Smog. (Nessarose deWinter)

[Darth Ferus]

Eriadu; Toxic Lake

Eriadu was a decrepit planet. Countless centuries of neglect ruined many of the planets once prospering lakes, leaving them in disarray. Krest had no idea why he was on such a planet, but he felt obligated to spend a day on it regardless. Each planet in the galaxy for one day.

The Zabrak wandered near the edge of the toxic lake, crouching down beside it. His armor was missing most, if not all, of it's loose hanging cloth. A bit of a modification for the planet. Krest didn't want to accidentally get the cloth covered in sludge. He wore a mask to keep the fumes from poisoning him, but the rest of his exposed skin remained uncovered. Either he didn't know how toxic substances worked or didn't care.

He watched the waters longingly, hoping for a sign of life in its depths. Life would give a chance to help heal this planet, but the idea was shot down. There was no life, only a bubble formed from a hot spot within the sludge. It was a wasteland.

@[member="Nessarose deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Sometimes, there was a problem with the fact that she was a queen. Namely, the problem was that she was a queen, and not a princess. Because insofar as playfulness, games, and everything else went, the last thing anyone could ever state for lil' Nessarose deWinter was that she was heavy, serious, quiet, and the such.

Which is exactly why, on such a serious day, the face and founder of Shine company, made sure she concluded business as quickly as she could.

Whenever she traveled to Eriadu, Nessarose always made sure she had her full group with her. Men and women who, on the outside, looked like business partners, dressed either in expensive business suits, or local Endelaanian garb that marked them as handmaidens (or handmandudes) of the Queen. Some of them could not wield the Force, but had brains that worked in such a way that it would've been an utter shame to waste them. Others were at the top of the Force chain in Endelaan, serving mostly as bodyguards of both Warrior and Sorceress nature.

The morning was spent at the capitol city, while some of her people traded off the boxes and credits came rolling in. Credits that would be later spent very wisely. None of it was ever taken for Nessarose's personal pleasure. For that, thank the Force, she had money she'd inherited from her parents. But even that could not suffice for a whole planet, even a small one.

Anyway.

Once the stuffy meetings of the morning were done (and normally she would've skipped Eriadu all together, but there were never enough ships, and her people still had to be moved around the Galaxy), Nessarose decided that it was time for a game. All those who wielded the Force came with her while the others began preparations for the journey back to the Unknown Regions.

Off they went, to the toxic lake. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked one of the women. Nessarose waved her off. "All my ideas are good," she grinned from ear to ear, and the game began. To those who did not know it, it might have seen like a handful of individuals randomly running, floating, and jumping from piece to piece atop of the toxic lake, often within millimeters of falling in. Those who would spend the attention on seeing the patterns, could easily spot a magical tag game, where the tiniest mistake could mean someone's death.

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest had spent most of his time gazing down at the toxic sludge, oblivious to anyone's approach. But the movement of the game caught his gaze just out of the corner of the Zabrak's eye. He turned to find himself staring at a group of people leaping from sludge outcropping to another. His head slowly tilted in confusion. This place was dangerous, one wrong slip and they'd die a rather terrible death.

Krest opened his mouth to speak, but found himself dumbfounded. No words came from his open maw, so he closed it tight, staring. What could you say to a group of people leaping across a toxic lake? To get off? Like they'd listen, they jumped on it to begin with.

The Templar plopped down at the edge of the lake, still just staring. He understood the pattern after a moment, seeing the game of tag. "That's.. An interesting way to play the game." He spoke to no one in particular, his voice calm now that he figured out how to speak again. He had no idea what to say or do after that though, so he watched. But his form was already rippling with the force. Should someone slip he'd certainly attempt to help, but the people looked like they've done this before.

Did they?

@[member="Nessarose deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The game seemed to last for forever. What had begun as a careful game by people too scared to slip developed into something that ran on pure adrenaline. People were pushed and pulled, tagged and shouted, and sometimes they moved quicker than the naked eye could even see. In between all of this came the endless shouts of giggles, mot notably from the direction of Nessarose, who was having the time of her life.

Nothing seemed to be able to stop this dangerous game. Nothing save one thing.

A voice.

Nessarose paused in her movement, eyes wide as they darted around, catching up while she sensed around with the Force to see the source of this disturbance. The main problem was that she forgot to land herself first, and she was just in between two rocks, dropping her way down into the toxicity.

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest took off like a bullet, the force he was building up behind him propelling him forward like a rocket. There was no plan for why he did, he just leaped as he watched @[member="Nessarose deWinter"] fall. His figure became a blur as he burst across the toxic sludge, leaping to catch the woman.

And catch he did. But there was a problem. He had thought of the jump, the burst of speed, the catching. But not the landing. Ahead was just more of the toxic sludge. More of death. The Zabrak furrowed his brow, his teeth grinding. Always having to help people, even if it meant getting himself into some trouble.

Ah well..

He continued his leap forward, pure momentum keeping him going until he saw it. A rock. Large enough to land on. With a quick push of the force he sent himself on target, mostly. He never was good at aiming. He tried none the less, and it payed off. He landed on teh rock, half stumbling forward. Thankfully, his robotic leg landed in the sludge, bracing him on more of the rock hidden underneath. Unluckily, the sythflesh still burned. And hurt. Krest pulled out his foot (It half melted by now. At least the metal didn't burn), setting it on pure rock away from the sludge.

The Zabrak didn't speak, his foot was still burning. If anything he stood there with Nessarose in his arms, trying to stay conscious enough to not fall into the sludge. Until at least one of the other people helped out. No matter how pain resistant you are, getting your foot melted will cause you to pass out from the pure pain it caused. After a moment or two Krest started to fall forward, pain overwhelming his senses.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The room the zabrak was placed in was small, but luxurious. That is, if you could count the color pink as luxurious in any kind of a way. Frilly bed coverings, heart covered decorations, a few stuffed animals... The only thing setting it apart from what would've otherwise looked like a five year old's Barbie room was the weapon rack in the corner, as well as the massive amounts of clothes in a heap in the corner, some of which very much adult-wear.

The guy himself was hooked to some machines. It wouldn't have been any good if he died. After all, he saved Nessa from falling into the toxic lake. But one could also argue that it was his fault she almost fell in the first place. And a few of her handmaidens had tried to convince her that nothing would have happened to her because they would've saved her.

She eventually had their yapping stop, and ordered them to get the guy to her ship. Healing powers were not something the people of Endelaan were known for, and the few people they did have who practiced medicine were a few days of hyperspace travel away, so Nessa did the next best thing - put him in her bed and call some proffesionals in.

His leg was wrapped with bacta packages, food and fluids were being given to his body, and all that remained now was to just wait for him to wake up. There were fresh baked cookies waiting as well, but unless he'd wake up soon, Nessa was going to eat them all. She levitated into the air above her clothes, her legs folded Semi-lotus style, and a datapad was in her hands, flashing the Galaxy's most recently books.

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest sat up suddenly, his breath ragged. The last thing he felt was pain, enough to cause him to pass out. So his robotic hand flipped back, the pale blue saber igniting from his palm. Then he let his surroundings take effect. He stared at the pink. All of the pink. So much pink. He looked around, blinking slow. Where was he..?

He set his gaze upon @[member="Nessarose deWinter"], blinking slow. ".. What happened..?" The Zabrak hadn't noticed his bandaged foot. For not he was curious onto where he was and what had happened.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Nessarose's eyes shot up from the datapad to the now awakened zabrak. All the pink in the room could not keep the glow from her eyes, shining in the dim light. She glared at the lightsaber. Why did people always depend on lightsabers? Did that lightsaber save his leg? No. Did that lightsaber bandage his foot? No. Was that lightsaber going to love him and bear his children? No. And yet it was the first thing he pulled out.

"You fell into the toxic lake on Eriadu and part of your foot melted in protest," she answered with a shrug, slowly moving her fingers now. If he was going to attack her, she was going to make sure he regretted it for forever. And if he didn't, the smell of fresh baked cookies could be noticed, coming from outside.

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest lifted up his foot slowly, looking at it. He stayed quiet for a moment, then he looked right at @[member="Nessarose deWinter"]. ".. Oh. You're the one jumping across the lake." The Zabrak had a hint of a frown on his face before he pulled off the IV, swinging his feet over the bed. He took a second to test the ground out, lightly setting the bandaged foot down before standing up fully. The good thing about robotic limbs, or at least his, was the pain switch off. Grant it the switch took a bit to kick in, but hey. Best way to numb a limb.

The Templar rolled his shoulders for a moment. Well, at least the person he helped wasn't trying to kill him. "So.. Why where you jumping across the lake again?" He was hoping for a good answer. Something worth his foot melting. But he doubted he'd get one.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Because certain skills are useless if you cannot exercise them when your life is at stake," she answered with simplicity. If you wanted to learn how to heal, you cut yourself. If you wanted to learn to use the lightsaber, you risked losing a limb or few. If you wanted to be a chef, you got fat. Life had its rules. And what good was the Force to her if she could not use it when it was life or death?

And moreso. What good was her entire demeanor if it did not mean that people would sacrifice themselves for her during certain instances, giving her a chance to avoid showing others what she could actually do? Her upbringing had shaped her shape of thought regarding certain things, and this was but the tip of the ice berg.

"Not sure where you think you're going though," she resumed, this time looking up and smiling sweetly, "we're kind of in hyperspace."

With that she jumped up and put the datapad down, extending her hand. "My name is Nessa, what's yours?"

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest glanced the girl over. Such a thought was something he knew. Something he grew up on. "You sound like an Iridonian. Are you?" He doubted it sense many of them used the force, but you never know. Regardless he walked around, testing his foot's ability to hold his weight. For the moment it was fine. Well. It was numb.

Though the thought of being in hyperspace alarmed the Templar. He kept his presence calm however, masking his emotions as best he could. "Hyperspace eh? Where to?" He took her hand though, giving a firm shake. "And it's Krest." Well, @[member="Nessarose deWinter"] healed his foot. So maybe she was friendly. Hopefully she was. For now he was at her mercy, and he was sure they both knew it.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Iridonian?" Nessarose asked, blinking with a slight surprise. Her hands went up to her head, fingers digging beneath the hair, "nope, no horns," she said, the smile reappearing on her face, "but I was on their planet once, and a Mandalorian tried to kill my mother there. It was... An educational experience."

Bouncing ahead of him, she closed the distance between her and the room's exit, only to walk right out and leave the door open so that Krest could leave it as well if he so desired. The next room was the main area of her ship; small, almost like a tiny living room, clearly initially purposed to remain empty. Instead, the cold metal walls were covered with various colorful fabrics, bit seating pillows, and a tiny coffee table in the center. More than once had it been confused for a pleasure ship, when in reality, that couldn't be more further than the truth.

Various people inhabited the tiny space, making Nessa have to walk sideways from time to time. Most of them dressed in basic furs and leathers, their skin colours ranging into every possible natural hue, though it was clear - the ship was full of humans, and when their eyes moved away from the teenage girl, there was little friendliness to be seen within them.

"I'm not entirely sure yet as to where we're sorta exactly going," she continued her light hearted babble, "I think we're going off into the Unknown Territories, but I've changed directions a few times. One of the pirate centers is throwing a party two days from now, I'm trying to decide if I wanna attend at all."

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest's mouth open as he sought to explain what he meant by an Iridonian, but he quickly shut it. If she didn't know what he meant to begin with, she certainly wasn't one. He opted to waddle out of the room after her, a frown on his face as he listened. His gazed passed around the room they entered, making note of the fabrics and pillows. But it was the humans he was more interested in. He was the only one not human, making him feel slightly out of his element. More importantly, @[member="Nessarose deWinter"] seemed to be the one in charge, but the people who should be working for her looked as if they wanted her dead.

"Does your.. Uh. 'Crew' feel like going to visit pirates is a good idea?" He wasn't exactly sure what the humans were to her. There were many, and not all of them looked as if they belonged on a ship. Furs and leathers of the kind they were wearing don't exactly give off the 'I'm a space voyager!' vibe. He glanced to her back, wondering what the kark he got himself into.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"My entourage," she said with a smile as she spun in place.

One of the women rose from her pillow. Until moments ago, she had gone mostly unnoticed, sitting in her corner, even her presence not calling out. But there were times in which she would not hold her tongue. Her role was important, but her tact had made her unpopular even among the people of which she was proud of.

"You are speaking to the Queen," she half barked at him. Her voice was deep, and commanded strength, "and her word is our command."

"Verberri, it's all right," Nessarose grinned at her Raven before turning back to Krest, "I'm trying to teach them how people around the Galaxy like to party. How do you do it?"

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest turned to the female, his fist clenched. But not in anger. Turns out @[member="Nessarose deWinter"] wasn't the first member of royalty he's met. Or lost a limb for. He went to stare the girl down, but found there was nothing to stare into. Nothing by what were once eyes. Krest felt a pang of sorrow. Anyone could loose anything in this galaxy and machines could replace it. But with eyes, eyes are the windows to the soul. Without them, it's almost as if the soul was lost.

He turned his gaze back to Nessa, a light frown on his lips. They came to party. And party with pirates. Such a terrible idea. "I don't party, no."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Wonderful!" Nessarose squeeled as she bounced to @[member="Krest"] , giving him a kiss on the cheek before bouncing away and off to the tiny cockpit. She punched a few numbers into the controls, setting the ship to change direction. It would be a couple of hours before the actual change happened, seeing how hyperlanes worked and all, but they were all going to have a fabulous time!

"Then you get to learn how to party too! How's your leg, by the way?"

@[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest blinked slowly at @[member="Nessarose deWinter"], more then confused on her actions. And the kiss. He'd of blushed, but his skin was already a deep red and hid any if he did. He only looked around the room to the other people, his brow raised in very apparent confusion.

"Is she always like this..?" He didn't get an answer before the cheery queen bounced her way back in. He watched her, his gaze clearly showing he was feeling a bit off about all this. "My legs fine. The pain was shut off, so now it's just a matter of getting new synthflesh."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Synthflesh," Nessarose repeated. Of course she knew what that was. What she didn't know what if it was something that grew back or had to be purchased. Her father would have known,but it had been over a year since she'd seen him last. "I've got a bacta patch if that could help," she offered, trying to be helpful.

Shrugging, she snapped her fingers, and one of her ladies in waiting tossed her one.

"So who are you? Why were you there?" she chattered as her fingers began to undo the patch, readying it for @[member="Krest"] .

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest glanced down to his still bandaged foot. He reached down, removing the cloth entirely. Below was a purely metallic limb, steel in color. He shook his head to @[member="Nessarose deWinter"] when she offered the Bacta. It's not gonna fix this. But hey, it still didn't hurt.

"My name is Krest. I was traveling. Self made pilgrimage to all the planets in this galaxy. Just want to see it all." He flexed his robotic foot, looking down to it. It clearly wasn't something Krest was use to seeing.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Pilgrimage, uh. Nessarose shrugged. She'd been taught that people did those for religious reasons, but she wasn't about to have one of those debates on her ship. Not now, preferably not ever.

"What's there to see on Eriadu though? Nothing but tocix waste and business conventions," she noticed, "and that's before counting that there are about 550 planets that we know of, and loads of them aren't worth getting into at all. And besides, why were you hiding at the toxic lake at all?"

While her tone kept on being friendly and chttery, it was becoming clear that those that surrounded them did not see it in that manner. Eyes peeked up, looking at the stranger, and at least half of the eye sets seemed like they really wanted @[member="Krest"] to give the wrong answer so that they would have a reason to get off their soft pillows.