Ask Kaas Afternoons

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri glanced up from her cup of caf, flashing the fellow Champion a smile when he seemed onboard with the idea of visiting Indupar some time. It had been months since the half-Annfyn had last visited home, and the thought of going back - if only for a short while - was something that had been lingering on her mind for some time now.

“Still tough though, y’know?” She said in response to his statement. He wasn’t wrong, of course - her ascension to Champion gave the half-Annfyn a myriad of new freedoms. The ability to lead her own expeditions and forge her own path within the Sith, and far more freedom to come and go as she pleased. Still, it didn’t mean things were perfect. “Finding time to go back with Imperial missions and everything else..” She shrugged a bit, swirling her cup for a moment.

She was about to ask him something else when the chirping from the cockpit caught her attention. The half-Annfyn huffed, took a sip from her cup and started to make her way in that direction. Vahliri paused only when Varyn spoke, flashing the fellow Champion a smirk. "You really are dramatic. As I recall, I have yet to hit a single thing so far.” With that, Vahliri waltzed right back into the cockpit, set her cup on the dash and proceeded to climb into the pilot seat yet again - assuming Varyn didn’t have the sense to prevent her from doing so.

Minutes passed and the ship finally lurched out of hyperspace, the stars coming to a still and the vast surface of Coruscant dominating the horizon ahead. To her credit, Vahliri made a conscious attempt to fly both straight and at a normal speed as she approached the spaceport - guiding the ship towards one of the busiest bays she could find - hoping that the high traffic would give them more opportunities to slip away without port authority getting a chance to question them.

Once they were safely on the ground, Vahliri glanced back at Varyn, gesturing for him to quickly get up and start moving. “Quickest way to get to your neighborhood?” The half-Annfyn stepped down the durasteel ramp of the ship and kept moving - hoping to avoid any unwanted attention if possible. Not that she couldn’t improvise, but still.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn nodded as she said that it was still difficult. He knew how that worked better than most, and he didn't fault her for it. Most days, it felt like they were just trying to keep their heads above water.

Not for lack of trying, he grumbled as she said she'd never hit anything. It was only a matter of time, really.

He settled back into the passenger seat for... some reason, a she brought them into the atmosphere. Fortunately, it seemed when she needed to be inconspicuous, her piloting could improve. His eyes scanned over the city-world once again and he took a deep breath.

He relayed coordinates over to her as they descended, making sure they came down near-ish to his parent's place.

He double checked that his lightsaber was hidden - no one should be carrying one in these parts anymore - and headed back for the back ramp along with Vahliri. Someone would come to free the Toydarian eventually, and they'd be long gone by then.

We have to take a transport down, he said, motioning toward one of the large ships taking off from the nearby landing platforms. He motioned for her to follow him and made his way over to the crater.

He grabbed the railing and looked over the side, letting her look for the first time down into the massive, seemingly endless hold leading down into the bowels of Coruscant.

Down we go, he said, his heart was starting to speed up again as he made his way over to one of the transports. He made his way inside and grabbed onto one of the overhead railing, looking out the window as they began to descend down, further away from the glow of the sun.

 

[Darth Tempest]

As per usual, Vahliri promptly ignored all of Varyn’s grumblings and complaints about her piloting skills. Instead, the half-Annfyn’s amber eyes drifted across the bustling atmosphere that she was suddenly surrounded by - her sensitive hearing especially attuned to the ever-constant hum of sentient life and hum of speeders overhead. It was her first time stepping foot on Coruscant, and Vahliri took a moment or two to just.. See it all.

“Wow..” She muttered under her breath. Not so dissimilar to Taris, but even then, she hadn’t seen enough of the latter planet to really appreciate it for what it was. Of course, Vahliri couldn’t really stand around and gawk for long - her attention snapping back to Varyn when he gestured to the transport up ahead.

Dressed in civilian clothes, Vahliri had forgone her lightsaber for the journey - though the half-Annfyn was confident enough in her abilities without it. She walked alongside Varyn as they stepped onto the transport - cramming into the packed platform that began to descend further into the bowels of the city-world. Once more, the half-Annfyn could only gawk at the sight - watching as they dipped beneath the surface and between the multitude of levels that Corsucant was built upon - the sun growing dim but artificial light rising up to take its place.

“How far down?” She asked without looking back. Vahliri was positively interested in everything she was seeing, cramming herself at the edge of the platform to look out through the viewport. Unfortunately for Varyn, his position grabbing onto one of the overhead railing would quickly result in him getting smashed in like a sardine - and an abrupt rock and sway of the transport brought the armpit of an adjacent passenger right into the fellow Champion’s face.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn descended downward in the shuttle, and a whole wave of familiar feelings washed over him. Desperation, need, and hopelessness crept over him and with it came memories of his family... and his loss.

And those thoughts were quickly flushed away by someone's BO being way too close to him, and him scowling and ducking around the guy and toward the same window Vahliri was looking out.

As they descended, the sky became further away and the hole became darker.

Nearly a mile, he said. Level 498 is nearly 5000 feet below the planet's surface, he said.

The shuttle they were on only serviced specific levels and the closer they got, the more stops the ship made to let passengers off. Varyn's eyes flashed around the ship, half-expecting them to be pounced on at any time by Sector Rangers or Republic Intelligence. It was a feeling he hadn't had for a while, but one he was intimately familiar with from when he first joined the Sith.

The ship came to a stop several minutes later, and Varyn tugged lightly at Vahl's sleeve to indicate this was their time to get off and made his way to the exit.

It was darker down here and smelled like a packed city. The scent of spice hung in the air.

Keep your eyes open down here. Most people are fine, but some aren't, he said. Hopefully they wouldn't be mugged on his way home...

 

[Darth Tempest]

A few moments ticked by, and Vahliri finally glanced over her shoulder - watching as Varyn pushed himself through the sweaty crowd and came to stand beside her at the window. Even if he didn’t say it, the half-Annfyn could immediately tell that his mind was in different places entirely - and she didn’t miss the way his eyes nervously flicked back towards the sliding doors of the shuttle as they passed each and every stop.

Without a word, Vahliri reached up and found the fellow Champion’s forearm - giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. She met his gaze for a moment, muttering a soft - almost inaudible, “Relax,” before releasing him. They were two out of thousands - and the likelihood that they would actually be recognized or caught was exceptionally slim. It was a risk, but not one that Vahliri thought was anything to worry about.

She placed both hands on the railing, watching for a few more minutes as they descended further down. “What’s the furthest you’ve ever gone down?” The half-Annfyn asked back at him. It wasn’t until the shuttle stopped and Varyn tugged on her sleeve that Vahliri finally pushed off from the railing, slipping off the shuttle and into the packed undercity. The smell of spice hit her nostrils at once - and her fluted ears involuntarily twitched ever-so-slightly as the hum of the city - the bustle of movement and sounds of thousands of civilians combined into a background cacophony.

“It'll be the worst mistake they ever make,” The half-Annfyn said in response to Varyn’s warning, her tone almost cold as she confidently strolled ahead. It went without saying that Vahliri was entirely confident in her ability to handle the worst of whatever lingered within Coruscant's underbelly - somewhat arrogant as it might’ve sounded.

“Familiar?” Vahliri glanced over to Varyn and then jutted her chin towards the side streets they walked through. Of course, the pair weren’t allowed to walk by themselves for long - and it took only a few additional seconds for Vahliri to notice a pair of Zabrak that emerged from one of the alleys - rounding to stand on either side of them. “‘Wanna buy something to spice up your night?” The man patted a pouch on his jacket, almost certainly referring the vials of spice he totted around. While he made the offer however, Varyn would almost undoubtedly catch sight of the other man shifting ever-so-slightly to the left and onto the fellow Champion’s peripheral - as if attempting to keep out of immediate line of sight while the offer was made.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn wished he could say that it was a fond memories to return here, but it wasn't. It was mostly not fond memories. Memories like the one he would have of these two Zabrak who decided they looked like easy pickings. He remembered people like these. Always preying on the week, hurting people, destroying lives.

Wouldn't they be doing the galaxy a favor if they just got rid of them altogether?

He curbed the thought and looked the lead man straight in the face.

We'll pass, thanks, he said, and promptly started walking. He hadn't missed the other one moving into position. He'd spent far too much time training for something like that to go unnoticed despite the fact that the man probably thought he was being clever.

He reached out and grabbed Vahl's hand in his, pulling her slightly and positioning her so that she was walking ahead of them as soon as they passed the two men. His other hand reached down and brushed along the lightsaber in his pocket.

This is not what you need, he thought to himself, knowing how much potential attention it would draw.

If they keep following take a right down the next alley and we'll... deal with them, he said quietly to Vahl and already hearing them start to heckle from behind, no doubt following the pair. Varyn was in no mood.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

There was an almost immediate shift in Vahliri’s demeanor as the two men approached. Though she said nothing, the half-Annfyn’s jaw set into a firm line and her fluted ears proceeded to flatten against the sides of her skull - faintly twitching and flicking with irritation. She knew that being approached by some lowlifes was a possibility down here, but the notion of someone attempting to prey on them struck a nerve with the Champion.

She didn’t miss the man who rounded to their flank - watching him through her peripheral vision, even if her head continued to face straight ahead. Varyn would undoubtedly feel the pangs of the Force that gathered around the half-Annfyn - Darkness humming through her extremities in silent preparation. The half-Annfyn didn’t need to guess at their intentions - not with the way they circled like vultures over a fresh corpse - and she was prepared to cut short any attempts by the men to become more forceful.

Before things could escalate, Vahliri’s attention was drawn back to Varyn when the fellow Champion tugged her wrist in order to get her moving ahead. She sneered, her eyes lingering on the two Zabrak as she instead positioned to move shoulder-to-shoulder with the fellow Champion. “They will,” Vahliri muttered in response to Varyn, gritting her teeth ever-so-slightly when he warned that they might follow. The half-Annfyn didn’t need to look back in order to confirm that was already the case - her keen hearing easily picking up on the sound of shuffling and footsteps behind them, even if the men attempted to keep some distance and mask their intentions.

Vahliri gave a subtle nod towards Varyn before cutting to the right - stepping into a dirty, dark alleyway just a few paces up ahead. It was a narrow strip between two buildings - and one little corner of the Undercity where they were properly out of sight. As if right on que, the same two Zabrak rounded the corner - eyes narrowed on the pair as they stepped forth - attempting to box them into the alley. It didn’t take long for one of the men to reach behind him - a flash of metal revealing the vibroblade that had been tucked into his waistband.

The moment she saw it, Vahliri wordlessly took a single step forward.

The Force flowed through the half-Annfyn’s fingertips and bristled at her command - extending outward in order to coil around the two men like a vice. Panic flashed in their eyes as Vahliri lifted her hands higher - hoisting them off the ground a few inches before abruptly tossing them in opposite directions, left and right - crashing harshly into the opposing walls of the alleyway with a pained grunt. It wasn’t enough to dispatch the men outright, but it certainly left them staggered and gave Varyn an opportunity to address one of them.

Vahliri, meanwhile, continued to step towards the Zabrak on the right - the Force once more gathering within her palms as she closed in like a predatory. She hadn’t brought a lightsaber with her to Coruscant, and she definitively didn’t need it to dispatch the men who’d followed them.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn slipped into the alley as well, shaking his head slightly and letting out a quick breath as he turned.

Vahl struck first, which left Varyn moving quickly after her. He leapt upward, letting the Force boost him into the air and slamming his knee into the back of one of their heads. The strike to the head sent his head forward, slamming once more into the wall Vahl had just hit them into as well.

Varyn wasn't going to kill them, but he also knew that it would be bad news if information got out that there were Force-users here. Of course, they'd shown no actual affiliation thus far, and technically Varyn was both types of Force user, but... that was beside the point.

Vahl had set him up perfectly for both knockouts, and he exploited it. He slammed his saber hilt around - unignited - and slammed the hilt into the back of the head of the other one.

Come on! he hissed quietly as he slipped his saber hilt away again and started moving to the far side of the alley so they could clear the area.

I don't want to leave bodies behind here, he said, half-expecting her to want to kill them. He had no idea if she would, but he didn't stick around to find out. He probably wouldn't have been entirely out of place to kill them, but they didn't need to.

He busted out to the street on the other side, far more bustling with people milling about a local market and Varyn glanced back to make sure she had followed him.

We're not far now, he said, but the anxiety within him was growing with each step. I grew up in this area, he said, seeing some of the restaurants he had grown up eating at, though many of the locals he had always known had passed on. There was a feeling here that he didn't remember... something more... desperate.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri didn’t waste any time after her initial attack - the Force drawing inward and building around the half-Annfyn. She was fully prepared to lash out once more against the pair of thugs - only to pause briefly when Varyn proceeded to knock both of them out himself. Almost instinctively, her senses expanded outwards - encompassing the entire alleyway as she scanned for anyone else approaching. She half-expected a third thug or group of their buddies to quickly round the corner, and was more than prepared to dispatch them the moment that they did.

Nothing ever came, however, and Vahliri didn’t linger after Varyn encouraged her to get a move on. Contrary to what he might’ve thought, the half-Annfyn didn’t make any attempts to finish off the two thugs - stepping right over them as she followed the fellow Champion. While she would’ve been pleased to finish the job, she had no present desire to leave bodies or anything else that would draw unwanted attention.

“You alright?” She asked instinctively, giving Varyn a once-over as they stepped out into the bustling market. The half-Annfyn was almost positive the thugs hadn’t even had an opportunity to touch the fellow Champion, but the concern-tinged words spilled out all the same. Upon confirmation, she began to follow him once more - weaving around the people that crowded around the restaurants and little pop-up, Fast-food joints along the way. While she didn’t say it aloud, the half-Annfyn paid just a bit more attention upon hearing that Varyn grew up in this corner of Coruscant - finding it all a bit more interesting and worth noting under that context.

“Relax,” She said softly and without warning, giving his forearm a light squeeze before releasing it. He didn’t need to say anything for Vahliri to know he was growing more and more anxious by the second - his emotions palpable through the Force whether he knew it or not.

She followed Varyn for a few more minutes - cutting down a couple streets until they finally approached their destination. The half-Annfyn noticed the fellow Champion begin to slow down, her eyes immediately beginning to scan the surrounding area for anything out of place. “This it?” She asked. Vahliri didn’t notice anything wrong just yet, but she kept her guard up as they got closer.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn pushed his way through the familiar streets, everything coming back much more clearly the closer he got to his old home. He almost didn't hear Vahliri when she asked if he was fine.

Yeah, they didn't hit me, he said, though the "problems" he was having were certainly not physical. He laid eyes on his old apartment complex and his gut dropped. It was filled with many types of aliens and humans alike, all scraping to get by but - for the most part - all good people. People he had missed in some way.

He reached out with his feelings, trying to sense his dad, but there was nothing. He felt the flood of other life here, even some familiar sensations, but not the one he was looking for.

He started moving more quickly, punching in an old passcode so the doors slid open for them as he made his way to the stairs. He ascended quickly to the fourth floor before arriving at the apartment itself.

There's no one inside, he said. She would know he could sense it, and she would be able to feel it as well.

He hurriedly punched in the code for the door as it slid open and made his way inside, rifling through the rooms one at a time.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri afforded herself a few moments to look around the surrounding neighborhood - taking in the urban sights and people all around her - before focusing back onto the task at hand. She could practically feel the tension that radiated off of Varyn, and there was no mystery as to why. Her own expression hardened a bit - a more serious and focused demeanor settling in. The half-Annfyn’s own senses expanded through the Force - reaching out in all directions to feel and probe as she pleased. Vahliri felt it - or rather, didn’t - and Varyn’s own words confirmed it.

She couldn’t help the frown that worked its way onto her face as that realization settled in. The half-Annfyn couldn’t feel a single living thing beyond those doors, and it didn’t bode well for what was ahead of them. She took in a breath - bracing herself for whatever was about to happen.

Almost by instinct and despite not even having the weapon, Vahliri’s hand hovered close to her waist and where her saber normally was as they stepped through the entrance to the apartment. The half-Annfyn didn’t waste any time - turning down hallways and opening doors to search the rooms for any sign of a struggle or what might’ve occurred. Her senses remaining on high, and the half-Annfyn’s keen hearing was trained to pick up on the smallest noises.

As she stepped towards the back of the room, however, Vahliri stopped in her tracks. “Varyn,” She called out to him - her voice carrying enough urgency in its tone to be noted. She stood before the back door of the residence - stopping just short of a broken window and a door that looked as if it had been forced open. There was a faint speckling of blood on the ground that hinted at a struggle, and further scuff marks on the narrow hallway halls only confirmed that suspicion.

On the surface, nothing has been stolen or otherwise damaged in any room. There was no other trace of the men who had attacked or Varyn’s father - and it left only one conclusion in Vahliri’s mind. She glanced over to the fellow Champion - carefully gauging his expression and his reaction to the scene before she spoke.

“Was.. There anyone who had it out for your dad? Someone he owned money to, or had fought with in the past? Anyone with a reason to take him?” If the man had been kidnapped, inking out some kind of motive or potential abductor was key to locating the man.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn found no sign of his father, but followed her out to the place where she called his name. He knew immediately what had happened, and he knew that it was a bad sign. His eyes followed the broken window to the wall beyond and the pellet-like holes that had struck there.

He recognized the blast marks, and he saw enough of them missing from the pattern to know that more than a few had found their mark.

He felt overwhelmed, a mixture of rage, fear, hatred, and grief washed over him all at once, and he stood stone still for a long moment. His jaw clenched before his fist lashed out at the wall, striking repeatedly until he left a dent in the drywall and his knuckles dripped with blood.

They killed him. He always stood up for everyone else in the neighborhood and they killed him, just like they killed me mom, he said, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. He wiped the corner of his eye, trying to keep tears from flowing freely. He knew exactly who had done this, and now that he was here, it confirmed what he'd sensed in the Force: his dad was dead.

I need to find him. Wherever he is, he said, turning away and taking a deep breath, trying not to talk as he walked over and followed the signs of the scuffle. He was sure they'd find the body in some back alley somewhere where they finally caught up to him.

He didn't have the heart or voice right now to tell her all about the gang, but the Red Riders had been harassing the neighborhood for years.

He followed the trail of blood and burn marks out of the building and around the corner where he heard voices and paused. There was no way the attackers were still here, right? Surely they'd gone on after they finished with their victim? Varyn's bloodied fist clenched at his side as he glanced back at Vahl. He already half-expected he knew what she was going to do.

 

[Darth Tempest]

In that moment, Vahliri felt her blood run cold. Her amber eyes never left the Champion as he lashed out into the wall, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips upon spotting the blood that poured from his knuckles and stained the drywall. But in that moment, she didn’t dare attempt to stop him from lashing out as he did. The confirmation that Varyn’s father was dead - murdered by whomever had broken into that apartment - resounded clearly in her fluted ears. The reality of it all washed over her just then.

As if someone had stabbed her through the abdomen, Vahliri could feel the knot that twisted up in her stomach. There was nothing she could do in that moment that would make things better - nothing she could say to ease his pain, and it was a familiar sense of helplessness that the half-Annfyn dreaded every moment of. In the end, Vahliri could only stepped forward, placing an arm on the Champion’s shoulder and tug him a bit closer, “Varyn..” She squeezed him, “I am so sorry..”

Her grip loosened when the Champion stepped towards signs of the scuffle, giving a simple nod when he stated his need to find his father. “We will,” She stated flatly, prepared to do whatever it took or search however long was required. The half-Annfyn followed him and as a result, picked up on the sound of voices around the corner - just past the trail of blood that had been left for them.

Vahliri paused for only a moment, long enough to look at Varyn and confirm what was about to happen. Without a single word, the half-Annfyn walked ahead of the fellow Champion - reaching out with the Force to pull a loose shard of glass into her hands that had been broken against the side of the alleyway. She rounded the corner - her eyes fixing onto the handful of men who were standing just a few feet ahead. It only took a few moments of observation - long enough to spot the bloodied pipe in the hand of one of them - to confirm these were exactly the men she believed them to be.

There wasn’t a single moment of hesitation before Vahliri lashed out. That razor sharp of glass flew from her fingertips - propelled by the Force to imbed itself into the throat of a Rodian with a spray of green blood. Perhaps one of them needed to live - just long enough to lead them to the body of Varyn’s father. But the rest of them? They would only have an opportunity to stare in shock for a moment longer - watching their comrade choke on his own lifeblood - before Vahliri stepped forth further, volatile strands of violet electricity beginning to cackle between her fingertips.

@Phoenix