice as he asked.

"If you're not helpless I take it you can order for us both then?"

Without a word The Shaper would retrieve more than enough funds to cover whatever she could order from the menu and calmly place it on the table before her, his hand hovering over the funds he stated.

"Alternatively, you let me see to your wellbeing, you can even keep whatever is leftover."

The funds he offered were more than enough, even should she order a full meal, to even cover some extensive modifications to her mobile home if she wished. New parts, new devices to experiment with.

"Being helpless, or even compromised is no great sin, what is however is allowing yourself to stay weak enough to be compromised for so long. You have promise and you are more intelligent than you seem...."

The Shaper could recognize craftmanship and skill when he saw it, after all, and he nodded idly to the vocoder at her hip.

"I trust you could easily improve on a device such as that, yes? Perhaps even make something wholly better?"

Only now did his hand move off of the funds her offered, for her to take if she wished, and for the first time since this odd encounter had began The Shaper allowed himself a more genuine smile as he commented.

"There is never any shame in deciding to better oneself but.... I apologize, giving life lessons and philosophy before even introducing myself."

The hand that had held the funds turned up, offering a handshake in a firm, strong hand.

"I am Arctus, a pleasure Miss....?"

Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

"If you're not helpless I take it you can order for us both then?"

"Self reliance has nothing to do with money," Rayne was quick to defend.

And it was true. She could refurbish tech like nobody else in the galaxy, and she knew how to barter to get what she needed. The way that the man spoke seemed so... twisted. It wormed into Rayne's mind, filling her with doubts. The young woman hated how much her heart raced when she saw the credits he had actually laid out before him.

It was the mention of her keeping herself compromised that got her though. It wrenched her back into reality, allowing her mind to truly process what the man was saying. He spoke highly of her intelligence, saying that she could be so much more. He seemed to brush it off as giving life lessons and philosophy, but the Twi'lek wasn't biting. Not anymore. Rayne had seen this kinda talk on Nar Shaddaa. It was the exact kind of talk that made people disappear, never to be seen again.

A direct threat to her freedom.

"I'll pay for myself then," the young woman decided, crossing her arms and puffing out her chest. "I don't need your charity, and I certainly don't need to be given wistful philosophy on how to improve my life."

Allowing herself to be godfathered was an avenue to be exploited. Rayne wasn't going to fall down that rabbit hole. Not again.

"Rayne," she added. "My name."

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper would smile a tight, knowing smile as she snapped back at him about money, a burning coal of fierce pride not allowing her to stomach she was incompetent at being self sufficient. That previously noted pride in her self reliance being more and more firmly confirmed to him as a core part of her personality. A strength any Sith would have to possess to become anything other than a failure, but also a weakness for someone looking to foolishly cling to the mundanity that a majority of the people in the galaxy lived through. Indeed it seemed he had successfully touched a nerve of that same weakness when she insisted on paying for herself, the money staying on the table between them, as Rayne Lo'to proudly crossed her arms and puffed out her chest.

He would chuckle softly as she rebuked his 'philosophy' with a haughty pride that seemed very fitting, the sudden surge of self-reliance and ferocity in the mute woman's synthetic tone earning a slow, appreciative nod from him. His own tone a calm, low purr of acceptance as he murmured.

"Rayne..... I see. Well if you want nothing of the philosophy I offer then for now you can simply have the money."

He gave a subtle turn of his head, nodding to the funds on the table.

"You owe me nothing for it. I simply wanted to make sure you weren't going to freeze up again in this place and by the looks of you, arms crossed, eyes blazing with intense confidence, pride in your ability to fend for yourself, I believe I have achieved what I was after. Aside from that.... I would make a poor godfather if I did nothing else to help now wouldn't I?"

He, of course, had noticed how she stated she would pay for HERSELF rather than rise to the challenge of his offer to pay for both of them. He did not truly think Rayne had done so out of greed or malice, but he would make the assertion as a joke, just to see the response it earned from her.

"So perhaps I will also pay for anything I order, since you declined to do for me what I would do for you. But that is quite alright, if self-sufficiency isn't about money then I am sure you are just as comfortable keeping your money to yourself for entirely your OWN reasons hmmm?"

He chuckled again, eyeing the menu with false interest all of a sudden, but there was no true humor behind his chuckle. The pretense of the jest was a test for her, yet another laid out before her by her mysterious 'godfather', and as far as he was concerned not the last he had planned for the fiery twilek before they parted ways.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

Pride? He seemed to think that she was prideful. Stubborn, perhaps, but certainly not that. It was all a front, a face to make it clear that she had no interest in whatever game he was playing. This was mistrust, not pride.

"You haven't achieved anything," Rayne protested with a frown. "Quit talking like you understand me. none of those words were right at all."

Why did people seem to think that they could read her soul and understand her perfectly or something like that. She didn't want to be psychoanalyzed, she just wanted to be left alone. The Twi'lek didn't have the social adeptness to navigate conversations with people who just wanted to toy with her.

"So perhaps I will also pay for anything I order, since you declined to do for me what I would do for you. But that is quite alright, if self-sufficiency isn't about money then I am sure you are just as comfortable keeping your money to yourself for entirely your OWN reasons hmmm?"

The Twi'lek would let out an exhausted sigh. There were so many unnecessary layers to this that it was all beginning to really wear her down. She didn't even really care about eating anymore. Now Rayne very truly wished to be left alone, to retreat back to the safety of her walker and curl up in her bed. Her attitude would shift completely, now simply becoming one of tiredness.

"Does everything have to be so complex?" she asked, her posture deflating. "Why can't you have a normal conversation without trying to get in my head?"

She didn't have the energy for all of this.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper said nothing in response to her initial rejection of his words, his eyes never leaving the menu, though he did give a single nod in reply to her insistence he didn't deign to give voice to it. Suddenly supremely more interested in what he would order it wasn't until the tall Twilek let out an exhausted sigh and asked him if everything had to be so complex that he looked up. His expression now impassive as watched her ask her question, blinked in quiet contemplation, and turned off the menu display as he took a slow moment to think. When he did reply his tone was soft, perhaps surprisingly so, as he stared over her shoulder.

"Does everything have to be so complex? I think that's a far more exhausting question than anything I've observed about you, correct or not, but more importantly it's better to say things ARE that complex."

A server droid would drop off a drink for The Shaper and whatever Rayne Lo'to had ordered for herself, if anything, the money still sitting between them all but forgotten for the moment as he took a slow drink. It was foul compared to what he was used to but he showed no sign of disapproval, instead he simply let out a sigh as he held the cup gently in his grasp.

"If I am going to believe you've survived by yourself until now, which it seems like you have, if you're exhausted and defeated by completely incorrect words from a stranger trying to help then you're dooming yourself. Going home and curling up in bed, hiding from the galaxy, will get you nothing. It is safer, it is easier, but it's cowardice by another name, not peace."

Another drink was taken, this time the cup sat down once he was finished, and he nodded toward her.

"Whether you wish to deal with it or not the galaxy marches onward, time marches onward, and there are people out there who would do much worse than make simple assertions about your personality."

He made certain to quickly add, before she insisted she had survived fine up until this point and already knew there were bad people out there, in a much more empathetic tone.

"And no, I do not mean your local gangsters, Hutts or bounty hunters. Is it really a horrible thing if I find a young woman, petrified and in danger, and want to make sure that as soon as I leave she won't find herself in the exact same situation tomorrow? I may sound mean, or antagonizing for saying it could happen tomorrow, but I'm simply the one giving the warning."

With that said The Shaper would finish his drink, setting the cup down once more, and watch Rayne's expression as she set about supplying her response.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Chalcedon
Tags: Arctus Silmar

outfit​

"I wasn't in any danger at all," Rayne pointed out, turning back to the dancing crowd. "Look at them. I wasn't petrified, I'm just... awkward. You make it out like everything is on a scale of extremes and absolutes. If I didn't know how to take care of myself, I'd be dead. Plain and simple."

She sighed, leaning back and crossing her arms. The young woman hadn't placed an order at all. She had lost her appetite. This was simply a case of giants coming down to the ground, connecting with the real world for the first time. The peasant realm must be full of despair and hopelessness, they surely thought, not once considering that there was beauty in simplicity. The truth of the matter was that Rayne was far more comfortable out there dancing than dragged into this weird philosophical debate she didn't care about.

And that wasn't even mentioning the other thing on her mind.

"Besides," she continued, "You only helped me because I was different."

Her understanding of the force was slim, but others had recognized it in her before, individuals who talked to her like she wasn't some lost child. Rayne didn't need to be coddled in a gentle tone, or told why she was thinking wrong. She just needed something genuine to grasp onto. Him 'subtly' using the force only cemented her suspicions.

"I'm not interested in whatever cult you're peddling, mister," the Twi'lek affirmed. "I'm going to continue to do things my own way."

How it was intended to be.