Off The Beaten Track

[Lief]

Mara couldn't remember the last time she'd worn a leather jacket, and surprisingly enough when she pulled on the one Ar'ekk tossed her way she found it fit her rather snuggly. Not at all oversized, at least not in a noticeable way.

Perhaps she'd have to invest in one. At least while here on Lithios.

"Well at least we can find something to watch."

With boots on, she was ready to go and soon enough she and Ar'ekk were stepping out into the turbolift. It was, she realized, quickly becoming like a second home with the number of times they'd ascended and descended using it in the past day or so.

Still it worked wonders in bringing them back to the ground floor in no time at all.

"Docking bay 72," she told him, "Over at the main spaceport."

It wouldn't be too difficult to find at all, though Ar'ekk was right it was freezing out so she hurried toward where his speeder was parked in the hopes of getting out of the storm.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

ABOARD AR'EKK'S NX-249 AIRSPEEDER​

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"Insert quote here"​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

Silence.

The sound of rain droplets splashing against the metallic roof of the airspeeder created a big cozy mood within, sheltered from the wrath of a thunderstorm that was happening outside. With any hopes still stored in his body, Ar'ekk wished the trip would be quick and without any sort of interruption.

"Just can't wait to get back. We'll be completely dampened with this damn weather."

There was no such thing as escaping the claws of Lithios' weather regardless of how much you tried to avoid it. One of the many perks on living on a place such as this, one that Ar'ekk enjoyed very much regardless.

Pulling off from the private docking bay and steering in an upwards motion, he set the automatic pilot after entering a set of specific coordinates after hearing Kalyn's directions. Not in the mood for driving, so he thought, might as well kickback and relax.

"That jacket fits you." He said with a playful tone, proud of what he was seeing. "Keep it."

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Within Ar'ekk's Airspeeder​

En Route To Solitude // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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Truth be told, even Mara was regretting the decision to go out that evening.

But she needed certain things, specifically her hairbrush, in order to keep herself sane. She was also missing her more important datapad, the one she usually worked from and kept track of jobs with, that which she used to scour the holonet. And then there was that one fresh set of clothes she owned. Another day they could worry about bringing her Solitude over to a closer docking bay, tonight though?

Tonight, just like Ar'ekk, she wanted to hurry the process.

"I'll be as quick as I can when we reach the spaceport, if that helps any?"

Probably didn't but who cared? It was a nice night out, even with the rain - or perhaps because of it - and they didn't have anything else they had to do. Why not enjoy it.

When he informed her of how well the jacket fit and for her to keep it, Mara was genuinely surprised.

"What do you mean, keep it?" she asked, incredulously, turning her head from the city view to glance over at him instead. People didn't just give away good quality clothes, and from what she could tell it was real leather. High quality indeed.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

ABOARD AR'EKK'S NX-249 AIRSPEEDER, ARRIVED TO DOCKING BAY 72 (LITHIOS MAIN SPACEPORT)​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive."​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"It's yours. I have enough leather jackets, that one belongs to you now."

Ar'ekk loved to be under the rain, that was a well than known fact. But that night it felt too cold and dark to enjoy it thoroughly yet he was out there, trying to help Kalyn with whatever she needed to bring over back to the apartment. If she needed to do something, he'd be there to lend a hand.

"Hey, don't rush it. I'll even help you load things up, I won't stay on my butt."

Always active and trying to do something for someone else. He couldn't help it, it was well ingrained into his genetics. Do something good for Ar'ekk and he'll go beyond the stars to make sure you're well provided for or felt good enough with anything.

People like that were not abundant in the galaxy.

The airspeeder touched the ground as they have arrived to their destination, somewhere nearby the Solitude awaited and made honor of her name.

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Docking Bay 72​

Unloading Solitude // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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Mara sort of just stared at him for a moment as he reconfirmed his words.

Then, slow as could be, she nestled down into the jacket and inhaled slowly. It was hers? How many times had she been able to say that about a possession? It was a rarity indeed, and most of the things she did own were borne of necessity, mostly tools in truth, to have something that she did not necessarily need, but which would be nice to own? That was quite the strange sensation. So strange that it left her entirely speechless.

When the airspeeder entered the spaceport and came upon the docking bay she'd rented out, Mara hopped out of the ship and approached the large blastdoor. Keying in the code, soon the door opened large enough for not only she and Ar'ekk to get inside, but also the speeder. Of course, the entrance for the ship itself was on the other side of the room. Much larger, though her ship was small enough it could probably have fit through the pedestrian entrance itself.

Upon seeing her beloved ship, Mara picked up the pace. Soon enough she was clambering up onto its upper hull, and opening the entry hatch.

"I don't need help," she assured him, as she rummaged around inside the small cockpit, "Only got a couple of things."

And it was true, soon enough she was sliding back down the side of the ship with a bundle of clothes and toiletries in hand.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

DOCKING BAY 72​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

He didn't understand why it was so difficult for Kalyn to understand the jacket belonged to her now.

Prying further was worthless but once he saw that the girl had come to terms with the idea, his heart warmed up and a smile was given in return. With the jacket now in her possession she would be able to carry a piece of him everywhere, the aroma of his cologne was impregnated deeply on the fine fabric. It was a beautiful and expensive jacket, but it would hold more than a price tag now but proper sentimental valuable.

"You sure?" He mused quietly, watching her as she struggled to get off the ship with a plethora of cosmetics and garments held betwixt her arms. "I insist."

Pushing a button on his keys allowed the airspeeder's backside to pop up almost immediately, allowing Kalyn the freedom to throw her belongings into a very spacy trunk. He followed her around almost graciously, half amused and half serious. Something provoked to him to laugh into the air, random giggles every now and then.

Was it the rain or just the mundanity of things? Who knew.

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Docking Bay 72​

En Route Back To Ar'ekk's Apartment // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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Though it looked as though she had a bunch of things, Mara had no difficulty carting it over to the speeder and plonking it down in the trunk.

In fact, soon enough she was locking up the docking bay all over again and saying goodbye to her beloved A-Wing. She couldn't wait until she had an excuse to fly it again, for Mara one day without taking to the skies in Solitude was too much, and now she was about to reach day two. However would she survive?

"C'mon," she said, as she slipped back into the speeder, "Let's get back to the apartment."

At this point Mara didn't even want to stop off for snacks. No doubt they could rustle something up, or just chow down on leftover takeout. The night was particularly cruel that evening, chilly on top of the rain, and she wanted to get out of the storm as soon as they could.

It was a quick ride back to the apartment, of course, and soon enough they'd be back indoors picking out a movie to waste away their evening watching.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

HEADING BACK HOME​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

Sure enough, Kalyn did not require his assistance to carry her belongings.

And saying goodbye to your ship, specially when it was your home, was always difficult. He couldn't help but relate to that with the Ebon Hawk, a marvelous vessel that became his very own existance at one point in time. So many journeys aboard that legendary ship, taking him to the farthest ends of the galaxy to who knows how many adventures.

Jyn, Tugoro, and so many other people walked through the interior and had left their mark behind.

"Let's go."

The way back was a silent one, only the rain hitting the windshield and metallic roof were the sounds that accompanied them during the journey. It was chill outside but also calm, the thunderstorm had taken it easy on the Lithiori for once but it continued to rain hard. One for another, a good trade off in everyone's eyes.

Airspeeder parked and turbolift taken, Ar'ekk and Kalyn were back to their cozy home.

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Heading Inside // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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​

When the speeder pulled up outside the apartment complex, following a decidedly silent journey back, Mara let out a long anticipatory sigh.

She could feel it already, the warmth of the living area, the comfort of a blanket, but before she could succumb to either she first had to carry her things indoors and up the turbolift. As with before she managed to grab everything in one go, bundled up within a mess of clothes.

Eventually though they were stepping across the threshold. Mara set her things down and took off her boots before she could trek dirt inside. Then and only then did she unbury her hairbrush and run it through her matted locks. Her hair was naturally curly, but even so it looked miles better by the time she settled down on the sofa and let out a soft sigh.

It had been a long day, even if things had barely gone the way they had initially planned.

"We definitely need to go to that nightclub tomorrow night," she told him, knowing that she owed him a couple of drinks, "But for now... Let's find us a movie, no?"

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

AR'EKK'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive."​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Let me bring us a big blanket and food."

Sure enough, he delivered by returning with popcorn and a fuzzy white blanket that was big enough to cover them both by the sofa. Reclinable seats with hidden support for your legs would allow them to be as comfortable watching holoflicks for the whole evening, plus the beverages and snacks to accompany that.

"We could use a little dancing too. That sounds fun, don't you think?"

Whatever happened that morning, no matter how strange it was, Ar'ekk felt a little more closer to Kalyn as time passed by. Closer in terms of being able to talk to her like they had known each other for years, able to build a trustworthy relationship (Friendship?) of sorts with her.

The massive holoscreen before them turned on and gave way to a list of thousands of holoflicks available for them to watch. Romantic, crime, thrill, horror, you name it. You had them all and it was Kalyn's night of picking one or several, however she liked them.

"So, what are we watching?"

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Choosing A Holoflick // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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While Ar'ekk secured their supplies, Mara picked up the remote control for the holosystem and leaned back against the sofa.

Her eyes trailed over the various options laid out before her, flicking from channel to channel in search of something they could watch. It had been so very long since she'd gotten to dot his, though she had seen a recent release in a holotheater a few months back. But sitting down and choosing? In the comfort of someone's home? Well, that had been quite a while.

Nestling down into the blanket, surprised by the fact that she could practically lay down while they watched, she turned her head to Ar'ekk and smiled.

"Dancing? Definitely."

Still she hadn't decided on a flick.

After a few more minutes of looking through the list she decided to select one at random. "The Holobook," she told him, with a shrug, "No idea what it is, but I'm honestly tired of looking."

So it was that the movie was selected, and before their eyes the rocky story of a Hapan and her Gurlanin lover played out. Filled with scandal and heartbreak, it promised to be quite the rollercoaster of a movie.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

AR'EKK'S APARTMENT, CHOOSING A HOLOFLICK​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. Kalyn Shifhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/http://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/​

"The Holobook. Should I bring some tissues over? Sounds like a tearjerker, pretty fun."

Jerkoff.

A laugh escaped him as he made his way over to the couch and sat right next to Kalyn, covering both of them with the snuggly velour blanket.

Certainly, the girl's choice for tonight's entertainment was absolutely right in his eyes and as long they had fun it wouldn't matter if it ended being a cheesy movie of sorts, the snacks would make up for any downsides.

"I'm set."

Burying his head against the soft couch and opening a pack of chocolate cookies, Ar'ekk looked at Kalyn and gave her a big smile. It had been a while since he enjoyed an evening of holoflicks, specially with someone to his side. The rain outside continued to pour with extreme fierceness, droplets splashing against the window and thunder evoking a loud sound in the background.

"Are you?"

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Watching The Holobook // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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​

Without further ado, Mara hit play.

What followed was just over two hours worth of drama and forbidden romance, of love and anger and heartbreak and betrayal. There were moments when Mara felt downright awkward sat there watching it, uncomfortable both for the pair on screen and for herself who had never really seen intimacy like it. There were other moments when she felt as though she was about ready to cry, though being the tough kid that she was she somehow managed to avoid all of that.

At one point in the movie, she found herself extremely frustrated with the lead female, the Hapan, she was indecisive, pulling two of the men back and forth in some glorified rat race. Men who genuinely loved her in their own way, if the story was to be believed. Infuriating to say the least.

But it all came to a head, and by the time the movie was over she felt a sense of gratification.

"I'm glad she finally made up her mind," she whispered to Ar'ekk, during one of the quieter moments when the big reveal was made. Truth be told she'd have probably made the same decision herself, not that she was looking for love or even cared for it. But better to be with the one that was right for you, who you could be yourself around, rather than faking it with the match society placed you with.

At least, that's what she thought.

The last few moments of the movie played out, and Mara used that time to finish off the remnants of her drink. Her snacks had of course long since been devoured, two hours was a long time for a movie to last in the eyes of one who was not used to sitting still for lengthier periods of time.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

WATCHING THE HOLOBOOK​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. Kalyn Shifhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/http://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/​

"That's what I call a good holoflick. Intense until the end."

For the two hours of watching this romantic movie, Ar'ekk held off the tears that felt like coming out of his eyes like a flood. All he could think of was of his lover of yore, Jyn, and the mixed feelings that he had in the present day with Kalyn. He felt enchanted one way or the other with the girl sitting right next to him for some stupid reason, one that he couldn't put words to describe but felt utterly strange to feel like that.

There was also Nilia, with whom he had a strong bond with the Force and they had recently reunited after a year. Ar'ekk felt bad for struggling with his emotions, let alone controlling them. Acts of impulse, of indecisiveness. They had to stop.

Could it be just a produce of wanting to have someone in his life just because he needed it or it was an absolute feeling?

Wake up, already. Make your mind already.

The bowl that contained his snacks was completely empty thirty minutes into the holoflick, devouring the delicious chocolates and chips with a passionate hunger worth of comparing with a Rancor.

"Touches your heart too."

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Watching The Holobook // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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​

Mara stretched out, back cracking, when the movie ended.

For a second she just sat there in the recliner, watching the credits, before rather unexpectedly rising up from the sofa and gently putting her half of the blanket into place so that Ar'ekk wasn't too cold.

"Well, I'm only good to sit through one holoflick," she told him, quite sincerely, as she straightened out her spine a little and rolled her neck. She really needed to find a way to avoid getting such bad muscle and joint pain. "Byproduct of a short attention span. I ain't used to sittin' and doing nothing for so long. You go on and watch another though, if you want."

Bringing her dishes over to the kitchen she placed them into the dishwasher before pouring herself a glass of water. She hadn't had the luxury of enjoying clean water in the longest time, often forced to get something pumped with artificial flavours and sweeteners just to make it tolerable. She sipped it down at first, but by the end she had gulped the whole drink down and had to pour herself another before she'd even left the kitchen.

Truth be told now that she didn't have a job on the mind she was at a loss for what to do. She stepped over to the window, glass in hand, and looked out over the cityscape which greeted her. It was dark out already, but that wasn't surprising. Even during the day it was usually overcast and grey, she had discovered.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

CHILLING​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. Kalyn Shifhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/http://starwarsrp.net/user/1345-kalyn-shif/​

"I'm good for tonight too. Two holoflicks in a row is more than enough, plus I can barely feel my butt from sitting down."

Sitting with the blanket covering most of his body, Ar'ekk watched Kalyn move around his apartment like a lion trapped inside a cage. She was someone that needed to be out there doing something rather than living the boring life at home, much like he needed that too.

Something to give thrill to their lives, over something that they can share stories about, an adventure only comparable to ancient tales.

If he couldn't find a juicy employment opportunity for the girl, then he would have to take initiative and do something himself.

Could be about anything, from smuggling certain artifacts for a local crime lord or maybe transport some serious cargo to another part of the city without having the police intercept it.

Within time.

"What's on your mind?"

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Enjoying The View // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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​

Discovering that Ar'ekk also had no plans to watch a second movie had her relax somewhat.

At least that meant she'd have someone to talk to, rather than standing there in silence trying to figure out something to do to pass the time. She had a longing to get out there into the city and do something, but she knew that he wasn't all too down with that idea as it stood. He'd wanted a quiet night in, so she'd have to make that work.

Stepping over to the washing machine, Mara transferred the contents over to the dryer and let out a soft sigh. It felt so strange to be doing such mundane, household tasks. To be able to just do whatever, and not have to rush, or wait around anxiously for things to finish like she had to do when using a public facility.

"On my mind? Just thinkin' about things in general, nothin' really. Wish I was more used to this whole downtime thing, so used to movin' on to the next thing. You?"

Back to that window with her, staring out over the same cityscape, watching as it moved and changed with the passing airspeeders, and shifting advertisements.

"What do you usually do, when no one is around?"

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

CHILLING​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"I've been there before, after years of going back and forth through space you start to think and deserve a little time for yourself. Settling down was one of my plans anyways, contrary to my early teachings. I've always considered myself more independent than others."

The life of a Jedi Knight was tough and Ar'ekk knew of that first hand, being assigned a plethora tasks as both an apprentice and a fully fledged defender of the light.

Thought it was eons ago, he could still recite the sermons received by his former master and old friend [member="Tugoro Taidarious"], someone who was more of a parental figure to him than a teacher. Pragmatic, strict, extraordinary. All the things one looked in a Jedi, he would have them.

His eyes focused on Kalyn as she continued to pace around until she came to a sudden stop by the window, seemingly attracted by the neon infested skyline of endless billboards and obnoxious heavy traffic going back and forth like crazy, regardless of day or hour.

"Besides being at my computer all day with a glass of Corellian ale in my right hand, thinking of a lot of stupid stuff and going crazy about it? Not much, really. I like to sit by the window and just close my eyes. Guess it's a boring life after all."

 

[Lief]

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Lithios, The Outer Rim Territories // Ar'ekk's Apartment Complex​

Enjoying The View // With [member="Arekk"]​

♫ // This Is Never Gonna Go Our Way​

If I'm Gonna Have To Guess What's On Your Mind​

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​

"I miss being challenged," she confessed, after a long moment.

"Used to be that every job I took on was a new experience, tough, testing, but these days everything melds into one. One day I'm running a shipment through a blockade, the next I'm transporting a group of migrants, then carting information... Always on the lanes, always hopping around. Sleep, wake up, work, fly, sleep, wake up... You get the idea. I dunno."

A very long sigh left the woman then, as she crouched down and leaned against the glass.

"I need something a little more. Something with purpose." Something like what she'd had back with the Solar Monarch and its crew. "Fat chance that's gonna happen, though."

With a bounty on her head, it made permanence something hard to come by. Moving was a necessity more so than a choice at this point, lest she wanted to be shot down dead one day coming home from a run to the store, the same store she used each week, to the same apartment she slept in every night. Lest she wanted to be frozen in carbonite and shipped off to the Imperials, or back to Luh.

She shivered at the thought of that slimy old Hutt, and closed her eyes tight.

"I dunno, maybe I'm just tired."

Glancing over to the bed somewhat longingly she let out another sigh. Then she remembered that the deal was she'd take the sofa. No going to bed for her, then, until Ar'ekk was ready. Unless she wanted to sleep reclined...

Pushing up from the ground she moved over to the sofa and slipped off the shorts, keeping the top and underwear in place. After folding the article of clothing she'd removed, she slipped onto the sofa and under the blanket, a thoughtful frown playing upon her lips.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

TIRED OF EVERYTHING​

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"So open up my eyes, tell me I'm alive. ♫"​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Guess we're waiting for the same thing. An adventure that takes us out of this damn routine. I feel like a trapped Vask-wolf inside a cage, unable to do a single thing."

It was hard to keep living like he had been doing for the last year, enjoying the luxuries of a rich life but without truly enjoying the benefits that came with it because he was looking for something totally different. A defiining story in his life that'd take him to the far reaches of the galaxy and revive those old moments that were lost in time, back when things were fine and dandy.

Kill a Rancor inside a cave in Dxun or get in a shootout with a local gang of Nar Shaddaa? Now, simply spending ten hours in front a computer screen trying to slice the most mundane of things just because.

Miserable life.

"Take the bed tonight. I'm not going to sleep at all." Ar'ekk finally uttered after his ramble, walking up to the computer terminal and booting it. "You need a good night's sleep. Just don't refute me."

Nothing that a glass of liquor and a sleepless evening spent in the Darknet that couldn't fix things. This is what his life had come to, a dejected way of just surviving. Barely scraping by emotionally as he was shattered to the bone inside and out.

But for how long?