Private Jail Bird

[Cain Sevu]

Lianna felt much smaller now, far from the ecumenopolis which had nearly swallowed her up mere weeks ago. There was no longer a need to have a careful internal map of every alley, sewer, and ramshackled building she could hide in. The girl could more or less walk freely, away from the punitive gaze of the NISB.

Well not entirely. She was still very much on a leash. Alicia had made that very clear in her stipulations. The string of murders the girl committed here a handful of weeks ago were still fresh in the public consciousness. They hadn’t just disappeared like Cain’s death sentence had. Still, for the first time in her admittedly scattered memory she was fed, comfortable, and not on the verge of a slow and painful death. If not for the facial paralysis and a genuine lack of emotional range she might have smiled.

The deal she struck with Alicia would have its repercussions, but for now she simply walked down the lanes of Lianna, her beady red gaze flickering over the sea of warm bodies.

She was starting to get hungry again.

Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
TAG: Cain Sevu

Lianna… another urban environment which pulled Gerwald away from the forests which made him feel at home. The wolf longed for the days when he would be found free to roam the grassy and mossy ground of the world he once called home. Stewjon was in his eye, and not because Empyrean, or his brother, promised it. The day would come when the planet was his to control. It was a small aspiration considering the grandiose appetites of most Sith, but Stewjon held more value to him than the entire galaxy.

For now his appetite would have to be patient. Urban jungles were not an adequate replacement for the soft soil of the forest, but they were still grounded. It was why his current project was important. No ship existed with the adequate space to be free and run. Perhaps if one existed, the wolf would not mind space travel as much as he did.

That project was currently on hold. Rumors of murder that bore a particular mark and resemblance to an associate of the former Lord Commander had him far from Jutrand. If it was the work of Oleander again, the wolf might be forced to put his shadow down. It would be far from what he wanted to do, but Gerwald could not suffer a secret agent that could not keep from drawing attention to himself because of uncontrolled cravings.

He walked the city, examining the sites which had been designated as crime scenes. Fortunately it had been too bloody. The part which was not pleasant was the idea there was another predator on the loose, and from what Gerwald could sense of the area this hunter was tainted by the dark side.

Closing his eyes, the wolf allowed the scent in the air filter through his mind. He sorted each scent until he isolated one which did not belong, one that was not owned by anything or anyone still in the area. Gerwald followed the scent until it led him to where the suspect was wandering. He kept his distance for now, observing. The wolf was keen to know what the senses of this monster were.

Was it even human?

 

[Cain Sevu]

Cain knew what it felt like to be watched.

Thanks to Stygeon Prime, the girl had plenty of experience sitting behind bars all while someone drummed a baton or tried to weasel out a reaction from her. Her sallow skin and violently red eyes almost seemed to invite the scrutiny, so Gerwald’s attention didn’t register as remarkable. At least not at first.

The girl spared a glance down the lip of an alley, letting the hood of her cloak drop to her shoulders. The monster, if that was truly her nature, looked no older than an adolescent. By appearances alone she didn’t seem all that departed from a living breathing human. Perhaps just one with a strange affinity for colored contacts. Of course, someone like Gerwald would know better. Alicia Drey certainly did.

Whatever humanity the girl possessed was purely conditional.

It was then a rodian zigzagged straight into her path with a bottle in hand and alcohol on his breath. The girl simply stepped back and regarded him wordlessly as he attempted to construct a threat.

“Looks like ya might have some credits on you little miss-“

Before he could finish, Cain had her hand firmly around his wrist, twisting it to a sharp right angle with one simple break. Before he had any chance to scream, the man rattled out choked a breath, his skin quickly paling under Cain’s touch. Within a matter of seconds his legs buckled and his pupils rolled back, grey and lifeless.

The girl simply watched as his corpse slumped to the ground, seemingly indifferent about the whole thing.

Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
TAG: Cain Sevu

His gaze took in the scene as it unfolded. There was no need for him to intervene, not when the Rodian had been so clumsy and foolish. While this was not the work of his Shadow, the effect of her hunger produced the same result.

She was walking death.

The wolf noted that her touch was deadly. This one killed with greater ease than Oleander could, and that made her dangerous. That did not mean Gerwald had to put her down, but it did mean she needed a handler. Her hunger could not be allowed to run rampant if she expected to fit in any place for any length of time. This was not the spree of a hunter or predator, but rather the work of a starved creature that was so famished it did not know when it had consumed enough. Temperance and satisfaction were not words this one knew.

“I never found Rodians to be intelligent creatures,” the baritone of his voice echoed in the space around them.

Gerwald kept his distance. If she was going to attempt to feed off his life force the movements would be obvious. Just because he was stronger and more powerful did not mean he was a mindless brute. The wolf would have not survived long had he not learned to think. He was nowhere near the young pup that had brazenly tried to avenge the death of a loved one against a much more powerful and deadly foe.

A wave of his hand sent a ripple of force energy to break down the lifeless body into nothing but dust and liquid. There was no reason for there to be any evidence for others to find later. It was something this creature should have been concerned about, but the Sith Lord had gotten the impression she did not care about such things.

“Your feeding frenzy is gaining attention off world. You need to learn to control it.”

It was not offered as a suggestion. Gerwald rarely was the type to suggest anything anymore. There were few who got the courtesy of being free enough to speak their mind or gain options from him. Strangers, especially deadly ones, certainly would not garner any treatment other than the option to comply.

 

[Cain Sevu]

The Rodian's corpse only held her attention a brief few moments before it was quickly reabsorbed by a new development.

A man. Large and imposing, now stood only a handful of yards from her. Cain felt no immediate danger from him but her senses weren't infallible. And besides, his aura carried the same disquieting weight as Alicia's. He was to be feared, not trusted.

Her suspicions were all but confirmed as the Rodian reduced to dust beneath her feet. A phenomenon she seemed to regard with tempered curiosity, shifting her boot through the ashen pile.

Strange.

Cain simply stared at the man, canting her head as he continued speaking. He sounded much like Alicia had during their initial meeting, cautioning that she lived too boisterously, leaving a breadcrumb trail of bodies that attracted those steeped in the dark side like sharks to blood.

The girl blinked at both his assessment and advice. Clearly he didn't intend for his words to be negotiable. She simply let them sit a moment, silently watching the man for any indication of movement. It almost appeared she was mute or otherwise didn't understand him.

Which wasn't entirely untrue.

"Am I your responsibility?"

Her voice was soft and hoarse and it clearly took some effort for her to form words. She didn't speak for just anyone. The question itself was flat and abrupt. Gerwald almost seemed inconvenienced by her antics and she could only speculate as to why that was.

Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
TAG: Cain Sevu

His ears almost twitched at the question. The Lupo could hear what others would not otherwise.

He shook his head.

“No, but my Shadow is known to allow the hunger to take over. When that happens, similar reports to what I heard in this instance make their way to me.”

Gerwald took another step closer.

“I thought you may have been him.”

It was something he did not need to admit, but answering the question was the wolf’s way of letting the woman know he could hear her just fine despite the challenges of her broken voice.

“Though now that we have met, I am curious about you… You seem unique.”

It was a question as well as it was a statement.

 

[Cain Sevu]

Similar reports? Did that mean there was someone else like her?

The girl blinked, betraying her surprise. Some strange twinge of anxiety and hope sparked in her chest at the notion.

“Not unique,” She countered with the same rusted voice, “Just hungry.” Her eyes drifted to the pile of ash at her feet, “Your shadow- he knows how to control it?”

Cain watched carefully as the man stepped forward, waiting for a new disaster. There was no trust in her eyes.

“Who are you?”

Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
TAG: Cain Sevu

“Not always,” he answered bluntly. “That was why I came the moment I heard about what was happening here. You consume differently than he does, but his cravings are…”

Gerwald smirked.

“...similar.”

The blue eyes which had been studying the woman continued to do so. She looked at him in a way that gave off a warning. There was no hostility, but rather caution. He knew what it was like to be a caged animal, and worse, one which was hungry and cornered. It was best to disarm her fear and give the girl a reason to trust him. Hands fell to his side.

“Gerwald Lechner.”

He did not think the name would mean anything to her.

“My title does not matter in particular, but if you must know I serve the Sith Order and its emperor personally. I am his wrath. Some refer to me as his executioner, but that is an extremely consolidated description. As far as you need to know, I did not come here for you.”

Hopefully it would help her to relax.

“So it is my turn. Who are you?”