Life less frightening

[Sanya Val Lerium]

"What screws us up most in life ​

is the picture in our heads ​

of how it's supposed to be."​

​

[member="Dax Fyre"]​

​

Npc - Ember
Age - 8

Spoiler

Cold, frightened, lonely. It's all this place offered them. Anyone bigger than them shoved them around and took what they wanted. It was no life. Not a life worth living. It was just surviving for the next bad thing to happen. Ember looked at kaito. Muck and dust covered her face and clothes made of rags. Torn and filthy from the streets. "Someday. Someday we will go far away from here and live in a big house where it's warm." She said day dreaming about a perfect life. The lights here where dazzling and bright. Her belly began to rumble and cramp. It had been a while since she had ate.

"Katio? Do you think we will ever get out of this place?" She said seriously but softly. Day by day had always been the same. Sometimes it was worse than others sometimes it was good. Still if one looked into her eyes long enough they could see the shattered ice of broke hopes and dreams. "I sometimes think that we could, but then other times I think it's not possible." Her belly rumbeld again louder and the cramp worse. She held her arms across her belly leaning forward from the familiar pain.

 

[Dax Perl]

Name: Kaito
Age: 8

In as few rags as Ember, Kaito sat there before an overturned garbage can, sifting through the trash for even the barest scrap of food. Already half way through it, and nothing but dregs. Nothing that could feed even one of them. "Someday..." the girl behind him mused with the small voice of a girl her age. The boy was much more the cynic than Ember was, even though he didn't know the word yet.

"Yeah Em, course we will," he said. Despite his belief that the galaxy would always be as cruel as it had shown in their short lives, he always held a little hope. If not for his young mind, then for Ember's. "We can't always be stuck here, cause one day, someone will find us and think, 'These kids shouldn't be out here!' and then they'll take us to their home, and have nice clothes, and maybe even beds!" He didn't quite believe it though. Well, at least not quite like that. The boy's greatest hope was that some smuggler might one day see them, or they'd sneak onto his ship, and he'd take pity on the bundles of rags, skin and bones, and have them help around on the ship, what little could. Even that would be the greatest blessing the galaxy could bestow.

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

[member="Dax Fyre"]

She watched her friend with a forced smile. She hadn't eaten since yesterday and by the looks someone had scavenged this area already. Once again her belly rumbled with more cramps. "We can try the red light sector? No one dares go there so we might find something." There was a reason no one went there. Most the time people went missing. But they where desperate. The past while the areas they used to find scraps in became more and more rare. "I mean we're small so we can get in places others can't." The idea scared her terribly. Ember placed her hands against the wall and walked them up as she stood. Her hand reached down offering kaito a help up before peeking around the corner. There where lots of people. Many in the same position as they were others looked like sketchy offworlders.

"If you don't want to go down there it's fine. I'm sure we might find something around here tonight." She said in a way to pursude him. Her eyes fixed on a man who was rummaging through a bin they where at earlier. The man certainly was going for it by throwing anything that wasn't any kind of food out behind. A pics of rotten fruit flew out hitting another person in the side of his head. "Kaito come here quick. Something is about to happen." She said in a rush of words. Ember watched more intensely as the offworlder shot the bin the scavange was inside of. His head would bang on the lid as if fell down on top of him ringing out across the plaza. "Damn low life scumbag!" The offorlder shouted making more of a scene.

 

[Dax Perl]

Kaito took his friend's hand and let her help him up. On to the next bit of garbage. Once more rummaging through the left overs and scraps as he listened to Ember tell him they didn't have to go if he didn't want to. Despite the young girl's sincerity, Kaito heard only the dare.. Like the mind of any young person, no matter how destitute, he wasn't going to back down. "No, we can go. I'm sure we can get something there." As he said this, his hands brushed away more scraps of trash revealing a hidden treasure. A piece of bread, the corner, a few bites taken out of it before being tossed aside. Barely enough for even one of them. Holding the precious remnant in his hands, the young boy looked at it longingly, his stomach suddenly growling at him. Aloud bang sounded behind him, the man offworlder starting a fight or something. The boy had tightened his grip on the piece of bread, fearing someone would take it from him. Finally, he closed his eyes and put his hand out before himself, offering up the bread to his friend. "Here....I found something."

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

[member="Dax Fyre"]

Ember turned around taking her attention away from the commotion across the street. Her eyes first met with kaito's before looking down into his hands. "You know the rules." She said ripping the piece in half. Even if it wasn't enough for one of them. They shared everything no matter how big or little. "Fifty fifty." She said with a more sencier smile this time. "So do you wanna take the service elevator down or the vents." The elevator was always a risk but it's where they had met nearly a year ago. He was so brave standing up for her. An offworlder had been shouting at her and started to get abusive. Kaito pulled the kegs down on the drunk man and they'd ran off laughing. Since then they'd been best friends. Although while she liked to lead he was always the one to look out for her and pull her out from bad spots, also the bins she kept always getting stuck in.

There was also that time she was so thirsty she had this strange drink. It was a bitter sweet drink and purple. It had made her feel dizzy and strange. Kaito had sat with her the whole day just to make sure she was fine. She didn't know what she'd do without her best friend. He was the best. After he had gave his reply a little spark hit her. "Okayyy let's go on an adventure." Her walk was a little comical taking long strides leading the way.

 

[Dax Perl]

Kaito gave Ember a slightly displeased look as she tore the piece of bread in half and gave him one piece. He was tough! He could last longer without food! However, when he looked at the piece of bread again, his stomach growled louder than before. He had to force himself not wolf the whole thing down at once! In a slightly more disciplined manner, he ate the piece in two bites. Even as much as the boy hated to admit it, he'd likely be dead without his friend. Always the one to temper him, make sure he didn't do anything too dumb, or to make sure he didn't get caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, or, like now, splitting food with him, no matter how little it was. He pretended to get mad sometimes when she did that, if only to act like he was older than his few eight years, but in truth, he'd have it no other way. Rich or dirt poor.

"Let's take the elevators." the dark haired boy said to his friend. He didn't quite have the energy to go crawling through vents again. he might slip and fall down one of those dreadfully long vertical vents and end up in trash heap somewhere he didn't know! As Ember strode away, Kaito rolled his eyes at the young girl's comical gait, a smile on his face. "Maybe we'll get lucky again and find some chocolate!" he said as he walked beside Ember. Not very often, but on occasion, the two had discovered a small heart shaped box in the trash. For reasons the boy could never understand, they'd be completely filled, sometimes unopened. Always, a card nearby too. Sometimes Kaito read the letters to Ember, making silly voices, the messages reading as if they came out of one of those cheesy love stories they'd heard before.

Kaito didn't really get those kinds of stories. They always had a happy ending, even though it seemed so obvious that the people should've been together from the beginning. He thought the characters always made it hard on purpose. But, Ember loved them. He was certain she even had a couple of those stories memorized by heart.

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

[member="Dax Fyre"]

As she walked with kaito ember would look around at the busy surroundings. Many offworlders, gangs bounty hunters and assassins roamed the streets. They all seemed intimidating to her. They had once or twice came across a person who was kind and had even gave them a full meal, but that was rare. A smile ran across the girls face. "Ohhhhh it's been so long since we had any of that. I kinda hope we do too now." As they came to the elevator she'd stop for a moment still dropping all expression from her face. A cold shiver ran up along her spine like she was getting a bad feeling. She'd press the button to call the elevator hoping no one was inside or get on. They were four levels up from where they was going. As the elevator reached their level it would have a broken tune that crackled. The door would woosh open almost empty. Just a lonely astromech was inside.

 

[Dax Perl]

Kaito looked at the droid as the doors hissed open. The old thing whined and sputtered, clearly in need of maintenance. The young boy stepped into the turbo lift along side the rundown machine, saying, "C'mon Em."

The broken music played hauntingly as they rode the lift. It made Kaito clench his jaw and tap his foot in nervousness, a chilling feeling creeping up his spine. He couldn't wait to get off. Not that he'd admit it.

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

[member="Dax Fyre"]

Ember followed him into the elevator standing next to the astromech droid. As the music played through the busted intercom she huddled closer to her friend. "Hate that thing. Creeps me out." She said looking up at the small oval speaker.

The elevator took them quite far down only making one stop for the droid. How the little thing could brave coming down here she didn't know. Shame to know down here it would become scrap. It's owner should have taken better care. As it slowed down she'd step closer to the door. "Kaito. I hope we can find something soon. I'm huuuungryyy." The girl complained. "I wonder how many gangs are down here. I know it's popular for them." It was common knowlage up top with all the stories of shootouts and wars.

 

[Dax Perl]

"Me too." Kaito said, looking up at the small speaker. Better to just unplug the stupid thing rather than let it play the broken static-y music...."Oh, please don't jinx us Em!" the boy begged as the doors slid open and he stepped out. The bright lights of the redlight sector washed over them, the raunchy neon signs advertising their 'wares' and what ever else they had in store. Usually the area was a good place to look for food because of the fact that others usually paid attention to other things and quickly decided to drop whatever they were holding.

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

[member="Dax Fyre"]

She'd turn her head glaring at him. "Was only curious. Geez." Ember said over exaggerating her words. As she looked back round her eyes fell upon an old and rusting swoop bike. Her eyes light up. She'd seen them in magazines but never up close like this. No one was around it but it looked like it probably worked. Even if it did she'd not be able to reached the pedals. Ember did however see a bag on it. One that looked as if someone would keep credits in. "You see it?" She said eagerly. "The bag I mean. Wanna see if there is credits in it? No one is arounnnd." They could look for food but been able to buy something hot would be a change. Is it really stealing if they needed it more? It's not like it would go on something stupid.

 

[Dax Perl]

Kaito stared at the crumpled brown bag for a moment and nodded silently. His eyes began to wander to those around him, all engrossed in whatever they were doing. Chatting, flirting (ew!), touching (more ew) and whatever else. The owner of the bike didn't appear to be around. The young boy figured he could go up, grab the bag, and sprint away without being noticed. And if they did, no one would really care he figured. "Do we go for it?" he asked his friend.

[member="Sanya Val Swift"]