Masks (Ventasia)

[Noah Corek]

[member="Ventasia Terana"]

Noah sighed as he sat in the Pyre headquarters on Fondor, in the armory to be more precise. Laid before him was a mask the mask was in the process of currently being gutted, refitted and improved. "Wore this damn thing for twelve years and I didn't even upgrade it once? What kind of blac-spec ops soldier was I?" Noah asked himself as he looked over the mask, fingers tracing over the multiple dents, nicks and cuts that covered the surface of the mask. Noah traced his finger over one big scratch. "7.62mm armor piercing slug, damn thing nearly took out my right eye." Noah said to himself as his hands drifted over a series of four dents in the mask near his mouth. "9mm hollow points four out of the five went into my mask while the last one pierced my shoulder. Needed a transfusion after that, damn lucky Ilona and me have the same blood type." Noah stated again before he began to replace some of the wires to the HUD system.

 

[Ventasia Terana]

The sounds of a loud crash would find their way into Corek's ears. Well, it was more like a large bang.... Either way, the clanging of the barrel from a rifle clanging against the ground.

Of course, the one who caused the sound would be none other than the vivacious red head herself; Ventasia Terana. With one leg crossing over the other, she leaned to the side against the frame of the armory's door, allowing it hold her up while she crossed her arms over her chest. It was like she was staring a hole through the back of Corek's head, something she had done so many times in the past. Though, this time, something was different. Her eyes didn't hold the same fire that was usually flung at people. If nothing, they were more listless. For once, it seemed that she was actually relaxed....and sober. And at the same time.

What are the odds?....

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Ventasia Terana"]

The reaction Ventasia got would be immediate, spinning around, Noah reached for the shoulder holster currently slung over his standard issue Omega Pyre fatigues and pulled out the Hekler'Kok P-2 that was nestled in the holster and leveled it one handed at the offender. Noah sighed when he saw who exactly it was and quickly thumbed the safety back on and slid the pistol into its holster. "How many times have I told me not to sneak up and scare me like that?" Noah asked with a bit of a grimace on his face as the act of sliding the pistol back into its holster and the fact that it bothered the wound on his shoulder. It was then that he saw something was wrong, Noah had been taught during his training for years to observe people, everything from their posture to their eyes and right now he saw one thing. Something was eating at her. "What's wrong with you."

 

[Ventasia Terana]

She somewhat ignored the words aimed at her, as she always did. Ignoring people was nothing new for anyone who knew the volatile redhead, Corek included. However, he knew her well enough to know when something was different. She wasn't bouncing around half drunk, threatening to shove someone's head through a wall, or hijacking another starfighter for her own personal escapades. Instead, she was just....there.

Finally, Ventasia pushed herself up to a completely vertical frame, sauntering over towards the other OP veteran as he worked on his weapons. Each step, at least to her, seemed heavier, as if she were moving slower with each passing second. By thee time she arrived at the desk he was working at, even she wasn't sure what she was doing there. Uncrossing her arms, Tasia reached out slowly to flick Corek in the middle of his forehead. Even after that, she simply looked down at her seated companion. For a few moments, there was not a single word said. An awkward silence overtook the room, not a sound to be heard within the ears of either of them.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with this entire picture? What are we even doing here?.." Tasia's tone was low and her speech slow, as if each word had it's own meaning. Then again, that couldn't be true. This was the same person who would more than likely volunteer for a solo infiltration mission onto an enemy ship....while in a drunken stupor. Profound words didn't exactly come from her lips...ever.

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Ventasia Terana"]

Noah raised an eyebrow as he observed Ventasia bound over to him. Really though 'bound' wasn't the correct, sulking over was a better description of what he was seeing. When she got to him she flicked him in the forehead, Noah ignored it, a few years ago when he had originally joined the Pyre he would have stood and yelled at her but by now he knew all of her little tricks and most of the time he just let her do what she wanted as was the attitude if most everyone now adays.

Noah knew something was wrong but when she started speaking again he was sure that she was either deathly ill or she had a very bad concussion. "Ventasia have you been to any tropical or jungle planets and/or hit your head extremely hard? You know like falling down the stairs, slamming against a speeder dashboard etc.?" At this point he was a bit concerned for wellfare, something that if she knew she would laugh.

"Don't dwell on those question Ventasia, the more you do the more questions start to pop up and then its just a vicious cycle of questions without answers and then you turn into someone who just doesn't care anymore. Trust me, me and a few friends of mine have gone there."

 

[Ventasia Terana]

((Sorry for the delay. You know how life is...))

For the first time since she appeared, her expression resembled that of its normal form, though only for a slight second. Her eyes shifted toward Corek, narrowing slightly as the somewhat blank expression shifted to one of utter annoyance. Almost too soft to be heard, Tasia sighed as she released the stare, only shaking her head. "Those days... I don't think they really exist anymore, do they? Like on Naboo? When we nearly got blown away hiding in the trees? Or like when we took Bespin the first time.. That seems so far away now. As if it was just a dream." As she continued to speak, the Corellian accent she hid so well began to seep through with each passing word. "I don't know why I thought it would last. Last like putting a band-aid on a blaster wound.."

Tasia rolled her back slightly, eyes turning to the flickering lights above. "If you don't ask question, you never get any answers. You just stay in the dark, don't you? At least, that's the type of thing the Jedi used to say. I dun' know what's the point in all of this. Do you even know what your doing here anymore?"

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Ventasia Terana"]

Noah sighed as Ventasia began talking again. She seemed intent on making what had been a happy and successful day for him into a depressing talk about lost times and the past. But what was new?

"You right Tasia. Those times are gone and we will never get them back. But you wanna know something my father told me? 'Your past doesn't define who you are, it just gives you the starting point for who your going to be.' Wise words, from a man I hated. Too bad he's dead now." Noah sighed, he rather not dwell on his father, while he didn't have a close relationship like his younger siblings, he was still affected by his passing.

"Some questions Tasia aren't meant to be answered. I'm here because I've have nowhere else to go. Sith, Fringe and Feds? They'd kill me without a second thought. The Republic? Trust me, I burned more than a few bridges when I left the SFD. The Sanctum? A bunch of hippies and peace-lovers if you ask me. Silvers? Same thing just with a bit more balls. Primeval and Dynasty? Not really going with the whole zealots zibe. Ravens? Just the Suns with a new snazy title. Remnant? Nope spent my entire career fighting Imps. The Vitae? Maybe,depending what I find out about them. The Rebels and the Mandalorians? Maybe as well. Mandalorians more than the Rebels. But the Protectorate? I've made a home for myself here Tasia, not just for me, but for my daughters as well."

[member="Ventasia Terana"]