Old but New

[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

Kole's life was stable. Key word being 'was'. All of that was gone now, swept away from the endless tide in the sea of corruption. Framed for a crime he didn't commit after delving too far into the wrong hole. Shot in the back, and left to be scrounged up by any other Officers when they arrived. Fortunately, being a HRD made him more resilient than most- as such, he escaped. Running and never looking back. for he might just end up dead. In the end it was those that were hunting him that got destroyed in the end, leaving Kole with nothing but memories of better days to look back upon with an internal smile.

He never really did do much of it on the outside.

Now, Harper sat on a stool with a glass in his hand. Inside that glass were the kind of contents that made you think twice after drinking it, for that burn lingered longer than most. Seemingly lost in a trance, staring outwards across the street, seeing the silhouette of feminine figures behind the yellow-stained glass. Considered walking over there once or twice, but that gap between them that enabled speeders and smaller craft to arrive forced him to go 'the long way round'. And he was just too comfortable where he was.

The Bar wasn't too large, nor was it too small. The perfect size for the late moments when you had nowhere to go, but didn't want to drink at home. A row of vacant stools beside him on either side, but the booths back towards the bar seemed to be full, or otherwise occupied. Often best to keep to yourself, now wasn't it?

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

The sight of neon-lighted billboards and flying vehicles continued to be as mesmerizing as day one when he set foot on Lithios with Jyn. Every corner of the planet, every street, every grimey alleyway made him feel right at home despite not knowing what that was.

Coruscant was a lot smaller compared to this magnificent ecumenopolis, the technology highly more advanced and its leisure locations were much more ambitious than the ones on Nar Shaddaa as an example.

Drizzling rain covered Ethos City most of the time if not always, generically branded cigarettes and a custom fitted black leather blazer provided him with enough warmth to cope with the cold breeze and unforgiving weather when going outside. His days were spent mostly on besmirched nightclubs where crime was rampant, its patrons were loud, the girls were dressed skimpily and the music was annoying.

Ar'ekk came out of The Triple Overdose club to catch some fresh air, his eyes focusing on the bar across the street. A cheap drink with the vendor, Jaeel, would be nice for a change. Mingling with the scum inside the club always made him uncomfortable so he walked over there to sit down on the nearest empty stool.

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

His blue, synthetic eyes only remained glued on The Triple Overdose Club. Stimulated by their apparently nude forms being pressed against the glass, only to fade in a darker silhouette to repeat the same action. There weren't many places that such things were tolerated, or to be so openly broadcasted. Perhaps Nar Shaddaa, or the lower levels of Coruscant, Zeltros possibly? Suppose neither of those places shared the strange familiarity that Lithios provided. It wasn't home, but it may very well be. No Alliance remnants pursued him here, neither did any criminal who thought Kole cheated in... something. There were all too many things to want someone dead for in this Galaxy, after all.

In truth, the very last thing he expected or wanted to see walking from that club was another man. It spoiled that trance he had created, shifting his gaze elsewhere to the barley clothed women of various species off to his right, putting on a show for anyone that was ready to leave via their vehicle, perhaps taking those women with them.

Yet, there was food to be eaten. Even an HRD ate, had to. It steamed and smelled of some poultry, glazed in a sauce that drenched it in flavour. A flimsy fork found it's way inside, rolling it around in the grain-like substance beneath before finding it's way inside Kole's mouth. Chewing, and chewing, and chewing, then swallow. The grinding rustle of his left hand rubbing against his stubble was apparent for a brief moment.

Harper shifted himself, his food, and drink to the opposite side as he took note of how close it was to the space of the individual who sat beside him, the very one who took him from that trance. With a mouth still full of food, he apologised, "Sorry." Didn't hurt to have manners.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"It's fine."

Ar'ekk said while taking over one of the stools and reaching for the menu and flicking through the pages to pick tonight's meal. He liked going out for food every now and then instead of staying home and cooking for himself, the silence of his apartment made him go crazy after his beloved had simply disappeared from the face of the Galaxy in unknown circumstances.

That feeling of "Will she ever return?" drilled his skull every day and night non-stop, being unable to sleep just because he kept thinking about the worse scenario that could ever happen. Outside and with the rain droplets falling on his curved cheek he felt safe from all of that.

"I will have the noodles and a regular ale."

There was a chill at his back, while the artificial heaters and the warmth from the cook tops kept his front and sides toasty. He could feel his skin begin to dry.

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

Rain.

It seemed to never stop pouring on Lithios. Kole didn't exactly mind it, though. It was something to keep him distracted, a sound to wake him up when nothing else would. Although, as any sound that persisted too long it had the tendency to become nothing but background ambience. Yet, it was prone to creating some form of reaction within the environment, diversifying the sounds, the sights and all. His eyes twitched up for a moment, watching as a pink sign repetitively zapped with electricity- creating a dangerous area around it.

Best to keep a distance.

Kole continued to chew on his food, taking a moment to glance in Arekk's direction. As a man who spent enough time in the criminal underworld, you began to understood certain figures. That face was... familiar. He'd never met it, of course, but he'd seen it plastered somewhere. It never hurt to make connections just in case.

A glass thud was made as his-own collided with the table, bench, or whatever it was. His right arm reaching around, bridging the gap between the two. "Kole." He mentioned, his left arm and hand obscuring the lower half of his face as he devoured the final pieces that was within his mouth.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

Ar'ekk yawned widely as Jaeel continued to prepare his bowl, garnishing it with the Bantha steak and fresh veggies. "Ar'ekk." He gestured with his free hand, gazing over to Kole. For him, the man was just another generic face of Lithios wanting something in exchange such as information or perhaps less than legal directions.

Intentions were easy to decypher on Ethos City and even more on this side of town.

The wafting scents of veggies, wheaty noodles and grilled Bantha steak hit his nostrils causing his mouth to salivate. Unforgiving as ever, the rain began to drizzle in a powerful frenzy while the masses in the background picked up their pace and looked for shelter under tin roofs and shop interiors.

"What can I do for you?"

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

Kole returned his hand back to the glass, picking it up, holding it mere inches from his mouth. The scent soaring into his nose, the taste absorbed through the air. He was hesitant, but it didn't show. Maybe he should've been more... respectful in the company of someone such as Ar'ekk. Maybe. It was the jacket that gave him away, glowing on his back as if to say, 'look at me'. Kole? He only wore a coat that protected him from the elements.

"Champion of Kajidi?" A half-smirk stretched across his lips, then cocking back his head to down the remaining contents before seemingly slamming the glass down upon the table-top. "Everyone's looking for work." Straight, simple.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

Sigh.

Disappearing for a little while from his life of crime was too difficult, the name he had been given by Gorba the Hutt found its way to Lithios. Supposedly a place to just vanish like the rain hitting the wet pavement, guess it was too difficult to completely poof from the face of the Galaxy.

"Not everyone's cut for the life, though."

The harsh truth served cold unlike his bowl. Ar'ekk lifted himself up as the wafting scents of veggies, wheaty noodles and grilled Bantha steak hit his nostrils causing his mouth to salivate.

He unwrapped the ebony chopsticks from the paper, as she gestured towards Kole. His fingers intertwined between the ends of them, he held them delicately but precisely.

"Who's asking?"

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR
A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

It may have occurred to Ar'ekk in that very moment that whoever sat next to him wasn't from Lithios. This wasn't the sort of place where the outside worlds mattered much, names from said planets carried little weight. The Jedi, the Sith, the Bounty Hunters, and Smugglers; none of those people who acquired their fame elsewhere mattered here. They might cause havoc all the same, but their reputations were lost here. Like tears in rain.

Kole reared his head over his shoulder, twisting the upper-half of his body with it to face the bar and more importantly the tender. His fingers clicked twice, then thrust in the direction of the glass. "Does it matter?" He replied, turning to face the Champion once more.

He let the time fly by, staring downwards in the direction of his food, fiddling with it - tempting himself to take another bite. "Nobody that's worth knowing." His tone firm, believing in his own words.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"Not really."

Each to its own, he guessed. Names from off-world did not carry out the same weight on Lithios that's for sure but to be recognized out of the blue by someone you've never met? It was strange. Even then, his face could have very well been plastered all over the HoloNet for who knows what reason yet... It had been too long since he participated in the "life".

"You know who I am. It's only polite to know who should I address."

Raising his bottle of ale and smiling in a cheeky manner, Ar'ekk sipped. This man was mysterious but in reality who wasn't? Ethos City was the place for uncertainity and doubt, of secrecy and ill intentions hidden beneath a smile.

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

Kole truly was a nobody. He never lied in that regard, and he wasn't ever much of a liar to begin with. An honest man making a dishonest living. Kole dabbled in crime out of what seemed to be necessity, yet all the way through it he never aligned himself with anyone in particular. Kole just simply wasn't like the rest of them, he wasn't a bad guy, or so he believed. 'A Good Shark'. The next few moments were tense with silent contemplation as the HRD turned away, staring at the outside with squinted eyes. There wasn't really anything to be causing him to squint, either.

​In time, he turned back. A neutral expression, one that didn't read any emotions in the slightest. "Kole." He replied, repeating his name from earlier. "I can handle myself." He assured Ar'ekk, seemingly in response to one of his earlier statements. Kole really could look after himself, but that appears to be the only one he can. He wasn't a man with many friends, nor did he ever try to garner any. He knew people, and others sort of knew him. The occasional job had him be called upon, earning that big score before retiring for several months at a time.

"What do you do now?" Kole jumped to a conclusion after that sigh from before. Suppose Ar'ekk was sick of that title, it wore him down into something he never wanted to be. Harper could relate to that. He knew all too well about being something he isn't.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, A Dump Like This, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"I'm trying to survive."

He never wanted this, to become a predominant figure of the underworld. In the blink of an eye he was working for the baddest Hutt of the galaxy and the Smuggler's Moon instead of trying to "save" the world like the good Jedi Knight he was prior to the events that led him to this point in life. Sick of everything, of the life, of the crime and most of all... the pressure.

"You look capable. I can recognize if someone can handle themselves, like that guy over there by the railing. Weights about two hundred pounds, medium stature. He'd probably knock you in two punches as an example."

That was his military training and analytic eye doing the talking, Ar'ekk was a war veteran and a very good soldier at that. He should've died on the battlefield with his men but instead was punished with having to live with the memory of their screams and a permanent reminder as his absent arm was replaced with a cybernetic one.

"Been here before? Lithios."

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR
A DUMP LIKE THIS
​

​Thing is, Kole could take more of a beating than he looked. More than most people in general, really. That was, however, due to the fact that he was nothing more than an inorganic organic. Designed to wield more strength, great agility, heightened perception and so on. Simply put: a better human. Yet, the HRD wasn't aware that he was one, and assumed these traits he possessed where due to keeping in great shape, or were purely luck of the draw. So, maybe he was something special, somebody worth knowing. Useful, even.

As Ar'ekk spoke, referencing the larger man that leaned against the railing within the rain, likely waiting for a rather unsavoury individual to come by, Kole glanced in it's direction. HRD or not, that man surely wasn't be to taken lightly.

​"I've been here a while." His voice seeming to give out on him, only restored after a brief cough that was caught in his fist. "First visit, though." Kole's food was getting cold, and as a result he began to tend to it. "Yourself?" He mentioned, glancing with a side-eye as his fork re-arranged the meal before him.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, A Dump Like This, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"I'm trying to survive."

Appearances were deceiving, specially on Lithios. Everything revolved about that name, yes, because it was something totally out of this galaxy. The probabilities of getting mugged, murdered or simply sold off to an ripper doc were higher than anything else.

Ar'ekk was more than a simple man, he was the product of war and everything that conveyed such experience. Tactical, hardened, strong, will-minded but also soft and longing for care.

"Quite a first impression, huh?"

He played with his noodles before slurping the entire bowl entirely, enjoying the fine taste of Bantha grill thrown into the mix of flavours.

"I live here. Moved about a month ago."

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR
A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

"Hmph." Kole huffed in confirmation. It certainly was a great first impression. Most here weren't worth knowing considering how isolated the planet seemed to be in terms of it's culture and knowledge of the outside Galaxy. There was something particularly unique about it, and perhaps that's what Kole liked best. It wasn't anything he'd seen before, nor would it ever be. It was this perfect place where nothing that wasn't here mattered. Bliss.

Harper cocked a half-smirk, tossing a glance in the direction of Ar'ekk for but a moment before it turned into what seemed like almost laughter. He had a question to ask, and one that amused him. "I take it you know your way around the entertainment?" Nodding in the direction of the club he previously walked out of.

Soon came to his attention that he wasn't giving the attention that his food deserved. Devour it before it froze, surely.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, A Dump Like This, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"You saw where I was coming from. I was inside only for business, sorry."

His bowl was already empty by the time Kole decided to start eating again and the bottle of ale had already found its way to the trashcan prior to him talking at all. Rubbing his nostrils rather violently, Ar'ekk looked past the man to take a good view of the Triple Overdose Club and the female figures dancing behind the yellow screen.

Mesmerizing.

"Why?"

Business meant he knew the right people in certain circles, specially in places like that one. He could get anything he wanted at any time but decided not to just to keep up appearances, if the man sitting beside him needed some female company to bring home then Ar'ekk would be able to arrange that as a friendly gesture.

"You can get there for free if you tell them my name."

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

No, no. Kole just wasn't that type of man. His sort of stimulation was tense, and dangerous. As much as he despised those that the industry associated itself with, he couldn't find himself leaving it. It was too... intoxicating. To create an addict you give them but a taste, but Kole was gifted an entire crate's worth of the metaphorical drug. There was too much money to be earned, and too many people that wanted their slice of the pie.

"No thanks." He replied with a dismissive wave. Turns out Ar'ekk remained somewhat of a big shot even on Lithios, or perhaps he spread his industry to the planet. Kole didn't really know, he wasn't anyone worth knowing​. Only someone that did what he was paid to do, and otherwise laid low.

It did make him think though, "Can't imagine what business goes on in there." It wasn't directly said at Ar'ekk, but it almost seemed as if it were question.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Red Light and Entertainment District, A Dump Like This, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kole Harper"] ​

"I don't know. It's not my business."

Lithios had too many underworld figures that someone as him, the so called Champion of the Kajidii, was nothing but a mere reputable person among thieves.

"Suit yourself."

They all were snakes and ready to cut each other's throats when they had the chance but somehow respected people and titles, Ar'ekk wasn't the exception to this. His reputation was respected and in return he had access to things most did not.

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[Rakaan Horne]

LITHIOS​

RED LIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR​

A DUMP LIKE THIS​

​

That's just the Galaxy that they lived in. When you earned a name for yourself, you had to do something pretty drastic to lose it all. Ar'ekk hadn't, at least not yet. Whilst out of the game for a while, he was back in, and nothing jump started a career like a sudden burst of activity. Especially when it came from nothing to something. That's just how it was. Just the Galaxy that they lived in.

Maybe Kole felt as if he stepped over his boundaries, talked too much (a rare thing), asked too many questions. Kole was awful at being sociable and whenever he forced it on himself nothing great came of it. He only ever was a man looking for more work, something to pay the bills and keep him on Lithios. He preferred it here over anywhere else in the Galaxy, and as someone who had been here for a while, Ar'ekk could likely confirm such a thing. Beautiful in it's ruin. Or so it seemed.

The food in the bowel before Kole had been all but devoured, and the bowel pushed forward and away from the man. He turned over his shoulder once more, eyeing the bartender who only eyed him back. The two shared that look, the same kind of look when you knew what someone wanted and they asked for it with nothing but a steely gaze. In time, a fresh drink was to arrive at his table. As an HRD, he could keep on drinking. It took affect, but at a slower rate. You think he would've caught on by now.

[member="Arekk"]