Shelter, Purpose, Redemption (Midnight)

[AvalonsGuardian]

A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away...

Millenia from now, historians will refer to the period as the time of the Old Republic. For those involved in it, it is a time of great conflict. Mandalorian clans clamor for war and glory beyond Republic territory. Even within the Republic, factions vie for power and control, to say nothing of the evil that stirs elsewhere. The Jedi are purported to be Guardians of peace and justice, but they are stretched thin, and hard pressed to present an answer to the turmoil that seems a fact of daily life in the galaxy.

Even on Coruscant, the capitol world of the Republic, and home to one of the major Jedi Temples, the levels of the underworld are rife with corruption, crime, and suffering. It is enough to make it virtually impossible to sense everything that is happening on the planet, even for the more powerful Jedi masters. More than one agent of the Sith has taken advantage of this to strike into the heart of the Republic. It also makes it a perfect place for those looking to be lost, if they seek or are willing to brave a planet rife with Republic Soldiers and jedi.

And it is here that our story begins.​

 

[Midnight]

Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion

He awoke with a start as the words echoed in his mind, again, as his dreams turned to the events that had unfolded weeks before. Violet eyes flashed open and he drew a gasping breath of air as the illusion of that man's mask leapt at him from the fog in his dreams, his body jolting out of the closest thing to real rest he had in the past couple of days. It was far from the first time this had happened as well. Nearly every time he tried to close his eyes his troubled mind would not let him forget his betrayal and his cowardice. He woke up with a gasp, struggling not to make too much nose that might attract attention to his little hideaway, or worse, unconsciously pull on the ethereal tethers surrounding him and put a hole in another hideout.

The young male bolted upright, barely missing the low ceiling of his temporary abode in a cold sweat, his left hand clutching at his chest and his right in the mass of fabric he had been using as a blanket. He took a moment to calm himself, trying his best to tuck away the fear that made his eyes water and his heart hammer in his chest, trying to work the emotion into a more useful one while his eyes searched every visible corner of his current home. He was tucked into the far side of the surprisingly spacious cavity he had discovered a little more than a week ago, feeling more secure with the low ceiling than he ever had with what amounted to a sky on this planet looming over his head. "Bolthole" was in fact an apt descriptor for his home, and really it was perfect for his purposes, though lacking in any form of amenity most sentient considered critical to a "modern life". It was a space that had been forgotten for who knows how long, perhaps once an alleyway that no longer served a purpose or just filler space between the roots of the layers overhead. The odd internal shape and crisscrossing pipes made this veritable urban cavern where only someone slender and apt at climbing and leaping could reach. The hideaway had a couple branching paths, a few hidden exits, and a single viable entrance, the elevation and claustrophobic crawls made him hesitate to fully explore the space, as the potential of discovering the lair of one of Coruscant's nastier denizens was always a present threat.

From my Passion, I gain Strength

He pulled his thoughts inwards, channeling that left over fear into something more useful, reaching out with the Force and pulling inward with one centering breath before opening his eyes again and forcefully banishing the spectre of exhaustion from his mind. The flare of passion, of anger was all it took, and a rub from his dirty hands was sufficient to clear his vision. In the sunless depths of Coruscant's underworld, it was impossible to tell the time. Over the weeks he had spent here even his biological sense of time was faltering. He had slept whenever he could find somewhere marginally safe, or when his tired body simply couldn't go on any longer, carrying himself as far away from where he had fallen as possible. He had heard the speeder crash some distance and some time away from where he had himself hit the ground, thankful in at least one of that man's teachings for not being reduced to a human splatter after falling who knows how far into the depths of this duracrete labyrinth. He gritted his teeth, squinting into the darkness long enough to find the soft sphere he had stolen from a neighboring vagrant. He was still here... he could feel it, the bond was week, but his dark presence was unmistakable after all these years, something he would likely never forget. He had spent days fleeing from that very presence, hiding while it waxed, and trying to survive as it waned, and even now... He hesitated once he found the sphere, squeezing it to illuminate his surroundings and begin his new daily routine.

He briefly hesitated leaving his relatively comfortable little nest, shivering and looking up above him, listening for movement or the ever-present thrum of machinery. This far from the surface, it seemed this planet hat two temperatures, it was either unpleasantly hot or cripplingly cold. The young male took a moment to let his warm breath wash over his hands before leaving his bedding and reaching out to touch the metal portion of the wall next to where he had been trying to sleep. Cold. He had always assumed that this meant it was daytime in the layers above, and took it as incentive to shift about in his little lair, finally pulling out of his bedding and dragging his cloak out and wrapping the heavy fabric around his body. His clothing, or what could be called clothing before the crash was almost totally useless, and he had long since discarded his black and crimson robes for much more civilian tatters, easily swiping some nondescript items off someones clothesline on the way to his hideout. His cloak was the only item he had kept, the solid black armorweave was both sturdy and warm, the same black fabric that might turn aside a blow from a lightsaber or bolt from a blaster providing sufficient insulation against the cold winds that occasionally swept through the small passage he called home. Wrapped in the cloak was his only other notable possession, the curved blade that he quickly tucked away into a belt hidden under his shirt.

From my Strength, comes my Power

He had grown up on the streets on a planet not unlike Coruscant, where the night sky and beautiful stars were obscured by towering buildings and local wildlife was subjugated by sentients, a human-dominated word much like this one, though one not under the aegis of the republic, much less one of its core worlds. It was there that he honed skills that kept him alive in situations like this, and it was there where his Master had found him and his life got so much more complicated. Compared to the searing heat of Korriban or the unpleasant cold of deep space, Coruscant with its artificial heat and light wasnt as unpleasant as it could be above the first hundred layers or so. Down here though, it seemed to vary, rampant effects from above created storms of moisture and gusts of cold wind that the twilighters had long grown accustomed to evading, a perverse reflection of natural phenomenon that the young Sith had not quite learned to navigate. His skills were rusty, and as he checked the bundle of packaging that he had previously kept whatever food he had managed to steal or scavenge whatever meager amount he could consider his breakfast was the last of his supply.

It was time to go out again, a thought that put a frown onto a dirty face. Coruscant was indeed the perfect place for one who wanted to be lost to be lost, but it held its dangers. Coruscant was the home of the enemy, of both the decaying republic as well as their watchdogs. Master had told him much about the Jedi and he had even got to see them with his own eyes before the blaster fire that struck their speeder kicked him overboard. He had been told without any lack of certainty that if he were discovered he was to take his own blade to his throat before they could interrogate or execute him in the event he was not separated. With the tone his master had taken he also held no doubt that he would have driven his own blade through his apprentice's heart than risk his capture. He slowly shifted and moved to exit his lair, checking to make sure no one was watching before using the Force to pull a heavy metal crate over and dropping down atop of it.

With my Power, I achieve Victory

This day continued as almost all of them did - with the Sith runaway slinking out into the city streets. Even wrapped in his black cloak he still managed to draw eyes, potential informants or attackers, ignoring the headache that rose from the stress of suspecting every two legged being that rose and slowly reciting the Code under his breath, trying to bring to himself a measure of control. His days as a street rat were long behind him, and his skills were rusty, through more than six hours, he realized his luck was waning, and as he returned home, dejected and cursing his luck, with only a couple small nutrient bars to call his spoils he slunk back towards his 'home'.

What he didn't realize were how rusty those lifesaving street skills were, or that his day was about to get much, much worse. Exhausted, hungry, and angry, he was too focused on feeling for that venomous darkness that he missed much more mortal sources of danger and blundered into what he would in mere moments realize was a trap.

Through my Victory, the Chains that bind me are broken.

"Hey there."

He had been in the middle of examining the packaging when he heard the slimy-sounding and heavily accented basic coming from his right. He had not noticed the figure standing just out of his field of vision, lying in ambush at the intersection just before the street that held his refuge and had just enough time to snap his vision up to the scaled being before he launced into action. His attacker acted much more quickly than the young male could react, and before he could reach for the blade hidden behind the small of his back he found both of his wrists grasped by rough clawed hands and his startled cry was silenced. In that moment, there was only confusion! He could sense the ill-will that began to seep from the shadows, but this person, this thing was almost an empty spot in the force. How?! He cursed loudly in his native tongue and brought his eyes to bare on his attacker, glancing to the left and to the right. They had been waiting for him.

"What do we have here" The apprentice opened his mouth to speak and was hastily silenced with a third clawed hand latching around his mouth. He had no idea where the fourth was. He was lifted bodily into the air and pulled away from the intersection, into one of the blind and poorly lit alleys nearby. His smaller frame made him easy for the alien to lift, and he could have easily thrown him over his shoulder. His struggles weren't much appreciated at all either, as the bestial creature slammed his catch into the wall once he arrived in the abandoned corner, blurring his vision and earning a pained groan.

There was three of them, two humans and... the thing that was grappling him. The apprentice's eyes snapped up to the creature - he was humanoid, save for two extra arms and scaly skin, a species that he didn't recognize at all, a reptilian face and a sneer pasted onto a snout filled with very sharp teeth.

"Told ya we had a new twilighter on our turf" One of the much more human voices bubbled forth, dry-sounding, but human. "Fresh looking one at that" The eyes of the alien's captive darted left, then right. He hadnt even been given a chance to talk his way out of his situation, and the malicious intent was clear on the reptilian alien's face. One of the men had already unwrapped one of the nutrient bars and was only silent because he was ferociously devouring it, the other had since tucked his own prize into his belt.

The Force will set me Free

"We Do indeed" snarled the alien. "Filching our food, living in our streets" His eyes had a hunger to them that deeply unnerved the young sith. "Like a Rat" It was painfully clear that this was no shakedown. These men were clearly from a local gang, well known for their brutality in attacking twilighters "You look like you came from the surface, or maybe you are a refugee. Shame you came all the way down here just to meet ME" The alien grinned. "You know... food isnt all that common down here in the underlevels, you cant just have it for free. Unless you catch your own" the threat was pretty explicit. "That leaves me with a decision though, doesn't it"

For the second time in the day, the sith runaway narrowed his eyes and focused. He was not going to let this thug threaten him any more. He channeled his fear into anger, and despite his exhaustion began to call on the force. The twinge of darkness surrounded him in that poorly lit allyway, and none of the three thugs seemed to notice the rustling and rattling of nearby objects while their potential victim began to draw on that fear and burgeoning hatred. He had been freed mere weeks before by the Force, and in this situation he knew the Force would free him once more. The similar ice-cold sensation of the dark side began to gather around him, an unmistakable pressure... unstable but terrifyingly strong.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

There is no Emotion, there is Peace.

Mornings like this, returning to the code was the sort of reminder that she needed. Her dreams had been troubled, restless. While she'd had the sense to avoid checking the chrono whenever she woke in the middle of the night, now there was no avoiding it. No time to be retreating back into bed. She had her routine, and by and large, she stuck to it, despite the fact that there was currently no one looking over her shoulder. If she was lucky, things would stay that way. Shower, breakfast, meditation. Today, though, she decided to start with meditation. She often did when her sleep was troubled. It helped for her to reflect back upon it. Vivid purple eyes, and such fury! Supposedly, the Jedi, some Jedi could foresee the future. She doubted she had any such ability.

Her apartment was her home away from home, which was to say, away from the Jedi temple. Her belongings were relatively meager, and it was at times hard to keep it paid off, but it was worth having somewhere that was entirely hers. Her master knew about it, but as best she could tell, no one else did. It was small, one cramped bedroom, one cramped bathroom, and a cramped kitchen. She ate where she slept where she worked, but it possessed the greatest thing of all. It was cheap. She rarely traveled, her master usually opting to leave her behind when he departed (despite her having proved herself several times over) but she imagined it wasn't unlike what life in a starship would be like.

Once she was clean, fed, and dressed (grey, concealing robes, worn by refugees, aliens, hermits, and criminals, but never the preferred color of the Jedi order), she could set out onto the streets. Down here, as far as everyone needed to know, she was just another citizen. The lightsaber she carried was more likely than not an anomaly, but that was tucked away securely in her boot, out of sight, and the blasters on her hip were not a bit out of place down here.

There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge.

That was one thing she would never understand about the Jedi Order. They preached knowledge, understanding, and yet how could they claim knowledge of even their planet from the temple on the surface? Down here, in the lower levels of Coruscant, it was an entirely different world. Arani had never claimed to be a particularly ideal Jedi, and she knew that the sentiment was one shared by many (though they were too polite to ever say as much to her). Here, though, among the teeming masses, she could understand. It was impossible to know, to really know what you were fighting for without seeing it for yourself. So she had an apartment down here that she dwelled in as much as possible, and she walked the streets. She watched, she listened, she talked.

Perhaps the Force did not speak to her as directly as it did some, but she didn't need it to. It guided her to people, and people to her, and provided her with all the information she could ever need.

There is no Passion, there is Serenity.

She didn't have a particular destination in mind as she left her apartment complex. The turbolift seemed the natural next stop (or the nearest one anyway). Then she could hop a few levels, get out, and continue walking. This district was entertainment, and it catered to everyone. No matter what your idea of entertainment was or how questionably legal it might be, they had it here. Gambling, fighting, gaming, drinking, smoking, lust, greed, gluttony, or otherwise. She kept her head down as she walked, but her senses were sharp, sharper thanks to the force. It was through them that she realized the man next to her was intent on killing someone over some gambling loss. The fury, she knew, would fade in time, but quickly enough to save a life? Perhaps not.

She could not claim any sort of immunity from emotion, nor could most Jedi. She was only human, and felt such things as strongly as most. The difference was that she made an effort to control them, not to be controlled by them. She didn't always succeed, and she didn't always try as hard as she might have, but she never said she was perfect. Pride was something else she had to work to tame, but how could she not be proud of her own talents, her skills? She'd worked hard to develop them. Turning off into a side alley she knew well enough, she tossed the holdout blaster that she had lifted from the man, rather confident he'd have a harder time murdering someone without it. Guardians drew their strength from...well, strength, and Consulars from the force, but she followed in the footsteps of her master as a Sentinel. She could not match a Guardian blade-to-blade, and a Consular could knock her off her feet with the force, but her talents were subtler, more deftly applied, and they served her just as well. The Jedi could not condone theft, but every credit, every item stolen from those who would do harm weakened them, and in turn, strengthened those who would fight them.

There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.

Today she had no grand heists planned, nor did any of her contacts seem to have anything to inform her about. It was difficult for a Padawan to establish an information network on Coruscant. Beyond the obvious logistical problems, she was never entirely sure who would ferry information to people she didn't want to have it. Still, she had a few she could trust, and they'd done well by her so far. Her feet carried her instead to a balcony overlooking a shopping plaza, ringed by neon lights and already swarming with people looking to purchase goods of every kind. To think, this wasn't even the district with the most shopping around! She leaned against the railing (after making sure it would support her weight) and closed her eyes, opening herself to the force.

It was chaotic. No, not chaotic, it was just crowded. So many lives, all with their own worries, passions and hopes. If she was stronger in the force, would this deafen her? She did not blame the masters for being unable to penetrate the cacophony of life that permeated the city, even just one level of it. She was young, true, but she could hardly begin to make sense of any of it! Instead, she took a deep breath, drawing back her consciousness. She could not tell what was happening a block away, but if she was careful, she could sense some things close by. Better still was to let focus on it passively, where it could inform her without overwhelming her. A spike of anger or confidence could indicate an attack, though such things were much easier to predict somewhere quieter. Here in the crowd, it would be hard to tell if someone was pointing a blaster at her skull until they pulled the trigger.

Too much information, too much noise. There was nothing here that she needed to buy, and no one here of interest. Not to her, anyway. Doubtless, somewhere here there was some good that she could be doing, but it would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Trying to slip through a crowd, or going back past the glitzy casinos and scantily clad street girls of the entertainment district did not appeal to her. So she'd go somewhere quieter. Turbolifts weren't the only way to travel between levels, of course, they were just the fastest. She wasn't in a hurry, though, with no pressing engagements. Time passed, minutes, hours. She walked purposefully, with her head down. Her robes were frayed just enough to make it look like she had nothing worth taking, and she had long since mastered the look of someone who knew where they were and where they were going.

Gangers loved nothing more than a lone, lost target with creds, after all.

Arani stopped short and blinked, glancing slowly around the street she was on. Empty. Suspiciously so. That wasn't what bothered her, though, it was something...she couldn't quite describe. She felt the force, strongly, nearby. Perhaps her wanderings hadn't been so random after all. It brought her to the mouth of an alley, dimly lit and largely uninteresting (and unclean). Ah, a shakedown. Or maybe a murder?

Three figures, two human, or close to, and one not. There wasn't much more she could make out in the lighting, but it was pretty clear they had someone up against the wall. She'd seen similar scenes play out plenty of times before. Sometimes they ended with blood, sometimes they didn't. Rarely did they ever involve someone who felt so strongly in the force, however. It was alien, and dark. It was the sort of feeling that sensible people got as far away from as quickly as possible. Objects rattling in the alley, gathering energy of the dark side, and-

Purple eyes. She caught a glimpse, just for a moment, but there was no mistaking the violent irises of the scrawny figure pinned up against the wall. It was all she could do to suppress a gasp as the memory of last night's dream came flooding back. The purple-eyed youth was powerful, dangerously so, and while the gangers definitely had something coming to them, being torn apart in a dark alley was a fate even they maybe didn't deserve.

She made not a sound as she glided around the corner, into the mouth of the alley, black leather peeking out from beneath her robes as she drew one of her blasters. Shooting opponents in the back wasn't generally a part of the Jedi playbook, but since none of those gathered here were interested in playing by their rules, she didn't see a reason she needed to, either. Her master need not find out. It only took a few steps before she was confident she was in range, and then she raised the weapon, squeezing the trigger and feeling the weapon jump in her hand.

At this range, it was impossible to miss, though anyone who was familiar with blasters would recognize the blue bolt that took the closest human in the side as a stun shot. There was no missing the report of the shot in the confines of the alley, so now that she was confident she had everyone's intentions...

"No sudden movements. Hands off the informant." Her voice was all cold steel, a promise lurking beneath that anyone who went for a weapon or tried anything stupid would be the next stunned, or, possibly, worse. "Our employer won't lose any sleep over a couple dead thugs." To emphasize the point, she flipped the blaster to lethal, edging slightly to the side to make sure she had a good shot on both of the two remaining gangsters. Despite the threat, she didn't really want to shoot either of the other two, but if they didn't comply, she knew that a threat was useless unless you were willing to follow through with it.

There is no Death, there is the Force.

That didn't mean she had to kill them, but kneecapping the big one would probably get the point across, if they didn't give her a choice. Or if the other human had a blaster. She couldn't be sure, but she did know that, with a little help from the force, she was a lot quicker than either of them. "You missed your check-in, Violet." She didn't know what else to call him, and coming up with something that sounded like a code-name was hard when also holding people at blaster-point. "Let's find somewhere quiet to talk."

She was taking a lot of risks. Now that they were distracted, would the youth strike? Even if they let him go, or he freed himself, would he have any interest in coming with her, or would he bolt? Or worse, attack her? No, the force guided her here, she had to trust that this was meant to happen. Or, if it wasn't, she was making it happen.

 

[Midnight]

He quite literally had his back against the wall, each of his arms clutched tightly enough in the clawed alien's grip tightly enough that he was beginning to lose sensation in his fingers. The situation was getting worse and worse. As exhausted as he was, he was unable to tell if the scaly monster was being genuine about his threat to turn him into a meal. If he didn't have a third clawed hand cupped firmly over his mouth. His fear and fury were building inside of him, pulling the force around him to disturb debris and make the temperature plummet. By the time Arani arrived, it almost seemed like the Force was beginning to crystallize, and the temperature was rapidly plummeting.

The thugs had not taken notice, however, it was already cold on that level, and at least two of them were too occupied to even notice the approaching stranger. The one who had noticed her was coincidentally the one who took the stun shot clean in the side, and he crumpled into a heap on the ground before the other thugs could even react. Certainly all eyes in that alley were now on her, including the violet eyes of the vagrant the scaly thug still had pinned up against the wall. The blaster shot certainly helped enhance her bluff and as the violet-eyed male turned his gaze back towards the alien holding them. The remaining human seemed convinced, but the alien seemed largely confused, his cold golden gaze calculating whether or not she was bluffing. He did not speak, only letting out a deep hiss, but during that moment of confusion his grip loosened.

That was all it took.

As soon as his grip loosened, the male that Arani called Violet acted. His hands clenched and the Force twisted around him. Those violet eyes narrowed dangerously while the opportunity to return his pain and fear become present - He could have escaped or even burst free, but something within him wouldn't let him... His attacker had to suffer. The scaly thug could only register surprise and pain as all four of his arms were violently grasped and twisted away. There was little finesse to such a nearly instinctive manipulation of the Force, but that was all that was needed, the invisible bonds looped and tightened, bones crunching while Violet's own hands dropped to his sides and his left fell under his cloak. Those violet eyes seemed to flash in the brief outpouring of the Dark Side, focusing his rage and hatred and nearly reflecting the alien thug's intent to kill. His hand fell under his cloak, into his robes, and left with his blade. His right stayed put, focusing the energies around him in locking ant twisting the limbs of his attacker together. On the outside, the weapon the human pulled looked like a fairly ordinary, but ornate dagger, with a bladed handguard to protect the user's knuckles from parrying blades. Such a puny knife would ordinarily inflict little damage to a tough-scaled alien, but as the violet-eyed force user would show, that was not the case. He gripped down onto the grip of the weapon as it leapt from the hidden holster and the sharp hum the weapon released was the first sign that that curved blade was much more than it appeared. Midway between his target the edge of the blade shifted to an angry red, a crimson outline that broadcast the fact that this little knife was a Vibroblade.

From his left hip to his right shoulder that blade made a single arc, the blade clutched in a reverse grip in his hand. It hardly resisted as it carved into an arm, and made a path through the alien's shoulder and into his neck. The slash was not accurate but certainly enough, the knife slicing through flesh, sinew and even bone with barely a stutter, leaving a vicious streak of red light between them. Master had always said lightsabers were not preferable weapons for Sith stating that they were inferior weapons to a proper blade. He had always preached this, from the day he had started teaching him how to hold one, so it was really no surprise that the Violet-eyed apprentice was given a vibroblade instead of a proper lightsaber. It certainly did its job, and the warm blood that splashed from the cut was a clear indicator of the brutal effectiveness of the weapon. This slash dropped his captor to the ground and freed him from his grasp, and the scraggly-looking vagrant turned his gaze onto the sole standing ganger. He wasn't sure if he had put enough intent to kill into his strike on the alien, but he was certainly disabled him, and whether he bled to death or not mattered little. He had killed before, that much was clear while he stepped away from the body, and for a brief moment that intent to kill was focused on the survivor.

The surviving thug, unlike his brutal leader or his other human friend, who was lying in a thoroughly stunned heap, had no intention of continuing to be antagonistic after seeing both of his comrades dealt with in the space of such little time. By the time the reptilian alien was on the ground gurgling and sputtering he had already loosed his blaster holster from his body, dropping it to the ground with the blaster still firmly in it. By the time Violet was able to settle his vision on the man, the pale thug had already lifted his hands into the air and turned partly away, white as a sheet. It wasn't surprising, they thought they were jumping an unarmed vagrant, and the female's proclamation had sold thanks to the blaster shot that knocked his human compatriot unconscious and sizzling. He had not even managed to finish the Nutribar, which stuck out of his mouth like a convenient gag.

"Violet" spent precious little time re-holstering his weapon and taking several uneasy steps towards his rescuer, not even giving a glance to the gurgling alien on the ground. He stumbled as he tried to make a little more distance from his dying attacker, sending a deathglare towards the remaining thug before focusing his vision once more on his rescuer. Slowly his thoughts returned from that fuzzy state of fury that they had been before, long enough for a bit of suspicion to rise. He was not terribly interested in looking a gift rescue in the mouth, but she was still armed and pointing her blaster, and even though his senses were dulled by his exhaustion he could feel the force around her. As he stepped toward her his own appearance became more clear - he did not look well - he was thin, battered, and looked like had not slept in days, the shadow of his long, tangled black hair doing little to hide the dark rings around those piercing eyes. His dirty clothes did not dispel the illusion of a vagrant either. He turned to address her, closing his eyes for a moment and took in a breath to calm himself while he approached, unsure of how exactly to approach her. "Yes..." he muttered. "Somewhere quie-" and he cut off there.

The sensation he felt was like an icy cold hand running down his back. He knew exactly what that sensation meant; he had taken a risk bending the force like that, and in his anger had not thought that would have been enough. His heart rose into his throat as what warmth he had was sucked out of his body. His eyes widened and despite his covering of dirt he actually managed to pale. He had been detected. Perhaps she could feel it too, and might realize the reason for the horror that crept over his features, as well as the reason he quickly stepped up to and then past her, only blurting out a hasty. "ImSorryIneedToGoRightNow" It did feel like someone or something even more potent than he was had cast their gaze over that little ally, and through his bond he felt him - Master was near. True to her appraisal, he was bolting, though the direction he took indicated that he was not attempting to flee from her. At this point he didnt care if she followed him, he was too focused on using whatever vestiges of his concentration that remained to suppress his presence.

He didnt make it very far - between the burning pain from being slammed into a wall, the continued exhaustion from malnourishment and lack of sleep finally cought up with him. He managed to put less than a block of distance from where he had been attacked before his legs buckled from underneath them and he fell onto the cold duracrete ground, panting and trying to quell the pounding of his heart in his chest.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

The entire encounter was balanced on a knife's edge, there was no denying that. Now that she had shifted slightly, she could tell that the human thug who was still on his feet was packing a blaster. Possibly her robes would catch a shot, more likely it would burn straight through. So what, she she could drop him, but if the lizard was fast, he could be on her before she could get a second shot off, and Violet didn't look like he was in any condition to lend aid. The smart thing to do was probably to just shoot both of them, but she really didn't want to leave three unconscious gangsters in an alley. Already she had forsaken subtlety more than she'd like, but sitting by and watching wasn't something she could do in good conscience.

Particularly not after the dream she'd had the night before.

The human didn't seem like he was going to be trouble, at least. She had a bitch of a time picking out emotions from people in the crowded city, but this area, at least, was much less crowded. She was mostly getting...confusion? No outpouring of anger that she would anticipate would preface an attack, at least. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but the anger wasn't coming from him, it was coming from his captive. She had hoped that by interrupting the event, she would stave off whatever dark side energy was swirling about the violet-eyed boy like a hurricane, but it seemed she had no such luck.

So now what was she supposed to do? She didn't want to draw attention to him, and yelling at him to stop probably wasn't going to do anything. This wasn't the sort of thing that she'd been trained for, and she had zero experience trying to talk down malnourished Dark Jedi. Though the violet-eyed boy hardly fit the bill. More than likely just some street kid with an affinity for the Force. She felt the Force, and then saw the flesh of a blade being drawn. It was a nice knife, a weapon that she might have, in any other context, have admired. Not surprising that he carried it (everyone down here probably carried something), but she had set this entire thing up to try to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. So much for that idea. Some part of her registered that the weapon was a vibroblade as it flickered to life, and all the more dangerous for it. Most of her was worried about trying to contain the situation.

In her estimation, the biggest threat to a peaceful resolution (which, to be fair, had perhaps gone out the door when she'd shot one of the thugs in the back) was now the knife-wielding captive. She watched in horror as he effortlessly carved a line through his captor's body, blood spilling freely, though it perhaps paled compared to how the alien's arms were twisted back by the force, bones cracking beneath the pressure. Her finger tightened over the trigger, for a brief moment, and only remembering that she'd flicked the weapon to a lethal setting kept her from putting a bolt in the Violet-eyed boy. She was too curious about him to shoot him down in an alleyway now, however frustrated she was that he'd just stabbed someone. Was it justified? Maybe. It was possible that he was going to die, but it was equally possible he hadn't been. Either way, she'd had the situation close to being under control!

Either way, the ganger hit the ground in a pool of his own blood, dead or soon to be, if she had to guess. The other one had more sense, dropping his blaster and turning his back. After double checking to make sure that he wasn't looking, she used the force to pull the holster to her hand, careful that it didn't make too much noise. She didn't have time to saunter over to relief him of it, but nor did she want to betray herself as a force user more than she had to. As long as there was doubt in the human's mind as to whether she was or not, she'd take it. She tucked the blaster away, intent on tossing it later. Her other hand held steady all the while, though, blaster still leveled in Violet's direction. He was a threat now, and while he did put away his weapon, she wasn't yet sure what to make of him. How far she could trust him. Anything, really.

For the first time, at least, she got a good look at him, something that cut both ways. Most of her figure was still concealed beneath her robes, but her skin was pale (something not uncommon on Coruscant, particularly to those who didn't live on the surface) and her hair dark, albeit pulled back right now to keep it out of the way. The kid looked like a mess, not likely to be able to take her in a fight. Then again, she would have said the same thing sizing him up against the alien he'd just laid out. She did lower her arm, slightly, but her blaster stayed close at hand, clearly not ready to trust either him or the remaining gang member just yet. He was a Force user, and whatever her dream might have meant, blind faith was never sensible. Right, now they definitely needed to have a talk. Well maybe after-

She didn't feel it as strongly as him, likely, but she couldn't miss it, not standing right beside him. If asked to identify it, she'd not be able to, but she didn't really need to. She knew it was bad. There was no guarantee it was connected to what he had just done, or even to him, but it seemed too much of a stretch to think it was just coincidence that it had struck after she had rescued him. If nothing else, she knew it wasn't coming from him, which meant that even if he wasn't the purest heart out there, something worse was...hopefully not nearby. "Hey!" She was not done with him! Before she departed, she shouted over her shoulder for the surviving gang member to see after his friend. She couldn't say whether he'd live, or if the gang member would even want to keep him alive, but she couldn't save every life.

As far as Violet was concerned, he (fortunately) didn't make it far. She didn't even really have to strain herself (or call upon the force) to keep up with him. Half-unconscious on the ground, she was reasonably certain that he wasn't going to stab her.

She was pretty sure she had something for this...ah, there it was! Holstering her blaster, along with her newly acquired one, which she strapped on beneath her robe, she drew a stimpack, crouching down at his side. This wasn't going to help his heart-rate at all, which hopefully didn't pop, but if whatever she had just felt was attracted to the dark power he had just used, they needed to make some distance. This particular concoction had some painkillers and some stimulants, and she was reasonably certain it would at least let him power through his exhaustion for a few hours. If she really had to, she could probably keep him going longer, but it wasn't an actual cure for what ailed him. They pushed it too far, he'd just tear himself apart. For now, they'd have to take the risk.

"On your feet. Long walk to my place." She was stronger than she looked and he was lighter than he looked. To start with, she'd pull him to his feet and drape his arm around her neck, half-carrying and half-dragging him away. If he wanted to stab her, this was going to be the time, but she had to take the risk. "Count yourself lucky." She muttered. "Guys would kill to get invited back to my place." Okay, closest turbolift. They needed the fastest way back to her place, and hoofing it was not going to cut it. On the bright side: he didn't have any wounds on him. Anyone who saw them would probably just assume she was escorting a drunk home. She hoped.

Even with the stimulants, it was very possible that most of the journey would be a blur for 'Violet'. They'd keep him on his feet and stumbling, but there was a big difference between that and true alertness. At the least, the initial leg of the journey would be lost, more likely than not. The more time they had to cycle into his bloodstream, the more likely he was to actually come to enough to pay attention. Whether or not he was cognizant of it, the dingy alleys and deserted streets would gradually give way to moderate crowds and cleaner, if not particularly nice buildings. Packed together, built to a blueprint en masse, but they didn't look like a place where you'd get thrown into an alley more than once a month. Which was an improvement.

At some point, too, she took the liberty of divesting him of his blade, though in his state, such an act was even more likely than normal to go unnoticed, at least until later. She hadn't shot him, at least as of the time she dragged him through the front door of her apartment, which counted for something. It wasn't really set up to receive guests, and she didn't want him on her bed, but she had a chair she could prop him up on. "You still alive?"

 

[Midnight]

He did not resist her as she approached him. He could have drawn his weapon, yes, but he also knew she was armed and that there was no way he could protect himself from a blaster shot at this range, especially exhausted as he was. He was still gripped with fear when she approached him; the heavy pressure of his master was drawing closer and his legs simply did not have the strength to carry him away from the growing pressure. Luckily he was about to get some help, and the sharp sting his exhausted senses registered was followed by the nearly explosive burst of energy from the stimulants flooding his system. Really it was a good thing that she had found him when she did, that burst of activity was all he had left, and with the stims he was at least able to stand with her help, moving further and further away from the presence he was dreading.

The trip was pretty much a blur to him; he did not react to any of the sights or sounds along the way, his dulled eyes only occasionally drifting to the sides and he only spoke to mumble absolute nonsense as she half-carried him to the turbolift. Certainly whatever he had decided he needed to get away from was worth tearing himself apart to avoid. He was not going back, not after having so narrowly claimed his freedom. Back when he had more sense he had even devised a plan should his master find him again... If it came down to it he would rather die than be taken back into servitude to his master. Arani might be able to piece at least some of this together from his nearly exhausted muttering, but not likely anything important. In nearly every shadow he saw the metallic mask of his master, not helping at all with his heart-rate. Through whatever stroke of luck that he had though, none of those images were real, and soon enough he was escorted to the insides of a cozy little apartment in a substantially nicer district.

It took him a full moment to recognize Arani's question for him, practically falling into the seat she had provided for him as his limbs were once again starting to get heavy. "Barely" It took a moment for 'Violet' to respond, but he stated his response plainly to the his rescuer's question after which he leaned forward and used his hands to brace his head. The nameless twilighter took the moment of calm to try his best to recollect himself, putting his thoughts in order and very briefly recalling what had happened before. Once he had finally caught his breath he lifted his forehead from his palms to level those violet eyes at his rescuer, tilting his head to get a better look at her. He barely recalled any of their journey, but did at least remember this same person as the one who had assisted him in escape from the thugs in the alleyway in the deep layer that he had been previously trying to live.

Trying was certainly the key word there, he was not doing well, and he certainly did look the part of a homeless twilighter who had not gotten enough sleep. The dark circles around his eyes clearly communicated that, and underneath his dirty, loose and very likely stolen clothes he had lost quite a bit of weight since he had liberated himself from his master, the only artifact of his time as a sith apprentice the sturdy cloak that he still clung to as he sat in that chair. Some clarity returned to his mind after he gave himself some time to recollect, letting his hammering heart slow despite the drugs and letting the seething fury that had previously been the only thing numbing him to fade now that he had the reliable cushion of drugs to fall back on. His hood had fallen back long before, and as he sat there in the chair shoulder-length black hair fell messily around his face, sticking in places thanks to the coat of cold sweat he seemed bathed in.

It took him another full minute to speak to her again, collecting himself enough that he was not just muttering incoherently. "Look" He began, a slight twinge of embarrassment rising in his chest, the burning in his face mostly sourced from being seen in such a lowly state. He did have a sense of pride, and it had been dragged through the mud along with the rest of him. "You didnt..." He couldn't find the words before he finally managed to convince himself to look up at her and swallow that pride long enough to acknowledge that she had saved his ass. He did not have that situation under control at all, a couple moments later and he would have had to lash out far worse. He sighed and finally gathered the will to say it. "Thank you for your help." He couldn't hide the almost dejected tone in his voice. He did not like to thank others, and that pride demanded of him that he think he was more in command than he was. For now, his gratitude was genuine though.

He decided to say nothing about her improvised cover story for him, and as exhausted as he was he had not even realized she was a force-user. He did not think she actually believed him to be some kind of informant even if he was likely a little more gullible than he would like at the time. Luckily for her his failure to realize that she was Jedi also meant that he was willing to let himself relax once he had finally decided he was safe. He could no longer feel the malevolant presence in the force following them... Master had lost his trail it seemed. His shoulders slowly lost their tension and he shifted forwards even more, the stimulants in his system still keeping him from passing out at least for the time being. He frankly was not aware of why she would step in and assist him when she had nothing to gain. Shortly after sincerely thanking her his attitude seemed to sour a little a bit, eyes deflecting and falling. "I do not have any credits or anything I can give you for helping me" He muttered the words. He was sincerely broke, and had spent what few chits he had on him long ago trying to buy overpriced food. He sighed heavily. "It... has not been a good week"

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Arani was mostly focused on trying to get Violet back to her apartment, preferably both intact and without drawing undue attention to themselves. Fortunately, Coruscant, at least this far down, was not awash with good Samaritans. The smart play for those who dwelt down here was simply not to get involved with business that didn't concern them. In this case, it meant that no one called either security or an ambulance, which suited her just fine. Either would raise questions she wasn't yet ready to answer, even if she herself would not likely land in trouble.

Still, it was impossible to overlook his muttering as they moved along, even if she only understood about half of what he was saying, and that half didn't entirely make sense to her. He seemed like he was running from something, she just could only start to guess what it was. The malevolent presence she had felt earlier filled in some of the blanks, but far from all of them. On the bright side, by the time she made it back to her own place, he had neither collapsed nor had his heart burst from the stimulants now coursing through his system, which she counted as a personal win. They had been selected around her own physiology, and while his wasn't that dissimilar, his malnourished state probably gave them a hell of a lot more kick to him.

Judging by the way he collapsed into the chair, even those wouldn't have kept him going much longer. Good thing he hadn't been any further from her place. In his state, she knew better than to try to pump him with another dose of the stimulants (not to mention, they weren't the cheapest, being designed for combat). Rest was what he needed now, along with a hot shower (assuming he didn't fall over and drown in there) and a meal. Despite the similarity of her residence to quarters on a starship, it could provide all three of those things, even if she'd be surrendering her bed in the process. Part of her was still wary of him, given his dark nature, but she was counting on his gratitude extending at least as far as not stealing back his knife and cutting her throat with it. Not that he was in any state to do that now, even if he were inclined to.

She threw down her own hood as he composed himself, revealing hair of a shade not unlike his, though she had it much neater, partially bound back and not quite as long. Her eyes were a brilliant, sapphire blue in contrast to his own violet ones, and she made little effort to hide the concern in them. He was alive and capable of response, at the least, which was good. The stimulants would probably keep him awake for a short while yet, though probably not completely alert, depending on just how exhausted he was. Her robes blocked a good view of most of the rest of her, for the moment, though here and there light skin and black material peeked out from beneath.

"You are welcome." A hesitant look slid onto her face for a moment, as the girl debated whether to bring up his knifing of the ganger. She decided against it, ultimately, intent on discussing it at some point, but probably after he was in a state more conducive to such talk. For now, he needed to recover, above all else. "I believe-...that is, I saw..." She sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. Let me start over. I am Arani. Arani Crowe." She introduced herself, giving a slight bow before straightening up. "And you are something of an enigma. But I get ahead of myself, again. Wait here a moment." Turning on her heel (with little excess of room, she was used to minimzing how much room she took up in her apartment), she disappeared into the bathroom.

A short few moments later, she re-emerged, approaching him once more. "For now, my home is open to you." She gestured, loosely, about them. "My suggestion is you start with a shower, and clean your clothes, but..." She offered a slight shrug, not going to dictate what he did, or indeed whether he was well enough to do much but slump in the chair and rest. "My only request is that you remain here long enough for us to talk, once you've recovered." She stipulated. Certainly Arani did not wish 'Violet' to feel like a prisoner in her home, but after going to all the trouble of rescuing him, she could hardly have him running off, not without getting some answers. Fortunately, the time it would take him to recover would likely ensure that they had plenty of time.

For the moment, she sauntered over to a nearby bench, recessed mostly into a wall, and most of her workspace. With her back turned to him, 'Violet' was deprived of the view of her robes opening, at least wide enough for her to remove her gunbelt and set it out on the workbench, along with his vibroknife. She didn't want him to feel as if she was trying to keep him disarmed, nor walking around armed herself. Of course, she still had her lightsaber on her, but that was mostly as she didn't want to alarm him by whipping it out. "Oh! And you could share your name." She added, turning to face him with a grin. "But Violet does have kind of a nice ring to it."

 

[Midnight]

The young man spent another moment in the chair he had been set down in, taking the moment that his rescuer left the room to draw in a deep breath to calm the swelling dizziness in his own head. The stims had not worn off yet, not at all, so he would not be able to sleep. Pass out... maybe... but not sleep. She had given him her name before she left at least, too. He did not look after her when she left, staring blankly at the wall opposite to him while she busied for those few short moments, only redirecting his gaze once she returned. He did remain silent while she provided him with suggestions as to what to do next, and he did remain silent until she asked him his name, having returned his unblinking gaze to the wall. A shower sounded good, and the idea of a hot shower had actually sparked a little bit of hope in him. He was distracted from that thought momentarily though, and glanced up at her from his seat.

"My name?" He looked back down at his hands in his lap, his lips pulling briefly into a line. It was not a topic he was particularly happy to discuss. He had been given a name, yes, but he did not want that to be who he was. Master had even taken great care to help him forget the name he had gone by before he had been "saved" in the first place. Names meant much to a sith, and before he escaped he had hoped to claim one of his own anyway. "I don't actually have a name. I did once, a long time ago, but I don't remember it." That probably wouldn't sate her curiosity. If anything it probably made it worse and he silently chided himself over his choice of words. "Violet does actually have a nice ring to it, though it sounds even more like an alias." Especially after she had called him that in such a context. That surviving thug probably was going to put the word out at some point. He tilted his head and frowned, thinking the name over. "I have always been fond of names that start with a V, perhaps something simple for now..." It took a second for the idea to reach him through the fog of exhaustion. "Tell you what, call me Vee" Taking a name for himself felt pretty good actually, even in his sad state the pleasure of the decision could be read on his features. For the first time she had seen it he managed to crack a small, weak smile.

"That being said, I think I will take you up on your offer of a shower." By this point, there was no reason to be suspicious of her, if she had wanted to do something untoward to him she had plenty of chances to do it. He planted his hands on the chair to prop himself up and willed his legs to stand, shifting and rising from his seat before setting his sights on her bathroom. Vee was thrilled for the idea of being clean again, and he was doing a bad job at hiding it, his violet eyes brightening while he again thanked her and stepped beyond the threshhold, closing the door behind him and lifting his cloak off his shoulders.

He practically fell out of his clothes, taking a moment to examine himself in the mirror as his dirty and beaten stolen attire was stripped away. Under his cloak he had been wearing a fairly simple tunic and cloth pants; it was simple and unassuming, though a poor fit for him. Once they were off however he ceased looking at all like a common wastrel. Underneath the clothes were more glances at the truth. Above the belt, he was covered in tattoos, the markings were simple, yet paradoxically intricate - solid black designs swelled and swirled like flames on his torso, the tribal, almost savage shapes complimenting his form. Certainly they had been put there to draw attention to his body; He had a dancer's form, and the tattoos emphasized the feminine curve to his hips, the slenderness to his shoulders, and made him look substantially less fragile than he ought to. Even though they were a relic of his past he couldn't help but stop and admire himself in that mirror before he finished undressing, his eyes wandering over the markings on his torso. They rose alongside both of his sides, curling around the sides of his body from his hips to wrap around his shoulders, terminating just below his neck but instead swirling like the talons of some alien bird of prey down his right arm all the way to the backs of his hand, forming a twisted sun on the back of his right. The tattoos on his left stopped just under his arm, but instead rose up behind his shoulder into a swirl like light being pulled into the abyss of a black hole, at the center of which was a savage symbol that few living creatures in the galaxy understood. The tattoos had a purpose of course, Master's own twist on the ancient sith markings and both a sign of his ownership as well as a focus for sith sorcery. Vee lifted his arms and glanced at the back of his hand, finally letting his eyes fall to his face and more importantly his neck.

He had few scars, surprising for Sith, but he was never a duelist, and Master refused to let him spar with even other acolytes. Sith training blades usually left terrible scars, but the older ones, dosed with a paralytic venom inflicted the lightest injuries. The most damage he had obtained circled his neck right above his collarbone. It was a burn, a burn from an electrical surge during his last, and only other escape attempt, easily hidden under a metal collar or choker, but substantial enough that the young man could not help but raise his hand to ease his fingers along it, the mirror briefly shaking as his admiration gave way to fresh black anger. Turning away from the mirror Vee discarded his pants, throwing his clothing into a messy pile and stepping into the shower turning it on and barely waiting for the water to heat before stepping into the cascade.

The water was bliss. Even when it was still cold enough to add the shock of awareness that only cold water could provide, Vee felt it scouring the weeks of grime that had accumulated on his form. Gods he could not have smelled good up close. The water steadily heated as he stood under it, adding an even more pleasant sensation to his aching head and limbs and Vee took a full moment to enjoy the heat before he actually began cleansing himself. He worked quickly enough, scouring the dirt from his body and relishing in watching it vanish down the drain. He -hated- being dirty in any way, a leftover from his childhood, and he wasted no time at all in moving to his hair once his body was finally spotless. His hair he was even more meticulous in cleaning, and only once the water began to chill again did he shit off the unit and step out, feeling refreshed as he could get. It had been a few minutes at least... he imagined his rescuer was likely getting impatient with her guest using up her hot water, but a shrug of his slender shoulders dismissed that idea quickly enough. He toweled off and took another moment to gather his hair, pulling the still messy but much cleaner near-ringlets of black strands together before pulling them over his right shoulder in the front. While he was working on drying his hair (which would be soon taking on an inky black sheen thanks to whatever shampoo he had handy) a thought occurred to him, and he hastened his activity.

Through the fog of fatigue, Vee realized that he had forgotten to ask Arani if she had a unit to wash the clothes he had taken off. Without another thought he quickly wrapped the towel that he had used to dry his form around his hips in a semblance of modesty and opened the door again. Stepping out into the much cooler room with his hair still producing drips of water to run down his torso and into that towel The young man had not put much thought at all into the idea that his rescuer might have the sense of modesty that he clearly lacked, as he emerged almost totally naked with a shirt in his hand, the towel hanging low enough on his hops that the two lines leading down to his pubis were plainly visible. "Eh... Arani, do you have a unit for the clothes or should I use a sink?" He still had those dark circles around his eyes, and he was still pretty thin, but he cleaned up remarkably well.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Didn't have a name? Well, this 'Violet' turned into more of an enigma with every passing moment. He'd not be the first orphan dumped on the street with no name and no family. On the other hand, he was no simple street kid, of that she was certain. With how much power was within him, he either had a real knack for the force, and for staying undetected, or he had received some training. It was definitely too early to tell, either way, and she wasn't looking to press him just yet. She'd find out, sooner or later, no sense rushing it. Beyond that, he apparently had a name at some point. Slavery, maybe? She offered a nod when he described Violet as an alias, as it did sound more a code-name than a real one.

Of course, having a code name could be useful. She made a note to file that away. If he stuck around long enough, maybe they'd have cause to use it. On the other hand, since it seemed like he was coming up with his own name, that was an alias of its own. She doubted it would show up in any Republic (or Jedi) databanks, at least, so it probably wasn't worth bothering to look him up. "Vee, huh? It does have sort of a nice ring to it." She nodded. Short and sweet, as they said. He seemed happy, comparatively, to choose his own name. It brought a smile to her own face, as well. She wasn't surprised that he jumped on the offer of a shower, and she swept out an arm in the direction of the bathroom, welcoming him to get right to it.

She stayed close at hand in case he stumbled or fell, but he managed to take to his feet and make for the bathroom, watching him go until the door closed behind him. As it did, she allowed herself a moment to confront her own suspicions. If he had an ear comm or a datapad, he'd have the privacy to send out a message. Who would he tell, though? There was hardly an infiltrator alive who'd allow himself to be reduced to this state to infiltrate a low level Jedi's apartment. No, while she appreciated her innate caution, she was confident it had no place in this situation. Instead of worrying without cause, she decided she'd take the opportunity to get more comfortable. Without him watching, she could draw her lightsaber and tuck it out of sight, well within reach (of the force, anyway) but not obvious. She wasn't sure if he knew she was force-sensitive or not, and she didn't want to startle him, given his dark tendencies.

After that, she could finally shrug out of her robes, hanging them up in her closet. It would be no surprise that her attire underneath was significantly nicer than his, but for any who knew she was a Jedi, her choice of clothes was rather...bold. Her left arm was wrapped from shoulder to finger-tip in black, a combination of leather and cloth that served to look both stylish and could catch a blade or a bolt if necessary. By contrast, her other arm was bare, unencumbered and with a bare shoulder to entice a little bit. It was rather overshadowed by the strapless top she wore, however, which was cute daringly low and bared a small strip of midriff. Like with her arm, it was designed in equal parts to entice and protect, making up for leaving parts unarmored by keeping her light on her feet. More importantly, she could draw upon the force to augment her abilities (and it wasn't really her combat wear, anyway).

Below the strip of midriff was a soft cloth skirt that could be described as little more generous than a miniskirt. Another strip of soft skin was visible where it ended, before it joined equally black thigh-highs, which slid down her lithesome legs until they disappeared into her combat boots. Not the most colorful attire (though a glance at her open closet revealed she had more colorful options available), but it certainly was striking. If anything, she looked a somewhat provocatively dressed scoundrel or smuggler, but it wasn't a bad look for her, and plenty more flattering than the robes.

Of course, slipping her robes off didn't take her the duration of his shower (and she'd hardly begrudge him taking his time, given how long he'd probably gone without one). Instead, she wandered over to her workbench and set out her blaster pistols. A few shots weren't going to drain the power pack of either of her pistols to a noteworthy degree, but she did think it was sensible to give them a quick cleaning. The zeroing still seemed fine, and no other problems had presented themselves, so she returned them to the bench alongside his knife and moved to settle in on her bed and wait for him to finish up with his shower. It didn't take much longer for her to hear the water stop running, and shortly thereafter the bathroom door swung open and out stepped Vee.

Arani maybe shouldn't have expected anything different than him stepping out in a towel. Even if he knew about the unit, there hadn't been nearly enough time for his clothes to wash, and he had nothing else to wear. What she hadn't been prepared for was how much of a difference the shedding of dirt, grime, and most importantly his ragged attire made to his appearance. He was...attractive. Dangerously so. She couldn't keep her eyes from roaming his body, drinking in his lean figure, dragging along his tattoos, which she had scarcely been able to notice before. They seemed both elegant and yet at the same time almost...primal. It was almost enough to send a shiver down her spine their own, but what finished the job was just how low the towel was hanging on his body. It was inevitably that her eyes would be guided downwards to the edge of it, her subconscious mind asking questions that silently reciting the Jedi code could not dispel.

After a pause that was far too long for Vee to miss her ogling, she remembered that he had asked her a question. Uh, right, the laundry unit! Immediately, a cute pink/red color stained her cheeks. She attempted to stutter out a response for a moment, before finally pointing to a small door in the wall next to the bathroom. If he opened it, he would find a laundry unit contained within, more than capable of fitting all of his attire and seeing it clean and dry with little difficulty. It'd take a few minutes, of course, but he had the towel until then. Arani was not in much of a state to think through offering him a pair of her robes (between their loose nature and his slender figure, it'd not be much of a stretch to slip into them). "Everythingshouldbeinthere."

Oh gods, was she a Jedi or a blushing schoolgirl?

 

[Midnight]

It was a little too easy to forget the modesty of the civilized world, and between his exhaustion and a general lack of modesty the male had failed to realize what kind of effect his nude body had on people. As he first walked out of the bathroom the first thing he noticed was that she had herself gotten into a more comfortable attire, that did not last long however as he quickly noticed something else when his own eyes moved meet her gaze.

When his eyes found her again, the very second thing he noticed was her stare. The way her eyes ran over his form was something he was quite apt at noticing. She was drinking him in, and perhaps through the shock of his sudden appearance or the mutual underestimation of the impact of his near-nudity would have he had caught her off guard. For a split second he was startled by this look that she was giving him, but he very much knew that look, an it sent a rush of pride through him in a nearly Pavlovian manner. There was no looking away fast enough, and even as that crimson hue painted her cheeks his lips shifted, the slightest twitch visible to the front of that towel. It was more than the tiny smile than he had given when he seized a name for himself earlier, with the right side lifting and those violet eyes focusing on hers, the satisfied smirk that briefly appeared on his lips showed that he had without any lack of certainty caught her ogling him. In that very short moment, she would see almost no signs of embarrassment or shyness in his body language - he enjoyed catching that kind of gaze, and he certainly was willing to return it. Perhaps a more 'civil' male would have darted back into the bathroom and let her wash his clothes for him to preserve his decency, but Vee stepped forward, closing the door partially behind him.

While Arani struggled to find the words to tell him where her cleaning unit was, he had some to a stop, placing one of his hands on his hip right above the towel (and bringing attention to the fact that those tattoos did not stop at the towel, running under the vexingly concealing fabric and peeking out the bottom) he also tilted his head to the side. She was herself in much more comforting attire, and a little voice in the back of his mind questioned again her motives for rescuing him in the first place. She certainly hadnt seen his body when he was pinned against the wall in the alleyway, so it was unlikely that was her motive. He did cock his head slightly to the left, inviting more of his hair to fall wetly against his chest and his right brow quirked ever so slightly, his eyes quickly shifting from her face to the rest of her with the smile on his lips taking a more 'approving' form before returning to her own eyes, sorely tempted to tease her. That pink hue on her cheeks certainly did compliment the rest of her, and Vee realized that they might have some common ground after all.

He did direct his attention to the door she pointed him to, however, deciding to bide his tongue for the time. He turned partially away from her, eyes leaving her entirely for a full moment before he nodded his head. "Ah. good" and stepped without another word into the bathroom to retrieve his things. He had nothing in his pockets worth preserving, only now noticing that she had removed his dagger and snapping his gaze up to her, then to the item on the bench when he did realize it was missing from its sheath. He placed his things in the unit and followed the on-screen directions, facing away from her this whole time, long enough for her to get a splendid view of the tattoos on his back. A quiet breath could be heard while he calmed himself, the brief burst of emotion quickly pushed away with intent, and the last sounds he made while facing away were the affirming chirps of the washer before it hummed to life. Hopefully purging the weeks worth of grime out of the garments.

With that bit of business finished up, he turned back towards his rescuer, silently taking note of all the weapons on her workbench as he did. The knife had been left out on purpose, clearly, and was well within reach if he needed it, she had also disarmed herself, which had its intended effect at putting him more at ease, some of the tension in his shoulders vanishing while he crossed the small space to take a seat again.

"Thank you for that" he stated, the stims were wearing down, clearing the "wired" sensation that was plaguing him and helping him think a little more clearly, though that fog of exhaustion was still dulling his connection to the Force. "I feel more like myself again" He walked closer to her, shifting the chair she had provided for him and sitting down in it once more, shifting his legs JUST so she was not able to be able to see what was under the towel but not hiding at all that gravity pulled the cloth closer to his lap, hinting at what lie underneath. HE figured joining her on the bed would have been a little too forward (not that he considered showing well more skin than she was too forward). He let one of his hands rest in his lap, the other arm resting an elbow on the arm of the chair and holding his chin in the cup of his hand, supporting his head and curling his fingers over his cheek. Up close and clean like this, his less than human features were beginning to shine. The slight androgyny and bone structure had been one hint, but also did not seem to have the runaway body hair that a man living without a home might have as well. It was also clear that he was thinning quite quickly, though the tattoos made it harder to see his ribs were slightly visible underneath his skin.

"I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, at least while these stims are keeping me awake." He didnt want to be too forward with his teasing. "Its at least one way I feel I could repay your charity" his tone had the slightest lilt to it.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

After a long moment or two spent drinking in the eye candy, Arani was back on track and one hundred percent focused on...uh...their discussion? Certainly not how she had noticed a twitch beneath his towel, or that smirk of his that made it quite clear her normal subtlety hadn't done much to assist her in not getting caught out. She wasn't yet entirely certain if she was disappointed or thankful that he didn't immediately retreat back into the bathroom to preserve his modesty. Quite clearly he didn't care about hiding away his body (and in his defense, he had a body that shouldn't be hidden away). At that point, it would have mostly been for her sake, but maybe he suspected that continuing to enjoy the view was what she really needed at the moment.

It wasn't as if the view he had available to him wasn't ample enough, for that matter, though his current state of undress made her feel very comparatively modest. Hah, not that she thought most of the Jedi up at the temple would agree with that. At any rate, beyond her own...'appreciation' for his looks, she did notice how much better he looked now. Perhaps not quite any less thin, part of his slenderness no doubt able to be attributed to malnourishment rather than just his build. For that matter, he was decidedly hairless, which had to be natural, or somehow compelled. Given that he hadn't been left with clean clothes or any way to wash up, she thought it very unlikely that he was keeping himself waxed living on the streets.

Nor did she miss the exact moment where he realized that his blade was missing. It reaffirmed her decision to set it out in plain sight, his gaze breaking from her to look over to the weapon bench. Given his proficiency with the force, she suspected he'd be quite capable of summoning it from where he stood, though by the same token she'd be able to draw a blaster just as quickly. Given how much he seemed to be enjoying showing off and the amenities she was offering him, she wasn't worried. As long as he knew where it was, he'd hopefully remain at ease and they could talk. It was interesting seeing his tattoos from behind as he turned his back, not enough to distract her from the view, but it was easier to focus on the grace of the markings over how long his towel was hanging on him. The laundry unit was, fortunately, on the powerful side, Arani having had to use it once or twice (or more) to get blood out, and encouraged by that to make sure she had something that could manage. Vee's clothes would be a challenge, but she didn't think them beyond the capabilities of the machine.

"You look a lot better." Arani nodded after Vee noted that he felt like himself again, blush deepening for a moment as she realized how that had sounded. If the Force had brought her to him, and in turn brought him into her home, maybe it was onto something after all. In a perfect world, she would have taken all the time she'd had since he exited the bathroom thinking through the questions that she wanted to ask him, prioritizing them and weighing what would be pushing too much, what could wait until later. Normally she was sharp, she had to be to walk the streets of Coruscant on her own (even with the force) and not end up dead. He had managed to pull the rug out from under her, though, and she was just now coming around to thinking what she should ask, which meant some of the heavier discussion would maybe have to wait until later.

In order to buy a moment or two, she clasped her arms together, stretching them above her head and rolling her shoulders. Arani was rather used to being alone in the apartment, and didn't pay too much mind to how the stretch would likely draw his eye to her rather ample bust, the way she arched her back as if pushing it out. It was a casual thing, though to the violet-eyed boy, it would be easy to take as intentional teasing, depending on his mindset. She also didn't have the same presence of mind to cross her own legs where she sat on the bed, which meant if Vee was inclined to let his eyes wander, he might just catch a striking glimpse of blue from beneath her black skirt. It couldn't be said that the eye-candy flowed entirely one way. Taking a deep breath, the light-skinned girl licked her lips in preparation for the discussion, ideally drawing his gaze back to her face, though if he'd not noticed the fullness or soft look to her lips before...

"Let's start hmm~, simple. Where are you from? Native to Coruscant?" She had her suspicions that he hadn't been eking out a living in the undercity for more than...maybe a week or two? Of course, that left a lot of explanations open. Easy for someone to have a bad run of fortune and lose everything down in the lower levels of the sprawling Metropolis, and easy for someone to come worldly and into such misfortune. He was an oddity, but there were bound to be endless oddities on the planet. Arani was also acutely wear that the stims weren't going to last forever, and that he would probably crash afterwards, unless adrenaline or something else kept him wired enough to stay awake. She just doubted that would happen in any other way than combat, and she had no intention of it coming down to that.

 

[Midnight]

If he wasn't already half-dead from exhaustion he might have taken this woman's movements as enticements. She certainly seemed to be interested in the eye candy his body presented... perhaps... perhaps there was a way he could reward her for her help later. His eyes were drawn to her lips. As if he could make that sound like a favor. He knew little about how people interacted on this level so he decided to push the thoughts to the back of his mind. He himself settled back into his chair, doing his best to relax. That might have been a mistake, as desperate as his body was for rest it seemed that it took this as an opportunity to start falling asleep. The crash that was coming was likely going to be a severe one. Stims weren't toys after all.

"No, I am not from Coruscant" His eyes drifted down, losing their focus for a moment, lips drawing into a line. "I am not exactly sure where I was born, it had a big city but it was much warmer, with a jungle full of predators. I am pretty sure it was an inner rim world though, and I am not certain if my people are even from that world." He hesitated. "I didn't stay there too long, and I have spent a lot of time moving around since then." He winced, a bolt of pain flashing through his skull, one of the warnings that the stims were rapidly wearing off. He glanced over to the cleaning unit rumbling away, as old and dirty as his clothes were no doubt they would take some time to clean. His eyes returned to her to finish what was left of his story. "I have been on Coruscant for about a month now, and on my own for a couple weeks. " He wasn't quite willing to describe WHAT he was doing on the city world yet, so he trailed off there. He wasn't about to tell her he was an Imperial Spy, or at least that he was dragged there by a Dark Lord of the Sith. Even in the underbelly of Coruscant, where credits reigned over patriotism, he sincerely doubted such news would be received well, because even if this woman was not patriotic, he certainly had no credits, and he doubted he would last long on the streets naked.

Aand there it was. A second flash of pain earned a wince followed by the violet-eyed boy almost doubling over. The plummeting crash was something he felt - the strength leaving his body rapidly. His eyes glazed a bit and that flash of pain turned to a rush of dizziness. "Shit" he groaned, clasping his head in both hands. "There go the stims" The energy in his body was steadily being taken over by ache, the good thing was that he probably was not going to have a hard time falling asleep. He glanced back up at her, and in his addled state made a mistake. He tried to stand.

It did not take very much, as he stood upright the world spun and then greyed. Then everything merely went black. His eyes glazed as he stumbled forward, threatening to crash directly into her. Even if she was able to catch him, or move out of the way, he was quite unconcious, and his body would go limp moments after. Luckily, in his malnourished state he did not weigh much despite the fall forward. Whether Arani would able to keep him from losing the loosely wrapped towel on the other hand was another story.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Well, that confirmed those suspicions, at least. Granted, not from Coruscant left open a lot of possibilities (literally a galaxy-full, as it happened), so she was grateful when he continued into offering some clarification. She wasn't the most well traveled, but she could identify at least some of the more well-known planets in the galaxy, as well as some of those her master had traveled to. Big city and a jungle...that didn't sound terribly familiar to her. Dxun? No, that didn't have any big cities, as far as she was aware, nor did the few other jungle worlds she could recall. Maybe if she spent some time poring through the jedi archives she could figure something out, but someone might get curious as to why she was pursuing such a specific line of inquiry, and she didn't really want to have to lie her way out of that one. Independent research? Maybe, but that'd take longer, and who knows if such a planet would even be that well documented? No, it wasn't that pressing of an issue, and it slid from her mind around the time she noticed a wince from the violet-eyed boy, but still he proceeded to finish the rest of the story for her sake. So, about a month. Not too long, but long enough to be reduced to...this state, if he was without resources or support. "You look a little rough. Maybe you should-"

She sensed his imminent collapse a moment before it happened, and it left her with just enough time to brace herself to catch him. With him out cold, she could freely use the force, though she found she didn't need to augment her strength that much to catch him. He was pretty underfed still, after all. She wasn't heartless enough to dump him into a chair, so she guided him slowly back to the bed, setting him down on the edge of it and then laying him back.

It was then and only then that she noticed the towel had slipped when he had collapsed, and she was facing a view that she had subconsciously wanted, but not really been prepared for. Glad he wasn't awake to see her staring or blushing, she hastily threw a blanket overtop of him, turning and striding away to hang the towel up to dry and trying to forget the image that now, as if to spite her, stubbornly refused to leave her mind. Bad enough for the Force to send her chasing after a pretty dark-side force user and then end with him running around in a towel. Why did he also have to be so....gah! It seemed that his tattoos were, in fact, rather extensive. She retreated into her datapad to try to distract herself, engaging in some cursory research to try to see if she could pinpoint his homeplanet, but she didn't end up with much success.

After about a hour, she hit the bathroom to wash up a bit, stripping down and then pulling on a tank-top so she'd have something to sleep in. Normally she'd go topless, but now that she was sharing the place, that seemed a little bold. Even if she had just gotten to see virtually all of him, even if only for a moment or two. Despite the thoughts racing through her head, she found it easy to go to sleep, passing out next to Vee as she wondered what the next day would bring, the quiet thrumming of the washing unit still going on in the background.

When Arani woke up, she found that she had shifted closer to Vee overnight, snuggled up against him, head resting on his shoulder. Grateful he had not yet woken up, she untangled herself from him, embarrassed, and slipped carefully, quietly out of bed, trying not to stir him awake(though he was still probably pretty out of it). By the time Vee woke up, he would be greeted with the sound (and smell) of food cooking in the kitchen. The apartment had few windows, so it was hard to gauge exactly what time it was, and she didn't have any clocks laying around (she had her datapad for that). Arani had, in the meantime, pulled on some comfortable shorts and was working away in the kitchen, earphones in her ears to keep from disturbing Vee's sleep with music, though it also meant she wouldn't likely hear his approach unless he was particularly clumsy about it.

 

[Midnight]

To say he slept like a brick was an understatement, once he was out he was out, and even dreams eluded him for quite some time.

Slowly, he shifted and rolled over, groaning as the still omni-present ache from all the excitement the night before weighted his limbs, seeming to make him want to sink into the modest bedding all that much more. The very first thing he noticed after that was the softness of the bed, the covers over his body. For a moment, he wondered if he was back in his old quarters, yet there was no metal sting around his neck, nor the grasp of metal fingers to throw him out of the bed when he overslept. Vee shifted uncomfortably at first, blinking away the blur from his eyes still half-awake sitting upright in the bed. It took him a moment to recount the events of the day before... he had been trying to survive here, attacked by thugs, and rescued by a young woman. There was a momentary flood of anxiety where he looked down to examine himself for injuries, finding he was naked under the blankets but otherwise unharmed. His eyes lifted and surveyed the apartment - it seemed his rescuer was not present, but the pleasant aroma of food indicated that she was not far.

After taking a minute to gather the will to leave the comfort of that bed he swung his feet over the edge, letting them to the ground and making sure they would bear his weight before trying to stand. Aside from the residual aches from the previous day he certainly now felt much better and more importantly was aware of his situation. It was not as if he was ungrateful, in fact, with the dull recollection of her attitude the night before he had even surmised a way he might repay her for her kindness. He now had enough evidence to conclude he could trust her - she had not taken advantage of him as he was unconscious (not that he would have minded) and more importantly had not bound him or taken any other measures beyond covering him with a blanket, even left him alone in the very same room that held his weapon. Perhaps under another bent as he silently padded by her workbench he would have taken his weapon back, and with his master's teachings in mind taken this apartment by force, repaying her kindness with cruelty. Yet, he didn't. He felt he shouldn't. The force was a mysterious thing, and for the moment when his eyes fell on his weapon instead his shoulders eased down and he walked by, peeking into the kitchen and leaving the weapon resting on the workbench.

He felt... better. More alert, more aware, certainly enough to realize he was still not wearing anything. He peeked into the kitchen, observing his rescuer bobbing to music playing into her ears. A smile touched his lips and for the briefest of moments he stood in the doorway to her turned back, cocking his hips while his lips turned into a full smirk. Now that he was himself again, he let his eyes roam, his smirk only widening again. Yeah... perhaps there was a way he could repay this one. He certainly didn't have much to give economically, and he assumed she had some sort of ulterior motive. No one was kind like this without wanting something. She didn't notice him though, and he decided that standing nude behind her probably wouldn't send the best message, so he turned and moved to her bathroom.

It took Vee a little longer to straighten his hair with his hands than he would have liked - he never really used brushes, preferring his fingers to achieve that semi-unkempt look he liked, the mass of messy black however was tamed in time, and allowed him to examine himself in the mirror. He looked a lot better, clean, rested... it was painful to realize he was probably going to have to go back to the streets after this. He couldn't sense Master's presence, and a deep down in fact hoped that he thought he was dead. He Knew master was still alive, but perhaps he had left Coruscant, even if loath to leave the apprentice he had put so much work into behind. The thought of being thought dead by the Empire filled Vee's heart with more hope than he would have liked to admit to. The washing unit was next - if he dressed himself he might leave a bit better of an impression and when he popped the machine open to check on his stolen garments his heart sank a little bit.

Ruined was an understatement. His tunic had unraveled in the machine, but fared better than the pants, which had utterly disintegrated. Vee only made a quiet noise of distress once this discovery was made, sticking his upper half to recover and examine the only garnment that he had put in that still mattered. His cloak, luckily was intact. The armorweave elements of the cloak, designed to resist blaster fire, blades and blows from lightsabers was still in tact, and the violet-eyed sith breathed a puff of relief to find it intact. He threw it around his waist (as wearing it like a cloak would do nothing to hide his body if he wanted to use his hands, using a cloth cord to cinch it into a makeshift skirt, though the folds down the center parted enough for an opening down his right leg, exposing some tattoos or the other treasure he concealed with careless movements. Tying the sleeves finished the job before he returned to the kitchen.

The food smelled good, he would be lying if he said anything else, having been surviving on junk food and nutribars for the last two weeks. He approached her quietly, but brazenly enough that she would at least notice him approaching, asserting himself into her peripherals before reaching out to tap her on the shoulder. He came to a rest beside her, glancing past his naked shoulder at her with a slightly more rueful tone to his otherwise quite playful smile. He was good at concealing his intents through the force - though as he had not come to a realization that she was also Force Sensitive he made no effort to hide his presence beyond the norm, there was still no flash of danger at least, he had resolved to be friendly. "We have a bit of a problem" He quickly raked his mind for her name through the haze of the last night. "Arani." He added, lifting a hand to gesture to her washer unit. "I guess they dont make flop clothes like they used to."

Luckily, with his body unresponsive to sensation he had a fairly easy time managing his own reactions to her unknowing display. Still, those tattoos might draw her eyes to a slightly more physical reaction to her dress and movements before he was able to cover himself. He shifted his stance, cocking his hip and resting the hand that was not gesturing towards the machine. "Its a near total loss" He didnt sound that sad about it, he didnt pay for the clothes after all, and for something he had stolen off a clothesline they did their job. His gaze settled on her eyes, visibly resisting the urge to drift downward to admire her tanktop, or even further down to admire the breakfast she was making.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

With her earphones in and the music going loud (it had to, if she wanted to hear it over the sound of the food cooking), Arani was ignorant of Vee's initial approach. Had she been of the mind to, she could have reached out with the force and monitored him as he slept, but that seemed a little invasive. She wanted to distract herself from the too-attractive-for-his-own-good force user currently occupying her bed, and keeping tabs on him would not have the intended effect. The Jedi put faith into the fact that the Force would warn her if he tried anything, but she doubted that he would repay her kindness with that. Surely the Force would not have lead her to him if he was to be her doom. She wasn't sure what he ate, or how much, but she erred on the side of more, given how skinny he looked. She didn't want him to eat himself to death, but he needed his strength back if they were going to...

Actually she wasn't sure what they were going to do once he recovered. She didn't really have a plan. Report him to the council? That was probably the most responsible thing to do, but it seemed a little cold. Shifting her focus to the music over her thoughts proved much more pleasant. Not only for him, for that matter. Her hips swayed and shook to the beat of the song she currently had playing, which, considering the somewhat snug nature of her shorts, meant that Vee was given quite a show. As if that wasn't enough, she had to grab another pan from under the counter, and her bending down to grab it was probably as good a proof as any that he was feeling livelier today than he had been previously.

She also wasn't sure just how he felt about caf, but she had needed the pick-me-up to start her day off, so she had brewed a pot of it, and was currently nursing her second cup. She tried not to over-indulge with the stuff, but considering the strange turn her life seemed to be taking, she figured she had earned the right to indulge. Hopefully it would help her figure things out a little bit. Every moment he slept was a moment she could delay dealing with it, at least, and when he did emerge, he'd be a little more modestly attired than the last time she'd seen him. Or so she hoped.

That hope didn't last much longer past his approach, Arani popping out her earphones and taking a half-step back from what she was working on so she could turn her head to look at him as he tapped her on the shoulder. He'd hear some of the music still playing, a rather high-energy song complete with intense guitar and drums. "Good morning, Vee, you're looking-" She stopped short as she realized that he was still shirtless, turning a little more to face him and letting her gaze drop along his torso, taking a little longer than strictly necessary to take in the view. Under-dressed. Sexy. That same cute pink color tinted her cheeks ever-so-faintly as she realized that he was still very immodestly dressed, wearing only his cloak tied off around his waist. At least that was better than the towel, though not by much. She licked her lips unconsciously, mouth suddenly feeling dry. "Better." If he was a little more in tune with the Force than the night before, it'd be hard to miss the pang of desire that she gave off for just a brief moment.

Her staring also left him with plenty of opportunity to realize that part of her casual attire meant that she had yet to pull a bra on, and while she hadn't been wearing one last night, either, the thin tank-top did a noticeably poorer job of hiding the fact compared to her other top. By the time she was able to tear her gaze away from his reaction, a rather striking reminder of the view she'd stolen last night, she had lost her chance to ask about how he'd slept, as instead he was explaining the absence of clothing. She was rather interested in knowing just why he had walked into the kitchen wearing so little. It made sense that the rags that he had been wearing hadn't held up in the wash, but that left them with something of a conundrum.

"Blast, I hadn't thought about that." She grumbled, glad to have something to focus on that wasn't his state of undress. "Um, well..." She looked him over with a thoughtful frown. "Maybe you can fit into something of mine?" She had pants and shirts that were a little more modest, and his figure wasn't all that different from hers. "We'll have to get you a new outfit or two." That wouldn't break the bank, but she wasn't exactly flush with credits right now. He could use the force, though, maybe he could help her earn some of them back after? Ah, what was she thinking, he must be starving! They could discuss it over breakfast.

"Oh, um, please sit down! Food's about ready." Once again she was glad to have something to focus on that wasn't him tenting his cloak-kilt, and wasn't his shirtlessness. "Want something to drink? There's caf. Water. Uh, some juice." She wasn't flush with different drinks, but he probably wasn't used to even being able to choose, so even that selection was hopefully something he appreciated. "Then we can talk."

 

[Midnight]

Her reaction absolutely did not go unnoticed, the way her eyes lingered as well as the more subtle signs of attraction were things he couldn't miss. Fortunately for her his lack of modesty extended to being quite fond of invoking that kind of reaction from viewers, and that fondness would likely make the situation a little more interesting for both of them. He had perhaps missed it or put it off when he was exhausted, but now... Well... his own eyes met hers and his smirk widened. This at least confirmed some of his suspicions that his noble rescuer had some ignoble traits. The gawking filled him with a bit of pride and also a bit of arousal, the unavoidable physical reactions showing in the slightest tinting in the pale skin across his own nose, as well as the not so subtle twitch in his makeshift kilt. For one who was accustomed to the different kinds of looks like that, her reaction, the way her gaze drifted down suggested that she had in fact been the one to remove his towel before he slept. That amused him even more~ Would he have even noticed if she had taken advantage? He was certainly out cold. He wouldn't care either way - if she wanted him, it was a way he could get out of her debt.

"I feel better. Thank you." He smiled, his eyes fixated on hers for long enough to assure her that -she- was the one staring, despite getting his own eyeful before. He didn't let her stare too long though, to see the rising in his garment, moving to the table and taking a seat, crossing one leg over the other to strategically block her view of that spot, as well as his body's own response to his teasing. Breakfast did sound amazing, and the idea of getting some real food made his stomach cramp nearly on reflex. Another wince hit him, but he did his best to hide this, still trying his best to maintain a somewhat friendly attitude. From the table he listened to her - the mention of borrowing an outfit, and even getting him one of his own. He... didn't quite understand this woman but hid the aroused suspicion that such altruism naturally produced. Coruscant was not Korriban, where any gift offered always had a favor attached, as hard as it was for him to shake that belief.

"Yeah, that might work" he said, musing to hide his suspicion. At least the night before she had been wearing some more concealing garments before he had vanished into the shower. "Probably not going to be a perfect fit, perhaps looser in some spots" his eyes leveled with her chest, but did not linger long enough hopefully to cause offense, more to emphasize his point. "But probably not far off" He paused, then smiled back up to her. "And some Caff would be nice... I haven't had any for nearly a month" Drugs were.... nice, and feeling the perk of something not quite as punchy as that stimpack would be very nice, help take off at least some of the edge he was feeling. He let a hand lift up to rake through his hair while his eyes lowered in thought, both still trying to discern Arani's motives as well as the potential of wearing a woman's clothes, fussing with the messy strands to pull them back over his shoulder and smooth out some of the more wild locks. His fingernails were long enough that he could feel them when he pressed through to his scalp, could probably do for a trim.

Once he released his hair he let his hands fall to the table quietly, letting his eyes venture down to them, then back to her. Pragmatically accepting her offer would work, and, though he refused to admit it, the more feminine aspects of his build would agree with such clothing, at least until he could get some simple clothes of his own. "I do appreciate all your help" Appreciate, he was still struggling with WHY she was being so helpful in the first place - Still, if he were in danger, he would have sensed it by now, so this woman was likely no trafficker, and her reactions to his form and his teasing seemed almost innocent. Maybe she was some sort of private investigator and thought he had valuable information. The way his brows furrowed ever so slightly was the only sign of this inner conflict while he waited, before he continued.

"There isn't much within my means, but I am sure I can find a way to properly repay you." With that he shifted his hips ever so sightly to open his posture, dropping one of his hands to his covering and cocking his head lifting his free hand to his chin. Any Sith would realize that this was in fact a proposition for a favor, but would she catch on? Sith and Criminals had different tells after all.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Well, so much for her staring going unnoticed. Arani hadn't really expected that to be the case, but there was some small part of her that hoped she might get away with it. What was it about this handsome, violet-eyed, shirtless dark force user that got her so flustered? Maybe it was the taboo part of it, that she was not only supposed to avoid such attraction in the first place, but particularly with those who called upon the dark side of the Force. The tattoos wrapped around his body also contributed, lending him something of an exotic or mysterious air. A larger part of it was less of a mystery, she only had to glance over at him to acknowledge that he definitely had looks going for him. She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that he seemed to almost completely lack a sense of modesty. It made her feel less like she was taking advantage of him, for what that was worth, but if he had been making efforts to cover up, maybe she'd be less tempted to drink in the view. "I am glad to hear it."

She was grateful when he retreated to the table, helping to alleviate some of the distraction present, and giving her an excuse to turn back to the food. It was fine, for that matter, nothing burned or overdone despite how long she had spent ogling her new guest. It spared him the need to hide the wince brought on by his empty stomach as she thought over what clothing she had that might fit him. Any of her pants would probably work, he was a little skinnier in the hips than she was, but not by that much, and a belt would easily make up the difference there. By the time he was voicing his own thoughts on wearing some of her attire, she was bringing the food over to him, which left him an opportunity to glance at her chest, emphasizing the difference there in how snug something would fit him. Her blush returned briefly, but she wasn't too self conscious about her chest. At times it could be somewhat inconvenient, but she thought it looked good, and it damn well distracted guys, which she hadn't shied from taking advantage of once or twice. Maybe that was why the Jedi favored modest robes. She suspected that the Twi'lek master she had crossed paths with once or twice in the Temple could easily match her for bust size. Jedi were usually brought on young enough to keep it from being an issue, but she didn't doubt some of the boys would be vulnerable to distraction. "It will, serve you better than...than that, at least. Until you have a new outfit."

"Certainly." Just like that she was back in the present, setting down a heaping plate in front of him and returning to get some caf. It was a rather extensive breakfast, meat, vegetables, eggs, a small portion of fruit on the side. Her breakfasts were normally simpler affairs, but she didn't doubt he hadn't been getting all the nutrients his body needed. While they might differ from what humans required, she imagined there had to be some overlap. She'd just also have to put groceries on the list of things to buy, now. "Don't eat too fast." She cautioned him, not wanting to be patronizing but suspecting his body might urge him to cram the food into his mouth as quickly as possible. She returned with a cup of caf and then set about preparing herself a plate, joining him at the table. Fortunate she had two chairs at the table despite living alone, but she had always worried that one of them would break or wear out before the other, and she didn't want to have to buy a new one when that happened. Even after she settled in and began to poke at her food, she seemed more interested in him than her meal. Part of that was the physical attraction, sure, but he was also intriguing in other ways. Namely, how the Force had drawn her to him.

"I wish I could say I was this generous with everyone in need." Arani admitted somewhat sheepishly, pausing to take a bit of her food to collect herself, and figure out just where she was going with this. "But the truth is, there is something special about you. I feel...drawn to you, for some reason." Granted, without knowledge of her being force-sensitive, he might interpret that as more of an admission of attraction than anything else, but she was putting it out there. She was grateful that he intended to try to repay her, at least. She didn't expect it, but since he had made the offer...

"Well, there is maybe one thing..." She admitted, biting her lower lip softly, thoughtfully. "I shouldn't ask it of you, but if you think you are recovered enough, have your strength, your energy back...."

 

[Midnight]

"There is nothing wrong with that, I admit, I have felt drawn to you as well." He absolutely misinterpreted what she was saying, but for him at least that admission just confirmed his suspicions so he returned her compliment. That she would rescue him due to an attraction made more sense than doing so because she was merely kind - he had grown up knowing that any help he got would come at some sort of cost. Clearly it was not that different in the rest of the galaxy. Her admission was something he found fairly sweet. He was accustomed to more... assertive admissions. Maybe she was just shy?

His thoughts however were something he put to the side when there was food in front of him. He actually winced again when a shot of pain shot through his stomach. Despite the painful growl he actually hesitated going for it. It looked good, far better than anything he had eaten in a long while, even the fairly humble meals he had made himself before he had been freed from Master. His eyes shifted up to her, looking over her features. If she had wanted to drug him she could have done so at any point, so he had at least ruled out malicious intent. Quickly enough though the hunger took over and he started. Heeding her advice to not eat too fast was easier said than done. After he took his first bite his eyes widened slightly and he dug in without any more hesitation.

When he realized exactly how voraciously he was attacking the food he stopped, that twinge of color running across the bridge of his own nose from embarrassment. By then he had devoured all the food she had offered him, leaving a positively spotless plate. It felt... so good to have food in him again, something warm and filling compared to those tasteless meal bars. He shifted through quite a few different emotions, culminating in embarrassment from his display, sitting upright and closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation of being full again.

Truth was, she was probably going to offer him work, but unfortunately for the young Sith that potential had been lost to him thanks to the previous misunderstanding of her previous statement. He swallowed the last bite and cocked his head slightly. "Think nothing of it~" He said, his eyes narrowing and the corners of his lips twisting into a knowing smirk - Once he had come to that conclusion at least his suspicion actually seemed to fade. He was quite used to using his body to trade for favors after all - its what a Sith might expect, and with her staring... well, perhaps Coruscant was not all that different either. He pushed his plate forward and rested the utensil he was eating with on it, quietly moving to stand. "I have picked up some useful skills in my travels, and I am at least a little more durable than I look." The possibility that she was interpreting his own meaning differently than he was did not occur to him. He shifted and pushed his chair out, standing from his sitting position and offering her a knowing grin.

"I do feel like I have gotten a bit of my strength back" Physically at least, the Force was still muddled around him, perhaps it was the blow to the head, or maybe even the near-starvation. He figured he would recover soon enough though, and didn't want to creep out his host by meditating openly. Well. More than one way to jog his emotions, and she had requested it after all. He walked a couple feet away from her and cast her a smile, letting her see his body in profile before turning to her. "That being said, I do feel like I could repay you now" His grin widened and he relaxed his stance, hooking his thumbs into the makeshift garment he wore to let it ride dangerously low on his hips before letting it fall of of them altogether, falling to the floor entirely moments after.

Arani could say whatever she wanted about his attitude, but the look he gave her just then was sweltering, matching the fact that her now stood before her with the full of his body revealed, as confident as he could be.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Arani had an easy time focusing on her food. Well, easy by a certain measure, anyway. Saying she was very motivated would perhaps be more accurate. The boy sitting across from her was very distracting in a number of ways. If she allowed herself to, she'd stare at him rather than touching her food, partially enjoying the view and partially trying to study him. Beyond being incredibly obvious and not particularly polite, it'd also run the risk of giving him the wrong idea about her opinion of him. Or maybe worse, the right idea. So it was easier to focus on the meal, particularly with him doing the same thing, though with significantly more reason to. She could only imagine when the last time was that he ate, and just what the quality of that meal was. She'd hardly call herself a wonder in the kitchen, but breakfast was pretty damn foolproof. At least, it'd kept her alive this long! She spent as much time as possible on her own, away from the temple, and that meant being able to cook for herself was something of a necessary skill.

That said, she wasn't going to complain if they ended up going out for their next meal. She wasn't sure how to take the admission from Vee that he was also drawn to her, and she spent a fair bit of the meal puzzling that over. She didn't think that he meant it in the same way, that the Force was drawing him to her, but surely he didn't mean....no, they barely knew each other! She fancied herself attractive, but she did not want to be presumptuous. He must simply be referring to the same pull that had brought him to the alley in which he was in trouble. By the time she glanced up again, he had already cleaned his plate entirely! She couldn't help but giggle at the embarrassed pink strip across his nose, and how ravenously he had attacked the food. It certainly made her feel appreciated. She never really cooked for anyone else, and there was a warmth in her from the implicit compliment. Or maybe it was just his state of undress.

She nodded slowly along with him as he mentioned having picked up some skills along the way. That was exactly the sort of thing that she was counting on. She hadn't really gotten a chance to assess his sublety, but if he had a light step, he'd be very useful on the sort of mission she embarked upon that the Jedi Council didn't necessarily know about. Even if not, she was sure that she could find a decent use for whatever talents he had. Even a distraction was something that would have come in useful once or twice over her career. "I'm very glad to hear it." He did seem a lot less likely to pass out today than when he had first stumbled (see: been carried) in. "I don't want you to feel obligated, but-" She stopped short as he hooked his thumbs into the only piece of clothing he was wearing, which predictably drew her eyes, likely as intended. Suddenly, the Jedi girl was at a loss for words, raptly watching as the garment slid lower on his hips, inch by inch, before finally, it fell away.

Her mouth opened and closed several times as she got an eyeful of him, at least for the second time. She blinked a couple times before dragging her gaze up to his own smoldering one. Was he...did he get...oh, he was just....harder. A million things were running through her head at that moment. She knew with complete certainty that she needed to take a step back, clear her head, and clear up the obvious misunderstanding that was brewing between herself and Vee. No passion, serenity.

Instead, she closed the distance between them after slipping gracefully from her seat, her lips crashing down on his. He was gorgeous, he was naked, and she didn't know the last time she'd been with a guy, and certainly not one this sexy, this...well, big. She knew nothing was less Jedi like, but why would the Force put her in this situation if it didn't want this to happen? As he might have predicted, her lips were soft, warm, full, and wonderfully kissable against his own. This particularly misunderstanding wasn't going to be cleared up anytime soon.

 

[Midnight]

Her reaction to his rather sudden exposure was telling in of itself. He had figured she was interested, and for the brieftest of moments he realized that she might not have taken his actions well at all. Luckily for him, she took them rather well indeed, and after eying him and drinking in all he offered him, she closed in and he found himself with her pressed up against him. The rush of excitement broadened that pink patch across his nose while he noticed those signsof her own movements, the way she stood up without another word after drinking in his naked form, and of course when they met and her lips crashed into his own he fully returned that action. His own lips, only slightly marred but still soft, pressed back into hers to sample their soft tecture. Oh, he was already quite taken with the softness of those kissable lips, much as he had predicted. He let her body rest against his, easily allowing that ample and unguarded chest to press up against his own, his arms slipping around her to secure her in his own hold.

Vee held her loosely of course, he had been the one to invite her, so he felt it only fair to not sweep her off her feet at least quite yet, his right hand curling around her hip, resting loosely on the side of her hip while his left rose to the base of her neck. His face pressed inward, meeting her kiss with a fair amount of passion, unable to control the swell of emotion that roiled within him. He was more than welcome to let her explore his body, but in the meantime satisfied himself with learning that lovely mouth of hers. His fingers quite firmly pressed into the nape of her neck, feeling the silken warmth of her hair while he kissed her - shallowly at first, but deepening steadily, even running his own tongue out of his mouth to wet her lower lip, feeling just how soft that lovely pillow was before nipping at it playfully.

To say he was content would have been a vast understatement, and the most easily visible sign of that contentment soon poked into her thigh. His body certainly knew the signs that service was needed, and he only broke their kiss long enough to give her a playful smirk while that unattended right hand found hers, his fingers circling around her wrist and guiding her palm to the heat of that shaft. She could feel his heartbeat - exactly how excited he was. The invitation was unspoken but very clear - he was more than happy for her to explore him, though he had the mind to let her dictate the pace - this was his service after all, his own little way to thank her. This was certainly not the first time he had done something like this, but to initiate it on his own... it was exhilarating. No one had commanded him to do this, no one had forced him to do this, it was his own actions with his own body. And he loved that.

Once her hand had been re-positioned, he let go of her wrist and resumed that heated kiss, allowing a puff of hot breath to pass her ear before tilting his head and deepening - It had been a little bit since he had kissed like this at least, and perhaps she would deduce that he was rusty, but eager.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Really, there was nothing wrong with kissing, was there? They were clearly fond of each other, if only at a superficial level of attraction, and considering the danger they had faced together, it was inevitable that some sort of connection would form between them. Not to mention the fact that the Force had drawn her to him in the first place! That's what she told herself, at any rate, and with the softness of his own lips to distract her, it was pretty easy not to give the potential wrongness of the situation any further thought. She was surprised, if only a little, at how soft his lips were, how pleasant he smelled (her own cleaning products, sure, but still...). While he wasn't the most heavily muscled person she knew, his chest was definitely firmer than his own (for obvious reasons), so it was no surprise that hers would end up squished against him as they kissed.

Not that Vee likely needed a reminder at this point, but it was made once more very obvious that his shapely companion was devoid of a bra, by feel rather than sight this time. His rustiness in kissing also aided in bringing them to roughly the same level, the Jedi girl not quite as experienced as him, but doing an admirable job of contributing, driven largely by instinct. Whether or not it was intended to be, his gentle, playful nip was taken as a request, and she obliged, parting her supple lips slightly, welcoming him to explore a little further, if he was so inclined. This had definitely progressed beyond an innocent kiss, if it had ever been, but Arani couldn't find it in herself to object. If anything, she was encouraging it, her hands roaming his body, tracing his sides, his back, anything and everything she could reach.

While he was probably too close to see it, her fading blush returned full force as she felt something (it didn't take much guessing to figure out what) press against her thigh, a reminder of the view she had just gotten. Arani was exploring his chest (now that the kiss was broken), but offered no resistance as he took her hand and guided it down to rest on his- oh! She let out a soft gasp, audible now that their kiss was broken, her eyes widening just slightly, in a way that was rather cute. "W-wow." For how slender his build was, it was...well, there was no getting around it, it was big. The heat radiating off of it, the feeling of his heart pounding away, it was all rather intoxicating. How could she resist dragging her hand along it, loosely wrapping a couple of fingers around him and exploring that stiff sign of his enjoyment? She was endowed with nothing if not ample dexterity (okay and a pretty great rack) and she put it to good use, nimble fingers working skillfully along him. If she could pick a lock, she could certainly explore Vee's ah, excitement.

Some small part of her was aware that somewhere along the line the innocent little kiss had morphed into something else, but it was easily overridden by the part that took one of his hands and guided it to her shapely rear. Fair was fair, after all, and he would find that despite the overall firmness, the curve of Arani's rear had just enough give to be pleasantly squeezable, if he was so inclined. Her hand left him to his own devices as quickly as possible, though, so it could roam to his back, urging him closer, deepening the kiss. This was lust, pure and simple, and Arani was willing to admit her greed, and that she wanted more.

 

[Midnight]

It had been a while since he had felt a soft body against his, especially one this special, and Vee was not about to ruin it by saying anything stupid. Instead he let his instincts guide him, exploring her lips with his own and occasionally pausing to run his tongue over her lips or teeth. She let him deepen the kiss and he did, more than happily suckling on her lips while they maintained their renewed kiss and exploring her own form. Her hand on his excitement felt lovely, the wandering fingers earning twitches and throbs from the engorged appendage, causing him to occasionally gasp or hiss into her lips. He was sensitive - probably a side effect of the stim and the bloodflow, which was not going away any time, and he did quite like it. After she began to explore his member he actually gave her his first little moan - although it was muffled because his mouth was otherwise occupied. He also took the opportunity to explore her once the invitation was made perfectly clear. One of his hands was guided off her hip to her lush rump, and he waited no longer to begin exploring that.

A gentle compress pulled them ever closer together, those full breasts of hers squishing soundly up against his flat but still decidedly slender chest and even their hips were allowed to grow close, close enough that he could feel the heat of her own excitement growing down there through his sensitive shaft. His hand shifted, cupped and allowed his fingers to sink into her supple flesh, pulling her ever so closer while he felt out the curve of her ass with his questing hand, dipping over the crest of it but never leaving the body of it. His hand massaged and groped, adding to his own arousal and at the same time managing to pull her to where the head of his manhood was pressing into her inner thigh. There he broke their kiss again, pulling away to look into her eyes. If she didnt have her own chest flattened against his he might have explored her there, but still he could feel her heartbeat, and he took the time to admire the string of saliva that grew between their parted lips before leaning in once more and delivering a peck to the corner her lips on the right, slipping off of them to her cheek and then slipping the side of his head by hers.

"Im Yours. Whatever you want." He cooed the words directly into her ear, letting a hot breath roll over her sensitive flesh before nipping at her earlobe. Today at least he was at her service - he would let her decide what they did, and when they would stop. It was the least he could do for her after saving his life after all. His lips slipped down her ear to her jaw, then to her neck. There he stopped only long enough to press his lips to her neck right over the artery, stopping long enough that she could feel the pressure before opening his mouth and suckling on the spot. The sound was lewd and its very likely that that very action would cause a little bruise to develop there. He didnt stop though, letting his (slightly longer than normal) tongue slip out of his mouth, the pleasurable suckle turned into hot and wet as he ran his tongue along her naked skin, dragging it over her collarbone before rising back up to continue on his quest to give her a very prominent hickie.

All this time he held her, loosely yet securely, and his hand had slipped around her thigh from her ass, feeling at a substancially more tender spot along her inner thigh. Hie left, which had previously been at the nape of her neck had lowered down her spine, dragging his nails over her clothing so she could FEEL his touch while he massaged the muscles lying over her shoulderblades.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Cute was perhaps not a word that she would use to describe him, but it was hard to otherwise character the occasional noise she managed to draw out of him with her wandering hand. Well, other than arousing, but she felt that went without saying. Arani was not going to sit back and let him have all the fun, though, and she was quick to match her passion with her own, taking any opportunity she could find to nibble at or suckle on his own lips. They weren't quite as full as her own, but they were just as wonderfully kissable. She'd been with a few guys, but none that recently, and she couldn't say that any of them had kissed her like this. There was a hunger, a passion in it that, were she thinking more clearly, she might attribute to the darker tendencies he possessed. As it stood? She hardly cared from whence they came, only how enjoyable they were making the kiss.

She was doing her best to ignore her growing excitement, and he was doing a wonderful job of keeping her distracted from it, focusing instead on the feeling of her breasts squishing against his chest, or the way that he accepted her invitation to explore the curve of her rear. His fingers sank in, just a little bit, and now it was her turn to let out a cute squeak, a sound he'd not likely have anticipated from the blaster-wielding girl who had come to his aid in the alleyway. Not that he'd likely complain. It was certainly vanity, and nothing the Jedi would encourage, but she'd always appreciated attention. The occasional bold hand grabbing a handful of her rear, a reaffirmation that she was sexy, and Vee was providing that reassurance in spades. She was somewhat disappointed for the kiss to break, but she did need to catch her breath, and the pouty look she shot him was smoldering enough to stoke any man's fire.

The whisper in her ear was enough to draw a shiver from her, but hardly was she done processing that before his lips had shifted to her neck, lingering on artery and then tending to the spot in the lewdest of ways. He was...he was going to mark her! "D-don't-" She gasped, though the objection was half-lost among the lewd noise of his work. The last thing she needed was such a prominent mark of their salacious rendezvous, but as that tongue of his darted out and continued, she couldn't stop the next half of the statement from slipping out of her lips. "s-stop." What had been a plea for him to relent had very quickly become a command (or perhaps a request) for him to continue. Gods, but he was good with his tongue. It was also, she had not missed, too long to be human, and perhaps it was that which caused her back to arch, for her to press herself even tighter against him.

Or maybe it was the thought of the dark force user marking the not-so-proper Jedi girl. "I-I...need you-" Another shiver. "to promise..." She gasped, her back arched. Her shifting had guided his length from brushing her thigh to sliding between them, batting his hand away but grinding against his manhood instead. "Not to be....not to be gentle." She didn't stay idle even as she instructed him, actively grinding against him, hands now settled on his shoulders for support. Vee would very quickly determine that those creamy thighs of hers were not just for looks, and given the implication of having them glide along his length, were arguably better than her hand. "I need this."

She was no damsel in distress, no delicate flower. She was capable, and too damned pent up, and he had the equipment to solve that particular problem.

 

[Midnight]

Vee pulled off of her neck after her initial utterance, looking at her with a mixture of expressions before that objection was lost entirely and turned for a command to not stop. Even by then it was already too late, and the red mark of his affections was beginning to bloom on her neck, slippery and with a sheen from his saliva. She was pressed so closely into him, and he her. Soon she had let go of his rock-hard erection, in favor of of letting it tuck between her thighs, and she was already grinding up against him, so needy for attention. It seemed that this poor woman had been about as starved for physical attention as he had been for actual food. Vee smirked, made sense that they fulfill each-other's deepest needs after all.

He had a choice to make from there on; he was half tempted to draw out her 'suffering', to dip between her legs and show her what he had learned to do with his mouth and tongue. She had seemed to enjoy his oral attentions above after all, but on the other hand the poor thing already had his excitement trapped between those creamy thighs of his, grinding herself against him like an animal in heat. "Very well..." He murmured, leaning in and shifting his hands lower, cupping both cheeks of her rear to pull her tight against him, thrusting himself along her hidden intimates and within her thighs while summoning what strength he had to lift her off the ground. He used the table to leverage her, setting her down roughly and pushing her torso back onto the table, ignoring any of the dishes that had to clatter away. "I am not very strong..." He growled "But Ill try to fulfill your wish". Sadly her torso was out of his reach now, or he would have gone back to nibbling on her neck, and that urge to sink below her legs returned.

Well... he did promise. In the back of his mind he decided he would give her more of a proper service with his tongue. Ordinarily he probably would have, but she was already so worked up. With her weight resting on the table he was able to left her legs to wrap around his, pressing down on her torso slightly to get her angled. His hand pulled her shorts to the side and his other guided his manhood, rubbing the swollen appendage against her most sensitive part, then he pushed forward with his hips. As he promised, he was not gentle about it, the muscles in his arms going taught as he half pushed and half pulled her onto his length, pushing as far into her as he could in one push. The sudden pressure and heat all around him caused him to fail to push in all the way, either she was a little tighter than he was used to or he was much larger than she was. Either way he managed to give pause to gasp in pleasure before furrowing his brow and focusing, drawing on his inner reserves to push again. This time he went all the way until he felt something stopping him.

The resistance there had to be the depths of her own body, he had filled her completely, from the lips straining around him, to the very innermost depths. He fell forward, catching himself on one arm on the table, looking down at Arani with lustful eyes. His face was a mixture of lustful pleasure and predatory focus, and he only let her have that moment to adjust to his formidable girth before he began pulling out, preparing to settle into a steady, forceful thrust. He seemed to be built to please a woman, and inside every ridge of him, every vein, he made sure she could feel.

 

[AvalonsGuardian]

Well that was something she was not looking forward to explaining. It probably wouldn't be visible on a holo-call, and she had to have a few days before going into the temple again. Not that worrying about someone noticing the hickey was the first thing on her mind, but it wasn't the last, either. Vee's sizable stiffness was doing a damned good job at remaining at the forefront of her attentions, the poor girl still trying to come to terms with his slender figure and his not-so-slender endowment.

Arani might have resented the comparison to an animal in heat, but contesting its accuracy was another matter altogether. Mastering her passions had never been her greatest strength as a Jedi, and being faced with her own pent up-desires, along with something more than capable of tending to them, was more than she could handle. She held onto him as he lifted her up (fortunately she was pretty light, whatever weakened state he might have currently been in). She could feel several dishes clatter as she was set down on the table, and she had to wiggle a bit to settle in among them, but he probably wouldn't mind, particularly not with his unrestricted view of her chest. It was covered (albeit by thin fabric) but even the impact of her settling on the table was enough to coax an enticing jiggle out of her bust.

A brief doubt struck her as she realized just how quickly things were moving, wondering if perhaps they ought to stick with more foreplay, but those reservations scattered as the tip of his length brushed against her sex. She offered a nod that he probably didn't need at this point, her arousal impossible to hide. Had she known how well he would have heeded her request, she might have been less insistent, the feeling of him pushing into her enough to cause her eyes to roll back partway. She was convinced that any girl would have been a tight fit for that thing, but even that only seemed to delay him for a moment or two at most. The table rocked, the dishes clattered, and again the Jedi's perky bust bounced slightly from the force of his push.

She felt so full! Even then, she wasn't certainly she had taken all of him, and that was saying something. His size offered no discomfort, only a distinct sense of excitement and a lovely warmth. Before she had time to adjust, he was already pulling back, and the lust in his eyes assured her that he wasn't going to hold back. She was embarrassed to find that she didn't want more time to prepare herself, she just wanted more of him. So instead she braced herself, resolved not to let him do all the work, poised to push back against him during his next thrust (not that he seemed to need much help to bury himself in her).

Already the strap of her top was sliding off of one of her shoulders, and she licked her lip to murmur (before his next thrust stole her breath away) "Just like that~"