Private Long Empty Halls

[Cale Gunderson]

He'd found the spot, the one where he'd died. It wasn't recognizable now, once it'd been part of grand open space, but in one of the subsequent reconstructions, the place where Cale had vanished into the recesses of his own mind and been replaced by a butcher was now a simple room. Living quarters if he were to guess, but he couldn't say given it was stripped bare, maybe it'd been a closet for all he knew. But it was here where the mask had fallen over his face, and that thing had taken his mind. Then of course, he'd tried to kill someone close to him against his own will. Cale's entire body had been taken from him, but the Dark Lord had been sure to make him watch, his pain, fear, and eventual anger becoming kindling for the dark side.

This was the place his life had fallen to pieces, shattered into fragments that even now he'd not put back together. He'd lived many lives since, and eventually found his way back home, the saber at his side a testament to that. But when he stood on this spot, Cale felt afraid. He'd seen the worst living beings could possibly do to one another, or so he told himself, but standing here frightened him more than any of them. He didn't know what he expected to find amidst the rubble other than pain, but he'd come anyway.

Find peace

The words echoed in his mind, though he'd long forgotten whoever spoken them. But the point remained the same, Cale had to try to face whatever was here for him, even if standing with the Jedi didn't matter in the end. He didn't need to save the galaxy, right now he simply needed to save himself. He took a breath, letting his lone arm hang at his side, fighting the temptation to spark up a stimstick. He went to his knees, took a breath, and closed his eyes.

But he was not the only disillusioned soul roaming the old temple.

Kat Decoria ​

 

[Kat Decoria]

Tag: Cale Gunderson

Visiting Coruscant had not been planned for Kat, she hadn't aimed to return since the attack long ago and her ties to Coruscant and the Galactic Alliance in general had left to pursue other options. However, here she was on the city world and looking more than a little lost. There was aimlessness to her walking and she was feeling a little unsure about why she came to the world. The temple was still in ruins from reports and the hospital work wasn't calling to her like it normally would. So, she had spent several days just drinking heavily and making sure that she enjoyed the company of others as much as she could. It wasn't the healthiest of lifestyles but she was going with it.

Waking up, Kat wasn't too sure where she was. Her body was freezing cold, hinting at the fact that she hadn't made it back to the apartment that she was renting out for the time that she was staying here. The previous night was a fog of shots, drinks and a lot of kissing. It was a fun night though Kat groaned as she felt her head throb hard. It was not pleasant waking with a massive hangover, grunting loudly as she forced herself to stand and felt the room spinning hard. Leaning against a wall, she breathed in hard as she muttered repeatedly to herself to not throw up. She couldn't afford to throw up again and doing so in a random building would not bode well if someone was to come across her.

After a few long minutes, Kat was able to swallow the bile at the back of her throat as she leaned against the wall. Blinking a few times as she rose to her full height, inhaling deeply, "phew, it seems to be passing at least." Kat told herself as she walked around and tried to figure out where she was currently. It took a few hallways and backtracking but Kat figured out that she was back at the NJO old temple and rubbed her forehead, why did her drunk butt drag itself all the way here? Seemed odd but she was here. As she roamed around, Kat spotted someone on their own. Tilting her head, part of her didn't want to interact right away with another person but there seemed to be an aura of something similar to herself within him.

"Hey, what brings you to this temple?" Kat called out curiously, trying to not be too loud.

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Just as soon as his eyes had closed, they fluttered back open to the sound of a voice. Even tombs seemed to be too crowded these days, and Cale silently wondered if he'd ever find that shred of peace. He came up from his knees, arm hanging at his side, and let his arm hang at his side. Echani, roughly his age physically, force-sensitive, likely trained, very drunk. She was probably only so easy to read because she was making no effort to hide, which made it all but certain she didn't mean to harm him.

"Atonement." He answered, before realizing how needlessly foreboding that sounded.

"I just," Cale tried to think of the words to say, and what he'd mean by them. The last thing he was trying to do was make it seem as though he were there with some kind of malicious intent. That wouldn't have worked out well for either of them. "I just needed to see it again, for myself, its been a long time."

Kat Decoria ​

 

[Kat Decoria]

She heard him call out atonement and she waved it off, the foreboding tone wasn't that bothering to Kat. So many people she met were looking for atonement or forgiveness for something they had done. She was pretty much in the same boat, her work in invasions and wars had weighed heavy on her soul. She had allowed herself suffer the hangover because it was a reminder she was still alive and her punishment for drinking so much and wallowing in so much self pity.

Leaning against the wall, she looked around the place, "I don't even know why I came here. Last time I was here was during the attack, I escaped the planet in the chaos. Galactic Alliance turning on the Jedi left a sour taste in my mouth and not even sure where most of the Jedi in this galaxy are now." Kat sighed, she struggled feeling that she was a Jedi herself but couldn't help feeling comforted being around them, especially when they weren't chasing wars. The peaceful Jedi helped soothed her broken soul she felt.

"Do you think it is cursed to be a Jedi? All the Jedi preach is balance and peace, yet so many rush to war or forced to fight brutal wars. Just seems so much conflict." Kat sighed as sat down and looked up to the sky.

Cale Gunderson