Eyes Like Stars

[Gambler]

((OOC: Takes place shortly after Dark Hearts. Any Acolytes are welcome to PM requesting to join.))

The wind began to billow. Sand sprayed across the Valley of Dark Lords, unseen in the night. The darkness was absolute. Oily and black, it was more than an atmosphere. It was the accumulation of Korriban itself. The stars did not dare to reveal themselves, or if they did, the darkness refused to relent for them. Under the starless sky, the desert felt more alive.

The night's voice was silk. It sung, savoring the electricity of the day. Violence partook in the chorus. Gabriel listened as he walked, eyes on the sky. He counted the black stars in the distance. They were the stars' antitheses.

His mind lulled itself away from the stars. He thought of the day, his first on Korriban. The Arkanian's mistake had been his pride. He paid for it in blood. His power had been overwhelmed by three Acolytes. A Marauder, a specialist in his field, overwhelmed by those supposedly inferior.

Gabriel listened to the Arkanian's requiem in the sky. The night played it without sorrow. One more death meant nothing to the night. The death of an overconfident fop was a laughable matter to the stars. Power was measured in respect to one's status. Most were grains of sand on a never-ending beach. Some were allowed to be considered pebbles.

His feet carried him to a fire-pit some distance from the academy. A seating area had been thrown haphazardly together, enmeshed with sandstone salvaged from the valley. The center was a small hole lined with somewhat sturdier rock. It was a rare find. Most Sith denied any sense of camaraderie. They refused the smallest of pleasures in hopes of hardening their spirits. More's the pity.

Gabriel tossed a satchel to the ground. It made a curious sound when it hit, a medley of metallic clanks and the rattling of reinforced glass. Liquid splashed around within. There was nothing left to do but twiddle his thumbs and wait.

 

[Sreeya]

"Somehow, I knew this would be where I would find you."

As always, she spoke before making her presence clearly known. Although the fighting had caused quite a stir, the deserts were as vast and quiet as ever. It was as if blood was never spilled, swords were never drawn, and no one got hurt. A simple breeze and all of the day's events were brushed away, buried underneath the sand. It was this very simple gesture that made her think upon all the other secrets the desert held. She wore no shoes, letting the sand curl between her toes. The desert was still warm from an entire day of the sun glaring down upon it. However, it wouldn't be long before the night cooled it off.

She wandered closer to the fire pit, glancing down at it. For a moment, she visualized a roaring fire to light up the desert. She knew the winds would fan the flames. It would be a beacon of sorts, though she didn't know the kinds of curious Sith it would attract. She half wondered if this very trivial and harmless gathering would land them in trouble. Andraste was surprised to be standing, as she had expected to die earlier that day. Being among so many Marauders could have easily spelled death for them. However, the acolytes had found unity within each other. It was almost unheard of from an Order where every Sith prided their own selfish desires above all else. To have found allies within that was quite a feat. She wondered if they would rise through the ranks side by side.

For now, the satchel that Gabriel had tossed to the ground had caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow, pondering on what it could be. She took a seat across from him, glancing down at the firepit once again. There was already wood there. She narrowed her eyes in concentration.

"I think I can do this.."

She brought her hands up and wiggled her fingers as if she were a magician. To her dismay, nothing happened. She looked up at Gabriel and grinned.

"Bear with me, this usually works better when I'm highly annoyed.."

She tried once again, thinking of her lord who almost always made her angry. Within seconds, she felt the Force coursing through her, quickly flowing through her bloodstream and to the tips of her fingers. It was a streak of power, derived from her core and the environment around them. Time seemed to slow down as her focus honed, pinpointing a vast amount of energy to her slender fingers. She could feel the darkness prepare to burst out of her hands. She raised her hands over the firepit and...


...the most pathetic and tiny spark ever lazily flopped from her fingers and into the firewood. It wasn't enough to light a fire, but enough to leave a tiny sizzle that only further rubbed in the embarrassing effects of such a build up. Andraste coughed slightly, leaning back.

"I.. might need your help with this.."

 

[Gambler]

"Astute guess," Gabriel said, looking up to Andraste. Her bare feet brushed through the sand, bringing her into his circle. She was beautiful. Gabriel hadn't had time to notice it during the fight, but now, with the night setting her skin aglow, he couldn't ignore it. His eyes trailed over her, seeking imperfections hidden by the night. None were to be found.

When she smiled at him, he echoed the gesture. His lips twitched at the edge of sin. Such innocence. She was different than the typical Acolyte. She wasn't afraid of her emotions. She didn't care if others viewed compassion as a weakness. She was a breath of fresh air. Her feet renewed the desert, replacing stale sand on a whim.

He wondered why she joined the Sith. She was ruthless, cunning, but lacked the chill shared by most. Her eyes were flat, devoid of the hatred that flashed in others'. She was a puzzle. Gabriel had only to find where the pieces were hidden.

He traced her concentration with his eyes. Her brow twitched. Her lips curled. Annoyance, anger, and... desire electrified the air. She took the energy from those emotions and channeled them into her fingers, rewarded with a cackling spark. It wasn't enough. The spark flickered on the wood, its dying breath a mockery of her effort.

Her admission quirked another smile to Gabriel's lips. "Perhaps you do," he said. Leaning over the wood, he spread his hands as she had. He mirrored Andraste's focus, feeling a swell of energy in his fingertips. He envisioned the raw essence of his earlier anger, sculpting it between his fingers.

"Let's try together."

 

[Sreeya]

It took her a moment to realize he was quietly surveying her. It did not bother her, as his gaze was subtle, not searing like the gazes of most that looked her way around the temple. She knew what he was thinking. She could tell he was wondering why her. Why here? She could only smile in response, not needing the Force to guess at his thoughts. She herself did not delve into the mystery surrounding her, and hadn't bothered to. She knew she held memories and secrets, both of which were rather painful. The dull ache that she felt every time thoughts of her lord seeped into her mind throbbed painfully as a constant reminder of her past.

She took the time to gaze upon him, not the type to usually drink in the sights of those around her. She knew that face was committed to memory and it would remain there for a long time. He was mysterious in many ways. She knew he was vicious and could rouse the savage beast that lay locked inside him. She had seem him unleash it in battle. In private, she was slightly envious of his level of control and ability to change his demeanor in an instant. At the moment, he was polite, calm and.. she quickly looked away, realizing that she had been blatantly looking into his eyes, which were swirling gray clouds of mystery. She felt heat rush to her face that had nothing to do with the sun's diminishing glare.

She said nothing as he offered to help, highly suspicious of herself. She hadn't expected to be caught off guard like that. She nodded in approval as he extended his hands out. She closed her eyes this time, seriously concentrating on the Force instead of pretending to be a voodoo magician that could conjure up fire. She established a mental Force connection with him, just enough to understand when he would let the electricity run through his fingers.

At last, she felt the sparks erupt from her fingers. She opened her eyes and saw them amalgamate with the electricity that came from Gabriel. The two meshed together and quickly ignited the flames. Andraste felt the warmth of the fire immediately, the nearby breeze causing the fire to dance between them. She glanced up at Gabriel again, noting the way the flames darkened the contours of his face. It highlighted his cheekbones and the angles of his visage, making it slightly difficult to look away. She did, however, chastising herself for behaving like a little girl. She nodded her head towards the satchel he had brought.

"What's in that? Anything deadly?"

She had to smile. It appeared that most Sith almost always carried something to maim one another.

 

[Gambler]

The fire sprung to life between them. In the light, Gabriel gazed into Andraste's eyes, noting the color. Dark brown, like pools of melted chocolate. His glance was subtle, masked by the flames. When she directed her attention away from the fire, he averted his eyes. It was a game.

Gabriel watched his hands. Electricity had cackled forth moments ago, filling him with a sense of power. Raw power channeled by his emotions. He could destroy without discretion. It was one step further on his journey. The Arkanian's corpse brought him here. The blood boiled from his hands.

"In here?" he asked. His thoughts consumed him. Realization struck him an instant later. The satchel. He opened it, spilling its contents onto the sand.

"Just a few things I was able to put together," he said. "Corellian whiskey, a few Ryll beers, and a couple of meltdowns." He pointed to each in kind. The bottles and canisters were easily recognizable. The meltdowns, being the most expensive, were given Gabriel's express attention.

"Pick your poison."

 

[Sreeya]

She looked at him curiously when he did not respond immediately. He appeared to be deep in thought, and for a second she thought she saw his eyes betray him. It was fleeting, far too subtle to catch. She made no mention of it, her attention drawn to the satchel that spilled various bottles and cans.

"How did you.."

She looked up at him and shook her head, smiling. For some reason, she wasn't surprised. She reached for what was referred to as the 'meltdown', as that sounded the most interesting of the bunch. She popped the bottle open and took a swig. Her face was abruptly contorted comically in disgust. She hadn't exactly tried alcohol before, and this particular drink had a very strong flavor. There was a warming sensation in her throat as the liquid flowed down. The after taste was fantastic, however. She paused, staring at the bottle, before taking another gulp. She was almost instantly hit with a small twinge of a buzz. To her, it felt as if her connection to the Force was slightly blurred. Though the feeling scared her slightly, it was exciting in a way. Her entire body felt tingly, and the heat of the fire made it feel as if her body had burst into cool flames. She handed the bottle to Gabriel for him to drink out of.

"Do you suppose Sith Lords ever do this?"

She had to laugh, the image of a group of Sith Lords sitting around a fire far too comical to suppress.

 

[Gambler]

"People are willing to sell a Sith anything," Gabriel said. He watched Andraste down a sizable gulp of the meltdown before handing the bottle to him. The light in her eyes dulled. Her smile grew a trifle.

Gabriel took a swig of his own. He forced the chokingly sweet liquid down his throat, scarcely breathing. He tipped the bottle further, allowing more to flow into his mouth. Pungent fruit filled his mouth. It was sweet, but with a twang of bitterness that stuck in the back of his throat. It tingled on the way down, neither warm nor cold.

Immediately he felt its effects. He blinked, his eyes watering up for a moment. His vision felt fine, though the edges were comfortably blurred. There was a buzzing in the distance, coming from an indistinct direction. It was too low for an insect, too quiet for a machine. It was purely unobtainable. He lifted the bottle to his lips again, and his second drink was easier than the first.

Like water, he thought. There was a lidded quality to his eyes, partially obscuring his view of Andraste and... the fire. He gazed into its depths, watching the flames swirl orange and red. Rays of light exploded from every direction when he squinted, bringing his head back to look at it all in perspective.

"Lovely," he said, handing the bottle back to Andraste. His subject was unclear, though he altered between looking at her and the fire. "Simply mesmerizing."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste had taken quite a few swigs by now, and the effects of alcohol were strongly taking a hold on her. She wove in and out of the Force, suddenly feeling as if she were detached from reality. She had a difficult time judging what was real and what was the Force. The wind felt as if it came to life, grabbing her by the hand and tugging her along. She laughed as she dug her toes into the sand. For a moment, it felt as if she were walking through..

"Sugar! Ooh!"

She almost reached down to taste the sand, but thought better of it, looking over at Gabriel. She strode around, a slight sway to her steps as she took yet another large swig and handed the bottle back. She waved her hand and the sand raised around her. It spiraled slightly and rose to her height. She took a few steps back, looking at her creation.

"L-Lord Vereor... why are you here? I..um..I'm not drinking..."

She looked quite guilty, the slightest movement of the sand making her visualize Vereor angrily waving his tail like a whip. She ran over to Gabriel, pointing.

"Heeyyyyyyy we've been discovered. What should we doooo?"

She nervously looked back at the sand creation, which fell to nothing without her half baked concentration on it. Andraste's eyes widened.

"He was right there!"

It took her a moment to realize she had her hand on Gabriel's shoulder, having shaken him to get his attention. She quickly withdrew from him, raising an eyebrow at him as if he were at fault. She took the bottle from his hand and took a giant gulp.

 

[Gambler]

"What?" Gabriel asked, his eyes laughing. He took the bottle from Andraste's hands, emptying it in one last gulp. On impulse he threw it into the fire, watching it shatter against the burning logs. Little slabs of purple stared back at him, offsetting the night.

"The stars should be in the sky," he said, "not in the fire." He looked at Andraste, her hand sharply recoiled as if burned. Her pointed glare came as a surprise. He quirked an eyebrow—or tried to. His eyes popped wide open and he struggled to keep bring his eyebrows down. They wouldn't budge.

He shook his head, wondering why it felt so numb. The fire blurred around his eyes. The darkness fell away without his attention. Orange stripes made their way through the fire, staining what remained of the bottle to Gabriel's eyes. His reflection cocked its head at him in the glass, watching him with a speculative gleam.

That wasn't right. He was watching Andraste with a speculative gleam. His reflection smirked back at him, nodding knowingly.

"Did you know," he began, running a hand through the air around Andraste's head. His fingers caressed empty air so close to her hair. "Your hair looks like... black."

 

[Sreeya]

It was as if someone had dropped a bomb as he tossed the bottle in the fire. She jumped about a foot, stumbling backwards. She stared at the fire, the last trickling of alcohol making it furiously rise in anger.

"You.. pulled the sky into the fire. I think you're disrupting the balance of the universe.."

Her eyes were glazed over as she peered into the fire, marveling at the various colors of the broken bottle reflecting the yellow. She could get lost in it, utterly hypnotized. She reached down to the bottles and cans, finding another Meltdown. She hugged it to her chest, as if it were an infant.

"Ohh....my sun, my moon, my stars.. my stars!"

She struggled for a few minutes, attempting to uncork the bottle from the wrong end. She finally turned it right side up and popped it open, taking a large swig. That was when Gabriel commented that her hair looked like black. She gasped, running her fingers through her own hair.

"My hair.. feels like the ocean.. you know.. with tumultuous waves in a storm."

She reached a hand out and touched his face.

"You are made of stone. Who carved you?"

 

[Gambler]

He snatched the bottle away from Andraste to take his fill. One sip, two sips, three full gulps... he must have downed a solid third of the bottle before planting it in the ground. His tongue swirled around in his mouth, making the bitterness taste like fruit and the water like sand. He opened his mouth wider to take in the stray beams of light from the fire. They alleviated all other tastes, leaving him a tinge of smoke on his tongue.

He listened carefully to Andraste. Her voice was the breeze, and he strained to hear her whispers. He looked into her eyes again, all subtlety lost. Flecks of gold stood out in the firelight. He would have to keep that a secret lest some miner decide to cash in. He nodded to her and thought about her question.

"Kaven Rickert carved me," he said. "Carved my mother to make me until I was the night sky. But he could never be the stars. No one could be the stars, really. Only the stars can be the stars, and her beauty is unmatched. A perfect compliment for the night sky. For me?"

He wobbled to his feet. His legs felt strange beneath him, as if they didn't want to move. Each step was shaky in a way he didn't understand. He lurched forward until he stood in front of Andraste. He reached out, grabbing for her shoulders—and missing twice. When he finally had a hold, he steadied himself.

"And who orchestrated your song? The ocean is too dark, the moon too bright. Who is the composer behind this requiem?"

 

[Sreeya]

It took her a moment to realize that he grabbed her shoulders. The slightest pressure he put on her made it feel as if they were quickly sinking into the sand. It felt as if his hands weighed a thousand pounds. She wobbled slightly under the grip, but maintained her stance, giggling at his question.

"They were paintings. I last remember a beautiful canvas painted in crimson. It was where I saw the flower, imprinted on the floor in red. It was a red dahlia, you see. So beautiful..so immaculate... and divine. The red streaked out in intricate patterns and flowed so smoothly. They stared up into the heavens, gazing up at the night sky. Were you there that day? Did you gaze down at them? I called to them, but they did not answer. You must have fascinated them too much.."

She abruptly backed away, grasping his hand and twirling to the side. She spun him around as well, still looking at his eyes.

"The stars are missing from your cloudy skies. It saddens me.."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the glass flower she had made. Except now, to her it felt like she held nothing. She frowned at the glass.

"There was darkness to my painting. Black paint. It smeared across the red. It crept out of the painting, tainting everything and covering it in black. Nothing can erase it..nothing.."

She stopped right there, gasping as she realized what she was saying. She turned her attention to the flower.

"Do you see this, Night Sky? It was carved from air. I pulled the air and molded it into a flower. I want to be an artist.. I want to sculpt with the air, the wind and...sugar!"

She giggled, kicking up some more sand. She lazily reached for the bottle, set on finishing it.

 

[Gambler]

Their hands interlocked, Gabriel could not help but listen. Each sentence—no, each syllable—revealed another piece of the puzzle, allowing him to put it into place. The canvas became the background, flowers scattered in the distance. The ocean was a blue line separating her from the sky. Bits and pieces of sand formed a beach above it. A spray of brine created the clouds, the sun a silver while the moon shone full. In the center of it all, Andraste stood, misty in the foreground.

"My clouds are starless?" he asked. "No, my clouds are storms to obscure the stars. The sun cannot be allowed to shine while the clouds are above and the stars will not be permitted to be seen beneath the gray. The clouds are that last step on the staircase. One more and—" His eyes glittered as his gaze bored into Andraste.

"—you fall to the ground. The ocean might be bellow, but the water is too cold. If you fall in there you might drown, or freeze. Whichever happens, the stars will be to blame. Because you reached for them, but found out that the clouds were insubstantial." His voice fell to a whisper.

"I want to watch the clouds, not the sun. I want to watch the millions of dreams sparkling where the stars should be. They're like bubbles in space. I want to see them pop because..." he trailed off with a helpless half-shrug. His legs were too heavy to support him, so he dragged Andraste to sit with him on the sandstone.

"It's the night sky that makes everything real."

 

[Endling vas Precious]

'We won?' He was incredulous. He couldn't hold it back anymore. All the grief and guilt he'd been salting away so carefully was coming back to him as anger. The ice was cracking. The pond was boiling. 'We won?' His voice was harsher, now. 'I thought we were going on an adventure, and you sent us on a suicide mission, and now a Marauder is dead. Do you know what is going to happen?'

She shook her head.

'Is that really the best you could do?'

She dropped her eyes to the floor.

'I am sorry.'

He scoffed, tail flicking. A silent 'F-ck You'.

'You're sorry.' The woman was unbelievable. 'Good. Show me how sorry
you are. Take me back. Take me back to Coruscant and let us forget this horrible place.

'No, Tuesday,' she said. 'We can't go back.'

'What do you mean, no? We can go back! We can and we will!'

He was talking to her louder and louder, staring at her, as if by talking and staring he could force her into doing what he needed her to do. She had to! And if talking wouldn't do, he could make her. She was a small woman, and apart from that emptiness he was willing to bet that he was twice the alchemist she'd ever be.

She was shaking her head.

'You have to understand.' She didn't back away. She spoke softly, as if she could soothe him, placate him into forgetting what she'd done. 'I'm you, I'm not a god. I'm you only sane.'

Suddenly she did look very tired, as her eyes lost their focus, as if she were seeing into some other world, one she would never let go. It made it hard for him to keep up his high-pressure rage. It kept bleeding away even as he stoked it. This wasn't over. He lunged, but she saw it coming. He was quick, but she was quicker. Maybe they'd played this scene already, in her world she could never let go.

Andelka caught him in her arms, laughing at him like he was some stupid beast, and he hissed.

'Put me down.'

She released him. Tuesday turned back to her defiantly, breathing hard. He stared up at the corpse of broken Andelka.

'No more,' he said. 'Put an end to it. It's time to live with what we have and mourn what we lost. I wish I could have told you more before it was too late, but I needed you too much to tell you the truth.'

Andelka ignored this. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that the tone of her voice almost resembled tenderness.

In a curious gesture she placed her hands down on his face, drew his face up to meet hers, and kissed him on the forehead. The sky was almost dark.

---ஜ۩۞۩ஜ---​

'I said, don't talk to me about death. You don't know anything about it.'

The night was cool, darkness encapsulated in a blackened sky. Tuesday was walking ahead of her, black body almost invisible against the cold sand, ears perked. She caught a few wisps of his smoke in her hand, playing with it; it floated like a careless whisper.

For no reason, and against her express conscious wishes, some very tight elastic band of muscle around Andelka's chest relaxed very slightly. Something between a laugh and a cough escaped her.

Andraste and Gabriel, sitting around a fire, drinking something and talking as if it they were just learning how to.

'What do we have here?' She said to the cat, who was inspecting the scene as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Fools, most likely.

She sank back against her pillar, arms folded, watching with empty eyes as they sat on sandstone. It was almost getting to the point of intimacy. Should she leave and let them screw like animals?

'No f-cking. You'll get sand in your no-no places.'

Tuesday chuckled.

She smoothed her silver hair back, bare feet rubbing against the other, savouring the feeling of sand between her toes. The stillness of the night was almost tangible around them.

'Too drunk to f-ck?' She stopped at this, shaking her head, lost in a dream of disbelief. Her own words had brought her up short. Her teasing would probably cause either of them to pin her down to the ground and force her to eat sand.

Andelka was swimming. Or she could have been swimming, but in fact she was just floating. It was dark, and her body was weightless, suspended in chilly water. Wavering, heatless starlight lanced down through the darkness. She could have thrashed and panicked, but instead she just let herself hang there, arms out in a dead man's float. Whatever was coming next could come. She opened her eyes, bathing them in a moist healing chill. She closed them again. There was nothing to see.

It was a glorious relief. The numbness of it was just magnificent. At the moment when it had been at its most intolerably painful, Korriban, normally so unrealiable and insensitive in these matters, had done her the favour of vanishing completely.

Granted, she would need air at some point. She would look into that in due course. As bad as things were, drowning would still be a hasty plan of action. For now all she wanted was to stay here forever, hanging neutrally buoyant in the amniotic void, neither in the world nor out of it, neither dead nor alive.

But an iron manacle was clamped around her wrist. It was Tuesday, and he was pulling her up ruthlessly. He wouldn't let her be.

'Terribly sorry,' she said quietly. 'I'm tired.'

The Acolyte sauntered towards the fire, and plunked down beside it, relishing in its heat. Perhaps in due time it would consume her, however, for now she was content on watching the display of the currently shit-faced Acolytes. Drawing her knees to her chest, she watched, face blank like a fresh blanket of snow.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste almost shrank back from his gaze, as it seemingly pierced right through her. Through hallucinations, she could have sworn he had lasers shooting out of his eyes. They were like lightning bolts coming out of his stormy irises. She opened her mouth to respond, but was abruptly yanked down to sit. She gasped in surprise, terrified of the sudden change in scenery. She looked around.

"Everything looks so much bigger now.."

The stars, the sky, everything appeared daunting. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up.

"The sky is getting closer...are you bringing it down? Are you up there, Gabriel?"

She forgot that he was sitting right next to her. Now she fully believed that he was the night sky, and the sky and the stars were sitting next to her. She smiled widely, turning to the stars and sky at her side.

"Why did you come down here? It's so much more peaceful up there. Can you bring Gabriel back? He's not so bad.."

She was distracted when she heard someone plop down in the sand next to them. Andraste stared at the newcomer intently.

"Night Sky...was that boulder there before?"

She was terrified. She whispered to the winds, hoping her voice would carry over to the sky.

"First Lord Vereor and now this.. what have I done wrong?"

 

[Gambler]

"It's fine," Gabriel said, partially lucid. His brow furrowed in curiosity a moment later when Andraste began talking about the night sky and boulders. He looked up, trying to find these stars she was talking about. None were to be found. He shifted his glance back to the new girl, and recognition lit his eyes.

She was the girl from earlier, back when they had gotten into the fight with the Arkanian. Her blood was pristine, untouched while the Arkanian had tasted his in the glass flowers of her devising. The irony made Gabriel laugh. It was hard to explain.

"She's clean," he said between breaths. "The Arkanian is not. Her blood is unspoiled while his drenches the sands." He leaned back, reaching out for the final bottle of meltdown.

"Here," he said, tossing the bottle to her. As he sat up his arm snaked around Andraste's shoulders. The clouds were dissipating in the wind, leaving the black stars in the sky. He pointed up to them, silently counting each one.

"The night sky is bright, but not here. Too much electricity."

 

[Endling vas Precious]

Andelka caught the bottle and twisted off the sloppily screwed-on top. She sniffed it and recoiled. Hesitantly, she took a sip.

'It tastes like burning.' Instead of swallowing, she spit the liquid into the fire, watching as it flared like the solar wisps of a hot sun. 'You drink this recreationally?'

Andelka watched the pair, curious. Were they really that foolish? To get lost in the realm of inebreation? Andraste was looking at the sky as if it were trying to crush her. She had no interest in alcohol. She was afraid of the effects. It would most likely make her world fall apart and reveal the dark monsters that were protected by her secret fervor.

She stood, and passed the bottle back to Gabriel. Instead of sitting back down, she rested both of her hands on Andraste's thighs, challenging the sinew that lay underneath, wrestling the girl from her stupidity. She looked in her eyes, trying to find some sliver of sense. Finding none, she looked to Gabriel.

'Is this a celebration?' She asked quietly, watching the firelight dance on his face. 'There are probably people who would wish us dead, people who perhaps were under Telkanin's instruction?' Andelka crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him with a serious expression. 'I wouldn't know, hardly knew the man.' She waved her hand infront of her face as if she were batting away an invisible fly. 'Anyways, if we were to be attacked right now the only thing I have to defend us with is his lightsaber.'

She shrugged and sat down in front of them, looking up at the two, both entwined as if they knew each other well.

'I don't need to 'loosen up'', she murmured to Tuesday.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste curiously looked over, the boulder suddenly meshing into the sand, then taking shape into a figure. That figure formulated into someone she recognized. Andraste finally smiled, realizing that it was Andelka. She drunkenly swayed from side to side, almost toppling off their seating area.

"You made it out!!! I thought we lost you in that mess.."

She vaguely remembered the incident, grimacing. She didn't immediately notice that Gabriel had his arm around her. She simply felt warm, a nice shield against the chilling winds that kicked up sand all around them. Andraste curiously watched Andelka take a sip and then abruptly burst out laughing at the look on her face. She turned to Gabriel, noticing that the night sky was replaced by him again. His face was mere inches away from hers. She noted that the fire reflected in his eyes. Her own eyes widened.

"...stars? At last?"

She leaned in for a closer look, but she felt hands on her thighs, which almost made her jump a foot. She was face to face with Andelka. For a moment, it was an interesting sight, as the two young girls appeared to be two pale ghosts gazing upon one another. For a moment Andraste wondered if she was staring into her reflection, a reflection with brilliant eyes and hair as light as hers was dark. Her eyes followed Andelka's hand as it waved around, completely hypnotized by it. As she mentioned that she had a lightsaber, Andraste's curiosity was piqued.

"Juuuust make sure you're not like me and know to ignite it pointed away from you.."

She burst into giggles.

 

[Gambler]

((OOC: Apologies in advance for the verbosity presented here. It's truly dreadful.))

There was a burning in the sky. So much darkness, swirling around without boundary. Little stars, unseen in the distance, were the only buffers, capable of giving true light within a minuscule space. The area was large in comparison with a sentient being, but when compared to a planet it was insignificant. Buffer zones of light, hidden by the dark side of the desert. Gabriel smirked at the irony.

He smirked because he no longer had breath to laugh. Andraste's eyes moved in so close to his, burning into him, feeding his desire to drift ever nearer. Beacons of need reverberated from her chocolate eyes. Dark chocolate. Bitter, yet creamy with the possibility of being filled by something sweet. Gabriel wondered what her lips would taste like. Her eyes were chocolate, her lips...?

Cherries filled his mind. The taste would be sweeter than any fruit, latent with satisfaction. And he would crave more. It was just like power. A single taste left a man ravenous, insatiable. Consuming her completely would ruin it. The hunger would grow unchecked, and he would be worse off than he had begun. A single taste might leave him craving more, but the full experience would leave him in agony.

He returned his gaze to eyes like white fire. The girl to the left, sitting down near them, her features porcelain in the glow of the firelight. Wood cackled, a suitable proxy for breathless laughter. The girl's hand waved in front of his face, a blur of motion that sent his eyes crosswise.

"Yes, a lightsaber would be nice," he agreed. "An avid defense against the monsters of the night. People are inherently weak. They need toys to make them strong." He dropped what remained of the final meltdown into the fire. Glass cracked, spilling the liquid all over the wood. For a breath nothing happened. A moment later, it lit up the night, hell's bonfire.

He was still sitting, legs pulled up to his chest, arm around Andraste. The heat seared his face, causing a light flinch in expectation of imaginary pain.

"You're right. It does taste burning."

 

[Endling vas Precious]

She should put them out of their misery. Drag the sheep to slaughter. The clever wolf. Sneak around their backs and a few quick slashes to the back with the saber would most likely do the deed. Maybe a dramatic kick into the fire, too. Andelka shook her head and smirked.

When Gabriel spoke, Andelka rose, walking towards him, arms languidly swinging by her sides. She let out a tiny snort at his words.

'People are inherently weak?' She stepped closer, leaning in, a few inches away from his face, inspecting him. Eyes like burning sapphires, scrutinizing his features. 'Perhaps it is you who is the weak one. Every man needs a muse,' she cocked her head, wondering what secrets the Acolyte had tucked away. 'Is yours the bottle?' She shook her head, taking a step back, hands cocked on her hips. 'A woman, perhaps?'

She could feel the heat of the fire on her back, the flames dancing dangerously close to the fabric of her robes. Andelka was balanced precariously on the edge of Hell.

'A lost love?'

She looked to the haphazard Andraste, smiling.

'She is your vessel, then.' Andelka crouched down on her haunches in front of the pair, drawing something in the sand with a stick. She didn't care. They were too drunk to comprehend what she was doing. They wouldn't realize the true meaning: That she was painting down her innermost feelings. 'A vessel that will carry you across oceans of time, no?' The stick had a mind of its own. The lines were becoming a blur. 'Or a vessel to fill with secrets?'

The stick was thrown into the fire and she clapped her hands together, ridding them of any sand.

'But you wouldn't let anyone know that now, would you.'