Strictly Platonic (Mara Merrill)

[Hylocereus]

Hylo was taken aback by the initial shock of Mara's kiss but after a second of mind racing analyst he embraced the girl and returned all emotion and passion in like fashion. The flower on Hylo's head strained to reach the sky its stem standing an extra inch and its slower spreading apart and turning from dim blue to a vibrant sky color. After they broke contact Hylo remain planted in place and utterly dumbfounded as Mara wished him good night and gave him a kick peck on the cheek before running to the buildings side and disappearing off the edge.

The young plant didn't need to check to make sure that Mara landed safely, being able to sense her still. Could have taken a cab, or let me drive you home, Hylo thought, although only "Wow..." managed to escape his lips. And then he turned and looked at the murakami orchid. "What?" he said receiving the orchids telepathic message. "What?" This time Hylo nearly cried out as he reached his hand to his head and felt the flower. "How long? The whole time? Oh maaaaaan. I was...." his face was greener than had been all night, "blooming all night?" Throwing his hands out to his side Hylo fell backwards into the grass laying on the ground. "Boys aren't supposed to flower...."

Standing back up and headed towards bed he considered the nights events. [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"].... Hylo let out a sigh as he collapsed into bed and went to sleep. Dreams swirled in his head, him kissing Mara, Mara kissing him, the two of them in his garden and dancing with their arms wrapped around each other. The two of them were rolling around in the dirt, barely dressed. Hylo was hot, burning up. Passion? Surely. No wait, Hylo actually was hot. He heard a telepathic scream, a plea for help in his head.

The youth woke up with a start shooting up in bed to see licking red hot flame. Gulping hard he ran from the bed, not bothering to change into proper clothes, and ran outside to see his garden on fire. "No no no no no!" Hylo said running around trying to put out the flames. In desperation he reached out through telepathy and the force. I need help! Please help me! he called through his telepathic bonds.

Emergency crews responded and Hylo for his part used the force to move water from pools about the roof to try and quench the flames. In the end he sat alone and sad, naked to the world in night clothes, embracing the potted orchid sitting at the side of one of the pools shaking back and forth and holding back some tears, the blackened scorched remains of his garden around him.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

Realization found her in the kitchen of her salvaged apartment, drinking cold water by fridgelight, sweaty hair and nightshirt plastered to her. That particular moment -- the clock said 2:42 -- was when it clicked that her vague but intense dreams had stemmed from the Force, from her new connection to Hylo. The dreams, however interestingly they'd begun, had ended in fear and pain.

She called him: no answer. Dread growing in her gut, she reached out through their empathic link. His species had a special knack for long-range connections; even so, she could feel nothing more than sadness. Feth.

Her long coat hung near the door. Its internal beskar maille tinkled as she threw the coat on over her nightshirt. The fur was too warm for a Coruscant night at this altitude, even this late, but it would have to do. In short order, her speeder -- a converted armored personnel carrier -- pulled up to the top of Hylo's tower. She hopped off and strode into the wreckage, homing in on him with her navigational instincts. And there he was: fetal, wearing pretty much just shorts, clutching a black orchid in a pot.

"Hey." She winced. "What can I do?"

 

[Hylocereus]

When Mara first came by Hylo didn't move and barely acknowledged her existence. That was until she talked to him asking what she could do to help. "I can't hear him anymore." Hylo gripped his plant pot tighter. "I've tried plant surge, and I think I've stabilized him but he's so badly burnt." Looking up at Mara he winced and frowned.

"His name is Edgar," he said looking at the pot. "He was vibrant and adventurous for a plant. Always wanted me to take him to new places." Tears formed in his eyes now. "Normally when bonded you can't get too far from one of his species. If you do they will die, they need to be kept in stasis. But Edgar he used my telepathy so he could stay awake and enjoy being a flower."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] was there, and he knew she could sense all the sadness and turmoil.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

Leave it to freaking Hylo to be weeping over a plant while his house was a cinder. That said, Murakami orchids were sentient. 'Edgar' was a person as much as she was. Mara knelt beside Hylo, bare legs stinging on the cinder-scattered ground. She did her level best to blot out the confusion, the emotional radiation, that bombarded her from all sides. She reached out to the orchid but felt nothing, comparable to a human passing out.

"I'm no healer, but this is." She fished in the pocket of her long coat and produced the Ankarres Sapphire on its silver chain. Without ceremony, she touched the ancient artifact to the potted plant. A Force disturbance flared in the back of her mind, akin to feeling a Jedi awoken suddenly and from shock. The black orchid stiffened and its Force aura intensified. From...Edgar...she sensed pain, but also a growing awareness of getting well, of becoming whole. She kept the sapphire dangling against the flower's stem for a good while, then tucked the priceless relic back into her pocket.

The telepathic flower touched her mind, both directly and through the boy who shared a bond with both of them. Those bonds conveyed weariness and gratitude, but also resentment, fear, anger. A memory, a foggy one.

Mara tilted her head. "Did someone...set this fire, Hylo?" she said quietly.

 

[Hylocereus]

Cocking his head as the amulet emanated healing energy and the plant perked up a little. Flood of images and feelings rushed into him. Edgar was getting better, and yet was still in pain, and consumed by the violent memory of his maiming. Hylo didn't understand what was happening, what he was seeing, feeling until Mara asked if someone had set the fire. Looking up from his plant with teary eyes he stared up at Mara, "Who would set a fire?" That didn't make any sense. It was a perfectly good garden and there was shelter so a squatter would have gone into a heated apartment on the roof instead of setting a fire.

Hylo got an image in his mind, a feeling and a communication through thought. "Edgar says the meeting is this afternoon. He thinks I should still go..." The flower rustled a little in the wind. It knew Hylo pretty well and was just getting to know Mara. It sent the girl a telepathic message of a very confused looking looking Hylo coming to a realization.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

The flower's message was distinct, but its meaning came through foggy, courtesy of a species barrier and quite a lot of trauma. If it was asking Hylo to clue in, or suggesting he was about to -- well, that might imply a connection between the fire and the meeting.

The meeting with Hylo's disgruntled landlord.

Mara looked around, already knowing what she'd see: significant damage to the plants, minimal harm to the actual building. The fire's timing didn't appear to be a coincidence.

She refocused on Hylo. "Your flower and I think this might have been your landlord trying to send you a message. So yeah, you should definitely go to the meeting if you're feeling up to it. And Edgar and I are going with you." Mara grinned with absolutely zero good humor. "After your flower recovers enough to give a statement to the police. I happen to know there's a Ho'Din in the Commissioner's Office. They take plants very seriously."

 

[Hylocereus]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Hylo nodded as he gripped Edgars pot a little more tightly and rested his chin on the rim. he could smell the soil and frowned as char aroma filled his nostrils. Then again, it could be good for the soil, he'd have to monitor the situation. "But I was going to pay... why would he..." Hylo frowned. Of course this man would. His mother would kill indiscriminately and there was no reason to think she was unique in the galaxy. Standing Hylo straightened his back and put on a brave front for Edgar. "Alright, lets meet this security officer," He understood that Ho'Din were honorable plant people just as himself. He hoped the officer would understand the telepathy of Edgar. "And then we'll go meet my landlord." Hylo had a bone to pick with him.

Later that day...

The speeder was hot, too hot for Hylo as he drove up to the large penthouse suite of his Landlord. It was large, only a little smaller than the roof of Hylo's tower but with a single mansion like structure and impressive grounds instead of six villas with interconnecting gardens. There was men on the perimeter of the grounds, and a few teenage children reading on a bench under a gazebo. Hylo parked the speeder and got out walking up to the door, potted plant in hand. Mara was with him and he felt grateful for her presence. More than grateful really however he didn't have time to explore those feelings.

The room in which they were asked to wait was a large room with a huge cathedral ceiling, frescoes artistically placed throughout. And then they were left alone. "Lelan is an epicanthix," Hylo whispered to Mara. He wasn't sure why he was whispering or even why he was telling her this. She knew already from the drive over. This was a game Hylo had seen played out before. His first meeting went similarly with the man making him wait. "It will be a few minutes, if its anything like last time." Hylo set Edgar down to rest his arms. Hylo edged near Mara and instinctively reached a nervous hand out to grab hers. Hylo wasn't exactly scared and wasn't exactly excited, but his nervous energy practically oozed from him.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

She'd taken the time to go home, shower, get out of her nightshirt and put on something professional. A fur-and-maille-trimmed long coat didn't fit with that image, but for protection's sake she'd picked a suit made of shell-spider silk. Still, she was uncomfortably aware that she looked her age, which wasn't much.

"Epicanthix? Feth." She patted Hylo's hand and let go of it to fish in her purse. "I hate not getting an empathic read off people. Still, Mom's a Lorrdian, so I should be able to get something." She found her datapad and pressed a couple of buttons with it still inside her purse. Audio quality wouldn't be great, but it seemed like a fairly straightforward precaution, even if Coruscanti law might have something to say about single-party consent to recording. Like most Wardens of the Sky, Mara didn't really have a lot of patience for overly legislated, highly regulated environments. The Coruscanti legal system qualified. The witness statement had been bad enough, especially when the officers tried to figure out how to let the flower give his signature. Murakami orchids didn't really have a concept of 'writing' as such. Or 'words.'

At the other end of the cathedral-like waiting room, the receptionist put her hand to her ear, nodded, and murmured something that Mara didn't catch. A door opened, and in came...

 

[Hylocereus]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Turning from Mara Hylo walked back and picked up his potted plant. At the end of the room was a large door that Hylo remembered led to an office. The trio walked into the office and were greeted by a rather pleasant looking epicanthix. She was tall, with dark hair and soft features. She was in no way like the sterotypical criminal underworld boss. Well unless you counted a rather pretty Falleen who once ran the rackets in the coruscant underworld. "Hylocereus," she said in the most pleasant voice she could muster. She stood up from behind her desk and walked up to the youth giving him a little innocent kiss on his cheek before leading him to a chair and sitting him down. "And who is your handsome companion? A girlfriend?"

Hylo's face turned green. "She's... a friend." He still wasn't comfortable calling her his girlfriend. But were they? Questions for other times. "I have the money, in an account."

"Good good," the woman said walking back. "But I'm afraid it isn't enough. You see the work you've done had added value to the tower and I'm loathe to part with it. However I will be more than willing to allow you to reside and operate from there for a price." She slid a datapad over to Hylo. The amount was a lease agreement essentially renting the tower to Hylo. It demanded an intiial deposit of the already engorged offer that Hylo made and was then doubled to buy the tower and monthly rent that would seen see hylo bankrupt and the vertical farm reverting as a profitable enterprise to Lelan. "But why are you so sad, my sweet boy?" she said leaning forward with pursed lips.

"There was a fire."

"Oh, that is a shame. If you were a legal tenant of course such things might have been prevented. Inspections to make sure you're up to fire code and all that...."

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

Mara looked over the terms, over Hylo's shoulder.

"All right," she said. "I see where this went wrong for you. The extortion, the arson, the hikes and fees - you see Hylo as a short-term opportunity. A cash grab with an option to seize a bunch of rare plants later for a little extra. It's all kind of prosaic, but it would net you a decent payoff. Thing is, you haven't done your research. You're roasting a nuna that lays golden eggs. This is Hylocereus - the man who reinvented kolcta. He created the best pharmaceutical in the galaxy, full stop. His garden? With him at the helm, that's a research lab, top tier.

"So here's what I propose. Drop the whole thing. Lease the tower to Hylo permanently, in exchange for, say, two percent of the proceeds of whatever inventions come out of that garden. No short-term payout, but plenty of long-term retirement income. Additional benefit: you live long enough to retire."

 

[Hylocereus]

After [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] spoke the comely epicanthix smiled and nodded. In a very short time her estimation of Hylo increased and her eyes lit with the promise of yet even more profits. "Oh you are a clever one dear," she said with a smile. "But you're forgetting the fees I need to pay. That area isn't zoned for a farm.... I don't know of anywhere on Corsucant that is, and that yet there are laws on the book taxing such endevours."

Even though Hylo had not done his due dilligence he knew that was a lie. It was the way the woman spoke, trying to sound innocent, but the plant was having none of it. This babes in the woods routine wasn't working. Besides he was recording for the police, he would need to push. "I don't believe that..."

"And besides," the woman said raising her voice to talk over young Hylo. "I already own the building. Everything he does there is already mine. And if he doesn't want something bad to happen, another fire for instance, then... well let's just say he'll cooperate with me." The smile turned into a predatory grin as she glanced over the two youths. "So as you can see, I already have him working for me, and the profits I'll take from him are much larger than a mere two percent. I'll be taking all it dear."

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

A non-negligible part of Mara considered the quick and easy path. Defenestration, to be precise, with or without lightsabre. But justifiable as it might be to throw her weight around, it felt wrong.

Fortunately, she'd made alternate plans.

"Sorry about the audio quality. Did you get all that, Commissioner?"

From the datapad in Mara's purse: "I did, Captain Merrill. Officers are en route to your location."

Mara stood briskly. "Well, this has been fun. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Mara Merrill." Also known as the face of the planet's reconstruction. "Is there a Korribean near here?"

Force bless single-party-consent surveillance laws.

 

[Hylocereus]

Hylo smirked as he heard the sirens of the local police. "Smug little brats," the woman said reaching for a blaster under her desk and opening fire on the trio. Hylo dived with Edgar in hand and took cover from the multitude of blasts. Mara had a saber, she could no doubt deflect blasts and take the woman out, and yet this was his problem, and Edgar was hurt. Putting the pot on the ground Hylo stood up and charged using preternatural reaction and speed to dodge the various bolts being thrown at him.

"Take care of Edgar," Hylo said jumping into the air and spinning his body. His legs wrapped around his prey and twisted at the weapon arm casting the blaster to the side. The momentum of the spin caused the Epicantrix to spin and fall onto the ground. Normally this is where the opponent would tap, and Hylo would release the grip victorious. This wasn't that. Hylo continued to apply pressure until he heard a snap of bone breaking and a cry of pain. Disable the arm, good. pulling the useless limb Hylo stood and kicked the blaster aside.

And then a scent filled the air. It was familiar, a whif of pheromones that nominally calmed people. But these were warped and dark and Hylo could feel a rage swelling inside of him. Leaning he picked up the blaster and pointed it down at the woman resisting the urge to fire. It was then that he knew what was happening and turned to the sound of clapping.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Sirella Valkner]

"Good," Sirella said stepping from the shadows and seeing her son. "Now kill the meat." She glared with disgust at the criminal under her sons foot.

Hylo was visibly shaken at the appearance of his mother. "Why are you here?" he said superimposing himself in front of Mara and Edgar. There would be no confrontation here.

"My dear boy," Sirella said pacing around the corners. "Don't you remember your call for help? What type of mother would I be if I didn't show up to help?" Dark power crackled from her hands as she looked down at the thug who had harmed her sons garden. "Finish this and prove you are my son..."

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Sirella Valkner"]

The next few moments were a blur of motion and instinct. Without conscious thought, Mara slipped her lightfoil from her purse and the silver blade flared to life. A deft flick redirected a blaster bolt, then another. Hylo closed with his landlord with shocking speed. He knew his business when it came to unarmed combat. In short order, he'd done enough damage to resolve the immediate situation. Mara's empathic senses picked up a broader conflict -- hints of panic, anger, grim duty as criminals clashed with cops or knuckled under. The sounds of blasterfire filtered through the walls.

Mara froze halfway to the door as a new presence unrolled itself across her ethereal senses, blanketing her mind. It was unfamiliar, to be sure, but the woman who'd just emerged -- impossibly -- from a corner could only be one person. Hylo stepped between them, protective of Mara, confirming her guess. And then the woman, the Dark Master, called him 'son.'

Energy crackled around the older woman's hands. Mara's nostrils flared in something like fear. In the back of her mind, she recognized that her blood was up, her fight-or-flight reaction triggered. She strove for equilibrium.

But this was Sirella Valkner. Her aunt's master, and a woman that Rave had never matched for sheer power. And Mara was just as far below what Rave had been.

Meat.

Her finger twitched, and the slim silver blade vanished, leaving the room in silence. "Lady Valkner. I'm Mara Merrill. You trained my aunt, Rave."

 

[Sirella Valkner]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]. Sirella had heard of her and knew that her son had some minor dealings with her. Although seeing her here now raised a few interesting questions. "Rave Merrill is one of the few friends I've ever had." Thoughts circled in her mind as she circled the two Jedi. Hylo for his part kept himself between the girl and woman his trembling frame revealing more than he intended. "Tell me what you are to my son."

"She's a friend," Hylo responded.

"I wasn't asking you boy," Sirella snapped raising a hand threateningly. Hylo, surprisingly, didn't flinch. A good influence perhaps. "I asked the girl." Pheromones peppered the air and dark influence oozed from the Sith Lord as she backed Hylo and by extension Mara into a corner with mere presence. "Tell me little meat, and speak honestly, what is between you and my son?"

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Sirella Valkner"]

"That's two separate questions, what I am to him and what's between us. I don't know what I am to your son: I can't read his mind that well." With Sirella circling them, conjuring Dark Side energy, it didn't seem like backing down to take a few careful steps away - into that corner, in fact. There was a window, and if needed she could probably break it and exit in fairly short order. Probably.

Mara avoided looking at the near-dead woman on the floor. She didn't need a reminder of mortality just now. Sirella's pheromones filled her blood -- she recognized the sensation, enough to know that her emotional state probably wasn't going to be fully within her control. And coming on the heels of the Ilum massacre, and how close Mara had come to buying rope and stringing up some Mandalorians...

No, this wasn't a good time to lose her head.

"As for what's between us, we've been friends on and off for years. We had dinner yesterday, for business. It went in a direction we didn't see coming. We got close. I left before we could get closer. Last night the schutta on the floor tried to burn him out, and I came to help. You could say we're friends, you could say we're more, and I don't think either one of us knows yet. I've got no reason to kick him to the curb tomorrow, let's put it that way."

 

[Hylocereus]

There was something about the way Mara spoke that had a calming effect on Hylo. She wasn't kicking him to the curb, and that was good, but their immediate situation was less than ideal. Blaster fire echoed outside as the police closed in and thugs resisted. "Security forces are coming," Hylo replied. "You should leave now, while you have the chance."

Did they have a chance against his mother? Even combined he worried that he and Mara wouldn't be able to defend themselves, and ythe police themselves were no match for her. Still there was a swell of confidence in Hylo as he kept himself between Mara and his mother. He could feel and smell pheromones in the air and concentrated hard telepathically to send a message, she is not for you. Instinctively a hand reached out and found Mara's.

Sirella smiled back at the pair and nodded a little. Pheromones and force manipulation lashed out from her as she started to back up consumed by shadow. Hylo tried to fight the impulses, tried to retain control but instead turned over to Mara as his mother left his view and stared straight into Mara's eyes.

"Take care of my son..." an echo trailed into the distance.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"]

Sirella's influence constituted both telepathy and pheromone emission. An experienced empath with pheromones of her own, Mara could recognize both factors at play. But identifying a threat and being able to counter it were two very different things. Just ask Alderaan.

That, and to be fair, Sirella's influence didn't seem like much of a threat. Emotional manipulation was her stock in trade, true -- Rave's stories had featured Sirella's arts prominently -- but her purposes were her own. In this case, those purposes seemed to involve forging a link between Mara and Hylo, or between the Merrills and the Valkners, however you wanted to look at it. That was how the surface looked, anyway.

A burning warmth and Hylo's attention precluded further analysis. Mara found herself rubbing the collar of his shirt between thumb and forefinger. She took a long breath and let it out, conscious that he was standing very close to her. She avoided the directness of his gaze. "Well, that went about as well as it could have," she said. The gangster landlord was, by this point, unconscious, easy to forget. Mara wet her lips. "So, ah..." Another exhalation, shaky this time. "So that's your mom. Nice to finally meet her." She met his eyes and let go of his shirt, though it took effort.

 

[Hylocereus]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Hylo's eyes locked onto Mara's as her tongue licked her lips and her fingers played at the collar of his shirt. It was all too much really and an urge to do... things... was on the rise. There was a stubborn streak in Hylo as he put a hand onto Mara's face and caressed her cheek. Knowing what was happening didn't diminish the instinctive response or the primal drive being implanted within him. The only thing that stopped Hylo from jumping Mara right now was spite for his own mother. "Yeah, it went better than I thought." Hylo gulped. "She seems to like you... I think she approves of... whatever we are."

Head swirling Hylo leaned in and brushed his lips along Mara's recalling at the last second gaining control of himself. "I wanted to do this all last night," he gulped trying to resist the influence of a manipulative Sith. There was a moment of relief as the police rushed in having subdued the thugs and now taking the gangster into custody. Hylo nearly jumped with embarrassment as they burst in.

With reluctance the young plant walked over to Edgar on the ground and lifted him up. The poor flower was still badly damaged and yet seemed whatwhat happier. A telepathic flash from the flower made Hylo blush a little green and approach Mara. "You want to go back to my place?" Stupid. In their state they shouldn't do that. And yet he did give her a ride, and he did want to spend more time with this girl. "To calm down after the days excitement."