What Do You See?

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

Confusion pulled across his features as she spoke to him of what lay beyond the door.

He'd never known a force user to be able to see through walls. Taheera had been able to sense people, but not the objects that lay within a room. How had Eira known that there were stairs? He frowned for a moment and watched her make her way through the crowd, a small smirk touching his lips as she began to slowly take the advice that he had earlier offered.

The bodyguard stared at her for a moment, perhaps in confusion, perhaps in temptation, after lingering for just a few seconds the man looked around and then slowly peeled himself away from the doorway. He stalked through the crowd and headed directly towards Eira, leaving the door entirely unattanded. Val shook his head for a moment and then slipped through the crowd, doing his level best to remain at least somewhat unnoticed as he pressed the handle of the door and slipped inside.

As soon as he closed the door behind him the noise of the club died, muffled conversation ringing out ahead. "Okay...three of them."

That was easy enough, at least he thought so.

Quickly Val made his way up the stairs, attempting to read as lightly as possible. The task was not an easy one for someone of his stature, and as he began to climb the steps there was a suddenly a very loud and very audible crack as the weight of his body splintered one of the old and rather rickety boards.

"What the feth was that?!"

Kark. Val thought to himself.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

He touched her shoulder. It made her twitch, discomfort overwhelming her.

K͍͍̹̝͚̺̳I̭͚͚͈L̪̺̩̣̥̼L̙͚͕̬̥ ̘̻͚͖̯H͕̤͇̙̤I͍͍͎̲̝͚M͙̜.͚̤͖̹̪​

​

Eira's teeth sank deep into her lip, drawing the taste of warm iron in her mouth. His hand continued over her, muscles seizing, fists balling, nearly about to strike him. It was all she could to stand there while Val slipped through the door and begin to ascend the stairs. She watched from where she stood until the door closed, sealing the giant man inside. Her attention then turned to the gang member accosting her senses due to her feigned interest in him.

"Lets go outside! -- Your speeder?!" She shouted to him, which he agreed with an eager nod. All the better. Her plan was rather simple, just as she had done with the thug out looking for her, she would silence him with the Force in private. Hopefully Val could handle himself for the mean time. There was little else she could do for him.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

Val rushed up the stairs.

The only thing to do at this point was to attack as fast and as fiercely as was possible, which for him was quite quickly. Before they could even open the door at the top of the stairs Val burst through it. Heavy wood and plastic splintered and exploded outward, a rather unmanly scream erupting from one of the men behind it.

As soon as he was through the flimsy door Val reached out, grasping one of the men by the throat with thick fingers. There was a loud crack, as he slammed down his foot and caught the mans knee, the thug becoming like a rag doll as he screamed in pain. The other two watched for just a few seconds, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. The surprise attack, if it could even be called that, quickly continued, Val tossing the man he had grabbed towards the nearest thug.

The two collided, but the third drew his blaster.

Three quick pops rang out, two of the bolts going wide while the third slammed into Val's side. A groan escaped the Titan, but before the thug could pull the trigger one more time he rushed toward. His shoulder slammed into the final man, the solid tackle striking him square in the chest and sending him flying into the wall behind him.

Half a heartbeat passed, nobody but Val remained standing. "Kark."

He whispered quietly, holding his now aching side.

Quickly The Giant began to search the room, blue and orange eye flicking over everything until he found exactly what he was looking for, a stack of credits sitting neatly within an open safe.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Eira followed along until they reached the speeder outside, windows blacked out as one would expect from criminals. Like some false gentleman the door was opened for Eira who quickly slid inside to the opposite seat, followed by the would-be lover who then promptly closed the door behind him.

"Well? Lets not waste time, shall we?"

She felt bile rise from her throat hearing the words.

"Of course." Eira answered quietly.

Her hand extended, as if she were reaching for his shirt to turn in her hand. Instead she stopped an inch or two short, though her fingers still curled. Instead of drawing him near to her she cut off his supply of oxygen, face souring to a disgusted scowl as he began to choke on his own breath. "Fool." She waited for a minute and a half, until the man finally stopped struggling, his body going limp in her grasp. Then she waited a second or two more for good measure, before releasing him. Slumped forward and either dead or unconscious, she cared not for which, Eira fixed her clothing and stepped out of the speeder, quickly making her way back towards the club where Val was.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

Val wondered for a brief moment why in the seven hells anyone would keep this many credits in one place. By his estimation there was about fifty thousand here, more than enough to buy a junker of some sort and get off this planet within the next hour.

He looked at it for a second more, then came to a realization.

How the hell was he going to get it out of here?

He'd left his pack in the alleyway theyd been hiding I'm and he didn't see any sort of case around the room. The Giant frowned for s moment, glancing down at one of the half conscious thugs and shrug slightly. He reached low and grabbed one of the men by the scruff of his neck, stripping him of his jacket and recalling a memory from decades past. Aerith had been fond of stealing his jackets and using them to carry wild blueberry's she had picked. Itd been cold on more than one occasion, but the thought brought a smile to his face as he quickly folded the garment in the proper way. A few seconds later he began to stuff the credits inside.

Before long he'd taken the horde, smiling to himself as he tucked the piece of cloth away and turned towards the doors.

One of the other men moved to get up, but a swift kick to the skull sent him thumping back to the ground.

With that, Val headed back down the stairs.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Val would see the Miraluka re-enter the club as he stepped out of the doorway to which he had previously entered through. Through the crowd she had barely noticed the man, even despite his large stature, due to the sheer number of people inside. Thankfully though he was still larger than everyone else, and a few moments of scanning the figures within, she picked him out.

He wasn't limping, or clutching any wound, so that was a good start.

In his hands was some kind of sack, which meant he likely stole something of value as well.

Once Eira caught up to Val she motioned towards the bag. "Credits?" She mouthed, not speaking as that would require yelling and likely unwanted attention from the others in earshot.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

Val nodded his head.

They had the credits, stolen credits probably, but still credits. The Giant shifted his weight slightly, lips thinning. This had been a half decent plan, but he'd forgotten about a rather crucial point in it; they would now need to find a ship.

He was pretty sure they'd be able to find one for sale, but where, how, and...if they could actually get to it was a very good question. The thugs were still in their way and he doubted very much this entire predicament within the club wouldn't go unnoticed for very long either. The Giant frowned and glanced down at his companion for a moment shrugging his shoulder and motioning it over towards the door. ”Let's go.”

His voice was gruff and quick.

This was enemy territory after all and Val had absolutely no intention of being caught red handed.

Before the girl could respond to him or say anything at all he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and spun her about. Then with the exact same amount of ritual he began to push her forward and out of the club. He'd had enough of this particular establishment.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Eira adjusted her pace in turn quickly in return for the about face and gentle push forward on their path out of the club. By all means she was happy to be gone as well. Though as they passed by where she had just come from, it would be rather apparent that the man who had held interest in his more raw desires would be looking rather lifeless, slumped over in the back of a speeder. She still wasn't certain if he was dead or not, but he certainly looked the part.

A momentary scowl decorated her face as they wandered past, but quickly faded as they moved on.

"You alright?" He looked well enough from what she could perceive through the Force, but that hardly meant he was unscathed. "How much is there, you know?" Referring of course to the credits he'd just stolen.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

"I'm alright." Val lied, his hand settling on the wound on his side.

He'd been hit, but it wasn't the end of the world. The wound he'd received with Taheera had been worse, and he would survive. His fingers clutched for half a moment and he took a breath through gritted teeth, his head shaking for just a moment as he drew his breath.

"There should be enough." He said quietly. "More than enough actually."

For a moment Val ducked around the corner, glancing towards the club. "We have to get out of here though."

That was the chief thought on his mind. He wanted to get away from the club as fast as he could. The bandits, or whatever the hell they were, would be back eventually, and the two of them had to be as far away from here as they could be when that happened.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"Alright. Then lets go!"

In an ironic twist of fate, though her intention was to leave, she found herself frozen in place. Her 'eyes' closed abruptly, and her face soured into a grimace as a flood of images poured into her mind. The voices began to act out, to shout at one another in the confines of her psyche. A speeder. Then two. Blasters. A wicked grin on a face and a knife in hand. Through the streets they chased, victims were made of bystanders. Indiscriminate shooting out of vengeance and malice.

"They're coming." Her words were full of dread. "They know we're here."

R̜ͅṳ̭̯̮͓n̪ a̴͓͇ͅn͏̖͕͔d͜ ͔͔̩͍͠h͈͡i̫̬̣̰̠̰̗d̘͙͔̭e̩͇̥̱̜ͅ!͙͙̯ ̻̹̖̪̰͝Th̺̼̫͞e̵̘̞̹̹͉y ̼c̵̘ǫm̟̺̫͠e̸!̪̣̣̪͎ ̵͉Y̛ó̠̥͉͍̟u̸̼'͚̘̟͠l̨̦̲̺̥̝̰l̞͡ d̹̥͚i̤̗̫e̴̤! ͍̠͙͉D̮i̧̠͈̹͓̥̫e̜̱!̀ ̡͎̲D̖̣͍̻̰͓Í̮̘̟E͜!̨̳​

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[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

"Wait...what?!" Val couldn't keep the slight hint of panic out of his voice as he looked around and noticed exactly...no one.

There were no thugs, no pirates, no gangsters or whatever descriptor they wanted to apply to themselves. He frowned for a second, his gaze snapping from corner to corner as he searched for anyone at all. When he found nothing he looked down at Eira for a moment, wondering just exactly what was going on in her mind.

The force? It had to be.

"Where?" He sounded irritated, though the dread in her tone was more than evident. "How?"

Val didn't really know what to think or say, but eventually he decided it was best to trust her. His lips turned into a scowl, and without another moment of hesitation the lumbering giant scooped Eira up off the floor and threw her over his shoulder. He figured she would likely object, most people would have, but they didn't have time to stand around and he only saw one way out of this. Without waiting a moment more Val grabbed onto an slight sloop on the nearby wall, his fingers digging into the limestone as he hauled himself up.

He quickly grabbed onto the next vantage point and then to the next, pulling himself and Eira up and onto the roof of the building.

It was a desperate move really, but it would at least give them a good vantage point. Plus the village was built in such a way that nearly every single house, inn, or cantina were built right next to each other.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Eira shouted, feeling the weight of her body lift from the ground and over the large man’s shoulder as if nothing more than a duffel bag just before he began to climb towards the rooftops above before affording her the opportunity to answer the questions he had posed.

“Put me down!” She shouted, “I’m not a child!” Her hand battered her shoulder, for all the good it did. Only after Val reached the rooftop and set her down did she release the terrible scowl from her expression and set about answering the man’s questions.

“I can see them. I told you, I see differently than you do.”

Her arm stretched outwards to the west, a narrow set of roads separating several buildings, parting at a fork. “There.” Directing his eyes towards the street Eira turned and hopped over a small gap between rooftops. “They will find us if we stay. They’ll kill you, but that is a kinder fate than what awaits me if they catch us.”

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

"Well, then lets go." He said as he put her down onto the ground, his lips thinning as he glanced over towards where she was pointing. As he looked she bounded over the small gap of one of the roof tops, setting off before he even had a chance to say anything else.

Val was about to open his mouth to make another comment, but Eira was already sprinting away.

The roof tops were surprisingly easy to traverse. Most of them were flat and had little decoration atop them. Some held odd domes perked at the corner and a few of them held what appeared to be laundry lines. Most of them however were clear, and the two of them managed to bound from building to building without much pause. "How do you know?"

He called to her as she jumped ahead of him, landing with a muted thud on the other roof top.

"How do you see?" His curiosity was an innate thing, something that had annoyed both Ryssa and Taheera endlessly. "Is it the force?"

The Giant asked as he landed on the other roof, the bag of credits letting out a loud clink. Behind them Val could hear echoed shouting.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

“I know because the Force wills it.” Explaining the how of it was rather difficult, like explaining what the sense of touch was. It was a sense like any other, a way of seeing what was or what could be. The woman turned to Val as she stepped up and onto the overhang of another building. “Think of it like your ability to smell something before you taste it. I can see things before they happen, but it has its limitations.”

Eira jumped once more across the gap.

“My people see without our eyes. You wouldn’t assume that by looking at me because I’ve disguised it well. Where I’m from, this extra sense we have, and our connection to the Force, it’s strictly governed. And it’s why I can’t go back.”

Once the two crossed over the next divide Eira knelt down, studying the buildings and the people beneath them. “They’re looking for us on the ground. Searching buildings. We need a faster way out of here.”

She turned, back against the brick. “There are too many of them to fight off.”

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

The woman had just given Val more information about the force than he'd ever heard in his entire century and a half of living. It was sort of amazing, and as she talked of them needing a faster way out he couldn't help but stare at her like an idiot for a few seconds. His mind tried to process what she had said, putting together reality with...well whatever the hell the force was.

Seeing the future wasnt exactly something anyone really talked about..ever. Back home they might have burned Eira as a witch.

Well, not really, but they most certainly would have looked at her strangely. ”We need a ship.”

Val blurted out the obvious, though not having any real solution. They needed to get somewhere the bandits couldn't reach, somewhere they wouldn't search. He frowned for a moment, glancing around the roof tops and trying to find anything they could use to escape. He spotted a few nerf carts, some beast in a cage, and a speeder bike. He frowned for a moment, then looked at Eira.

”What's outside the village?” She had been here longer than him. ”The wilderness, what's out there? Will they look?”

There was no way to get to the starport, so maybe they could go in the other direction.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Her attention shifted away from the streets below and off towards where Val was directing her. “There’s nothing out there. Trees. A lot of trees. I didn’t exactly go exploring. I just tried fitting in around here.”

That had been relatively easy, right up until the confrontation with the gang leader with a short fuse. “If somehow, they know who or what I am, we’re in bigger trouble than you could imagine. They won’t stop looking if that’s the case.”

Not with a plentiful bounty on her head and the entirety of the Sene Seekers looking for her.

“We need to be off of this world in less than 24 hours. It’s not safe to stay, and not just because of the gang.”

Eira was absolutely certain that she would be deemed ‘beyond redemption.’ That meant she was fair game for execution upon identification by either the Seekers, or a bounty hunter. Her value was as high alive as it was dead, thus discretion as to her fate was left to the would-be captors.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Eira Sjona"]

He frowned for a moment.

Not just because of the gang? People were coming after her, that much was clear. What had she done? Killed someone or just used those odd little power of her out of turn. He frowned for a moment, glanced down at the road and then quickly made a decision.

”There's a speeder down there.” A plan was beginning to form in his mind.

It wasnt a very good one admittedly, but she said they needed to be out of here In under twenty four hours, waiting outside in the woods wouldn't exactly get that done. They had very few options, and the ones they did have were more dangerous than he cared for. Still, it was either be reckless or get killed at the hands of some savage thugs. Val had always preferred having things his own way.

”We take it.” Maybe leave some credits for whomever they were stealing from. ”Drive it straight into the star port and head for the closest ship we can find.”

The plan was terrible, but it was the only one he could come up with.