Touching the Sky (Open)

[Aithne Charr]

Onderon, Iziz

Solan sighed and laid on his back as he stared up at the night sky, eyes wandering and staring at it for a few long moments as he sat there and thought to himself what it was that could be held for his future. He had been thinking about it more and more over the past week and now he wasn't sure if he should destroy the last monster or not. Change your path the person had said to him, make your life better and something you can appreciate... maybe he should talk to Seanna again, or maybe not. He wasn't really sure, after all he had never planned to keep on living.

So he laid there, on his back, and looking at the night sky in the middle of a garden like park in Iziz, thinking to himself and in wide open with his scythe beside him on the ground. He was wearing simple clothing, a viola coat, dark blue shirt under it, and tan trousers. His hands linked behind his head and his crimson red, dark side corrupted eyes stared up at the sky while he enjoyed the beauty of it all.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

The black coat was back on. It was useful at night, when her face would be enshrouded in darkness as well. No one would recognize her as she stood now, lingering in the park under the heavenly scape that revealed itself to Onderon. The stars may have all been the same, but some were afar and some were nearer than they were over Chandrilla.

She looked up to one section in particular--the one where the Tingel Arm was supposed to be. Her dreams had been infected with visions of some distant rock at the tip of the galaxy; a place where no other being had ever cast breath; a place where no one but she belonged. The Prime Minister shivered--not from cold, but from realization of the inevitable. What her dreams meant was difficult to say. She was no interpreter of visions, to be sure. But whatever they symbolized seemed to be foreboding.

Lasedri had been out here for about half an hour, just gazing up at the unfiltered view of the stars. While she did not appreciate Onderon in the slightest, there were a few advantages to be noted if one looked hard enough. The view was not at all unappealing.

Taking the short way back to the rendezvous point with her speeder, Geneviève drew one of her blades upon spotting a prone figure in the grass. Not many people came out here this late--too late for the normal bonfire gatherings. Besides, she was an important person in the eyes of almost anyone who cared one bit about politics. It was not implausible to believe that someone might be here to kill her.

"Hello," she whispered, hoping to prompt some impulsive and ineffective reaction should they be foe.

Or they might just be a normal person, lying in the dark and enjoying the night sky. Normal people sort of did that without carrying guns and knives around.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

His eyes moved up to hear her voice and with a smile and not sure this woman knew who she was looking at he snapped his fingers and smiled as a flame in his hand illuminated his face. "Hello back, its been a while since we met like this Gen. Enjoying the night?" He simply smiled, no comment on her looks or how she was beautiful. His eyes were still a dull crimson, like the darkside corruption was barely there instead of the blazing color seen last time between the two. His hair was untidy as he still lay there looking up at her. "Sit down and relax, the night is clear and beautiful tonight. And as Prime minister you deserve to enjoy the look of it."

He looked back up at the sky, letting the flame die in his hand. He was relaxed and completely at ease for once, not even taking the time to make some stupid comment about her looks. "Gen, why am i allowed life like others?" He said this suddenly and without warning, his eyes staring at the sky.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

She knew that voice. Funny how it seemed to follow her all around the edges of this enormous pinwheel of spinning planets. "Sol..."

Gen stood there, ignoring his offer to sit for a moment, still resistant to whatever he was up to whenever she was around. Solan had a habit of being a bit more friendly than she really appreciated from a half-crazy violinist. The violin... "You mean you're not playing a symphony out here? How am I supposed to recognize you?"

Her hand slipped back to her hip and sheathed the knife, then she took slow steps next to her friend--of sorts--but remained upright, only glancing down at the young man and his scythe. No teasing had ensued so far. In fact, he jumped right into serious discussion without prompt. It was almost unnerving. He had never been a serious type in all the times she had been around him. "Don't ask me. I've done my share of crap." She looked back up and towards the Tingel Arm once more. "I'm never sure how much longer I've got."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"I see... and no... no music tonight. I burned up my bow for the violin a bit ago and am waiting for it to be replaced. I decided to just let the silence of the night claim my thoughts. Watching the stars is so calming... i understand what people must have felt like all those hundreds of thousands of years ago when space travel was impossible... imagine what a culture would be like then?" He smiled and turned his hands over and looked at the back of it as he reached out and lit a flame in his hand over his face, a torch that illuminated his face and the world around him.

"You know, there are rumors of you having a kid. What happened there miss attachment problems?" He rose a brow as he looked at her, still serious but a tinge of the old him reached through as his mouth slowly found its way to a light smile that was barely there but it was. "Its good that you are looking after someone, im sure that as the child of a Prime Minister they are going to have a better life than others." His eyes slowly shut as it was clear he had been keeping a watch on the actions that happened around Gen. Why he didn't say but he was still a watcher and a protector, especially for his friends.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"No violin. A shame." The Prime Minister shook her head in feigned disappointment, actually feeling like maybe there really was a piece missing to the atmosphere tonight without the stringed instrument she had known the fellow to tote around. He had even been so brash one time as to play it aloud during a sketchy meetup--in a back alley on the mid levels of Sith-occupied Coruscant. Those were the early days of the Rebellion, when Gen had felt like she had a job to do and the Sith were on their victory purge of anything that smelled of Republic.

Her train of thought was quickly derailed as her friend suddenly brought up a topic that was not of only marginal importance. "I can't keep secrets like I used to. Seems like everyone knows everything about me now that I've got this job." Her tone was half-laden with irritation, and half with resigned acceptance of the inevitable. "Cameras--they scare me, Sol. I've never told anyone that. But they do.

"I have a kid, I guess you could say. Though I'm more of a guardian; less of a parent." She finally sat down, shrugging back the heavy, dark coat a bit. It still smelled of scorching and dust from the combat it had seen. At least, she imagined it did. "Odds are the kid's doomed. Look how I turned out."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"A Guardian is still a parent, simply one without a blood relation Gen. As for the kid's odds, you sell yourself short. A hard life creates a stronger person... and i am sure that i am not the only one that would say you are as strong a person as they come. As for this fear of cameras, ill be sure to erase all footage and still shots i have on the entrances of the senate building and that watch your office. You like i said before, i watch out for my friends and my old benefactor was quite the helper in creating a pest of an ally for me."

He smiled as he had admitted to keeping tabs on her not once but twice, his eyes staring up at the sky still though as he let the flame flare up and start to snake around his hand as he trained with it and was slowly trying to control it in such a way that one day the flames could consume his arm without causing any damage. For now a single spiral strand around his arm was the best he could do. "As for the violin, you know you love it. Just admit that the music is beautiful. Like a soft wind or a silent night. Music worthy of even the grandest halls. Or offices of the most intelligent hares."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

If Solan was anything, he was straightforward. That came with both good and bad results--one in particular being his flirtatious tendencies that really got on Gen's nerves. And while a hint of that trait escaped his lips, there was little other than genuine care evident in his tone. Whichever annoyed Gen more was up for debate. "I've lived by the gun and by the hand of the law. I'm not certain there's anything good that can come from that for a kid."

She paused, feeling for her knife out of habit as a rustle was heard in the brush a few dozen meters away. "I'm sure the galaxy would love another me running around and stirring things up." Not that she was opposed to that, herself. There was a growing feeling of pride in having a kid to follow in her footsteps. Well... in her resolution. Not so much her grandiose acts.

She added a soft jab at Charr's hobby. "Violins, on the other hand, seem to be rarer and rarer each day. They're apparently difficult to appreciate." It was a shame, in reality, that such an instrument that served as a medium of talented expression would become extinct. While Geneviève was not entirely a fan of it, there was a hidden acknowledgement inside her of the skill and art that might be brought forth through the acoustic stringed instrument. "I think you'd be served better to buy yourself some anonymity and make a grand living off of it. I--on the other hand--am gone as it is."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"Ya, but if i did that who would help you out on a weekly basis with that pesky slaver problem this galaxy has... that and the constant sith shitlings." He smiled, he was going to say something else but he decided it would be better saved for a later... calmer time. "As for your new child im sure she won't turn out just like you, only one person can be as interesting as you and trust me when i say that is not always a good thing. You tend to get yourself in dangerous or in positions like you are now where you pain a target the size of a planet on you. Im surprised the Raven's haven't tried to kill you more than i know of. Uh by the way, update the senate building's security please, its too easy still. Try hiring someone from the Rebels to do it." He was being cocky, but he wasn't lying. The other day he had hacked in to grab some video tapes of senate meetings and surveillance systems after several days of studying the system itself for flaws. What better way to help the republic then break its toys and tell them the said toys need fixed.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"I'm a troublemaker. That's what the galaxy needs if it's going to be awoken from its stupor." And that was the truth in her mind. "I honestly don't give a frak. If people hate me, I might just be doing something right." But not by my kid. It was the only thing that worried her--how her way of doing things would affect Miria. (She was not her daughter. Gen could not really come to terms with the word 'daughter' yet.)

"Besides, I'm fairly certain we're both in agreement that I'm a rather horrible person," she added, exhaling as if it was a pain to be chatting right now. Should she not be on her way home at this point?

He sure seemed to be a snoopy one. Gen had not quite expected that out of Solan--but, then again, it was Solan. Nothing really made too much sense about him. Might as well ignore the oddness of it, just as she tried to ignore most of his stray commentary. "What do you expect? It's Onderon. I'm surprised we even get consistent Holonet service out here." Her words were maybe a bit too biting than they should have been. There was just too much on her mind these days, and the location of the Republic capital did not put her thoughts at ease. This was not a world suited for a seat of government. "I try to keep off this dirtball as much as possible. Not that that's very often."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

He laughed as she said that and closed his eyes now while he leaned back and stretched out across the ground. "A dream held to by all, Every man, Woman, and Child, A goal humans strive to achieve, One that is impossible to attain. Man is far to flawed, Both mentally and physically, Our bodies age, sicken, and drain, Our minds fragile, misused, and contained. Emotions that drive us prevent perfection, Jealousy, sadness, greed, and hate, But not just emotions such as those, Joy, kindness, and pride as well. The goal of perfection is not one for us, It if achieved throws back out humanity, It would cause us to change greatly, Creating but a hollow shell in the end. Thus Perfection is an impossible goal, A goal that will never bear success."​

​

He spoke without explaining the spell at first, but after a few moments. "No place, person, or idea is perfect. Keep that in mind Gen, people here are proud to be Onderonian, and the Republic can still be a proud people they just need a leader and that is you Miss Raven. You may be hot-headed, rash, and a bit odd, but your devotion to people is what made you prime minister and im sure many would see the move her much more deeply than you are at the moment. The Republic needs a symbol, a place where they can be without having to worry about a military force watching their every movement." He was now moving the flame in his hand until it started to spiral around his hand. "You Miss Raven, are the person they look up to right now, not all of them but you are still their leader. And if you start questioning the movement to Onderon the others may and that will cause a rift that could hurt the republic. Keep that in mind, ok beautiful?" He cracked a ggrin as he finished off the words.​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Oh, here we go with his philosophical side... Gen knew who he was. She had seen him at his best, his undoubted worst, and his downright crazy over the course of their various and coincidental run-ins as well as coordinated assaults as liberators--or, at least, attempted liberators.

The fact was that the same could possibly be said on his side. He knew her too well for her tastes, and yet that only bothered her slightly. He was just some foolish guy with seemingly no agenda outside of helping or inciting trouble in one way or another. Why she always ended up with degenerate types, she could never figure out. She could use someone a little more sophisticated here or there.

"Words don't mean enough anymore," 'Miss Raven' spoke up. That was the truth, as far as she saw it. But she was going to make words have meaning soon enough. As if she had not already. "War is the necessary evil. You know this as well as I do."

The Prime Minister then cringed when he called her 'Beautiful'--another pet name he seemed to favor when being his usual weird, flirtatious, blockheaded self. The speech was encouraging in the way that one hand claps thunderously. But Solan had some quirks and his intent was definitely noted--though there was not anything really discernible to her about whether he was just playing this well or not. She would have even tried to scrape that bit of info off the surface of his mind if she was not aware of the level of competence her friend of sorts possessed with the Force. "You can say that now. But they won't want me when I'm through."

[member="Solan Charr"], [member="Miria Lasedri"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Gen's commlink went off abruptly as an incoming call was going off. The holographic caller ID displayed a name as the custom ringtone went off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=w2PMkKAxnHw

Caller: Patricia Susan Garter
Photo:

Spoiler

 

[Miria Lasedri]

Parks weren’t the best place to be when it came to the late hours of the night. And when said parks were in unfamiliar territory, the danger only increased. Most people, especially those as young as the Echani and Ryn hybrid, didn’t deign to travel in such a strange area without some form of supervision about. With the turmoil the galaxy was constantly in, it was likely unwise for her to be walking alone. But Miria had never really been most people, and when she still resided in the orphanage on Chandrila she often wandered the streets at a late hour. This was really no different, except for the fact that this was a wild place, or as close as she would ever get. Even now she still resided in the city, and urban areas were her playground in every respect. This was different.

Ghosting across the grass wearing an outfit not dissimilar to the one she’d worn when she and Gen first crossed paths, she was merely enjoying the quiet of her very silent surroundings. Of course, she couldn’t say this was an entirely carefree endeavor. Being told by Gen to stay behind and be careful wasn’t enough to dissuade her from eventually following after the woman. All that warning really did was ensure that yes, she would follow her to whatever her destination may have been, with no ifs, ands or buts about it. Being reprimanded for it hadn’t crossed her mind, and she wasn’t sure how bad she would feel about it either. Already she had determined Gen’s personality by her colors – silver and red – and with that came an intrinsic knowledge of how she would react without having to study her closely.

The sounds of quiet conversation met her ears, and a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. It would be difficult for her to conceal herself from the two anyhow, given her pale countenance, and she didn’t intend to hide in the shadows. Gen already likely knew she was here, and it wouldn’t do good to delay much of anything. So silently she stepped up to stand next the woman, not bothering to introduce herself. Rarely did she choose to vocalize anything she wanted to say, instead choosing to use a form of sign language that only few could understand, one of them being Gen herself. There were very few people she would physically speak to, as it was an endeavor rarely taken by her. And those that she did choose to speak to out loud were those she felt the closest to. Again, that only included Gen for the moment, rarely even then.

Her silver gaze studied the man for a moment, gauging his relative friendliness and the chances of his eventually becoming an adversary. Finally she signed, “Who’s he?”

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"], [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"] [member="Miria Lasedri"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"]

Solan watched her and his smile grew a bit as she spoke each time before he started to speak again himself. "War is unavoidable Gen, yes. But there are always times for words and for peace, if there was never such a time when this was true then this place around us would be charred and destroyed. War is a last resort, a time when words have ceased to be useful and the heated actions of man and monster come to fruition... Have some faith in your abilities, you do realize how many people trust you. You have friends and family across the stars and allies that are always there to help you."

Then the text came and Solan's eyebrow rose to look at her with a confused stare. "Uh... do i need to leave you be or?" He was going to finish when yet another thing happened and a small girl appeared at the side of Gen with a new confusion on his mind. "Solan Charr, and you are?" He smiled at the girl with a tail and laughed to himself at the thought of being around more people with tails. The Zorren were bad enough as it were with their eating habits, would be interesting if this girl was one too.

 

[Leilani Paaie]

Leilana looked up at the stars, the endless sea that went on and on never ending. It was the kind of night that was meant to be shared, but she did not have someone right now. The very formal zeltron unlike others of her species sat with her legs crossed at the knee her hands rested on the table before her, her eyes scanned everywhere.

Work had fallen off today was about new work, a new contract a fine local government official it seemed needed some assistance. Now the type of assistance all depended upon what he was after. Rumours abounded but nothing concrete so right now she would watch. Wait. And assess.

She ordered a glass of champagne crystal clear in a elegantly etched glass that caught the light scattering rainbows around the room. She was the bait now she waited for the assassin. She never knew who it would be sometimes a man others a woman. But always someone who could hit the target from 300 meters and further the only sound would be the last gasp of breath.

Who would it be?

She smiled.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"War is necessary for now. Peace will never come with the neighbors next door. Count on it." Enough of that, though. It was fairly clear to Solan; her comrades; her Republic that she was not intent on laying down and taking what the Sith wanted to deal to them. Geneviève Lasedri had even been described as a warhawk by some--a label that she did not necessarily disapprove of. There was no reason to expound upon this, especially at this hour. It was just Solan, after all.

That last bit he said, though, was something she simply could not believe. I have no friends. And the only family I have is crazies like you, and...

Why she had suddenly had a funny feeling was not very long in needing explaining--and it was not the obnoxious, musical message Patricia decided to send her as a joke, either. The ghost-white figure of her... daughter was hardly mistakable. Daughter... That was extremely difficult to come to terms with yet, even after just touching on the subject with Solan moments before. She had a kid, and she still was not sure why. She was also not sure why the kid was out here when she had been instructed to stay at home where it was safe. How the pale girl knew where her adopted... parent was at this time was also confounding.

"What the frak--" Language. Kids were not supposed to hear that, right? Gen quickly attempted to repair her reflexive exclamation. "What are you doing here, Miria?" The look on her face was a confused blending of scolding and just incapacity to know what to do. She was not supposed to be a mother--she was fairly certain of that.

[member="Solan Charr"], [member="Miria Lasedri"], [member="Leilani Paaie"]

 

[Miria Lasedri]

One shoulder lifted in a shrug, and the barest of smiles flickered across her lips, reminiscent of a passing shadow, as [member="Solan Charr"] introduced himself. It seemed there was another who understood her unique form of communication, something both refreshing and curious at the same time. It was rare to encounter anyone in the galaxy who fully comprehended it to begin with, let alone if said individual was a complete stranger met entirely by chance. But Miria knew she could trust him, if not because she just inherently knew, but because [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] did as well. And that would have to be enough, for now, until they all had a chance to talk properly, when they weren't in a park in the middle of the night. There were better venues, but this would have to serve.

Once again her hands began to move in that silent language, flowing through the air like water. "I got bored. There isn't anything to do when I'm alone." Or nothing worth doing, at least. Having spent the better part of her childhood wandering Chandrilan streets, it was hard for her to find any enjoyment in sitting still for any lengthy period of time. Besides, she was Gen's kid, so the woman shouldn't have expected anything less. If there was one lesson that had stuck with her from her time in the orphanage, it was how to lie and bluff her way out of most any scenario she didn't find pleasing. It worked with passersby on the street extraordinarily well, and it had been just as effective when it came to her other supervisors. Gen herself was another matter altogether, and with her she didn't see an issue with telling the truth. For the most part.

Briefly her attention diverted to Solan. "I'm Miria Lasedri." That's what she supposed her surname should be, given her adoption. Her former family name had meant little to her after what had happened, and her attachment to it had faded. This time it was another matter.

Her silver gaze strayed again to her mother. "Besides, you're here, so why can't I be?" That was her teenage logic, at least, however flawed it was. Pale hands fell to her sides, and she glanced at the two of them before settling her eyes on Gen in expectation of her reply. She was aware enough to know that her attitude likely wouldn't be appreciated, but it didn't really concern her as much as it would have any other child. One thing she noted was Solan's gaze straying briefly to her tail, and she swayed it as if in demonstration. In some situations it helped to add to her way of communication, during others it showed emotions she couldn't otherwise portray through simple hand gestures.

"What are you guys talking about?"

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"] [member="Miria Lasedri"]

"Im an old friend of hers and we were talking about the past..." He decided to try and complete the hand gestures that went along with the words but he simply could not find the placement of them to fit right and smiled a bit as he explained in words himself. "Sorry about that, not too good with creating the letters and words myself. I much rather like to work on base feelings..." He smiled and rubbed his chin. "Hey Gen, do you mind if i talk with your daughter... speaking of which, i didn't know how you got a daughter, what was it some one night stand after someone saw you in the outfit you and Patricia modeled for me that one time?" He laughed a bit knowing what was going to come from this but his eyes instead turned back to the girl his younger and would wait for them to speak before he started his conversation with Miria.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

She tells me she's bored... Boredom could be solved with productivity. Of course, that was difficult to really convince a teenager like Miria. How are you supposed to do this, again? Parenting. She would never be a parent--at least, that was what she had told herself. Now look at her! Was it just an impulsive mistake? She had not believed it then, but maybe it was the Chandrilan air that had messed with her sense.

Now she was stuck with this. Was that how she felt? Stuck?

"I'm your--" Mom. No. No, she was no mom. She was the Prime Minister. "You're supposed to do as I say. That's why." Gen wished she had a better reason, but it was hard to assert the mom authority when one was not completely in acceptance of being 'Mom'. Oh, what had she done taking up this role? Stupid, was it not?

The situation had to involve Solan, too. He was always great at making every conversation downright unwieldy. Her functional eye twitched at the mention of Patricia and... that. "I actually do mind you talking to Miria," Geneviève retorted gruffly. "About that." She narrowed her eyes at him to needles.

[member="Miria Lasedri"], [member="Solan Charr"]