Neon Dreams

[Rakaan Horne]

​

​

L I T H I O S​

​

They come, and they go. There isn't always a sound explanation, but you're typically met with closure to varying degrees... or so you could only ever hope. You might have had to ask yourself if you were to blame, but they often say that there's two sides to every coin - but, then again, that analogy isn't always quite as fitting as you'd like to imagine it is. There'll always be a myriad of reasons each as complex as the last, and they just happened to count themselves far too high before inevitably erupting in the heartache inducing separation. Kole certainly knew it, and he never really imagined that he would. The Droid couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment it all went wrong, but he gradually grew to understand his treatment was restrictive despite it's ease of acceptance. He decided to let that bird go, and even if it came back he couldn't bring himself to let it back in.

But, now he'd become free once more. Kole managed to liberate himself after letting her go, no longer confined to the emotional baggage of mistreatment and the fearful vices of loss. It was relieving, but that pain still lingered. It might always. Kole had become increasingly independent within this employment, and his time away from Bastion hadn't been a luxury anymore, but instead a simple standard. That, most of all, had been liberating. He didn't slave away as much, nor did he need to. But, there was a war brewing on the horizon. And he'd be called in for that, no doubt.

Kole since returned to Lithios, but only momentarily. He could remember so many different things, but nothing remained at the forefront of his artificial mind for very long. He reached out to an old friend, one from a life he since abandoned but found grasping at him once more. Kole was only able to offer a dejected sigh at the circumstances, really. He knew that life could never truly be escaped. But, nevertheless, he arranged some kind of social call with that Cyborg Slicer that resided here on Lithios. Why? Who knew. Kole wasn't very sociable to begin with, but maybe his boredom reached greater heights than he previously anticipated.

He stood by a table in the outdoors area, shielded from the intensive downpour by the transparent awning that guided it's run-off elsewhere. Kole idly glanced at the crowds that wandered by, already begun eating as he waited. It'd been a long flight, and even longer day.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

​

They go.

Waking up in clear disgust to the alarm clock, Arekk tried to convey his thoughts before slamming his open palm against the nightstand to stop the ringing sound from making his brain explode. His other hand reached out instinctively for the other side of his bed to quickly realize the absence of someone who was always there before, a deep exhale following right after while eyes remained glued on the ceiling.

There was a new message in the slicer's computer terminal from a very familiar face that he hadn't heard in a long time, their last meetings were cut short by unforseen circumstances. Maybe getting out of bed and most importantly the sanctuary you call your own home would do more good than harm, especially when you're feeling this "alone". Arekk had no way of feeling that way, furthermore when Athena had already left and Tava would come over to visit in due time.

Some things you really take for granted until they're gone forever such as the auburn haired droid's bubbly presence in the morning, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and toast by your bed accompanied by a kiss. It felt like a dystopia within a dystopia, almost. The bathroom door shut behind Arekk for a quick shower before heading out, seeking warmth in his iconic leather jacket to eventually meet with Kole.

"Fething weather." The fallen Jedi turned slicer cursed under his breath, toking on his cancer stick while the heavy downpour released its anger upon him and countless of other pedestrians. "I did not miss you at all, Lithios."

​

——————————————————————​

​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

They go.

It couldn't always be helped, and it might've just been how things were meant to be. Kole seemed to suffer from the same phantom presence, occasionally forgetful before the impending realisation that brought forth morbid curiosity and abject stares into idle corners, accompanied by a short-lived zone of sadness and anger. He couldn't help but be angry, really. It were his doing, and nobody else could be to blame. From the beginning to the end, it were all him. If he could go back maybe he'd make it so he never met her - that pink skinned beauty that shamelessly stared, that made every attempt and advancement known. Something charming about it, but it were then that Kole grimaced briefly as his eyes harshly closed only momentarily. Snapping himself back into the more depressing reality that he faced.

Kole panned around, looking both back and forth as he became nothing more than a guy eating rice. He kept a fork in one hand, and his other lazily scrolled on a datapad as he absorbed the information present. He may have been away from Bastion, but he had to keep updated constantly. It helped to stay in touch. But, ultimately, he glanced around once more to see Arekk on the approach. Kole deactived the screen, sliding it away into his coat pocket as a slight smile of acknowledgement graced his features and accompanied by a nod whilst he swallowed the last of that mouthful.

"Had a rough morning?" The Droid managed to question, though insincerely. Arekk seemed to be rather displeased, but that might've just been due to the weather as he so previously cursed at it. It wasn't pleasant, but Kole always enjoyed something about the rain, and the storms that followed. Made everything seem so small and insignificant, much how he subconsciously felt-- but he never paid much mind to it. He was fine with being another face in the crowd.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

​

"It was nothing you could've done."

He tried not to think of it anymore as it brought him more pain than anything else, it was a sealed matter for all he knew. There would be someone else waiting him at home that loved him as much as he loved her back yet the memories spent together with the other one were still pretty much alive. You never really forget those moments that defined you entirely, that kept you sane and awake when you thought you were about to jump into the abyss.

It burns alive in your soul forever.

Smoke curles emanated from the slicer's cigarette as he approached Kole's table, acknowledging his presence with a short wave and a nod. He looked about the same as he did a few months back during their last meeting on Ethos City, the weather was the only thing that didn't exactly change or the bustling streets of the city.

Behind the scenes, though? You really don't want to dig deeper and scrape into the open wound but sometimes you feel like you gotta.

"Like you wouldn't know." Arekk took seat by the other stool, bringing an ashtray over from another table to leave his cancer stick within. "What about you, Kole?"

​

——————————————————————​

​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Kole offered the briefest tilt of his own head, and he managed to curl his lips in a way that seemed as if he were processing an answer. He managed to dwell back on his own morning, and he couldn't really recall sleeping at all. Timezones, maybe. That might've thrown particular things out of whack. But, nevertheless, he replied with a breathy, "Yeah." in acknowledgement once more before he continued, "Ah," He shrugged, "I just got here. Thought I'd, uh... visit, see things I hadn't in a while." And he meant that. It was nothing but the truth. Kole had spent such a long time away from Lithios, and Ethos City, and every grim-dark corner of the criminal underworld that beckoned his name. There was something charming about Ethos City, though. He couldn't place it, and he bet that Arekk felt somewhat similar. It's weather was awful, and it's people were rotten, but he always came back. He couldn't let go.

"How 'bout you, anything new?" He asked plainly, tilting his head again as he announced his question before allowing another mouthful of rice to enter, and be eaten. Kole idly glanced to a vaguely transparent building, and his gaze narrowed for a mere moment as he witnessed the contents that lied within. He almost scoffed in laughter, bowing his head back to his food and shaking it from left to right.

Never change.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

​

Arekk comfortably wriggled on the stool as he tried to find the sweet spot to finally feel comfortable, cigarette tucked between his dry lips as raindrops fell on his curved cheeks. They both looked like they hadn't sleep in almost a week, reddened eyes and overall grumpiness were pretty evident this far and the slicer could see that something was afflicting Kole.

"Sad to say that Ethos City will never change." He replied with a short lived chuckle, pointing right behind Kole at the transparent windows that hide more than one wants to know. "It does stay classy, though. Nothing like the sound of female moans and rice to make your morning."

Lithios had practically become the fallen Jedi's home after two or three years now, the penthouse up in the Financial District had undergone a couple of changes now that Arekk's former lover had just left the day before for reasons one could only assume were related to the heart. It wasn't an easy choice, because he had to pick, but it was ultimately dealt with in the best of ways possible without making a big sacrifice.

"Girls, man. It's a sore subject, you don't wanna know."

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

This time, actually, Kole happened to legitimately scoff. It certainly seemed to come as a result of the mentioning of both 'girls' and 'sore subject' in the one sentence. He nodded along, digesting his food once more as an almost knowing grin, but a faint one at that, appeared to hardly stretch across his features as droplets of rain that slipped through the awning's cracks gently dropped on those beneath it every once and a while. Everyone had been wet to varying degrees, and Arekk, as someone who recently came beneath it, seemed to be among those that had been the most unfortunate. But, with any luck, he'd inevitably dry. Unless, well, that awning breaks down. But they'd have more problems than the rain if that awning did come crashing down, after all.

The HRD swallowed his food, giving a few moments as if he were washing the remnants down before speaking, and when he did it were nothing more than a disheartened tone that simply stated, "Tell me about it." But before he could indulge his own person tale, he questioned the former Jedi. "Not such a happy ending, huh?" It easy to assume that it were Arekk that was played, not the other way around. Maybe he'd tell Kole the truth, or maybe he wouldn't say anything at all.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

​

Remembering everything was the easy part, talking about it not so much. Kole could end up disappointed with the slicer's storytelling but if he wanted to hear Arekk's petty tale then he'd be more than happy to oblige. Blowing smoke out of his nostrils, the fallen Jedi leaned forward a little and eventually began speaking after a moment's hesitation, trying to collect his thoughts and go through what had happened for the past few days.

"It's fifty-fifty." The cigarette burned between Arekk's robotic fingers, the rain seemingly not even touching the burning end of his cancer stick, allowing the smoke curls to simply evaporate in the air. "Really complicated but not so much anymore."

Hazel-blue pools lingered behind Kole's persona as they fell upon the smoked mirrors that hid many secrets, only those who were clever enough could hear and see beyond them. The sounds of pleasure emanating from the place made him feel lost in thoughts, as weird as that sounds, they had him in some sort of trance that would break off almost instantly.

"You're in that sort of trouble too, huh? I just can tell."

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

"Hmph." He softly huffed in amusement, jolting so slightly from that action. Had it really been that easy to tell? Kole always prided himself on maintaining that enigmatic persona, shrouded in mysterious silence and contemplative stares. But, maybe it seemed to wear off among familiar company, or maybe he was awful at concealing that secretive sorrow he kept buried beneath the surface. "Isn't everyone?" He asked softly as if to himself, almost jokingly in an apparent dodging of that statement, or claim. He wasn't entirely ready to spill his guts, not yet. If Arekk indulged Kole, maybe Kole would indulge Arekk. He didn't know. He didn't think that far ahead.

But, he persisted. "If it's not too complicated..." He purposefully faded away, clearly asking for more details whilst offering a subtle shrug.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

​

Arekk stood there with a lost glance taking over his face, seemingly pondering whether to spill his guts out to Kole and bore him with details or simply try to switch the conversation's topic. Sometimes talking did help you in the long run but at what extend would it help to actually go through painful memories, only to feel like you're going down the abyss for the second time? Tough choice.

"Athena." He finally said, releasing a deep sigh followed by a toke of his cigarette and smoke curls evaporating into the thin air. "That was her name. I uhh... We were together and I fell in love with someone else, from my past. Childhood days."

More and more, the story unwrapped itself and Kole would be able to see the mess that it had turned at the end. It wasn't a pretty thing to confess just like that, a personal matter that should stay in private. Arekk couldn't help himself but tell his friend that morning what had transpired the last two weeks of his life, after all he asked for the juicy details no matter how cheesy they could turn out to be.

"She was a human replicant droid, I built her myself to..." Arekk gulped and looked at Kole straight into his eyes, almost feeling the regret of telling something that continued to hurt to this date. "To fill in the void that Jyn, my first lover that was murdered here on Lithios, left in my life. And I sort of fell in love with Athena, we both did. A week ago I took a small trip home, Coruscant, where I reunited randomly with my childhood friend. Her and I grew up in the slums together, practically helped each other survive in the underworld until we split up at age fifteen when I was offered a spot amongst the Jedi. One thing led to another that night we met again, after all these years, and things were exactly as they were ten years ago. We hit it off and the rest is history... We're together now."

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Strangely, Kole hadn't found himself in the possession of the sympathy he previously envisioned. Instead, he felt nothing more than a pang of shame, discomfort, and disappointment. He might of thought, initially, that Arekk and his own misfortune were capable of somewhat resembling his own circumstances, and he could possibly find solace in the similarities. But, he had been duped. Kole couldn't, and likely wouldn't ever really understand that specific situation, but it already clouded his own judgement. Kole already understood that Arekk had cheated on Athena, whoever she may be, and he couldn't comfortability stand there as the Jedi wallowed in his own pity from his own actions. He did the deed, and now he paid for it. Fortunately, at the very least he seemed rather regretful. But it didn't change anything, did it?

The Droid had kept that part of himself entirely concealed, but his ability to mimic human responses were so uncanny that they might have been real. His expression had been rather blank, empty, or unfeeling. And he hadn't touched his food throughout Arekk's explanation, nor had he moved in the moments that followed. He only stared, for it was all he could muster. He briefly pondered his own fate if his genuine identity were to be revealed. An HRD had been created to be nothing more than a partner, what's to say they couldn't lead worse lives? He doubted his own freedom would last very long if he were ousted from his own shadows.

He cleared his throat, as if coughing internally. Then he breathed, a huff of air escaping his nose as his chest both rose and fell. "Okay." He softly replied in a murmur, nodding his head whilst his gaze idly shifted elsewhere. "And the droid?" He questioned, lofting a brow. Had she been nothing more than tool that outlived it's use, then to be discarded?

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

"She's free to live her life, as it was always intended to be." The reveal was nothing significantly impactful for himself but it probably was for Kole, Arekk wouldn't be able to tell anyways. "She's not on Lithios anymore, I think."

The fallen Jedi turned slicer couldn't blame Kole for showing no reaction to his sob story as it was truly a really painful and personal tale to tell another person. No wrongdoing in showing your disgust or even telling him to stop talking whenever you wanted, Arekk doing just that as soon as his eyes laid on the HRD's food that remained untouched for the last five minutes.

"Big mess but it was my wrongdoing and I had to face the consequences." He said with a somber tone, killing his cigarette inside the ashtray while another one followed immediately after. "She deserved better. Much better."

Life moved on, just like Arekk and Athena would do from now on. They had reached a place where their relationship couldn't hold any longer due to the man's own decisions, her suffering wasn't justified in any means necessary and even though she was built to fill in his void the replicant girl had grown to be something far more greater than she could ever think of. It was difficult to make her see that but Arekk hoped that she was able to realize that one day, that she was more than a droid. More than cables and metal.

More human than human.

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Probably.

Kole shifted his inorganic eyes, and they found themselves looking right towards his food once more. He hadn't felt entirely comfortable considering the uneasy tension that he, or Arekk had inadvertently created. Kole lazily allowed his fork to sink into the cold, mushy rice before slightly pushing it's foil tray away from himself towards the centre of the small and circular table. He remained standing, despite the relatively damp stool that existed so idly beside him. But, it's current state might be the exact reason he elected not to take a seat. Regardless, he remained in his own pondering thought for several elongated and awkward moments. It was typical with Kole, really, he didn't speak too much. Preferring his own isolation and silence, and you could hardly blame him considering it often amounted to strange talks that were often too discomforting to repeat.

But, nevertheless it was the Android that decided to break the silence. He only had questions, or so it seemed. "Tell me about the new one, then?" Kole asked, attempting to shift away from the saddened expressions and apathetic stares. It didn't help he loathed self-pity, and it was mainly the only real thing he gathered from Arekk as of now. Whether it be the truth, or not. It didn't matter.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

"She's everything to me." There wasn't any better way to put but like that, it was that simple whether Kole believed or not. "It might sound awful but I don't regret my choice one bit."

Kole had asked for the "juicy" details and Arekk was more than comfortable to provide them, albeit not in their entirey for his own personal sake, whatever reaction came after wasn't going to be met with judgemental eyes at all. In fact, the slicer didn't expect his HRD friend to even understand any of it because it was a major clusterkark of immense proportions.

"Don't look at me like I've got the plague, though." The fallen Jedi mentioned to Kole during a pause to his story, cleverly pointing out the disgraceful look on his ally's face. "I don't want you to feel pity for me because I loathe self-pity. I'm happy with my choices, even if that sounds like I'm trying to justify myself."

Nevetherless, the past is past and Arekk was ready to close the book on everything that had transpired. Should things take a different turn in the near future he was more than ready to meet face to face with the consequences and deal accordingly with whatever was to come; good or bad.

The choices we make are those that define us.

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

It seemed that beyond the irreversible damage, and after the lingering pain that resided in both Arrek and, presumably, Athena, there'd been a positive resolution - least for Arekk. Kole had been certain that whilst Arekk returned to his mistress-turned-girlfriend, his former lover-- the HRD --roamed so aimlessly, and without an inkling of an idea as to where they're going, and so on. But, even still, that wasn't necessarily his concern. He didn't know her. And, as a result, his realising thought departed his artificial mind as instantaneously as it arrived. Not his problem. Still, Kole had absolutely been in agreeance that Arekk had made himself out to be relatively awful. Then again, he couldn't understand the circumstances and his outside perception had been tainted by his objective perception. Kole typically refrained from involving emotions in his thought process, silently priding himself in his logical and practical nature. It made things easier.

Kole tilted his head and looked somewhere off to the side, slightly grimacing as he let out the subtlest of hisses. "I..." He mumbled, then looking right back to Arekk. "I don't feel sorry for you." He stated rather matter-of-factly. "I feel sorry for Athena. They're the one with nowhere to go."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

"Yeah." He said while agreeing with Kole's insight. "Wherever she is, whoever she meets I just hope she's happy."

There had indeed been a positive resolution but the sacrifices made to get to that point were ultimately inevitable yet that was done. Arekk had another life to look forward to with someone that loved him and in return he gave everything he had for her, having picked someone from his innocent past to build a future together.

He was content with the fact that he was able to find closure with Athena, even if she still hadn't gotten there just yet, it's never easy to forget such a peculiar yet strong relationship.

"Anyways, enough about me Kole. What's done is done." The slicer let the ashes of his cancer stick fall on the ashtray as smoke blew out of his nostrils. "What's your story?"

Quite the conversation to start your morning.

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

It was for the best that they changed topics.

A lot had changed for Kole since they last met. Kole had been nothing more than a criminal that constantly shifted back and forth, no real home, no real connections, no real morals. He hadn't even know that he was an Android of sorts - only some strange suspicion he wasn't entirely Human. He wouldn't of ever guessed that he had been created, given falsified memories, and served on two separate sides of an intergalactic conflict. Summary: A lot, and it wasn't always above-board. It made Kole take a deep breath, and his eyes glanced up and to his left. It was almost the universal sign of 'I'm thinking'. You'd of seen it many times before.

"Sith Intelligence. I do that now." He reported, "It's... a lot. Keeps me busy." And he preferred it that way. It kept his mind occupied. He might not even been meant to state his specific employment, but it didn't really matter. Not here. Isolated from everywhere else.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

"Good pay, not bad." Arekk had been offered a couple of gigs by a Sith emmissary but decided against it for his own personal reasons, but he could see why Kole would accept such line of work. He had potential. "Not bad for a man of your talents, that's for sure. If you ever get bored of that you can always come down 'ere. I know some people or two in "certain" circles."

A chuckle escaped him at the mention of that, very well knowing that Arekk's ties with prominent Lithios high-ranking organized crime members was more than known at this point as he had built a reputation for being the most reliable slicer over this side of the galaxy. There would never be a shortage of work for the kind of people like Arekk or Kole, young and capable to get their hands dirty for some extra cash.

But the fallen Jedi had gotten enough of that, the constant "looking over your shoulder to see if you're getting killed" was starting to get unbearable and with his new relationship things would have to drastically change, at least to even consider thinking of a future.

"Which reminds me I've got to meet this dude at a nightclub." Arekk produced a wrinkled piece of paper from the depths of his leather jacket, reading off what was scribbled on it. "Triple Overdose Club, that one you know. We're collecting a data shard so it shouldn't be major trouble. I mean, unlike that one time where we almost get killed."

——————————————————————​

 

[Rakaan Horne]

He could only ever afford to present another absent stare, but one that would inevitably be replaced by something more lively. Kole had certainly been there, but it'd truly been as if he were somewhere else in that present moment. It'd been something else, and he couldn't quite rightly explain. The Android, as it were, absolutely believed that he had entirely departed that specific lifestyle; no longer a criminal, but instead a genuine government and military official. It came with it's own satisfaction, knowing that he had been legitimate. But, it didn't really seem to change anything. It reached forwards-- that life -- and it always clawed towards Kole as it embedded it's dangerous talons into everything that encompassed him, always, without fault, attempting to reel him right back in. He might've been able to wholly resist alongside his own personal anchor, someone to remind him as to why, but since her departure it'd all changed. He could no longer beat back that devilish hand, and it gripped him too tightly in his own desperation and vile attempt at stimulation. And, so, it ultimately revealed that the Droid were to ask, "How much?" In the more sudden reanimation of his features, leaving his voice to be softly strained in his own hesitation.

If it were only going to be one job, and nothing too dangerous, then it might never be that consuming. But, then again, Kole believed that the last time he wound up in this situation.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echoes of it everywhere, like a bad replay. You'll get mad at everyone for reminding you about it, even if it's all in your head."
——————————————————————​

[member="Kole Harper"] ​

"Enough to pay for a full vacation at Spira's premium beach resort."

Arekk only worked for the big fishes on Lithios, real scary looking people that wouldn't hesitate to cut your wife's head off and leave it on your bedside for you to wake up to in the morning. Heartless monsters that also controlled the most profitable rackets on Ethos City and had a hand in almost every corner of the ecumenopolis itself, the same kind of people who kidnap others for their cyberware and use that money from harvesting to pay all those "loyal" to their cause.

"After this, though?" The slicer pointed at himself while toking on his cigarette, blowing more smoke than a spice house, before eventually talking again. "I'm gonna retire."

Retiring was the smartest choice, even more after what had occured with his beloved two years ago when she was murdered in cold blood by ghosts from Arekk's past. That wasn't going to be a mistak he was willing to make twice, to lose Tava for something like that would mean his life was no longer important. Who knew what he'd do if that happened for the second time?

"You tend to frequent these circles and meet people, you fall for their promises of a good life and all..." The fallen Jedi looked over his shoulder before killing his cigarette inside the ashtray. "But it's not worth it anymore, not now that I'm thinking of having a family. You want to get involved into this? Sure, I'll help you. But once you strike a person's hand you're on your own."

——————————————————————​