Off The Beaten Track

[Lief]

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

Settling Down // 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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"Mm," the woman mumbled in response, already happily settled upon the sofa by the time that Ar'ekk rose up to go do something else.

She knew how it was, to want more, but it wasn't something she could have. He, on the other hand? The only thing stopping him was himself. His own mind, and the demons of his past. All intangible, nothing was actually going to jump out at him and kill him if he tried.

"You need to find a reason to do those things then," she muttered, leaning her head back.

When he tried to tell her what to do though she chuckled lightly, and shook her head.

"Erm, no. The agreement was I'd take the sofa. What you gonna do about it if I don't?"

There was a playfulness to her tone, and she closed her eyes though it was clear she was just resting them as opposed to actually trying to sleep. She did nestle down a little more under the warm blanket, though, staving off some of the chill that seemed to want to seep through the windows.

"You should come lay down, see if you can't rest," she informed him, "Might sleep better in the recliner if there's two of us, could throw on some random holoshow to give the room a little background noise. If you don't sleep, well, you got stuff to watch, but if you do?"

Her answer was a shrug.

 

[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"]​

"Then I'll make you sleep on the bed. Sweep you off your feet and tuck you in. How's that?"

A heartfelt chuckle escaped him inadvertly, truly enjoying the jest that ensued between the two. It made a good medicine for the broken heart and mind to laugh, the greatest therapy one could appreciate.

Closing his eyes and sleeping like a baby seemed almost impossible to Ar'ekk, his desire to just stay up all night was too strong. Nightmares and visions continued to haunt him during the night, waking up in sweat to images of loved ones suffering. The urge for some closure was very much needed by the man, wanting to have a peace of mind forever would be key to keep his sanity in check.

"I can't sleep with noise in the background." He finally said, sighing. "But I guess sitting next to you won't hurt."

It was worth the try. So he plopped down next to Kalyn and covered himself with the snuggly blanket, finding warmth underneath. As expected, insomnia had gotten the best of him even after he set the lights to be dimmer. But there was silence and he enjoyed that, if only was temporary.

 

[Lief]

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

Settling Down // 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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Glad that she wasn't going to have to fight him on it, Mara nestled down and allowed her mind to drift to an almost unconscious state.

Of course, there was still plenty on her mind. Much to think about, much she wanted to speak about. She didn't want to be a jerk and fall asleep on him, leaving him to his own devices, yet she was genuinely exhausted at the same time. Covering up a yawn with her hand she turned her head slightly and peeked at him through the darkened room.

"Then no noise," she mumbled, happy to lay there in the darkness. She leaned her head down, settling it just against his shoulder yet not quite applying enough pressure to really make it known that she was there, and those eyes closed once more.

"Just... Close your eyes," she instructed, to herself and Ar'ekk at once, "Don't fight it."

And then, with another yawn, she began to drift...

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

GOOD NIGHT, GOOD MORNING!​

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"No more pain, Ar'ekk. No more pain."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

He stifled a yawn amidst the darkness of the room while he sat there next to Kalyn, slowly beginning to experience a sense of drowsiness that invaded his entire body.

Too tired to keep his eyes open, energy depleting as the seconds passed he eventually fell asleep with the girl slept against his shoulder, covered by the snuggly blanket that'd provide them warmth for the rest of the night. It was still early hours of the night but the sun would be out in a few hours, tops.

In his dreams, Jyn showed up alongside Atefeh but this time they were smiling and seemed relatively in peace. Their expressions just gave the impression that everything would be alright, that Ar'ekk did not have to worry anymore and that felt extremely pleasant.

"We love you, Querido."

They were dead but it was alright.

--​

The morning sunshine casted its rays against both Kalyn's and Ar'ekk's face, having slept comfortably through the entire the night. How long had it been since he had that pleasure? It was unexpected but at the same time very much appreciated, the dream would do wonders for his peace of mind.

Everything would be fine from now on.

 

[Lief]

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

Waking Up // 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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Sleep had come much too easily for Mara that night.

With her head settled against his shoulder she rested the whole night through, and didn't awaken until the dim light of day began to break through the large windows at their back.

Slowly but surely the woman stirred, her head shifting in place just enough to hint at her conscious state. Eventually she opened her eyes and began to adjust to the room, the ceiling, the blank holo-screen, and the man at her side. He looked to have been resting just as much as she had. She smiled at that realization, and tried to do her best not to wake him as he sat up and stretched out her lingering fatigue.

She made her way toward the kitchen, setting some caf' to boil, and milled around a little, rummaging through the refrigerator for leftovers.

After all, she had gone much too long without eating. Same as each night. It made her wake up starving each and every morning... Leftovers, at least, might keep Ar'ekk from waking up too soon.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

WAKING UP, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"No more pain, Ar'ekk. No more pain."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

Having slept the entire night like a baby in its craddle, Ar'ekk did not seem like he would wake up anytime soon. It was almost noon and despite Mara waking up and making all sorts of noise, he didn't bat an eye. The blinds opened automatically thanks to the apartment's built-in system, allowing the sunrays shine intensely and warmly, most of the light reflecting on his face.

Being a heavy sleeper wasn't his thing, of course, and fifteen minutes after she woke up soon would he follow. Stifling a yawn into a balled fist and stretching his entire body from head to toes, Ar'ekk looked over the sofa towards Kalyn as she did her thing in the kitchen. She was the definition of hungry and he couldn't help but smile at that, it was something they shared almost identically.

"Good morning." He exclamated in a very raspy voice. "What time is it?"

Lost track of time, so silly.

"I've got a killer headache, eek!"

 

[Lief]

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

Breakfast, Bitches!// 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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​

Having pulled out a box of leftover noodles, and some of the steak, Mara was more than satisfied with what she'd turned out for breakfast.

It still smelled just as great as the night before, and after nuking it for a minute or so it was piping hot and ready to be devoured. As she turned toward the living room she noticed that Ar'ekk had begun to rouse, and with a goofy grin she lifted one hand to half-wave. "Mornin'," she mumbled, between mouthfuls of food, shuffling back to her seat at the sofa and settling the blanket over him completely so she didn't run the risk of dropping food on it. "Sleep well?"

He asked for the time, and after a quick glance at a Lithios-set chrono she was able to tell him, rather confidently, that it was in fact "8am, give or take a few minutes." Mara wasn't the kind of person who kept to a sleeping schedule, she wasn't the sort to worry over whether they woke before dawn, or in the afternoon, sleep was crucial and given the way she lived her life she couldn't necessarily always rest when it might be deemed proper. Whether the same could be said of her newfound companion, however, remained to be seen.

"You want something to drink?" she asked, setting down the bowl of leftovers almost immediately and rising to fetch him some water, regardless of what he said. Headaches were no fun.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"No more pain, Ar'ekk. No more pain."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"8 AM?" He said half surprised, half jokingly. "Feth, that's really early. My sleeping schedule's all messed up."

The delightful aroma emanating from the noodles bowl that Kalyn brought over to the sofa made his mouth drool, with that came the ever so convenient offer for a drink. Setting his bare feet on the leather rest as his robotic hand reached to grab the glass. "Slept like a baby." Ar'ekk said between sips, enjoying the blissful sensation of filling up his dry mouth with the "cooling elixir" that morning. "You?"

Unlike his companion, it was still too early to eat a plate full of food. Maybe it was a cultural thing, something different in other planets to eat a compelling bowl of exquisite food at eight in the morning but for him breakfast was lighter than that. Usually a toast accompanied by some tea, that'd do the trick for a good morning start.

"I'm all sore too. Must come with the heavy sleep."

 

[Lief]

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

Breakfast, Bitches!// 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 was surprisingly quick at fetching the glass of water, which Ar'ekk happily gulped down the moment it reached his hold.

"Time do you usually wake?" she asked, clearly amused by the fact that he deemed it so early. Mara knew that most awoke far earlier than that; it seemed as though Ar'ekk was like she was in that regard, one who slept til whatever time they wanted. Of course, sometimes a job would force her to be up early. "I don't really have a sleeping schedule."

She chuckled, shaking her head, before settling back down in the sofa and chowing down on her hefty meal. She could see his eyes over the meal, his lack of interest in it at this hour, and mentally shrugged. If he had her metabolism then he'd understand.

"I told you, sleepin' next to someone helps. Not that I got much experience with that!" It was moreso something she'd gathered from the words of others. In fact this was probably the first time she'd slept next to someone since her days on The Wheel when she and her mother had shared a bunk in the worlds smallest room.

That thought had her jaw tighten slightly.

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"No more pain, Ar'ekk. No more pain."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"About eleven or twelve, give or take." He said with confidence, knowing that his sleeping schedule was somewhat random at times, being able to sleep as far as four in the afternoon after a hard day's work trying top pull off work for you-know-who types. Much like Kalyn, his employment had him wake up really early and at times barely even get some sleep even.

"You did say that, though? I'll take it either way!"

Hah. That was said in clear jest, of course, taking what she said in a jokingly double meaning of sorts after their little "encounter" that morning. Being able to laugh about awkward situations was the right way to go about things in his mind so hopefully she wouldn't take much importance to his comment. It was still amusing to Ar'ekk one way or the other.

Regardless, she was right through and through. Having someone at his side to lay your head against and close your eyes, seeking their warmth during each exhale and feeling secure under the other's presence contributed greatly to having a good night's rest. That was the case with him anyways, he felt comfortable around Kalyn.

"We slept together, guess you can say that."

Ha-ha. Very funny.

 

[Lief]

Mara rolled her eyes, though the smile which remained upon her lips betrayed her.

It didn't take her very long at all to finish up the leftovers, and her stomach finally seemed to be satisfied. She rose and wandered back to the kitchen in order to rinse off the bowl and then set it and the utensils into the dishwasher. It wasn't quite full, so for now she left it as it was without activating the machine, and instead moved over to the dryer where her clothes had been laying for the night.

Everything inside was nicely dry, if a little wrinkled. She pouted slightly, before shaking out the clothes and de-wrinkling them.

"Do you have anything you need to do today?" she asked, as she folded the set of clothes and wandered around the main room of the apartment. Somehow she was still in the same oversized shirt, and sported nothing but boxers on her lower half, apparently completely unabashed. Wasn't as if he hadn't seen it all before.

"If not, I could take a look at your ship? And... Maybe you could find a place for my Solitude nearby?" After all, it would be nice to have her A-Wing closer if she was going to remain on Lithios for a while longer.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Not much, in fact I was going to see about having your A-Wing moved somewhere nearby. You'll have full access to the docking bay."

One of the perks of living in a very accomodating way.

Pull a couple of favors here and there from old jobs, create your own network with people from certain circles and you'll have the world at your palm like Ar'ekk did. His line of work allowed him to be as flexible as possible while meeting others, regardless if they were crime lords or not, the man definitely didn't care as long as the pay was good and he was given the opportunity to venture deeper into their business.

"And sure, I'll take you to the Ebon Hawk so you can see it for yourself."

Eventually, both of them moved from the sofa towards other parts of the apartment, his eyes lingering on Kalyn most of the time as she roamed around wearing nothing but an oversized shirt of his and boxers. It's not like he hadn't seen it all before, true, and he felt comfortable with her wearing that. His stomach eventually growled loudly for everyone to hear.

"But first comes breakfast. Can't go out with an empty stomach!"

 

[Lief]

"I appreciate it, you know? You helping me out like this. You'll likely be happy when I have a job, and I'm out of your hair a little."

She smiled, and continued to busy around, mostly organizing the few belongings she had and taking the effort to run a brush through her hair, without ruining the natural curls present. Every now and then her gaze would stray to the large windows, and the view beyond, and a soft almost wistful sigh would escape her lips, before she'd return to what she was doing.

As she stood around she picked up her datapad and checked a few things. Any incoming messages, a local job board she'd connected to the night before, the usual chit.

Of course, she did not recognize the name of his ship. With the darkness which had befallen the Galaxy, and the loss of much of the knowledge gained prior to that time, people and ships from eons ago were not well known, so to Mara it was just another ship. Of course when she got inside and saw what it was made up of? Well, that old tech would send her wild with excitement.

"Whatcha usually have for breakfast?" she asked, flopping down onto the bed for a moment and stretching out her back. A few muscles seemed to pop in response. "You didn't seem to like the look of leftovers."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"No need to thank me, really. It's been a while since I truly helped someone, let alone feeling like I'm not an useless person anymore."

Those days were long one but making your good action for a day wouldn't kill anyone, that's what he thought. It was worth every second to do just that, to bring back a reminder of who you were in the past.

Ar'ekk walked over to his computer terminal and sat down on the comfortable leather chair, reaching for the cables behind the screens and plugging them in the jacks recently installed behind his neck. A sudden rush followed by fast blinking overtook his body, seemingly connecting with the network and everything sorrounding the apartment technologically wise, to eventually start "recharging".

"Probably some toast and caff, that helps me every mornin'. I'm not a fan of eating too much after I wake up, makes me feel strange during the day."

The Ebon Hawk was properly taken care of but had been collecting dust inside its private docking bay for months now, ever since Jyn passed away and the days of adventures were long gone. To actually go off-world to pull jobs for his clients, Ar'ekk would prefer to use their ships to avoid being detected and leave no trace behind when causing too much havoc.

"Just give me a minute while I'm done here, then we can sit by the window to appreciate the sunrise."

 

[Lief]

While Ar'ekk busied himself with recharging and who knew what else over at the computer terminal, Mara remained lay in place on the bed, happily staring up at the ceiling and enjoying the comfort of his duvet and mattress which between them both was divine.

"You have the same thing each morning?" she asked, curiously, "You're lucky you can eat so little, if I tried to do that I'd probably starve." It wasn't a joke, either, Mara needed a very high protein intake each day to match her ridiculously fast metabolism, she couldn't survive on carbs alone, nor could she stick to the three square meals most had each day. Not unless they were unnaturally huge.

She closed her eyes for a moment, humming to herself, and leaned her hands up over her head to rest against one of the pillows. She was probably quite the odd sight stretched out like that, but she didn't care. Truth be told she was biding her time until she was able to hop in the shower and get dressed. Didn't make sense to until Ar'ekk was ready to begin the day, though, she'd feel awkward being the only one dressed.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Funny, isn't it?" He mused, grinning. "But it's good enough for the morning. That way I can get to lunch with an empty stomach and enjoy a delicious meal like the one we had last night."

The power coming from the computer and entering his system through the augmentations made him feel lightheaded for a moment as if he was going to faint, his mind going away for a moment before eventually snapping back into reality. Moments like these, of utter silence, made him feel truly relaxed. Mara wasn't an exception to that as she found comfort between the warm blankets of his bed and the soft pillow under her head.

His stomach growled as soon as food was mentioned, laughing about the sound of his bowels being tricky and alerting everyone that it was nom-nom time. Unplugging the cables from his neck and heading towards the table first to lay out everything, Ar'ekk looked back at Kalyn and smiled.

"Hard to slip out of bed, huh? That's me every day."

 

[Lief]

"It's just so comfy," she sighed, rolling over onto her stomach and burying her face down into the bed sheets. "I wish I could just stay here all day, alas..."

Soon enough she was on her back again, and then with a groan she sat up and flung her legs off the side of the bed to stand. While Ar'ekk busied himself with sorting out his breakfast Mara picked up a towel, her clean clothes, and slipped into the refresher in order to take a quick shower, one that was somewhat shorter than the previous she had taken given that she no longer felt the pressure - chances were she'd be having another shower the next morning, there was no when in her mind.

When she emerged again with wet hair and her orange jumpsuit back in place, lowered at the torso to reveal that same greyed tank top she'd been wearing when they'd first met, she glanced around the room in search of Ar'ekk. Mostly to see if he was done eating or not.

She dropped the clothes he'd given her into the laundry hamper, and happily padded barefoot across the room, drying her hair with the towel.

"I figure once I've given your ship a once over, and figured out what she needs, I'll head out into the City to try and see if there's any jobs going. Won't be able to get to fixin' up your ship until I know what's what and can get any parts ordered in."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

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"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Indeed it is." He replied, setting his coffee mug and plate with delicious toast on the table. "You can always stay there all day, nothing's stopping you from a few breaks."

All the while, their conversation was cut short as she went back to the bathroom to enjoy a very warm shower meanwhile Ar'ekk ate his breakfast in complete silence. The rain drops splashing against the window gave him this fuzzy sensation in the back of his head, almost like a tingling enjoyable sensation of sorts, rain was his favorite weather after all.

Kalyn did not take too long inside the shower and the steam emanating from the bathroom alerted him of her presence, eyes moving up from her barefeet towards the girl's dampened hair that looked like it could really use a brush. Thankfully she had brought her stuff over so that was out of the question for now, what came up next was getting Mara some sort of employment so she didn't have to sit around doing nothing all day.

Ar'ekk admired the spacer's ability to be self-independent and not rely on others.

"I think I've got an idea of where you can get a job offer, it ain't much but it'll do. I will dig up the contact details and location so you can visit him, good friend of mine."

 

[Lief]

"Yeah?" she said, when he expressed the fact that he had someone in mind that could get her a job, "No chit, I'd appreciate that for sure."

She rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a brush, running it through her hair. It was rather quick to sort itself out, all things considered, yet she still retained subtle curls throughout. That wasn't something which was going to go away, at least without a lot of work, and truth be told she liked it that way. Too straight would mean she'd have to actually do something with it. And she didn't have the time for that.

Collecting up the dishes from around the living room she set them into the dishwasher and then turned to face Ar'ekk where he sat.

"What are your plans for the day, then? Just wanna make sure I line up our schedules, last thing I wanna do is be interruptin' you when you work or somethin'." After all, this was where she was staying, and from the looks of it, it was also where he worked from. Such was the life of a slicer.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

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LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

BREAKFAST TIME, AR'EKK'S APARTMENT​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."​

♫​

w. [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"I'm gonna stay away from the spotlight for a few months." Ar'ekk explained, making sure his point was conveyed clearly from the get-go. "Just want to focus on being at home with you, help you get on your feet for the time being. You're not interrupting anything."

After all, it was him that asked Kalyn to stay with him for the time being. Maybe it could be a permanent thing, maybe not but if she was going to live under the same roof as him then they'd have to help each other in any way possible. Knowing the man, he'd go above and beyond for her despite knowing the girl personally for only a short matter of time.

There were only a handful of things he could do for her and Ar'ekk would try to give his best in giving her the best experience on Lithios, regardless of what she could've heard about the planet or the city.

He pointed at Kalyn's barefeet as she dried herself off and used the brush to deal with her really difficult to handle ginger hair, looking up and down and grinning.

"We should get you some clothes, shoes and whatever else you can think of. As much as I like to have your smell on my outfits, you really can't keep cleaning your old rags and reusing them every day. So we'll go out shopping, on me. How's that?"