Private Moth Into Flame

[Llevana Helas]

Black.​

​

As far as the eye could see.​

​

There inside the great metal beast, there was little for her senses to pick up on. It was cold, colder than the coldest day District Thirty Two had ever known, colder than the coldest night, even! The only sound was the distant rumble of the generator keeping the interior of the cockpit alight.​

​

The strange beast wasn't moving. No, she had shut that function off a little while after leaving home. Home? That place was not home to her any longer... Was this? Nope. Definitely just a strange metal beast.​

​

Had she ever really had one? Well, yes... Of course she had. Back when Grandpa was with her on Thirty Two, back before the anomaly and the Eclipse. So long ago now that it felt like a dream of another life.​

​

Llevi exhaled a long breath, and leaned back in the seat. She had released the buckles which had been holding her in place what felt like hours ago, and the heavy flight suit the strangers from the Resistance had told her to wear had likewise been kicked off.​

​

That was when the chill had set in. Coincidence? Nah, probably not. The thing had been heavy, itchy, uncomfortable. She much preferred the freedom of her own clothes, a loose shirt and trousers. Yes, much more agreeable.​

​

She flicked her gaze across the view outside her window. Her feet were up on top of the control consoles, obscuring just a thin slither of the abyss. Void. It was definitely more void-like than the abyss had been. What she wouldn't give to be diving down beneath the waves, sinking deeper and deeper and...​

​

Something floated past her, and she turned in the seat to watch its journey. A lump of space rock. Bah, she had seen enough stupid rocks to last a lifetime.​

​

Reaching down to where her feet ought to have been, Llevi pulled up a ration pack and began to absentmindedly chew on its contents. Did she know what it was? Absolutely not. Did it taste good? Nope! But was she going to finish it anyway? Of course she was. Because hunger wasn't something she wanted to experience any time soon.​

​

<Funny that. Here you are sat in a stupid metal box floating in the middle of nowhere, refusing to start the engine or whatever the damn thing is called, yet you don't want to be hungry. Tell me, Llevi, where exactly are you going to find the food when you run out of rations, eh? You thinking a cute little space bunny is going to hop on by for you to spear? Oh wait, you don't have your spear anymore, do you? And guess what... Rabbits aren't in space.>​

​

She rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Yeah, yeah, no rabbits in space, whatever... I'll just keep eating this sludge and who knows, maybe more will just miraculously appear."​

​

<What are you, an idjit? Food doesn't just appear, you dunce, you've got to hunt it! Or find it at the very least. You're in a goddamn tin can, far away from any civilization. But sure, you keep thinking like a silly kid. Why don't you just imagine some up, eh? You're so very good at doing useless things like that!>​

​

"Oh shut up, will you? I thought you into existence, I can think you without a damn voice if I wish!"​

​

She tossed what remained of the ration pack back to the floor and grumbled. She hated it out here, it was too quiet, too lonely, too boring. You'd think after so many years of arduous living that she'd have a way to amuse herself that didn't involve conjuring up voices and imagining her next meal, but honestly all it had done was lessen her attention span.​

​

One thing was for sure, if she carried on this way simply floating through space she'd go stir crazy. Or had that already happened?​

​

"Psht, who cares?" <You do.>​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

Gerwald hated space travel, especially if it was extended. He had trained himself to cope with the inability to shift at times, but the longer he remained in space without shifting the more irritable he became. At times the only solution was to lock himself in his quarters and change long enough to keep the wolf from making him insane. The beast would be satisfied with bloodshed soon enough, but for now Gerwald only had to appease its need to get out.

A recent wave of rebellions on Sith governed worlds had seen Gerwald away from Jutrand for a time. Currently there seemed to be no shortage of Sith governors who needed another lesson in how to properly deal with insurgents on the planets they managed. It was a bloody business Gerwald found himself in, but Gerwald was a bloody individual. He was a violent beast with a thirst that made him perfect for this kind of work. Empyrean knew how to wield his wolf well.

Bare feet padded toward the closet which held a limited selection of his clothing. A sigh escaped as he opened the door, satisfied the pull of the animal would remain quiet for the next several days. Blue eyes glanced over the armor, and almost reached for it when the quiet of his solitude was interrupted by one of the crew piloting the ship.

“My Lord we are picking up a vessel floating near by. Reading one life sign.”

The wolf cursed as he slipped on a pair of black pants and matching shirt. A black leather fur-lined trench coat was slipped onto his arms and shoulders before he pulled it around his torso. His eyes closed as he reached out through the force.

“Lord Lechner?”

“Patience,” he replied. “Unless you wish to be the wolf’s next meal.”

Gerwald smirked as he closed his eyes once more. They all knew what he was, and what he was capable of doing. The fact they questioned his willingness currently worked as an effective means of motivation. A long, deep breath inhaled through the warrior’s nostrils. He let it out slowly as he reached beyond the metallic structure he was confined to and into the other beyond them. One life, one curious life. Something about the way it felt though the force intrigued Gerwald. Something about it drew him in.

“Set an intercept course. I am on my way.”

He walked with a determination which spoke of his focus. The task Empyrean had given him could wait. This particular detour was needed. Gerwald would not be able to pass the ship without allowing his curiosity to be satisfied and put to rest.

“Open a channel,” he barked as soon as he walked onto the bridge of his interceptor.

“This is Gerwald Lechner, my crew noticed your ship is immobile. Are you in need of assistance?”

The wolf would wait for a response before moving in to board the vessel.​

 

[Llevana Helas]

"... fifty three, fifty four, fifty five..."​

​

As each new piece of space rock drifted past her window, Llevi grew all the more aware of something... Something odd. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was like the crackle of static hot in the air, setting the hairs on the back of her neck to attention. Shifting in her seat, as though it would somehow shake away the discomfort, she slid her feet down from the console and peered more intently out through the viewing port.​

​

<What did I say about the bunnies?> Llevi groaned. "I know, I know, I'm not looking for rabbits..." <Then what?>​

​

Frankly she wasn't entirely sure.​

​

"Maybe it's nothing... Where was I?" <Fifty five.> A moment passed as her brow crumpled in thought. Fifty five... <But you missed another five with all your staring.> "So sixty then?"​

​

She wasn't met with silence per se, but it definitely wasn't the voice of ole Grumpy which responded. Instead a sudden voice jumped out at her from somewhere in the ship and she all but leapt from her skin. Llevi jumped high enough that she smacked her head on the transparisteel canopy. ​

​

"What..? Where are you?" she asked to the void, turning her head this way and that. Nobody else was in the cockpit with her, it was as empty as it had been since she'd left home. "Who said that?"​

​

<Obviously Gerwald said it, or are your ears not working?>​

​

"Shush it, too many voices..." ​

​

She took a deep breath, then noticed the blinking light on the console. She pressed the button associated with it, unknowingly establishing a connection from her end.​

​

"H-Hello...?" Llevi tapped it a couple more times. "I think the Great Metal Beast might be trying to talk..." She pondered that for a moment, then frowned. Pressed the button anew. "Mr Metal Beast, Sir..?" She didn't sound at all convinced, and Grumpy was being oddly... quiet.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

Static was all that met Gerwald’s greeting. He could give it a few more minutes before he boarded the vessel. Something was amiss about the ship, and the lifeform which was on it.

"H-Hello...?"

Gerwald stopped. His eyes were staring through the viewport. Several steps walked toward the transparasteel as he locked onto the small vessel.

"I … Great Beast … be … talk..."​

The voice was young.

Curious.

Through the static or the garbled words, Gerwald could make out enough to understand that technology was not something the passenger seemed to understand. It seemed a sheltered lifestyle had been something which she may have dealt with. Whatever was the source of her lack of knowledge in how a simple communications array worked, Gerwald could sympathize. His time at the beginning of the Confederacy had brought with it a steep learning curve.

"Mr Metal Beast, Sir..?"

Gerwald chuckled. She thought the ship itself was talking. This was going to be fun.

“No beast,” she did not need to know… yet. “Just people, like you.”

He paused letting the knowledge sink in.

“We are in a ship, similar to the one you are in. According to what we can tell, you are alone.”

Maybe he was explaining too much. Perhaps all Gerwald needed to do was ask a question.

“Do you want us to come and get you?”

 

[Llevana Helas]

A chuckle reached her first, and her brows knitted together to hear it. Before she could read too much into it, wonder what exactly the beast had to laugh about, the voice returned to echo around her. ​

​

Not a beast. A person... She sat up further in her seat. How long had it been since she'd floated away from home? Since she'd seen a friendly face. Well... A face. Not necessarily friendly. Was there even really such a thing? Friendly... The word mulled over her mind, before the voice spoke again.​

​

"Us..?" There was more than one person? But there was only one voice... "Why can't I see you? Are you invisible?" ​

​

She supposed that wasn't an answer. Did she want to go with some strangers? "Watcha think, Grumpy?" she mumbled to herself, "Should we go..?"​

​

<Maybe there is a rabbit out here after all...>​

​

"A rabbit? But rabbits aren't people."​

​

Llevi shook her head, then finally spoke a little louder. "Erm... Is there room..?" There would not be room if their ship was anything like hers. Small, that is. Very small.​

​

"Um... Yes, please..?"​

​

Was she going to regret that? Perhaps.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

This time, Gerwald heard it all, even the conversation she seemed to be having with herself. How long had she been by herself, and to survive for that long? It was a common trait they shared. Both of them were survivors it seemed. That still did not explain why he felt such a pull of curiosity from the force about this girl.

Was there room?

“Plenty, and I am pretty sure we could figure out a rabbit stew too.”

Rabbit. It was stringy and small compared to what Gerwald was used to hunting, but it made a nice snack. Perhaps she was small and did not require as much food as Gerwald. Most needed less than Gerwald ate in a typical meal.

He looked to his crew.

“Get us close enough to board, I’m going over.”

Gerwald made sure she did not hear that. There was no need to worry her about what was about to happen before he could explain it to her.

“We are going to move our ship closer,” he started. “When we get close enough I am going to come aboard. You might hear a loud noise and feel a little bump when you dock with us, but that is normal. If you have anything you want to bring with you, now is the time to get it all together. You will not be coming back to the ship.”

Yes, they would pick up the girl and head on to the mission Empyrean had assigned him. It was fortunate she was on the way to his next target, and would make the delay something he could explain if required. The wolf could only hope this would be a worthwhile detour, and that what she was going to be exposed to would not cause unnecessary complications.

He was given the nod they had gotten close enough to dock.

“Okay, we are docking now. I need you to find the docking hatch. You will need to open the door from your side to let me in.”

Gerwald waited for her to indicate she understood before making his way to the docking ring.
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

There was plenty of room, the not-beast stated. More than that, the promise of rabbit stew. Her stomach grumbled in response.​

​

"Hear that?" she mumbled, "Rabbits... In space." <Guess I owe you an apology.> "No, no... no sorry."​

​

Well that certainly helped to make up her mind. ​

​

There was silence for a little while, and during it Llevi peered out through the viewing port in search of the other ship. She still couldn't see it though. Not right away at least. Then the voice returned, and from the edge of her peripheral she noticed the daunting metal beast drifting closer.​

​

Noise and a bump were to be expected. She let out a tiny breath and nodded her head. "Okay" she said, though as she glanced around the cockpit she realized there wasn't really anything there. She'd brought naught but herself and some rations with her, and those were nearly gone. No spear, no belongings, well that made it easy right?​

​

"Docking.. hatch..?" Rising from her seat, she turned to face the rest of the ship. There wasn't exactly much in there, it was small and spartan and... <The door... maybe?> "Oh, yeah... Probably."​

​

She pulled on her boots, and approached the hatch. Before she reached it the ship shuddered and her hand reached out to keep her from falling to the ground. A hiss of air sounded on the other side of the door, and then a button on her side lit up. She activated it, then stepped back with her hands pressed over her ears as that hissing release of pressure hit her loudly.​

​

The door opened and she took another step back.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

Gerwald sensed no reason the interaction would turn into a fight. Perhaps he should have pushed the girl to see what she was made of, but that would come with time. Whatever it was about her, the wolf knew one thing. She was lost. It was the nature of his mistress Srina Talon to collect lost things, broken things, whatever piqued her interest. In this Gerwald was simply following after the nature of one who influenced him greatly.

It was time he started expanding his own collection.

He approached the airlock and waited. The only weapon he carried with him was the Iron Sun crafted shortly after he advanced to the station of Lord Commander. His mind was made that parts of it needed to be remade, but that did not negate the fact it was his preferred weapon. Gerwald did not expect to use it, but he also refused to meet a stranger without it. For all the apparent innocence this child possessed, she was still unknown, and that made her dangerous.

His eyes found hers when the door opened. She took a step back. Even from the distance between them the wolf knew he towered over her. His height was better by over a foot, something the beast was used to. Perhaps she would feel that his word had been untrue, that he was a beast afterall.

“Do you have everything?”

The question would be the thing to break the silence between them. Gerwald made no indication that he was going to move just yet. The caution was for her sake, not his. Whatever her indication, the tower of a man began to move toward the girl.

“The galley is working on your stew now.”

It was not a lie. Fortunately Gerwald had a few rabbits on the ship as a way to satiate the wolf should it become hungry for blood. Sacrificing one to make a stew which would purchase the girl’s loyalty would be worth it.

“If you have everything there is no need for me to board, you could just come across.”

It was another invitation. She had already agreed to board, but that was not enough. Gerwald needed her to cross the threshold. He needed to see that she truly wanted to come. Everything he was doing, while in some form manipulative, was a test to see how isolated the girl had been. Gerwald wanted to know what he was dealing with, and if she could overcome the obstacles of her own making.

He motioned toward the ship.
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

When the door opened, and the man stepped forward, Llevi's eyes widened significantly. Another step back was taken. Confusion was wrought across her expression, brows knitting together, and she peered him up and down then back to his face. He was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Too old to be one of her peers, but too young to be one of the elders. What did that make him?​

​

Her chest rose and fell swiftly.​

​

"What are you?" she whispered, barely paying any attention to the words he spoke. He had a beard like she remembered grandpa having, but it wasn't gray nor was his face so weathered. "You said you were... person..." The hands which had been pressed over her ears lowered back to her side, but they balled into fists.​

​

She didn't see a weapon on him, and she certainly looked for one, so that was something. ​

​

When he mentioned stew her ears perked up, and her stomach grumbled anew. She really did want some rabbit... Did him being different make him bad?​

​

<This metal beast was different...> Llevi frowned, "I still don't know if the metal beast is good" she mumbled back. <You're not dead like the others, are you?> "No, but..." Huh, maybe Grumpy was right.​

​

Her gaze returned back to Gerwald and she nodded her head simply when he invited her aboard. "Okay" she said, as she took a small step toward him, then another, until she was on the threshold of his ship. "And... You're sure there's stew..?" Brows knitted together once more, and she inspected his face as she hesitated on that last step.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

She seemed frightened. Gerwald could feel the fear radiating off of her, and yet her curiosity remained. There was enough of it that she pushed herself beyond the fear. The girl stayed.

“I told you, I am a person, yet I seem strange to you?”

They way she looked at him, it was as though she was trying to discern something. There was also a quizzical look, as though she were searching for an answer to her own quandary. Gerwald closed his eyes, allowing the force to read the errant thoughts her panic let free. He smiled with an understanding nod as they opened once more.

“You do not have adults where you are from.”

He stated it simply, not as a question or a guess, but rather knowledge. She would no doubt wonder how he knew, but that would be something she would learn in time. For now it was imperative she got fed. By the looks of her frame, she had been surviving on ration bars for quite some time. That would simply not do.

“An entire pot just for you,” which was no lie. “Though, you should know two things. First, I have given you my name, and I still do not know yours. You should tell me. Second, I am in the middle of a journey and will not be back to my home for a few weeks. You will be with us at least that long. Longer if you like us.”

She would be tested during the trip, but Gerwald was not about to reveal that. For now they would treat her like a guest. When they reached their destination, however, she was going to learn Gerwald was a killer, and a lot closer to the beast she likely first had imagined.
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

"Strange..." Was that the word for it? It definitely felt strange on her tongue didn't it? Strange... Different... He closed his eyes, and that only had her brows furrowing all the more. Was he tired? Was it somehow too bright in the overly dark interior of her metal beast? Her head tilted softly to the left, reminiscent of a curious pup, and remained that way until his eyes opened and a smile plastered itself across his face.​

​

His statement had her chewing the inside of her lip. "Adults..." Her head soon tilted the other way, as she tried to wrap her head around it. "Children, Elders... Should there be adults?" She took a very slight step back, as though dancing upon the threshold, and felt her toes curling uncomfortably in her boots. How did he know to speak on it, if it was expected?​

​

An entire pot. <That seems too good to be true...> Llevi frowned. "Why would he lie?" <People lie all the time, don't they? Why wouldn't he lie?> "Why lie to me?" Grumpy was silent then, he always chose the worse times to dip, and she was left to ponder it for herself.​

​

Of course other matters were risen first. Her name, firstly. Then the man's planned journey, which would keep them locked amidst the stars for some time. Llevi reckoned she'd have been floating for just as long by herself. Reckoned she probably wouldn't have stopped floating, in truth, if not for his interception. ​

​

"427" she told him, insofar as a name was concerned. His had been... What? She strained to remember. "Gerwald..." Not a number, like those in the District, which meant her chosen name might work better right? "L-Llevi... Erm, I mean, Llevana. But if 427's easier..." She shrugged. It didn't matter much to her, they hadn't really begun using their chosen names until later in life.​

​

When they'd purged them of their Elders.​

​

"Where is.. home?" She brought her hands together, and rubbed her right palm with her left thumb quite incessantly. "Is it another circle..?" That's what she'd seen through the viewing port when the great metal beast took to the skies and entered the void. A large... circle.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

“427?”

This time Gerwald did question the girl. There was not much time for explanation as she offered her given name. Llevana, that seemed more natural. Still, the designation of a number alluded to a number of possible origins. His first thought was this girl was a clone of some kind, but that did not mean she was. Soldiers being conditioned often went by numbers rather than names. It was also plausible.

Slaves also went by numbers, but the wolf did not want to even allow his mind to go there. He could not stand the thought of it. It would be the one thing which would best explain her being alone on a ship, but not her ignorance of space travel and other worlds.

“No, Llevi is fine. I would prefer to not call you by some numerical designation.”

She had asked about home. Where was it? If only that answer was simple. For a long time it had been Stewjon, until it was not. Geonosis, Ryloth, Naboo, those planets had all been home as well. None of them were now. His own kind were from a planet called Islimoore, a recent discovery, but one which yielded many of the answers Gerwald had about himself and his family. His time there had not been wasted, even if he knew there would be a day he needed to return.

“Jutrand, for now,” he answered. “I move around a lot. Sometimes home is my ship… the uh metal beast as you call it…”

He chuckled as he offered his hand.

“They are all circles. We call them planets. Some can sustain life, others cannot. There is a lot you do not seem to know about the void. We will have to change that.”

Without wanting to be too presumptuous, Gerwald led the girl onto his ship. It was larger. There was more light than hers. When the airlock closed, the pair passed down the corridor to the galley. His nose was already smelling the stew, he was certain hers would as well. If she was hungry enough there would not be anything else in her world.

“I will have my crew set a room up for you while you eat. We should be able to find some clothes in your size as well. I don’t imagine you have had new clothes since being alone on that ship?”
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

He echoed back her answer, and seemed a little... confused. "Well, D32-42..... Oh" It wasn't that she hadn't given her full designation, it was that it had been numerical. Now it was her turn to be confused. Her brows crinkled, and the rubbing of her hand intensified. "You... Don't have a number..?" Was that possible? How did they keep track of him, where he was from, and where he was supposed to be, if he didn't have a number?​

​

In the end he went with Llevi, not even Llevana, and surprisingly it seemed to settle her some. So few had ever seen fit to call her by that, even those who used chosen names, it was always Llevana, or her designation. Only the last five had gone with Llevi. Grief washed over her, and she turned her gaze away from him as she remembered each of them.​

​

Remembered what she'd inadvertently done. The grief and destruction she'd wrought.​

​

When the name of his home was mentioned she lifted her head, and watched as he extended a hand toward her. The hand itself was empty, and she couldn't help but reach out to turn it over, inspecting both sides, before releasing it again. "Jut...Rand?" That sounded like nothing she'd heard before, but then Gerwald was different both in name and being. How much else was there in the void that she had to learn of?​

​

It was a horrifying thought in truth. Almost made her want to retreat back into the metal beast. No... Ship. It was a ship, not a beast. "What happens to this beas--ship?" She glanced back over the dark interior, as she finally crossed the threshold into his, following him as he led her through and explained more about the circles which made up worlds.​

​

Planets, he called them. "Are there many planets?" she asked, "More than Thirty Two?"​

​

It didn't take long for the scent of freshly cooked stew to reach her, and she settled a hand over her tummy as it grumbled even worse than before. Whatever it was, it was the most divine thing she'd ever smelled. Nothing at all like she was used to. Soon she was led more by her nose than by the man himself, and talks of rooms and clothes almost went completely ignored.​

​

Almost.​

​

"Room?" When was the last time she'd actually had a room? Long... Long ago. Before they took Grandpa. Back when things had been safe. Too long ago that she could barely recall it at all. "I have clothes" she added, glancing down over herself. They were dusty, torn, and slightly too small for her, but that was simply the way of things. She'd never had it any other way.​

​

"My tummy's angry" she murmured softly, her pace picking up slightly as they drew closer to the source of the divine smell.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

Gerwald could not help but laugh. Her tummy was angry. It drew a smile to his lips as he often thought about how his wolf felt when it had been some time between a hunt or fresh kill.

He nodded.

“My tummy would be angry too if all I had to eat was ration bars. My tastebuds would be also.”

Her other questions could wait once they sat down and got her stomach full. Gewald could smell the stew as it was set in front of her. He motioned for a bowl also. His animalistic nature would not do well to simply observe. It was an irony of sorts, but he imagined the girl would be tearing into the bowl with the same ferocity that Gerwald tore into his prey with each kill.

It tasted divine, as he sampled it.

“I do not know how many planets there are in the galaxy exactly, but I can tell you there are a lot. I was once part of a great nation which stretched over many many many of them. I serve another which seeks to do so again.”

Hopefully it was enough to keep her curious. What Gerwald still needed to discern was what use she could be. The force did bring them together, but how skilled was she, if she even was. There was still much to learn.

“Your ship… we may have to leave it behind, though if you want to keep it I can contact some friends of mine who can retrieve it for you, keep it safe for a while.”

Gerwald was certain that would be a satisfactory response. If she did not want to keep it, he would not be bothered with it, but for now his goal was to get the girl to trust him. It seemed he was well on his way.

It was the way she looked at her clothes and questioned about the room which told Gerwald what he needed to know. He instructed that the quarters across the hall from his would be prepared for the girl, and that new clothes be laid out for her. She was used to her rags, but what would she do in response to something brand new?

“Yes, a room where you will have your own bed to sleep in. Everything in it will belong to you. You can clean yourself everyday if you like, and there will be enough clothes that you can wear new ones each day. When you run low, you can learn how clean them, or those who work for me can do it for you.”

Gerwald shoved another spoonful of stew in his mouth.

“You are about to experience a lot of things which will be new to you. I hope you are ready.”
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

She found herself led to a table, and as soon as she sat down the first bowl was set before her. Llevi didn't wait for permission to eat, or anything of the sort, she picked up the bowl and began to drink the broth from it. She didn't even reach for a spoon or a fork, she just ate as quickly as she could.​

​

Talks shifted to planets, and from the sounds of it there were indeed many more than just thirty two worlds. "You have... been to the other... planets..?" Her head tilted to one side. Would she have to see other planets too? She'd barely survived the last one, did she really want to start that fight anew?​

​

"It isn't mine" she said of the ship, brows furrowing lightly, "They just put me in it." Did she care if the ship was left behind? Not really. Maybe she should have, maybe the ship was important, but frankly Llevi was more than a little lost and wandering aimlessly didn't seem wise. "What happens now?"​

​

Another bowl was placed before her, and she lifted it again. Didn't even consider using the utensils, even after having been initially satiated. "Are... Are you going to send me back?" She put down the bowl and shifted uncomfortably in place.​

​

Yet what he said next seemed to counter her worries. A room of her own, clothes to wear, and new experiences on the horizon. "I can..stay?"​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

“Yes,” Gerwald nodded.

It was ironic to think the girl was not much different than he had been at one point. All of this was new to her. He remembered when the CIS first came to liberate their world. The wolf had no concept of spaceships or advanced technology. He had been a simple warrior, a shifter with a secret. That day had shattered everything he believed in, the trust he had for his family. How long he had been lied to could not be easily forgiven. There were others like him both in how they used the force, and what he was.

It had been a lot to take in at once.

Gerwald wanted to offer the girl time to rest if this was a lot to take in at once, but something she said piqued his interest further. It seemed his curiosity would outweigh his hospitality and compassion.

“They?”

The one word question was all that he needed to ask. Gerwald knew there were times where more words just complicated the answer or point. He wanted clarity and precision. She came from somewhere, and perhaps her story would lead to another world in desperate need of a lesson. One he was prepared to teach the girl to exact on her own.

“You can stay, but you must tell me everything about where you came from. There seems to be some concern about what I am going to do with you. That largely depends on you. What you want, and what special talents you may have.”

His eyes settled on her as he finished the rest of his stew and pushed the bowl off to the side. While Gerwald was on a mission, they still had time to talk.

The wolf wanted to know everything.
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

She blinked when he gave his answer. Yes, he'd been to other worlds. "How many..?" she inquired, though she wasn't rightly sure why exactly it was that she had asked. Maybe to get a better understanding of how much lay out there in the void. Llevi chewed on the inside of her lip in thought, and for a moment even the stew before her was forgotten as her brows furrowed and her mind wandered.​

​

His short query drew her from such, and with a blink she lifted her head to focus upon him once more. They... Who had they been? "I'm not sure" she said, blunt honesty mixed through with discomfort at such a realization coming to light. "They found me, after the others..." ​

​

<Died? You can say it... After you killed them. Admit it, let him know what a monster you are...>​

​

"I can't" she whispered in response, "He'll leave me."​

​

<You've been alone before. You'll manage.>​

​

"No spear, no rabbits, no metal beast... Won't last."​

​

<He'll find out. They always find out.>​

​

"Shush."​

​

Silence fell over her mind once more, and she breathed a breath of relief. Maybe Grumpy was right, maybe it was best to come out with it. Still she wasn't even sure if she could trust the man before her, if he hadn't had a reason to turn around and take her back to them before he certainly would if he knew what she'd done. However unintentional the act had been.​

​

When next she spoke her words were more vocalized and clear, directed his way as opposed to the whispered space between.​

​

"They took me away when the others were gone."​

​

He wanted more, wanted to know where she'd come from, and also stated that what came next depended largely on her. What she said would shape that, wouldn't it? What she could bring to the table... Talents, he said. Llevi wasn't even sure if she had any talents.​

​

"District Thirty-Two" she finally stated, "That's where I'm from. I uh... I don't know much by words, but..." ​

​

<Don't do it.> Llevi ignored it. <Don't...>​

​

"I uh... Can show you..?" Her gaze drifted nervously around the room, then settled back upon Gerwald. Satisfied that no one else was watching her, she extended out a hand and held it palm facing up. "Like this..."​

​

Llevi blew a soft expulsion of air onto her hand, and the Force swirled around her in response. Upon that palm emerged the lifelike image of a moth, first emerging from a pod-shaped cocoon and then spreading its dusty wings. It took flight, drifting around her hand as though it was very much there. More clear and precise than a holoprojector, it flitted up toward the overhead light and she watched its flight with intrigue.​

​

Once it touched the light it softly dissipated, falling apart like snow settling from the heavens. She might not have the words for it, but she had the imagination.​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Llevana Helas

How many? There had been far too many to count. It would not be the answer the girl wanted to hear, but he could address that later.

“If you want I can show the map room later. It will be able to show you just how many planets there are in the void.”

Well, the galaxy anyway. It would be something she would learn with time, just as Gerwald had. Her mind was not ready to know there were galaxies beyond the one they currently lived in. The more Gerwald got to know the girl the more useful she seemed. He was not willing to break her when it was clear she was a valuable asset, and would be to him.

He could sense the struggle in her. She wanted to show him, and yet there was fear. He smirked. Fear was useful, even if not the purest source of power. Especially when it seemed the thing she feared was the outcome of his request. In the end she decided on a demonstration.

Gerwald nodded and motioned for her to proceed.

Keen eyes watched with great interest as she made a moth form within the palm of her hand. She released it, and as it flew toward the light it dissipated.

An illusion.

The wolf scratched his chin. He had seen that kind of power used before, and rather successfully on him at a time. It was something of his past he wished to forget, but could not. The Mountain had manipulated him, almost destroyed him, and were it not for the Echani he now recognized as his mistress, Gerwald would not be alive.

The wolf responded to her demonstration with one of his own. A spoon lifted from the table. To her it would seem of its own accord, but Gerwald smiled the moment she would look at him. He drew it toward himself and when it got close enough he touched it with the tip of his finger, causing it to dissolve into a pile of metal shavings.

“You are not the only gifted one on this ship, young one. If you wish, I can help you, teach you, but it would mean staying with me and doing what I say.”

The offer was hers to accept or deny.
​

 

[Llevana Helas]

A room, filled with.. planets..?​

​

"Must be small planets" she hummed softly to herself, "How do you visit if they're so small?" The second bowl of stew was done with, and though her stomach felt satiated her mind did not. Who knew when she'd next have access to food? Much less nice, warm food. Rabbit. She couldn't pass up the opportunity, so she reached for another bowl before presenting him with the illusionary moth which drifted up toward the light.​

​

He watched her curiously, and then a faraway look entered his eyes. Before she could question it, worry and wonder if he hadn't approved, he did something of his own that left her eyes widening. "You.. You too?" And just like her, the act of moving something with his gifts left it broken. Just like her friends...​

​

She stared at the pile of shavings, then reached out a hand to lightly lift them up in a swirl of metal dust until they landed on her outstretched palm.​

​

With the offer laid out before her, Llevi peered down at those shavings and furrowed her brow. Then she glanced up at him, head tilted to the left. A choice was left before her.​

​

"What do you say?" she asked, no doubt that would affect her decision right..? "I won't have to go back to 32? I can stay?"​

​

Gerwald Lechner ​