La Mer Des Possibilités

[Amea Virou]

It was ridiculous just how accurate the advice Amea had been given was. Give them a confident look, grab their hand and gently squeeze it and you were good to go. Lead them into a conversation, whisk them away and before you knew it they were already yours. Not that the lessons had been something she was quick to pick up on but once they were in there and she got the confidence rolling for it there was really no stopping.

The door to the bathrooms swung open for the second time and let Amea out. A confident grin spread on her cheek as she glanced around the room of people. Her hands pulled at her jacket to straighten it out before she ran one of the hands through her hair to make it a bit more presentable. The mirror could only do so much, but right now it was all about riding this high of released tension for as long as she could. Her hair was allowed to fall freely into what she could only assume to be a gorgeously wavy hairdo that showed exactly how good this evening was.

Given what had just transpired though, it wasn’t much more than a disheveled mess but she could live with that too. Her goal for the night was already done and over with as it were. A woman stumbled out through the door behind her with an equally content look to her. Amea gave her a final salute and turned around towards the door. The woman in return responded with little more than a happy nod before she sat down in her booth again with a sigh.

Approaching the exit Amea looked up at the sky to take in the sight of the heavy downpour. Underneath the glass roof she was safe, but if she was to take a single step outside she knew what would happen. The droid behind the counter of the wardrobe handed her the rest of her belongings over and Amea proceeded to take her jacket off to wrap the holster over her shoulders and then put the jacket back on again. The gun at her side was still there, and even if she knew better than to use it she didn’t count on security to give much of a damn about that. It was better to hand it in than cause a fuss, especially when you only came for some fun before you moved on again.

Still, this was Lithios. There was only one thing left on the agenda.

Amea swept at the device on her arm and let it call up @Arekk. They had met somewhere around here before. She vaguely remembered promising to call the next time she was around. As luck would have it she stumbled upon this place first, and one thing lead to another…

Point being she was here now.

The dial tone sounded off once.

Twice.

…

Thrice.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

Do you know how hard it is to stop drinking until it felt like your liver could explode? No idea, and neither did Ar'ekk apparently. Pulling off a job like the one on the Pergitor shadowport was the most nerve-wrecking he had done in at least five years. Of course, nothing could compare to the adrenalinic rush and paranoid from the get-go sensation of setting foot on a battlefield with a thousand laser bolts whizzing past your cheeks as you hoped to not die in vain.

A bank heist, though? Different ball game, fun one if one is able to throw into the mix. Laying low for the time being was the smart thing to do after pulling off such suicide stunt, specially when you break into a heavily guarded shadowport under the Outer Rim Coallition protection.

Good and bad decisions were made, people was lost and sacrifices were not too great, at the end everything paid off and Ar'ekk planned to enjoy every last moment of relaxation possible.

Ten hours into a heavy state of sleep and drooling all over his pillow while the cables connected to the ports in the back of his neck, feeding him with nice dreams instead of the awful, dark nightmares that used to haunt him long ago, Ar'ekk slowly began to open his eyes. Thanks to the magic of cyberware and a good ripper doc, Ar'ekk was able to go beyond human and turn his body into something greater. Not too over the top, just a cybernetic arm upgrade in addition to the skin plugs.

DING, DING, DING!

His robotic hand reached out to tap the wake up alarm by the night stand until he realized it was a holocall, picking it up in a half drowsy state and speaking with the characteristic voice of someone who hadn't seen the light of day for a while.

"H-hello?"

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

“Arekk!” A voice exclaimed into the phone. “Get ready to entertain guests.”

The line was cut and Amea stepped out into the rain and let it soak through her jacket. The cab terminal on the other side of the street was within reach, but the unrelenting rain wouldn’t exactly care about that. By the time she stepped under the roof to the terminal her jacket was already stuck to her waist with an uncomfortable wet kiss.

Still, that hardly mattered. She was a-okay. This evening was good as it was already.

Her hand mashed against the terminal and within a few minutes there was a cab ready to pick her up. She stepped through the torrential downpour and into its heated interior, and once they were off she allowed herself to lean back into its leathery seat. The music on the radio played a song she couldn’t quite recognize and the driver was surprisingly quiet, but hey that allowed her to take in the neon lights, right?

Lithios sipped by and she found herself at the entrance to the apartment block. She stepped inside the entrance, called up to the man’s apartment and left for the elevator.

If there was anything he needed to take care of, now would be the best time to do that.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

Eyes half open and his hair suffering the consequences of being stuck to a pillow for too many hours, Ar'ekk tried to come to his senses and realize what was happening. A grunt followed by a heavy scratch behind his ear prompted him to get out of bed, hit the shower and get dressed. Visits, huh?

That voice was way too familiar so he had to look presentable whenever Amea would arrive.

Cheap cologne, brushed teeth and a more than presentable outfit was the perfect way to start the day. Making sure the apartment was tidy and organized as possible, Ar'ekk paced around in a frenetic manner putting things away and such.

The bed ready, computer terminal perfectly clean and the kitchen ready to be used.

BZZ, BZZ!

As soon as the alert that someone was coming and making sure it was Amea through the holoscreen, Ar'ekk walked up the door and opened it for the girl to come inside. How long it had been? No idea, someone like him usually loses track of time after drinking three bottles of expensive booze in a single week.

Regardless, he felt happy of seeing her again after a while.

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Her eyes had peered into the camera for the majority of the ride up. One look at the screen and Arekk would know that she knew that he was looking. It was how it always was with these rich man’s apartments. Security was always a means to create the illusion of safety. Nothing was impenetrable and nothing could keep things out forever. She had come to understand this and accepted it as a universal truth.

At least, at its very base, nothing could ever keep Amea out. She had broken Alliance tech, she had broken Sith tech. There was a lot of tech she had broken and she was fairly certain that when it came to it she wouldn’t struggle much when it came to private security either. Or well, she knew she wouldn’t. Just wasn’t in the cards right now.

Her hand touched against the door to unlock it and let her step in.

“Hey-hey!” She called into the apartment and closed the door behind her. “Saw myself in, I hope you don’t mind.”

Her hand brushed at her soaked jacket.

“I should have gotten an umbrella.”

Shrug.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

"Look at you! Again at my doorstep soaked wet. Lithios being a big pain in the butt, huh?"

He stifled a yawn into a balled fist, laughing at his comment for a second.

Amea looked as good as always, much like the last time he laid eyes on her and watched her leave his apartment after a fun night at his apartment. His eyes sized her up and down, a smile developing on his face and an expression that could simply be called "What's going on with you?" considering she was in a very good mood.

"How you been, Amea? It's been a minute."

The blinds opened automatically, letting the sunlight shine through them and allowing both to take in the beautiful cityscape beyond the window glass before the shattered grey clouds decided to take over and a storm started downpouring again on everyone like it always did.

Ar'ekk reached out for Amea's jacket to hang it in the hanger behind the front door, letting it dry so it doesn't messes up the rest of the place. The computer terminal beeped incessantly with incoming messages on the DarkNet but he paid them no mind as he hoped that the girl would do the same.

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Well, it was hard not to feel good. Amea gave a smile at the man’s questioning grin and felt like that was really all that she needed to say on the matter. She let him have her jacket and let her hands brush against the tank top that adorned her shoulders before she ran a hand through her damp hair to shake it back into something presentable. Her upper arms froze and she let the hands move to smear against the wet skin that craved any warmth it could get.

“I mean, I’d say it’s been more than a minute.” She said and perked her brows and head towards his hair. “You had far less of that when we met. Not to mention the jack in your neck and the arm. Also your terminal was far less active.”

There was no escaping the fact that she felt herself wanting to dig deeper but held herself back out of respect for the man’s privacy. Yet messages would try to flash before her against her will and she did her best to block them out. An endeavour eased by the calm she felt inside, even if only just. The man was as welcoming as the last time she was here, and she owed it somewhat to at the very least respect his wishes.

… For now.

“I am good. Took a slight detour on the way here, but a detour that was good nonetheless.” She took a seat by the kitchen and let the man hang her jacket. “Took in the local sights and flavor. That kind of thing.”

“How have you been doing?”

“Not many who would augment themselves with datajacks like that, you know.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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Touching the mane he had now instead of the bald spot from not long ago, Ar'ekk couldn't help but laugh at her comment. Upgrading his body to enhance specific commodities a year in living on Lithios was already strange enough considering one would be immediately seduced by advertisements and whatnot.

"They don't look so bad, right? This ripperdoc I visited did one hell of a job. I feel completely new."

Top of the line technology was properly installed on his persona by a professional on the field, obviously black market. Only those with heavy pockets could afford the upgrades that Ar'ekk had purchased for himself, ones that included a cybernetic arm complete with helpful features such as a built-in slicing interface/datapad, cyberscanner, repulse hand and last but not least hand cannon hidden in the forearm.

Behind the neck were four jacks small but universal enough to fit any sort of cable, preferrably of their size, and get hooked up to any network/terminal or specific electronic device. Its function was to provide Ar'ekk with the functionality of uploading several types of programs to his body that could enhance stamina, strength and some other miscellaneous features such as a sleep regulating system or the ability to withstand heavy drinking nights without passing out.

"Local sights and flavour, huh? Sounds pretty familiar, I bet you had fun."

Come on. He was being teasing about it and she'd know that right away about what he was talking about, Ethos City was the type of place were you could only hit the streets to either find pleasure, guns, spice, cyberware or all of the above.

"I'm as good as I look, pretty much the same. It's glad to have you here, again. How's things on your side?"

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Upgrading in the end was a relative term. An arm of flesh and blood never had a reason to be replaced if it was fully-functioning and Amea would find it hard to believe anything else. Cybernetics weren’t toys or fancies, they were prosthetics that took away from the senses. Touch was important and a cybernetic arm would never be able to simulate that. She looked down at the arm and then back at Arekk.

“It’s all good. Been working same as before.” She pointed at the arm. “So did you get hurt or something?”

She had to ask. The arm was right there after all. Or rather, it wasn’t.

“Sorry, the arm is just hard to miss for someone like me.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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In fact, there was no right arm at all. He had lost that limb years ago during the war on Malachor V in his early Jedi days, it seemed like ages ago. The upgrade was nothing but long overdue after he carried a standard cybernetic replacement for who knows how long, only deciding to get a better one now.

"That's good to hear, you seem happy." He moved his robotic fingers, smiling. "Yes... But it was a while ago."

Touching things with his right dominant hand wasn't hard after all these years getting accustomed to the cybernetic arm he was given, a quality of life upgrade that was supposed to make things easier and it really did. Combat had just become much more easier to do, specially when you're trying to make turns and movements too fast for a regular fleshy arm.

"You like this, huh? Come and touch it, don't be afraid."

Amea seemed fascinated with the upgrades he had received and he was aware of that, letting her get closer to inspect his latest "gifts" that Ar'ekk had made for himself.

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Fek. She knew that one since last time yet the memory had simply escaped her. Her hand rubbed at her neck for a second to stave off the embarrassment before she looked at the man with his proposal. While touching a prosthetic like this was by many means just as simple as touching anything else there was a difference in how Kaili would come to see it. As much as she appreciated the offer it struck her as a bit… Intimate.

Amea wouldn’t be able to hold off and avoid the information it held from her at her own insistence. To read something from afar and to read something by the touch were two very different things. She was more in touch, more connected, when her skin brushed against metal than she could ever be when something was read from afar. Her abilities would flood his entire arm and read it like a blueprint being printed to her mind in real-time. She would know everything. From the switches and the couplings to the software and drivers, Amea would not be able to contain it.

So when the offer was made she slowly shook her head.

“That’s not something you want.” She chuckled. “It’s a very intimate deal, and I don’t feel like we’re quite there yet. Sorry.”

She looked around the apartment and then back at Arekk.

“And I mean, I don’t know about happy, but I’ve certainly found ways to make the worst of it go away.” She chuckled again, though not out of any particularly obvious reason. “Feels like that’s all we can really do in the end, you know? Lessen the crap, move on and adapt.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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Retracting his entire body backwards and instead heading for the computer terminal, Ar'ekk hooked the cables to the back of his neck and go for a "recharge". That could mean anything, from changing his mood to a simple routine check to make sure everything within his body was going according to plan and the new upgrade installed wasn't being rejected by his body.

"We are not, you are right." He said in returning, bopping his head in accordance. "In due time."

He sat down to look at Amea, hoping that he wouldn't fall down during whatever he was doing. Getting tipsy without alcohol in your system was a rather new "feature" that Ar'ekk had been trying to get accustomed to. Usually after connecting to the computer terminal, the man would end up with a blurry vision and having trouble to stay on his feet for at least a minute.

Downsides of the programming? Probably.

"I think I can agree with you on that one, been having fun of my own without having to rely on liquor flowing through my system." A chuckle escaped his mouth too. "Move on and adapt. That's the key."

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

These were troubling developments though. The human mind was only meant to process so many things. Yet here Arekk was connecting himself to a mainframe seemingly letting his own mind take the brunt of the data flow between his own sensors and the device he was hooked up to. He seemed a bit out of it too when it happened and Amea would without a doubt show her worry for him. Even she had troubles being a bridge for data, and she had practiced being one since she was almost a child.

And to mess with the brain in general… Well, it was just bad mojo.

“So you have been hooked up to a machine for these last few months, huh?” She joked to bring a measure of light upon the subject. “You sure you know what you’re doing with that, Arekk? It can be dangerous, you know.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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His mind had been broken for a long time now, ever since Jyn passed away and Atefeh had disappeared with her at the same time of her death. There were obvious consequences for those who meddled with their mind in such intrusive ways such as this one, hooking up a plethora of cables and absorbing information at an exhorbitant rate.

There was a big chance that cyberpsychosis could attack him at any time and Ar'ekk knew of this but it didn't matter, life could kill him with a bullet between both eyes or by doing this. It made no difference.

"I've lived all my life trying to outlive dangerous things, Amea. I'm aware of the consequences."

A few minutes in and he had already unplugged the cables from his neck, massaging the very same spot roughly to feel the jacks ingrained to his skin. It felt weird to have those things become part of your body now but he'd get used to them the same way as the arm did.

"You'd ever do this?"

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Cyberpsychosis wasn’t anything to be taking lightly. Amea had never had the misfortune of meeting people afflicted by it and she was intent on keeping it that way. The idea of being unable to tell reality from fantasy would scare her more than it perhaps should. While she hadn’t known the cyberpsychosis she was by far no stranger to post-traumatic hallucinations when things got tense.

“No.” Amea gave a short answer. “But I am not here to talk about your life choices, and we shouldn’t let this get in the way of things.”

Amea pushed off her chair and began to move across the room towards the windows to look outside. Even though the pouring rain made any real imagery difficult to make out she still gave the effort to try and get some clue as to what was going on in the area. Residentials mostly, but there were a few signs here and there.

“Look, I figured we could both do with some time out. My jacket might be wet, but really I just came to get you so we could go right back out there.” She said and looked over at the man. “Lithios is bound to have some good places to relax, get wasted, one of those or both.”

“You’re the local, I wouldn’t really know.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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"Eek. You could've told me that before we went all deep on each other."

Amea went straight to the point and didn't bullcrap her way around things, so Ar'ekk appreciated that tenfold. Getting wasted and relaxing outside while the rain downpoured on everyone was a far better idea than staying at home like a complete loser while hooked up to a machine.

"Let's head out then. There's a couple of places we can hit up tonight, it's gonna be a sick evening."

Get him pumped for an activity and he'll go as far as reaching the stars or beyond to ensure you have a good time, regardless of who you were or did for a living. For him, Amea was a special case and for someone so important it meant that he'd go above and beyond to make sure she had fun tonight.

It wasn't like it was the first time they had gotten drunk together.

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

There had been a quick grin at the remark that she should perhaps have told him what she thought before they went ‘all deep on each other’, but that would have hindered the conversation. It was more about her wanting to end it than to not have it. Wasn’t exactly good manners to come to a man’s place and immediately question his life choices. Just rude if anything.

“Yes, let’s.” She said and grabbed her soggy jacket and swung it over her shoulders with a wet thud against her back. “And I hope you don’t mind that I assume you are okay with driving.” She chuckled, genuinely this time. “Cabs are good and all, but I remember your flying car, Mister.”

She walked out the door and turned to look at him.

“How about we start somewhere calm? Know a place like that?”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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She was someone he trusted and by having her flesh out the truth and how things are supposed to be, Ar'ekk wouldn't even feel insulted. He wasn't a sensitive cornflake by any means necessary, this being his home wasn't an impediment to speak out things clearly. Question his life choices, try to speak out your opinion and he'll debate that point with you until the end of the galaxy.

"Of course I'm driving, don't worry. You make yourself comfortable."

Grabbing the keys from the kitchen counter and sliding his leather jacket, Ar'ekk laid eyes on Amea for a moment and finally spoke out. A chuckle escaped at the mention of the flying car, it had been collecting dust for a few days one since he had been laying low from a heist. It was a good time to go out now, clear your mind, enjoy those hard earned credits.

"The only calm place I can think of is the Xar'Kel resort in South Ethos City. Champagne, hot tubs, that type of thing. But that's not your thing, is it? If not, what's on your mind?"

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

“I am.” Amea’s grin, the one he had seen the last time she was around returned. They stepped into the elevator and Amea looked at the level count going down as an illusory feeling of weightlessness tied itself in her stomach.

“I mean, it is on my mind if you’re paying.” She gave the man another amused look. “Wouldn’t mind having a certified professional untie some of the knots I’ve got on my lower back. Or anywhere, really.”

How many years of tension would that be worth at this point? Well, probably not a whole lot, but the joke served some kind of point. As relaxed as Amea had been just a few moments ago, even that would wear out. Relaxing in style was not going to bother her any if the offer for having it ‘comped’ so to say was offered.

Which, you know…

“I’ll let you decide. Honest.”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

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The turbolift took them to the man's private docking bay where his NX-249 Lithios Class Airspeeder was waiting, both doors opening in an upwards motion as soon as they stepped closer to the vehicle. Inside was warm and cozy, all lights on the dashboard igniting in unison.

"Don't worry about money, it's on me. It's the least I can do for a night of fun, right? Besides... I could really use one of those massages."

A couple years of heavy tension, that's for sure. Pressure in his lower back, legs and feet would soon be relieved by a (hopefully) beautiful young massage therapist. He couldn't wait to get there and enjoy a glass of champagne as soon as they drapped themselves in towels and robes.

"Xar'Kel resort it is, baby."

With that out of the way, their journey through Ethos City had just started and their first stop was at the resort.

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