Anara Valnor
The Crimson Siren
#1 Anara Valnor
The city was not as she remembered it, not even close. Iziz was a shadow of its former glory as it was still largely abandoned. The walls protecting the city from the beasts beyond were mostly covered in vegetation and less than half of the city was actually inhabitable. Was she really hit so hard by the plague? Anara found it hard to believe such a strong people had been reduced to this, but then from everything she had seen of the plague the entire galaxy had been affected the same. With a shake of her head, she moved down one of the many streets of the large city, the sounds of the dirt crunching beneath her sneakers echoing off of the derelict buildings hovering all around her.
Dressed casually in a simple top, red pants, and matching sneakers, the young Jedi Master continued to roam the streets she had grown up upon, eventually finding her way to an open plaza. In the center of the plaza was a large and ornate fountain, at least what remained of the crumbling piece of art. Vegetation clung heavily to the fountain, slowly eating away at its beauty. Amber eyes moved slowly about the plaza, before slowly approached the fountain. Lost in thought she stared up at one of the last faces still visible upon the fountain, trying to remember what the fountain had looked like before the plague.
Did I ever come to this place as a child...I can't recall...
Sadness gripped her heart and the familiar ache that was steadily becoming her constant companion once more settled in her chest. Absently she placed a hand upon her chest, gripping the fabric of her shirt as she tried to will the pain away. It was suffocating, but it persisted until finally she was forced to turn away from the face staring back at her. The warm summer breeze caught her hair, sending it out behind her like a blood stained banner as she stared absently across the plaza. The luster in her eyes diminished as her mind left Onderon and traveled elsewhere, her movements guided by the Force. Taking her guitar from her back, she turned back to the fountain and stepped up upon its crumbling lip as she played a few random notes.
The Song of the Force filled her being and as her fingers moved across the strings of her guitar, her eyes suddenly flared with power as she returned to the present. Looking to the sky, she closed her eyes for just a moment as the Song of the Force surged through her, guiding her hands and giving her voice purpose. A piano could be heard in the distance, its melody steadily growing in strength.
The very air vibrated around her as she manipulated it, bending light and sound to create the illusion that a band was playing with her. Despite her guitar not having an amp, sound poured from it as her hands coaxed it to sing for her. Once again her eyes slid closed, her head falling back as memories of her family and friends flooded her mind.
"I pulled away to face the pain.
I close my eyes and drift away.
Over the fear that I will never find
A way to heal my soul.
And I will wander 'til the end of time
Torn away from you.
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us from sorrow's hold
Over my heart."
A memory of a time when she had escaped the confines of the city to play in the wilds beyond took hold of her, the faces of her older brother's reflected in her molten gaze. However, their reflections faded and her eyes took on a blank expression as the memory played itself out in her mind's eye. She moved along the lip of the fountain, her footsteps light as she easily avoided the areas to overgrown to walk upon or those disintegrated from the harsh hands of time.
"I can't go on living this way
But I can't go back the way I came
Chained to this fear that I will never find
A way to heal my soul
And I will wander 'til the end of time
Half alive without you
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us
Change - open your eyes to the light
I denied it all so long, oh so long
Say goodbye, goodbye"
Voice echoing off the building around her, she watched as the decrepit plaza was washed away and its former glory returned. The sun's light shone brightly in the plaza as the dirt and debris littering the ground vanished, the buildings suddenly mended themselves, and the vegetation withered away. She was home, in her city, in her own time. Though it was an illusion, her heart soared for a moment, her voice reaching new heights.
"My heart is broken
Release me, I can't hold on
Deliver us
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us from sorrow's hold."
#2 Ket Van Derveld
Th once great city of Iziz. A strong and hardy place where you had to have the resolve of a stampeding bantha to make it in the world. Th plague had come through here, just like so many other great cities on countless planets throughout the galaxy. He had seen it happen firsthand. On Nar Shaddaa, he'd seen the plague ravage the already downtrodden populace. The Smuggler's Moon was but a shell of it's former glory, yet somehow, it seemed less ravaged than this, that much was certain. Buildings stood crumbling from what seemed to be years worth of disrepair, yet it hadn't even taken that long. Moss crawled across walls, and insects and vermin skittered across empty streets.
Still, there was one whom walked these streets, one who stood at city's center, one whom had a hold upon him that was like no other. He who had seen countless men fall to their knees begging for mercy, women who threw themselves at his feet begging for life. He who had once held the galaxy itself in the palm of his hand. Yet, today, he was no longer that which he had once been known. In this day and age, he was but a vagabond, traveling across the stars, the why not known even to him. They say the Sith deal in absolutes, and for him, the only absolute was that nothing was absolutely certain.
He walked the streets clad in his leathers, a grey t-shirt underneath his jacket, thick soled black boots thudding along the cracked streets of Iziz. As he walked slowly he could here her voice singing, amplified by the Force itself. Music seemed to come from nowhere yet all around him, and in that moment, he let the backpack he had slung over his shoulder slide and fall to to the ground as he listened. His eyes closed slowly as everything melted away, the sound of this music filling his ears, her voice piquing at his very soul...and then just as soon as it was there, it was gone.
It was something familiar to him, it called to a more carnal part of his being, a part of his soul not tapped in years. The Darkside of the Force began to well up within him, as if it too wanted to call out to her and her song. Slowly he let it fill him up, losing himself in the tendrils of the living Force. Life was but energy that fueled his fires, and with it, he began to create his own music in kind. the tap of cymbals, the distorted crunch of electric guitars, the vibrations of bass and the thud of drums began to form. and as it did, his voice carried along the air, singing loud and with utter abandon as his own song played out...
I just fell out the sky it's been a hell of a ride,
I'm back again
Things were looking good, I was on the move
Until I met you
So we lose in the sky got a smile of an Angel
Come here and spread your wings
I'm just a dirty old man trying to play your game
I'll set your wings on fire
She locks me down
I'm in for the count
I'm going down
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Her needs
her life,
not afraid to show what's on her mind
I never listen to a word of what people say
just stay away from you
Cause I don't need a woman to slow me down,
Don't want to sing the blues
No!
She locks me down!
I'm in for the count
I'm going down, down down.
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh!
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you in her slime
My dirty woman she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you in her slime
My dirty woman she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman...
With that last word sung, the music died out, and he found himself looking toward her, standing there at the other side of the crumbling fountain. Such was the mystery of life. With a low voice, he spoke to her.
"The reason is there, you just have to know where to look for it..."
#3 Anara Valnor
Amber met blue, her heart fluttering upon the sight of him. How long had it been since she'd seen him? To long, whispered that dark little part of her heart. Head tilted to the side, brilliant red locks of hair fell into her face to hide her features a bit as she studied him. Many years ago they had met upon the battlefield and she had thought to take him on, a foolish mistake that had started her down her dark path. Darkness has followed my foot steps ever since that day...
She remained still upon the lip of the fountain, her knuckles white as she held tight to her guitar. They stood on equal ground now, so many years later, but still she was weary of him. He held sway over her soul like no one ever had and she knew he always would. Some part of her soul would always belong to him. A crooked grin cracked her impassive features as she finally stepped down from the fountain.
"Reason? There is no reason in this crazy place we live..."
As she stood there, staring him down, she idly wondered why he had appeared to her now. Once she had sought him out, but he had eluded her. However, now that he was far from her mind he suddenly resurfaced, why? Tapping her guitar lightly she turned her gaze back to the sky above for a moment.
#4 Ket Van Derveld
The music itself began to increase in it's intensity as his voice began to grow louder. The feeling poured forth from tongue and finger, emotions charging it to a near breaking point.
The day I tried to live
I stole a thousand beggar's change
And gave it to the rich, yeah...
The day I tried to win
I dangled from the power lines
And let the martyrs stretch, yeah...
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
The day I tried to live'
Words you say never seem,
To live up to the ones inside your head...
The lives we make,
Never seem to ever get us anywhere but dead...
The day I tried to live
I wallowed in the blood and mud with
All the other pigs, yeah...
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
The day I tried to live'
I tried...
It was then that his song began to soften, but only for a few moments before it reached a fever pitch, his voice crying out to the heavens themselves as he sung to her, almost trying to help her understand what went through his mind and in his heart.
I woke the same as any other day you know
I should have stayed in bed, ohhhhhhhh!!
The day I tried to win,
I wallowed in the blood and mud with
All the other pigs
And I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
The day I tried to live', yeahhhh...
Just like you
Just like you
One more time around...
One more time around...
And as the music died out, he stood right in front of her, and simply held the guitar out to her, as if telling her to take it back. The look upon his face was worn, and tired, yet a spark of life remained in those deep sapphire eyes of his, a moment frozen in time before his gaze fell down into the dirt.
#5 Anara Valnor
She hadn't protested when he had taken her guitar, she had allowed it. As he sang, her eyes had slid closed, a soft smile upon her lips. His voice was something magical for her, it soothed her very soul even when is words were harsh and dark. As the song drew to an end, her eyes slowly opened to find him standing before her. For once they were of nearly an equal stature, their eyes meeting, until he looked away. Frowning she took her guitar with one hand, placing the other beneath his chin. She brought his eyes back up to her own and she smiled, letting her hand move from his chin to his cheek. Her touch lingered for a moment, but then her smile fell away and so did her hand.
She moved around him, stepping off of the fountain's lip and walking a short distance away. She looked around the plaza, her mind on the past. As she remembered their first meeting and the short amount of time she had stood at his side, she became angry. I would have followed him to the ends of the universe...once... She was so frustrated, she really wanted to punch him or at least scream at him, but what good would that do? Sighing she found herself stroking a few random notes as the wind shifted around them. As the wind picked up, guitars and drums came to life, their voices echoing across the plaza as she began to sing.
"Some think that they deserve more
Give a little like it's become a chore
Don't demand things
Or walk yourself out the door
I fell flat on my face too many times
Left with nothing but some cheap perfume
Now you cry, now you need me
Now that perfume's not cheap
But I told you
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you, you should've tried harder"
Once more she felt like that girl that had met him upon the battlefield, hair dancing in the wind as she thought to take down a Dark Lord. She'd been so foolish back then, but little seemed to have changed since that day. Once again she was playing with fire, shouting her defiance of him to the heavens as she poured her very soul into the song.
"Go on, prove it, I'd love to see you try
Convince me that you gave me the world
I tried and tried but you never opened your eyes
You stand tall like you've won some kind of award
But really I've never seen someone so short look taller
If you gave me some more
But I told you...
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you, you should've tried harder
Some think that they deserve more
Give a little bit
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you should've tried harder."
Sometime during her song she had begun to cry, but she hadn't been aware of it. Staring at him it was evident she was just as tired as he was, but her eyes were the ones telling that story. Wiping the tears from her face, she fought the rest back as she waited to see how he'd react. She didn't think she could be any clearer on how she felt, how she'd always felt, but would he listen?
#6 Ket Van Derveld
His neck arched back at this point, and he let out a deafening, almost piercing wave of vocals that made the very buildings around them begin to shake and crumble further into disarray.
Do you really know me? I might be a God.
Show me that you care and have a cry.
How do you see me?... as the one?
Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding?
How can you love this exile, and how could I desire you.
When my pain is my pain and yours is too...
On this dark winter's night, darkness becomes this child.
Bless this night with a tear, For I have none I fear...
Seven lives of a man, passed before me,
Seven graves, one for every love I've had.
Only once I have broken my so called heart,
Only one made me see why they cry.
Will I learn how to be one of you someday?
Will I still feel the eyes that behold me?
Will I hear what you think, when you see me?
Will it tear me apart if you feel for me?
I 'd give my everything to you,
follow you through the garden of oblivion.
If only I could tell you everything,
the little things you'll never dare to ask me...
Do you really know me? I might be a God.
Show me that you care and have a cry.
How do you see me?... as the one?
Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding?
How can you love this exile, and how could I desire you,
When my pain is my pain and yours is too...
On this dark winter's night, darkness becomes this child.
Bless this night with a tea, for I have none I fear...
Little broken, always been,
A part of you belongs to me.
You were never mine to love,
But this all has made it easy for me...
Burning feathers, not an angel, Heaven's closed, Hell's sold out.
So I walk on the earth, behind the curtains, hidden from everyone,
until I find a new life to ruin again...
On this deadwinter's night, darkness becomes this child,
Bless this night with a tear, for I have none I fear...
On this deadwinter's night, darkness becomes this child,
Bless this night with a tear, for I have none I fear...
His hand caressed her cheek once more, before withdrawing quickly, a look of near shock as his mind caught up with what just came forth from him. He tried to fight it, now, but it seemed almost pointless as he let out a defeated sigh, looking up into the now night sky.
#7 Anara Valnor
She was floored by his song, speechless as she stared at him with bright amber eyes. She reached up to capture his hand in her own, but to quick he withdrew and she read the shock upon his face clearly. Her stomach twisted and she took a step back from him, then another. Taking her guitar off she set it aside, allowing it to rest against the crumbling fountain as she moved away from Ket. She needed space, his words having shaken her to the core. Wrapping her arms around herself, she felt the Force taking hold of her once more. The air shimmered around her as once again a piano came to life, followed by a multitude of other instruments.
Her voice fluctuated and it sounded as though two different people were singing, but it was all her. Her back was to Ket as she sang, her head tilted back to the darkened sky above. Slowly her eyes opened and as they did fire erupted at the top of the fountain, bathing the area in a flickering light.
"So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat
You left me here without a breath or goodbye
You never even tried
You saw me then I was so perfectly blind
A love I'll never find
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat.
You're just like drawing scars
And leaving hope to bleed.
So if we fall apart
Will I ever haunt your dreams?
I don't know who we are
Or what this means
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
The power behind her song died down just a bit, but another voice joined her's. The voice was male, echoing across the plaza, its origin unknown. She wiped around and finally faced Ket, as though he was the man singing. Slowly she approached him, anger and confusion rolling off her in waves.
"Yeah, you said you felt the same, but now who's to blame?
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but then something changed
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but now who's to blame?
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but then something changed
You threw it all away.
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat.
You're just like drawing scars
And leaving hope to bleed.
So if we fall apart
Will I ever haunt your dreams?
I don't know who we are
Or what this means
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
The flames atop the fountain flared violently, before burning low as her song ended. This time, unlike before, she wasn't crying. Instead she stood several yards from Ket, amber orbs burning into his blue eyes. She was challenging him, but what exactly the challenge was even she didn't know.
The city was not as she remembered it, not even close. Iziz was a shadow of its former glory as it was still largely abandoned. The walls protecting the city from the beasts beyond were mostly covered in vegetation and less than half of the city was actually inhabitable. Was she really hit so hard by the plague? Anara found it hard to believe such a strong people had been reduced to this, but then from everything she had seen of the plague the entire galaxy had been affected the same. With a shake of her head, she moved down one of the many streets of the large city, the sounds of the dirt crunching beneath her sneakers echoing off of the derelict buildings hovering all around her.
Dressed casually in a simple top, red pants, and matching sneakers, the young Jedi Master continued to roam the streets she had grown up upon, eventually finding her way to an open plaza. In the center of the plaza was a large and ornate fountain, at least what remained of the crumbling piece of art. Vegetation clung heavily to the fountain, slowly eating away at its beauty. Amber eyes moved slowly about the plaza, before slowly approached the fountain. Lost in thought she stared up at one of the last faces still visible upon the fountain, trying to remember what the fountain had looked like before the plague.
Did I ever come to this place as a child...I can't recall...
Sadness gripped her heart and the familiar ache that was steadily becoming her constant companion once more settled in her chest. Absently she placed a hand upon her chest, gripping the fabric of her shirt as she tried to will the pain away. It was suffocating, but it persisted until finally she was forced to turn away from the face staring back at her. The warm summer breeze caught her hair, sending it out behind her like a blood stained banner as she stared absently across the plaza. The luster in her eyes diminished as her mind left Onderon and traveled elsewhere, her movements guided by the Force. Taking her guitar from her back, she turned back to the fountain and stepped up upon its crumbling lip as she played a few random notes.
The Song of the Force filled her being and as her fingers moved across the strings of her guitar, her eyes suddenly flared with power as she returned to the present. Looking to the sky, she closed her eyes for just a moment as the Song of the Force surged through her, guiding her hands and giving her voice purpose. A piano could be heard in the distance, its melody steadily growing in strength.
"I will wander 'til the end of time, torn away from you."
The very air vibrated around her as she manipulated it, bending light and sound to create the illusion that a band was playing with her. Despite her guitar not having an amp, sound poured from it as her hands coaxed it to sing for her. Once again her eyes slid closed, her head falling back as memories of her family and friends flooded her mind.
"I pulled away to face the pain.
I close my eyes and drift away.
Over the fear that I will never find
A way to heal my soul.
And I will wander 'til the end of time
Torn away from you.
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us from sorrow's hold
Over my heart."
A memory of a time when she had escaped the confines of the city to play in the wilds beyond took hold of her, the faces of her older brother's reflected in her molten gaze. However, their reflections faded and her eyes took on a blank expression as the memory played itself out in her mind's eye. She moved along the lip of the fountain, her footsteps light as she easily avoided the areas to overgrown to walk upon or those disintegrated from the harsh hands of time.
"I can't go on living this way
But I can't go back the way I came
Chained to this fear that I will never find
A way to heal my soul
And I will wander 'til the end of time
Half alive without you
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us
Change - open your eyes to the light
I denied it all so long, oh so long
Say goodbye, goodbye"
Voice echoing off the building around her, she watched as the decrepit plaza was washed away and its former glory returned. The sun's light shone brightly in the plaza as the dirt and debris littering the ground vanished, the buildings suddenly mended themselves, and the vegetation withered away. She was home, in her city, in her own time. Though it was an illusion, her heart soared for a moment, her voice reaching new heights.
"My heart is broken
Release me, I can't hold on
Deliver us
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us
My heart is broken
Sweet sleep, my dark angel
Deliver us from sorrow's hold."
With a sudden and violent gust of wind her song came to its end and her illusion was shattered. Dust settled about her as the last echoes of her song faded, the city once more falling silent. Still riding the high of the power that had been surging from her, Anara simply stood rooted to the lip of the fountain, amber eyes staring up at the clear sky as though the answers to all her problems lie in the heavens above.
#2 Ket Van Derveld
The reason is there, you just have to know where to look for it...
Th once great city of Iziz. A strong and hardy place where you had to have the resolve of a stampeding bantha to make it in the world. Th plague had come through here, just like so many other great cities on countless planets throughout the galaxy. He had seen it happen firsthand. On Nar Shaddaa, he'd seen the plague ravage the already downtrodden populace. The Smuggler's Moon was but a shell of it's former glory, yet somehow, it seemed less ravaged than this, that much was certain. Buildings stood crumbling from what seemed to be years worth of disrepair, yet it hadn't even taken that long. Moss crawled across walls, and insects and vermin skittered across empty streets.
Still, there was one whom walked these streets, one who stood at city's center, one whom had a hold upon him that was like no other. He who had seen countless men fall to their knees begging for mercy, women who threw themselves at his feet begging for life. He who had once held the galaxy itself in the palm of his hand. Yet, today, he was no longer that which he had once been known. In this day and age, he was but a vagabond, traveling across the stars, the why not known even to him. They say the Sith deal in absolutes, and for him, the only absolute was that nothing was absolutely certain.
He walked the streets clad in his leathers, a grey t-shirt underneath his jacket, thick soled black boots thudding along the cracked streets of Iziz. As he walked slowly he could here her voice singing, amplified by the Force itself. Music seemed to come from nowhere yet all around him, and in that moment, he let the backpack he had slung over his shoulder slide and fall to to the ground as he listened. His eyes closed slowly as everything melted away, the sound of this music filling his ears, her voice piquing at his very soul...and then just as soon as it was there, it was gone.
It was something familiar to him, it called to a more carnal part of his being, a part of his soul not tapped in years. The Darkside of the Force began to well up within him, as if it too wanted to call out to her and her song. Slowly he let it fill him up, losing himself in the tendrils of the living Force. Life was but energy that fueled his fires, and with it, he began to create his own music in kind. the tap of cymbals, the distorted crunch of electric guitars, the vibrations of bass and the thud of drums began to form. and as it did, his voice carried along the air, singing loud and with utter abandon as his own song played out...
I just fell out the sky it's been a hell of a ride,
I'm back again
Things were looking good, I was on the move
Until I met you
So we lose in the sky got a smile of an Angel
Come here and spread your wings
I'm just a dirty old man trying to play your game
I'll set your wings on fire
She locks me down
I'm in for the count
I'm going down
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Her needs
her life,
not afraid to show what's on her mind
I never listen to a word of what people say
just stay away from you
Cause I don't need a woman to slow me down,
Don't want to sing the blues
No!
She locks me down!
I'm in for the count
I'm going down, down down.
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you with her smile
My dirty woman, she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh!
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you in her slime
My dirty woman she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman, she tricks you in her slime
My dirty woman she's in for the kill, killing me
Oh dirty woman...
With that last word sung, the music died out, and he found himself looking toward her, standing there at the other side of the crumbling fountain. Such was the mystery of life. With a low voice, he spoke to her.
"The reason is there, you just have to know where to look for it..."
#3 Anara Valnor
Amber met blue, her heart fluttering upon the sight of him. How long had it been since she'd seen him? To long, whispered that dark little part of her heart. Head tilted to the side, brilliant red locks of hair fell into her face to hide her features a bit as she studied him. Many years ago they had met upon the battlefield and she had thought to take him on, a foolish mistake that had started her down her dark path. Darkness has followed my foot steps ever since that day...
She remained still upon the lip of the fountain, her knuckles white as she held tight to her guitar. They stood on equal ground now, so many years later, but still she was weary of him. He held sway over her soul like no one ever had and she knew he always would. Some part of her soul would always belong to him. A crooked grin cracked her impassive features as she finally stepped down from the fountain.
"Reason? There is no reason in this crazy place we live..."
As she stood there, staring him down, she idly wondered why he had appeared to her now. Once she had sought him out, but he had eluded her. However, now that he was far from her mind he suddenly resurfaced, why? Tapping her guitar lightly she turned her gaze back to the sky above for a moment.
#4 Ket Van Derveld
He stood there, watching her silently as she spoke, he could almost feel the grip upon her guitar tighten as she turned away from him, facing the sky once more. He could her her thoughts floating across the tendrils of the Force. Why him, why now. Truth be told, even Ket didn't quite know the answer to that. Some say he was a creature of randomness, that he just did things simply to do them. Others had speculated he knew exactly what he was doing all the time, that he had a grand plan that played out like a well put together holo-program. Which was certain, a mystery at times. One thing however, was true; He lived within the moment.
Sapphire eyes near bore a hole through her, yet there was no malice in them. More a longing, a silent need deep within his soul. She was the only person he'd ever known whom could pluck at the strings of his very soul, to turn the chaos into something more, something almost beautiful in a way. Reaching out with the Force, her guitar slipped from her grasp, though he had a feeling she let him do so as it floated to his hands. Taking it proper, he closed his eyes, and tapped that primal force within them both, playing the instrument almost artfully. The sounds that came forth were amplified by the Force just as she had done before, drums coming from nowhere and bassy strums emanating from thin air as he used the Force to weave her an answer to her question. Looking to her, his eyes opened as he began to sing once more...
I woke the same as any other day
Except a voice was in my head
It said seize the day, pull the trigger, drop the blade
And watch the rolling heads
Sapphire eyes near bore a hole through her, yet there was no malice in them. More a longing, a silent need deep within his soul. She was the only person he'd ever known whom could pluck at the strings of his very soul, to turn the chaos into something more, something almost beautiful in a way. Reaching out with the Force, her guitar slipped from her grasp, though he had a feeling she let him do so as it floated to his hands. Taking it proper, he closed his eyes, and tapped that primal force within them both, playing the instrument almost artfully. The sounds that came forth were amplified by the Force just as she had done before, drums coming from nowhere and bassy strums emanating from thin air as he used the Force to weave her an answer to her question. Looking to her, his eyes opened as he began to sing once more...
I woke the same as any other day
Except a voice was in my head
It said seize the day, pull the trigger, drop the blade
And watch the rolling heads
The music itself began to increase in it's intensity as his voice began to grow louder. The feeling poured forth from tongue and finger, emotions charging it to a near breaking point.
The day I tried to live
I stole a thousand beggar's change
And gave it to the rich, yeah...
The day I tried to win
I dangled from the power lines
And let the martyrs stretch, yeah...
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
The day I tried to live'
Words you say never seem,
To live up to the ones inside your head...
The lives we make,
Never seem to ever get us anywhere but dead...
The day I tried to live
I wallowed in the blood and mud with
All the other pigs, yeah...
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
The day I tried to live'
I tried...
It was then that his song began to soften, but only for a few moments before it reached a fever pitch, his voice crying out to the heavens themselves as he sung to her, almost trying to help her understand what went through his mind and in his heart.
I woke the same as any other day you know
I should have stayed in bed, ohhhhhhhh!!
The day I tried to win,
I wallowed in the blood and mud with
All the other pigs
And I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
I learned that I was a liar
Singin' 'One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
One more time around
Might do it
One more time around
Might make it
The day I tried to live', yeahhhh...
Just like you
Just like you
One more time around...
One more time around...
And as the music died out, he stood right in front of her, and simply held the guitar out to her, as if telling her to take it back. The look upon his face was worn, and tired, yet a spark of life remained in those deep sapphire eyes of his, a moment frozen in time before his gaze fell down into the dirt.
#5 Anara Valnor
She hadn't protested when he had taken her guitar, she had allowed it. As he sang, her eyes had slid closed, a soft smile upon her lips. His voice was something magical for her, it soothed her very soul even when is words were harsh and dark. As the song drew to an end, her eyes slowly opened to find him standing before her. For once they were of nearly an equal stature, their eyes meeting, until he looked away. Frowning she took her guitar with one hand, placing the other beneath his chin. She brought his eyes back up to her own and she smiled, letting her hand move from his chin to his cheek. Her touch lingered for a moment, but then her smile fell away and so did her hand.
She moved around him, stepping off of the fountain's lip and walking a short distance away. She looked around the plaza, her mind on the past. As she remembered their first meeting and the short amount of time she had stood at his side, she became angry. I would have followed him to the ends of the universe...once... She was so frustrated, she really wanted to punch him or at least scream at him, but what good would that do? Sighing she found herself stroking a few random notes as the wind shifted around them. As the wind picked up, guitars and drums came to life, their voices echoing across the plaza as she began to sing.
"Some think that they deserve more
Give a little like it's become a chore
Don't demand things
Or walk yourself out the door
I fell flat on my face too many times
Left with nothing but some cheap perfume
Now you cry, now you need me
Now that perfume's not cheap
But I told you
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you, you should've tried harder"
Once more she felt like that girl that had met him upon the battlefield, hair dancing in the wind as she thought to take down a Dark Lord. She'd been so foolish back then, but little seemed to have changed since that day. Once again she was playing with fire, shouting her defiance of him to the heavens as she poured her very soul into the song.
"Go on, prove it, I'd love to see you try
Convince me that you gave me the world
I tried and tried but you never opened your eyes
You stand tall like you've won some kind of award
But really I've never seen someone so short look taller
If you gave me some more
But I told you...
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you, you should've tried harder
Some think that they deserve more
Give a little bit
If you wanted to be my only one
If you wanted to see this happen
Maybe you, you should've tried harder
If you thought I would leap into your arms
Every time I would see your face
Then maybe you should've tried harder."
Sometime during her song she had begun to cry, but she hadn't been aware of it. Staring at him it was evident she was just as tired as he was, but her eyes were the ones telling that story. Wiping the tears from her face, she fought the rest back as she waited to see how he'd react. She didn't think she could be any clearer on how she felt, how she'd always felt, but would he listen?
#6 Ket Van Derveld
His eyes slowly looked to her as his head lifted up, watching her pour heart, soul and fire into the Force once more. Each time seemed to be even more entrancing than the last, and entranced he was. He could feel the power radiating off her as her voice filled his very core. It was like being hit by a speeder at full velocity, anger and rage mixing with love and affection in ways he'd never experienced before. It was like she knew how to pluck every string of his mind, and it was exhilarating, to say the least.
As her singing stopped and the music faded, he found his hand reaching up toward her face, a finger brushing away the tears that he was almost certain she didn't know were rolling down alabaster cheeks. This time, he had no need to call upon the Force, no, it called upon him as music began to play, and song fell from his lips uncontrollably. It wasn't for lack of feeling, for there was nothing but in the sheer meaning of his words, as he began to hit noted he'd never before been able, looking to her all the while.
I was raised from a broken seed,
I grew up to be an unwanted weed.
Ever faster the time exceeds me,
little harder again to remember...you.
Held a torch for you, when lightning struck me,
once again, hope I died for the last time.
Only one I have a thing greater than you,
little light on the sky, every night.
Morning dew on the field, where I met you.
I was frozen a year, couldn't get through.
Got a sign, not a scar, on my shoulder,
I am not quite the man you take me for...
Fell in love with the weakness within me,
Tried to force me the Ring and own me.
Guess you found what you'd think would oblige me,
little version of me to consume you...
I'd give my everything to you,
follow you through the garden of oblivion.
If only I could tell you everything,
the little things you'll never dare to ask me...
As her singing stopped and the music faded, he found his hand reaching up toward her face, a finger brushing away the tears that he was almost certain she didn't know were rolling down alabaster cheeks. This time, he had no need to call upon the Force, no, it called upon him as music began to play, and song fell from his lips uncontrollably. It wasn't for lack of feeling, for there was nothing but in the sheer meaning of his words, as he began to hit noted he'd never before been able, looking to her all the while.
I was raised from a broken seed,
I grew up to be an unwanted weed.
Ever faster the time exceeds me,
little harder again to remember...you.
Held a torch for you, when lightning struck me,
once again, hope I died for the last time.
Only one I have a thing greater than you,
little light on the sky, every night.
Morning dew on the field, where I met you.
I was frozen a year, couldn't get through.
Got a sign, not a scar, on my shoulder,
I am not quite the man you take me for...
Fell in love with the weakness within me,
Tried to force me the Ring and own me.
Guess you found what you'd think would oblige me,
little version of me to consume you...
I'd give my everything to you,
follow you through the garden of oblivion.
If only I could tell you everything,
the little things you'll never dare to ask me...
His neck arched back at this point, and he let out a deafening, almost piercing wave of vocals that made the very buildings around them begin to shake and crumble further into disarray.
Do you really know me? I might be a God.
Show me that you care and have a cry.
How do you see me?... as the one?
Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding?
How can you love this exile, and how could I desire you.
When my pain is my pain and yours is too...
On this dark winter's night, darkness becomes this child.
Bless this night with a tear, For I have none I fear...
Seven lives of a man, passed before me,
Seven graves, one for every love I've had.
Only once I have broken my so called heart,
Only one made me see why they cry.
Will I learn how to be one of you someday?
Will I still feel the eyes that behold me?
Will I hear what you think, when you see me?
Will it tear me apart if you feel for me?
I 'd give my everything to you,
follow you through the garden of oblivion.
If only I could tell you everything,
the little things you'll never dare to ask me...
Do you really know me? I might be a God.
Show me that you care and have a cry.
How do you see me?... as the one?
Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding?
How can you love this exile, and how could I desire you,
When my pain is my pain and yours is too...
On this dark winter's night, darkness becomes this child.
Bless this night with a tea, for I have none I fear...
Little broken, always been,
A part of you belongs to me.
You were never mine to love,
But this all has made it easy for me...
Burning feathers, not an angel, Heaven's closed, Hell's sold out.
So I walk on the earth, behind the curtains, hidden from everyone,
until I find a new life to ruin again...
On this deadwinter's night, darkness becomes this child,
Bless this night with a tear, for I have none I fear...
On this deadwinter's night, darkness becomes this child,
Bless this night with a tear, for I have none I fear...
His hand caressed her cheek once more, before withdrawing quickly, a look of near shock as his mind caught up with what just came forth from him. He tried to fight it, now, but it seemed almost pointless as he let out a defeated sigh, looking up into the now night sky.
#7 Anara Valnor
She was floored by his song, speechless as she stared at him with bright amber eyes. She reached up to capture his hand in her own, but to quick he withdrew and she read the shock upon his face clearly. Her stomach twisted and she took a step back from him, then another. Taking her guitar off she set it aside, allowing it to rest against the crumbling fountain as she moved away from Ket. She needed space, his words having shaken her to the core. Wrapping her arms around herself, she felt the Force taking hold of her once more. The air shimmered around her as once again a piano came to life, followed by a multitude of other instruments.
"So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat
You show me hell in the most beautiful light
Your lies disguised as alibis
You know you're hell behind your beautiful eyes
A feeling I can't fight.
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
You show me hell in the most beautiful light
Your lies disguised as alibis
You know you're hell behind your beautiful eyes
A feeling I can't fight.
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
Her voice fluctuated and it sounded as though two different people were singing, but it was all her. Her back was to Ket as she sang, her head tilted back to the darkened sky above. Slowly her eyes opened and as they did fire erupted at the top of the fountain, bathing the area in a flickering light.
"So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat
You left me here without a breath or goodbye
You never even tried
You saw me then I was so perfectly blind
A love I'll never find
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat.
You're just like drawing scars
And leaving hope to bleed.
So if we fall apart
Will I ever haunt your dreams?
I don't know who we are
Or what this means
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
The power behind her song died down just a bit, but another voice joined her's. The voice was male, echoing across the plaza, its origin unknown. She wiped around and finally faced Ket, as though he was the man singing. Slowly she approached him, anger and confusion rolling off her in waves.
"Yeah, you said you felt the same, but now who's to blame?
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but then something changed
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but now who's to blame?
You threw it all away.
Yeah, you said you felt the same, but then something changed
You threw it all away.
We're just a falling star
We're just a broken seed
And when an ocean parts
Will you wanna sink our dreams?
I don't know what we are
Or what we'll ever be
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat.
You're just like drawing scars
And leaving hope to bleed.
So if we fall apart
Will I ever haunt your dreams?
I don't know who we are
Or what this means
So listen when you feel your heart skip a beat."
The flames atop the fountain flared violently, before burning low as her song ended. This time, unlike before, she wasn't crying. Instead she stood several yards from Ket, amber orbs burning into his blue eyes. She was challenging him, but what exactly the challenge was even she didn't know.
