Private Loosing Dogs

[Capris Halcyon]

To her relief, Gatz obliged to flexing his old smuggler muscles. It was, after all, in the name of the greater good.

“Yeah of course, Valery’s the forgiving type.” The girl waved in dismissal, “Do your thing.”

If she was willing to overlook Capris’s tendency for a more aggressive, quasi-darkside approach to things, this certainly wouldn’t raise either of her split eyebrows. It was a far more victimless crime compared to the ones the padawan was used to committing.

Still, while she kept watch with abject disinterest, the kid couldn’t squash a growing sensation of guilt. One that had nothing to do with the speeder being requisitioned in front of her.

What if she fethed this up? What if -after Gatz had done everything in his power to feed into her delusion of a plan- she ended up getting him killed? And then Valery or Kahlil had to drag her sorry arse back to the temple with nothing but a death toll to show for it. What if after all the shit Valery had been through, she was just about to pile on a load more?

And for what. Because she’d rather take her anger out on some tangible “enemy” than deal with her feelings responsibly?

With thin lips, Capris shook her head in an attempt to ground herself. Now really wasn’t the time to be having doubts.

“Think it’s been a flash.” She called out after another scan of their surroundings, “You finished?”

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

For all his insistence that Valery would understand, so long as they returned what they "borrowed," Gatz still wasn't going to tell her that he stole a speeder. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, or more importantly, disappoint her.

It was simple work, hotwiring an irresponsibly abandoned speeder. In a way, he almost felt like a teenager again: stealing speeder bikes back in Theed just for the hell of it. Except, of course, this time he wasn't just planning on going for a joyride. No, they were hunting a creature that could cut him in half like he was made of paper. Gatz wondered how he kept getting involved in stupid plans like this.

On the bright side, it was bound to be just as exciting as a joyride. More, really.

"Of course I'm finished," Gatz answered in good humor, as he slid out from under the speederbike, "I'm not that rusty."

He threw his leg over the bike, and revved it, hearing it sputter to life.

"It's not gonna win any races, but it'll get us where we need to go. Probably."

The speederbike hadn't exactly been well cared for. But, considering that the people of this shantytown were starving, he couldn't exactly hold it against whoever the owner was. Gatz could only imagine what his ship would look like, fallen into disrepair, if he'd been struggling just to put food on the table.

---

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

“That’s a shame” Capris shrugged, making her way over to the bike before joining him. “Was really hoping to enter some illegal drag races before we left. Y'know just to make the trip worthwhile.”

With a flick of her wrist, the town’s layout materialized, a red highlight over the district mentioned by the Rodian. “We’ll set a trap on the outskirts,” The girl begun, holding out the projection for Gatz to get a proper look, “Then bait it out with- well us.” Capris shrugged once more, apologetically. “Probably gonna want to stay on the speeder for that one.” And pray to Ashla it doesn’t give out.

With a glance his way, Capris tried to get a read on him, “You ready?”

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"Have a need for speed?" Gatz chuckled, "tell you what: if we survive this, I'll take you to Corellia. There are plenty of backstreet swoop races there."

Capris held out the holomap in front of him once more, and Gatz took a good look before kicking the speederbike into gear. They took off at a pace that probably wasn't legal, or wouldn't have been if this place had any sort of law. If someone had a problem with it, he could talk his way out of it later. A rampant Sith spawn was more important than obeying traffic laws.

Capris mentioned that he should stay on the speeder, if he was playing bait. That got his attention.

"How fast is this Sith spawn of yours?"

Tuk'ata were faster than a normal human, so he expected that whatever they were facing would outpace him in a sprint. But the fact that staying on the speederbike seemed to be his only chance of surviving? That was unsettling. But this wasn't the most dangerous thing he'd ever done. Might make the top five, though.

He supposed it was a good thing he was so in tune with vehicles.

"I'm not sure anyone is ever "ready" for a confrontation with the Dark Side, whether they're dealing with a Dark Lord or some twisted creature. But I'm not going to bail on you and leave you at its mercy, if that's what you're worried about."

His conscience wouldn't allow it, as annoying as that was.

---

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

"I'll hold you to that." The girl responded, a small grin itching the corners of her mouth. "Valery probably wouldn't be too impressed though." Theft and illegal racing? Yeah, the Jedi Master wasn't going to be hearing about any of this. Well as far as Capris was concerned.

Gatz then decided to test the limits of the sound barrier, toying with whatever flimsy traffic regulations existed in a place like this. At the very least Capris could appreciate the enthusiasm, even if her knuckles were turning white against the edge of her seat. He then asked about the Sithspawn's speed, a question without much in the way of a comforting answer.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's a safe assumption to say pretty damn fast." The girl responded, having to practically shout over the wind, "But keep this up and I have more than enough faith in you." Considering she felt damn close to falling off, she trusted him to keep a fairly comfortable lead.

His final statement had her blinking away a look of surprise, only because she hadn't considered the fact that yeah he very well could bail on her. Not that she thought he would, but it was certainly out of character of her not to be immediately skeptical of such things. Man, she was getting far too trusting these days.

Or maybe just having an easier time seeing the good in people.

After a moment she simply exhaled a huff of amusement, "Yeah, you better not. I'd haunt your arse."

Thanks to Gatz's abuse of the engine, the two rolled up to their destination in no time, coming to a halt in what looked like a virtual ghost town. Somehow the place looked even worse than the refugee camp they'd come from, with abandoned houses strewn about like litter. Swinging both legs back onto solid ground the girl couldn't help but frown at the sight, "Man this Sithspawn really fethed this place up."

With a furrowed brow the girl surveyed the landscape before turning back to Gatz "Turn over your hand." She said expectantly, failing to elaborate on why.

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"You give her too little credit!" Gatz shouted over the wind, "I think Valery would enjoy a swoop race more than you think!"

Judging by the way she seemed to enjoy her ride in his speeder, back on Naboo, Gatz had a sinking suspicion that Valery enjoyed speed even more than he did. It was funny, how in some ways she—a bona fide Jedi Master—seemed to be far less reserved than he was, even when it came to using less-than-legal methods in the pursuit of a greater good. He decided to keep his mouth shut about that, though. It wasn't his place to spill the beans that the Order's greatest master was secretly something of a rebel.

But Gatz was beginning to understand why she was so accepting of him.

Capris elaborated on this creature's speed. Gatz supposed it didn't matter how fast or how slow this thing was. So long as he could outpace it on this speeder, he really didn't have much to worry about. Capris' plan was far from foolproof, but as long as they both played their roles, things would be fine. And failing that... well, Gatz supposed they'd have to trust in the Force.

That wasn't his strong suit, but he wasn't above asking for a little divine intervention.

"I have kind of a standing policy against abandoning people," Gatz said as he brought the speeder to a stop, "it's a hold over from my days as a— damn! What did it do to this place?"

Gatz hadn't exactly been expecting a palace. Even not counting the presence of a Sithspawn, this world was far from paradise. Well, actually, it probably could have been a tropical paradise destination, if not for the slummy shantytown. But the point was that he'd been expecting very little beauty from the Sithspawn's local haunt.

Somehow, it was even less than he'd expected.

"I presume you're going to brand me with a rune of some kind?" Gatz asked, turning over his hand as asked.

---

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

"it's a hold over from my days as a— damn! What did it do to this place?"

"What it was designed for." Capris answered, taking in the destruction with a deepening look of resolve.

"I presume you're going to brand me with a rune of some kind?"

"You're perceptive." Capris chimed, taking his hand in confirmation before tracing out a small protection rune on the palm. Having to use both hands, the injuries on her right grew more visible, burns snaking up her arm in various stages of healing with a rune-shaped scorch mark slicing her own palm. Probably not the most reassuring sight all things considered, but even to the untrained eye it was clear the rune was fundamentally different. A far more complex piece than the one she'd hastily scribbled on Gatz, it looked almost embedded, as if it hadn't simply been drawn on.

Either way Capris seemed intent on fiercely ignoring it, and considering Gatz didn't spontaneously combust when his own rune burned a soft blue and faded against his skin, it seemed that he could stand to ignore it as well.

"That'll nullify any effects my trap could have on you." She explained, "Meaning you won't get turned into an icicle if you happen to step in it." Taking a step back she loosened her saber from its holster, the blade humming to life before its tip grazed the packed earth beneath them, "Doesn't mean it'll keep you from getting torn limb from limb if you're not careful so- y'know- just something to keep in mind."

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Sithspawn were designed to do this?

As soon as that question passed through his head, he felt foolish for even thinking it. Of course this was what Sithspawn were meant to do: destroy. That's what the Sith did. They demolished anyone and anything that got in their way, and sometimes even what didn't. The Dark Side was a blight upon the Force and the galaxy, and the desolation in front of him was a perfect example of that.

"You don't last long doing what I did if you're not at least a little observant." Gatz mused, as Capris traced a rune onto the back of his hand.

Once more, he saw the burns on her right hand. They were worse than he'd originally thought, seeming to trace all the way up her arm. Concern spiked in his gut, even though it wasn't really his place to worry about her. What had she been through, to have such harrowing scars? She couldn't have been older than eighteen or nineteen; shouldn't be old enough to know suffering like that.

Of course, the galaxy was anything but fair. He'd probe her about it, once this was done, and they could relax.

With her scribbling finished, Gatz felt a brief influx of energy humming from his hand. The Force. He inspected her handiwork, as if looking for flaws, not that he'd know them if he saw them. Then he shrugged and gripped the accelerator once again.

"Won't be frozen, but I could still end up cut into six different pieces scattering the area. Got it. So, uh, how exactly are we going to lure this thing to me? Should I just hit the throttle?"

---

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

“It probably already knows we’re here.” She answered, not so much in the spirit of fear mongering but rather blunt analysis. “ Typically Sithspawn can sense manipulations in the force, which is what we are in a way.” Referring to their force sensitivity she began dragging her saber through the sand, leaving strands of scorched earth as she wove a series of cryptic markings. “See if Valery was here, the Sithspawn would’ve sensed her in orbit.” It was technically a joke, but also equally plausible.

“My trap should be a large enough beacon to grab its interest, It’s just a matter of corralling it into the right spot.” Preoccupied with her work the girl canted her head in confirmation, “So yeah, hit the throttle.”

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"Oh good, so it's playing hide and seek."

He really should have guessed that the Sithspawn was capable of sensing them through the Force. It was, of course, as sensitive to it as they were, if not more so. That was a terrifying thought, but Gatz pushed it away. If he let himself feel fear now, he'd freeze up, and not because of Capris' neat little trap. Then what would she do? Well, probably what she'd planned on doing before he got involved, but it would go over far less smoothly.

Maybe he was overestimating his importance to her plan, but if the Sithspawn was busy dealing with him, then it couldn't chase her down. Being bait was slightly insulting, but if it meant she could set up and execute her rune to its fullest, then he'd play the part.

"Well here goes nothing," Gatz sighed, and then added, "if I die... tell Valery I said "thank you." But not sarcastically. Make it sound genuine. Actually, on second thought, make it sound sarcastic and genuine."

Gatz hit the throttle without giving Capris a chance to respond, or confirm that she'd pass on his message. Not that he needed to know that she would: he didn't actually plan on dying here, his request was more of a "worst case scenario" sort of deal. So, to ensure that she wouldn't have to pass it on, Gatz maneuvered the speederbike in lazy circles, just slow enough so that he could take in his surroundings.

The last thing he wanted was to be caught off-guard by this monster, after all.

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

“You’re not gonna-“

Before having the chance to counter, Gatz sped off, leaving Capris arguing with a cloud of dust. For a moment she simply watched him fade against the horizon line, desperately hoping she wouldn’t have to fulfill his request. Not that she would’ve even had to worry about that if he’d minded his own business from the get go. But no- he had to be all self sacrificial, inserting himself into her flimsy plan like he had a death wish. She could only wonder what kind of guilty conscious would make a man do that.

Please don’t let him die.

Burying the sinking feeling in her gut, Capris finished etching out the sequence, forming a radius wide enough to for any beast to stumble into. As the runes activated, an intense blue light consumed the area, rising up before dissipating.

Meanwhile as Gatz circled the town, he’d be met with dead silence. It was clear the remnants of something kept the district in a state of perpetual rampage, but what that was exactly remained unknown.

From the depths of one home a single eye tracked Gatz and his speeder bike, slowly slinking its way out from the debris with muted agility. For a moment it simply watched, the enormity of its body skillfully hidden behind a series of ramshackle buildings. That was until a beacon of blue light split the skyline in two.

Immediately something snapped in the creature, it’s maw unhinging to release a guttural scream as it launched towards Gatz with augmented speed.

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz kept to his lazy circles for a short time, waiting to see if this Sithspawn decided to take a nibble at him. When it didn't, it confused Gatz. The damn thing knew they were here: if it hunted its prey by tracking them through the Force, than he ought to have been at least a tasty morsel. Maybe he wasn't a full fledged feast to this thing, but he should have been at least interesting enough to warrant a good mauling.

Then Capris' rune-empowered light show went off, and as it did, warning bells rang in his head. Gatz flattened himself against the bike, just in time to see a claw swipe through the space his head had just occupied.

He didn't bother turning his head to get a good look at the thing: he just hit the throttle. He sped off in the direction of Capris' trap, keeping his focus on dodging the debris and dilapidated homes in front of him, all the while being chased by a monstrosity that he didn't dare sneak a peek at. Even so, he could feel it in the Force, like a cold bulwark trying desperately to smash into him.

God he hated the Dark Side. It always felt so... unnatural.

Gatz had just swung around the building, Capris' trap in sight, when something smashed into the flank of his speederbike. He heard the screeching of metal, an ungodly cry of rage, and he spun out in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go. It took all the strength in his upper body, but Gatz was able to wrest control of the vehicle by the handle bars, and brought his spin to a halt.

Only to find himself facing the Sithspawn, a mere twenty feet away from him, in all of it's monstrous glory.

Dank farrik.

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

As Gatz barreled back into her line of sight, the girl braced herself, only to pause as the monster followed suit. The thing was massive, some mutated beast far removed from anything resembling organic life. It had her blinking away a look of genuine awe, her initial amazement swiftly replaced by panic at the succeeding collision.

"Fething feth."

Reflex had her diving for her saber while every muscle in her body tensed. Seems like the "worst case scenario" was about to play out beat for beat. Was she really about to watch a man get torn to shreds in front of her? No not a man, but a person who had no reason to be in this position to begin with. Who trusted her with his life even though she'd hardly given him a solid reason to. Her arrogance was about to get someone killed, and that realization rocked her to her core.

"Gatz!"

Without any hesitation Capris broke out into a full-on sprint, her lightsaber scorching to life besides her. Even in her desperate attempt to close the distance, it was obvious she wouldn't intercept them in time. So in a last-ditch effort to not leave him entirely defenseless, Capris launched her saber towards the pair, ensuring it rolled to Gatz's bike with generous assistance from the force.

Down a lightsaber, Capris turned to the next best thing, a swell of energy humming to life between her hands as a rune crystalized before her. A rune fueled primarily by the choking miasma of the Darkside. Kahlil would no doubt be frowning at her misuse, but in the moment she didn't recognize it, she hardly cared enough to. The Darkside swarmed this place, establishing itself as the only tool powerful enough to save what needed to be saved. Who was she to deny it?

In the next moment a spire of ice erupted from her impromptu sequence, aimed to skewer the Sith spawn through its shoulder. Even as things took a turn for the worst her goal remained steadfast. She wasn't going to kill this thing, no matter the risk.

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

This thing was way bigger than Gatz had anticipated. It was a monstrosity of densely packed muscle on top of more densely packed muscle, garnished with a spattering of horns that would disembowel him like livestock. Which, technically, he was to the Sithspawn, who hunted Force users. Not for the first time today, Gatz found himself questioning what the hell he'd been thinking when he'd inserted himself into this mess.

Capris calling out his name reminded him: he didn't want this Padawan dying because she was overconfident.

The spiraling metal cylinder caught his eye, and Gatz reflexively reached out with the Force, pulling the lightsaber from its arc in the air to his hand. He ignited it, felt the weight—heavier than he remembered—and the dull echo of the Kyber crystal within resonating with the Force. It was bonded to Capris, not himself, and Gatz could feel how out of sync he was with the crystal.

It had been fifteen years since he'd held a lightsaber, and he'd only ever held a training saber at that. Even so... it felt natural, despite the friction between him and the Kyber crystal, resting in his palm more comfortably than his blaster ever had.

His marvel at the situation was rudely interrupted by the Sithspawn letting out a bloodcurdling shriek, and turning toward him once more.

A quick glance to either side of him revealed that he'd spun out in the center of a cul-de-sac: he had nowhere to go but through the Sithspawn. So be it. Gatz revved the throttle, and the monster began to barrel in his direction. He took off in a straight line, toward certain doom. His borrowed speeder may as well have been paper compared to the bulk of the Sithspawn. He could crash into it, and it would just shrug him off.

And so Gatz leapt, pulling himself along the ebb and flow of the Force in a way he hadn't in a decade, filling his mortal vessel with a sense of Light he had long forgotten. His arc through the air defied the normal laws of physics, gaining altitude far beyond what a normal human could ever hope to achieve, and it allowed him to narrowly soar above the slash of a claw. The Sithspawn smacked his speeder aside, turning it into a twisted hunk of metal, but Gatz had long since removed himself from its saddle.

As his arc through the air came to an end, his feet moments from landing on the Sithspawn's malformed hump of a back, he lashed out with the lightsaber—more unrefined Ataru than Shii-Cho, the only form he was actually familiar with—and scored the flesh right around its eyes, burning them to hollow husks and evoking a painful cry from the beast.

Then, a warning from the Force, and Gatz gathered his strength for one more leap, ejecting himself from the Sithspawn's back just as Capris' ice skewered it. He landed on the ground, tumbling and sliding across debris without the grace and finesse of a true Jedi, but without so much as a scratch on him.

"Shit, that was crazy!" He panted, exhilarated and exhausted all at once.

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Well that was certainly impressive.

Coming to a halt with the Sithspawn subdued and Gatz remarkably free of injuries, Capris could only stare. No way in hell did he just manage to pull that off. And to think she’d almost laughed him off when they first met. Whatever force adeptness was lying dormant in him was clearly considerably greater than either of them had assumed.

Shit, maybe it was time for her to stop being so damn judgemental.

Capris tabled her amazement for the time being, sidestepping Gatz entirely as she made a beeline to the Sithspawn currently wirthing against her icicle like a taxidermied insect. Its pain echoed through the force in heavy, nauseating waves, a sensation Capris had always been frustratingly sensitive to. Fighting the urge to cradle her head right where the Sithspawn’s own wounds began to fester, the girl instead raised her hands in a sign of reassurance.

She wasn’t going to hurt this thing more than she already had.

“Hey hey hey, it’s ok.” The girl inched closer, well within the reach of the beast as it desperately clawed at her with its free arm. Considering the ice was already threatening to crack under the strain of its flexed muscles, getting sliced by its outstretched claws was a very real possibility. But one Capris didn’t seem all that concerned with.

“I know, it's alright.” Echoing the words her Master had used when they’d first captured a Sithspawn down in the pits of Coruscant, she tried to mimic his calming presence. Emitting the same tranquil aura he always did when Capris was on edge.

With the glaring exception that she didn’t use the lightside to do so.

It wasn’t like the previous times she’d clumsily tapped into the darkside when emotions were high. This was intentional, allowing the hate and rage and fear of the creature to course through her like electricity. It wasn’t an attempt to sedate its emotions, but rather acknowledge them. The lightside was like poison to those corrupted by the dark, and Capris had no interest in causing this thing to spiral any further.

Maybe this was just a stupid way to get killed, but as her thoughts drifted to Kahlil she couldn’t imagine any other way of going about it. Months ago she would’ve been more than happy to run her blade right through this thing’s blackened heart, but now...She’d had enough bloodshed to last her a lifetime.

Raising a hand to cup the beast’s snout, she watched its hollowed eyes frantically search, labored breaths growing shallower and shallower. There was no exchange of words, but slowly the beast stopped baring its fangs, its muscles slacking as it allowed itself to slip into unconsciousness.

Holy fucking shit.

The girl removed her hand, too stunned to say anything before she exhaled an incredulous breath. “Khalil-” With excitement and adrenaline coursing through her, the girl turned to Gatz as if expecting to see her Master, only to abruptly pause.

Right he wasn’t here. Stupid.

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Capris ran right past him, more concerned with the giant monster than her companion who'd just squared off with it.

"No, I'm fine, thanks for asking," he snarked as he picked himself up off the ground with a groan.

In her defense, ensuring that the Sithspawn was actually subdued was definitely the priority. The last thing they needed was for it to break out of the ice, and trample over them both. Gatz liked living, figured Capris felt the same, and he was pretty certain Valery would want her husband's Padawan returned in one piece. So, he opted to forgive her for making a beeline for the creature.

As Capris did... whatever she was doing to the beast, Gatz suddenly felt very odd. Like his equilibrium was out of balance. He couldn't place what was wrong, but it was like the world was duller: colors washed with grey, sound muted and just beyond the edge of hearing. For a moment, Gatz wondered if that was the Sithspawn's doing. So he reached out with the Force... only it didn't answer his call.

The realization hit him as hard as that Sithspawn might have: he couldn't feel the Force at all.

He had never given it up, not truly. He had let it fall into disuse, had quit meditating, and only tried to reach out for it when he was in a bind. Despite that, it was still always there, whispering in his ear. Take a step to the side here, duck at this moment there; it had always been guiding him, even when he'd tried to distance himself from it.

To hear nothing was disquieting. It made sense, he supposed, that his sixth sense would be temporarily out of reach after he had exerted himself in such a way. It was like trying to do something strenuous after a long period of not exercising: you greatly increased the chance of pulling a muscle. He didn't like it, but it probably wasn't permanent.

So he sucked in a breath, and moved on, coming to stand at Capris' side.

"So, this thing looks about fifty percent less bloodthirsty than it did ten seconds ago," snark, that always made him feel better, "what did you do?"

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

"Just used a little persuasion." The girl answered, taking a step back to meet Gatz. In all honesty she hadn't the slightest clue as to why that worked, she just knew she was beyond grateful it did.

Her focus then shifted to Gatz, a bit surprised to see him tense rather than radically overwhelmed and excited about his recent feat of force manipulation. If she'd managed to pull a stunt like that, she very well knew no one would be able to get her to shut up about it. But then again, she was herself...not exactly a gold standard. With a quick once over, scanning Gatz for any superficial wounds, Capris quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm more interested in what you did." Punctuated with a light-hearted elbow jab, her eyes tracked down the lightsaber still in his hands. "That shit was, in fact, crazy. You alright? How hard did that thing hit you?"

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Huh. "Persuasion." Neat."

Whatever trick she'd tried, it must have been with the assistance of the Force. He'd probably have felt it too, if not for his sudden deafness to it. It was almost a shame, Gatz thought, that he couldn't experience such a feat first hand. Capris had seemed real excited about it for a moment, until she realized that the only person around to notice was him.

And he didn't know enough about the deeper mysteries of the Force to know how exceptional her feat had been.

Gatz took her jab to the side in stride, and watched her eyes fall to her lightsaber, still in his hand. Right. He ought to return that to its rightful owner. He held out the hilt in his open palm, wordlessly. No scoundrel should hold such a dangerous tool. Much like the Force, it was too tempting to use it for all the wrong reasons.

"I would love to regal you with a tale about how I planned that whole thing, and flawlessly executed what I had envisioned," Gatz sighed, "but that would be the biggest lie I ever told. No, I was just winging it the whole time. I chose to trust that the Force would see me to the end. And it did: damn thing didn't so much as scratch me."

He would, most definitely, embellish the story when he retold it.

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

With a simple tug from the force, the saber vanished from Gatz’s hand and into the folds of her cloak. A shame really, given that within the span of thirty seconds Gatz had already proven more capable at wielding it then she’d ever been.

“Guess the Force plays favorites.” With another light-hearted tease, Capris exhaled through her nose, “Careful though, Valery might try dragging you back to the Order if you keep it up. You’d have a hard time saying no.” Had he considered it? He clearly seemed to be in some transitory period in his life if his introduction was anything to go by. A bit lost, not entirely set on a trajectory, wanting to balance out some past sins…

But then again who would trade a jacket like that for a set of dull unsaturated robes.

“Either way that’s one hell of a flex.” The girl acknowledged, “Although it would be nice to have a scar to go with the story, y’know as testament.” Not that she had any scars to be particularly proud of. Certainly none with stories she was eager to share.

With that said, Capris moved to securing the now subdued Sithspawn, sketching out another sequence to surround and subsequently freeze the thing. “That should keep it at bay until we dial up reinforcements.”

Gatz Derrevar

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Favorites." Right. As if the Force had ever guided him to anything but disaster. Still, even Gatz wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If trusting in the Force this one time had saved his skin—and it had—then he could appreciate that. He usually preferred to rely more on his wits than the mystical energy field that bound all things together, but even he couldn't deny that he'd be a very red splat on the pavement if not for his connection to the Force.

"I wouldn't have made a good Jedi," Gatz said with a soft chuckle, "besides, I'm a little old to be a Padawan."

He could lie to Capris, but not to himself: lately, he'd begun to wish that he'd stayed with the Order. Wished he'd toughed it out, had dedicated himself to something fundamentally good, instead of being drawn into a life of crime. But there was no changing the past, and truth be told, Gatz valued his independence.

He'd lose a lot of that if he somehow rejoined the Order. Gatz wasn't sure he was willing to make that compromise, or to make that serious of a commitment. So a repentant scoundrel he would remain.

"A scar? And what, ruin this pretty face? This is my money maker!"

---

Tags: Capris Halcyon