Private When the Night is Still Young

[Conn Dagorian]

Madalena Antares

Conn could not really believe it at first. A people who had no planet, and refused to take one that belonged to someone else? Who freed worlds from oppression, and didn't occupy them? Conn had been intrigued by the concept, it was so contrary to the way of the galaxy for millennia. Sure, the name could be misleading, if simply overheard in conversation. Agents of Chaos, when he first heard the term, made Conn think of disorder, confusion and mayhem. What he learned later was that the Agents provided just the opposite. Peace and the opportunity for a planet to exist in its own right. That was something the weary mercenary could get behind, it was something he would fight for. Not that he just hopped a transport to the Unknown Region the next day. But after time, and enough Holonet stories on the myriad of struggles across the galaxy, Conn did indeed hop on that transport. And when that ship came out of hyperspace in front of Scintilla, Conn finally could see it was all true.

Neither did Eve disappoint. A brand spanking new city, relatively speaking, the interior of Eve's sphere was like being on a planet. A nice one. Finding a semi-affordable hotel room was not difficult, though employment would had to be found to keep from having to find housing in the few, but less savory parts of Eve. He intended to work. He intended to become one of them. Not just a citizen of Eve, but a member of the Agents, of the people and machinations that put ideology to action. The next day, Conn would find out where to start. Maybe at the impressive building they called The Tower. But that night was for settling in after a long trip to the Unknown Region in tight shipboard quarters. The attendant at the front desk (a living being, and not a droid, for once in his life), was happy to point the way to the district where Conn could get a good, real meal and a drink.

As he walked the streets and rode the transports, Conn discerned a strange camaraderie among the people of Eve, like everyone just showed up at once, and everyone was your neighbor. Weird, but very helpful to a newcomer. In the Gasartobi Entertainment District, Conn dined at a Core-Style dinner, then, strolled the colorfully lit streets looking for a place to down a few good drinks before bringing his night to a close. There were a lot of classy bars and clubs, and Conn chose one randomly.

A bit more upscale than the dives he had been frequenting at spaceports recently, the bar was clean and adorned with subtle but multi-hued lights. He fit in fairly well, if slightly under dressed in dark pants and a black tee shirt with a light leather jacket. Sliding into a stool at the bar, he was greeted by yet another non-droid server. The bartender, a green-skinned Mirialan, offered a smile and took his order for a Ryll beer. With a sigh, Conn's hand slid into his pocket and pulled out a small metal object. It was a disc with small symmetrical square protrusions. It looked as if it was a part to a larger object. He turned it over in his hand as he looked up to the room at large.

 

[Madalena Antares]

Conn Dagorian

Madalena Antares did not normally attend places like this on her own. That was a joy reserved for her sister. When Maddy attended, it was usually with a group of people, constantly surrounded by friends and friendly faces. Tonight, however, had been different.

The woman who formerly led the Wild Hunt of the Agents of Chaos and had since become the Aspect of Death, had decided to go for a walk earlier that evening, and had found herself in the entertainment district. She'd watched a holoflick, getting her fingers oily with popcorn and nachos, and had then gone for another stroll, somehow finding herself in this random bar.

Some of the bar's patrons were playing a game. Madalena wasn't completely certain how, but she ended up joining the game of Sabaac.

It was clear though that the longer she sat there, the more stares she was getting. These were not combatants at the table, nor were they people who were actually involved. They were civilians, who did not know what had happened. Why her face looked the way that it did.

It wasn't even that long ago since the invasion of Ryloth, during which Madalena had somehow managed to jump into another dimension to destroy the Altar of Spirits, that had blown up in her unprotected face, causing it to quite literally, fall off. The skin she wore now was the very same, after needing two medical science experts to put it back there as well as the involvement of the Force.

But the changes had not stopped there. The scars that adorned her face, making it look as though it was made of magma in between the less damaged pieces of skin, sometimes glowed or flared up with a strange inner light. She'd also started opening rifts to different dimensions, always seeing invisible threads upon her skin trying to reach those other dimensions. And her eyes… When she lost control, the glow of her green eyes was completely replaced with glowing white orbs.

So yes, things had definitely changed for her in recent times.

She looked up at one of the blokes across from her, whom she spotted eying the damage to her face, and grinned.

"You should get uhh… Some make up for that." the man mumbled when he caught on to how she was looking at him.

In response, Madalena inhaled, focusing on the red lines of her face and neck for a moment, letting the light and glow emit from them for a handful of seconds.

"Are you sure?" she purred.

She'd recently found herself longing for a fight. And she had no qualms about getting it off the poor unfortunate soul.

 

[Conn Dagorian]

Madalena Antares

His eye caught a group around a table playing sabaac. There was an occasional crescendo of voices from the players, and from those gathering to watch. Movement at the corner of his eye swung his attention back to the barkeep as she arrived. The bottle of beer appeared before him, the barkeep offering a smile before leaving him to his drink. Conn looked again at the object in his hand, tapping it pensively against the top of the bar. Then he downed a swig of the ale. A deep sigh helped cleanse his mind, recently filled with uncertainty and keeping regret at bay.

The object in his hand was once the pommel of a light sabre. His light sabre. It was all he was permitted to keep after his excommunication from the Jensaarai. Well, Conn didn't particularly ask to keep it, he simply took it. He wasn't sure why. But he seemed to have it on him all the time, a painful reminder of his failure. He tucked the troublesome part back into his pocket, turning again to the sabaac table when the voices spiked again. There was a new player.

She was remarkable, for reason Conn couldn't pinpoint. The obvious aspect of the new player was her features. A pretty face criscrossed with deep scars, like the cracked surface of a parched dirt flat, or the texture of cooled lava. He thought perhaps she was a species with which he was not familiar, or maybe a cross-breed. But the flesh of her arms were as smooth as any humans. Yeah, that made her stand out. But Conn was not convinced it was more than her mere appearance.

He could overhear the conversation at the table. Some fool made a comment about the woman's appearance. It was rude, he expected better manners from someone in that level of establishment. But the woman didn't whither under the hurtful comment. Oh, no, she silenced him quickly. The subtle glow that began to emanate from the deep scars made her appear even more like a sea of magma, cool on top, fiery beneath. Her voice was like silk wrapped around the edge of a vibroknife as she breathed her reply. Conn's suspicions were very much confirmed. That woman was much, much more than she appeared.

Conn had turned his back to the bar to watch, elbows resting on it as he continued to enjoy his drink. The bar didn't seem like the kind of place a fight would break out, but if one did, he was definitely choosing the side she was on.