Pink is the Loneliest Colour

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Ord Mantell
City Streets, Southern Hemisphere
1528 Hours, Galactic Standard
Herrith Hendarsin
THEME
@Armcore

It's been a while since you've found yourself able to call a place home. Your broken-ass freighter doesn't count. It's like sleeping permanently in your commuting vehicle. It doesn't work, though in a way it does. Ord Mantell is the first planet you've willingly called home since..Zeltros. Yet there's still loneliness, and more than that, there's more to you than you ever though. It's like your brain got turned inside out, and a part of it got reactivated like an old circuit. You need answers and you know it...you just can't find the courage to look.

Herrith wallowed in her thoughts as she walked down the streets of Ord Mantell, which were starting to die down as the day was getting close to coming to an end. Recent events had plagued her more than usual. Feeling like brix for not helping the Guild reach its prime, and then discovering the new, unknown part of herself, then leading to her issues with the numerous people that she kept trying to get to know more than friends. Not to mention stress with looking to restore the Zia. It was a lot to take in. Especially in a partially unstable mind. Walks like these brought her back to normal, somewhat. A lot like what it was before she found her purpose again. It was infuriating and relieving at the same time.

So Herrith walked, ignoring the occasional glance of someone who recognized her within the Guild, as pink skin was unmistakeable and rarely unchained in these parts. She hated the attention. Attention had always made her vulnerable, and therefore in danger. But this was a friendly world. Or that's what the clashing voices in her head spat at her. It was a constant battle..and the best fix was a distraction. Sure, modern medical technology could probably fix her, or maybe even the Force...but then she wasn't..her. Of course, nobody knew that. She kept it to herself. Not even people she trusted. Because they couldn't be trusted with the kriffing mess that was stuffed in her. Sometimes life just wasn't nice to her mental health. But then again, there was nothing healthy with her mental. If that made sense.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Family...family... family.

The word bounced around in Ras' head as he was sitting on the ground and leaning towards the wall of a building of some kind. The idea of being a part of a family of any kind really was important to Ras. The one he had grown up with didn't feel like a real family to him. He hated his parents and his brother was an asshole as well.

Ras decided to ignore his thoughts about his family and looked at the buildings around him instead. They had no neon lights or anything that reminded him of Nar Shaddaa so they were a thing he liked to look at fairly often. He glanced at the people that walked on the street in front of him as well.

But one passer-by grabbed Ras' attention. A humanoid. Pink skin and hair. A Zeltron? Ras had seen a few of them on Nar Shaddaa, but he didn't pay too much attention to them back there. This particular Zeltron grabbed Ras' attention, mainly because he had seen her back at the Free Trade Guild HQ at one point. So he assumed that she was a member of the guild.

Ras decided to get up. He wasn't usually the one starting conversations, but he wanted to know people in the guild better. He also enjoyed the company of women and the Zeltron looked... beautiful.

"Ay'... ya' with the guild?"

Ras knew he had made a mistake. He was extremely bad at starting conversations after all, but something just made him talk to the Zeltron. Curiosity? That must've been the reason.​

@Herrith

Spoiler: OOC

God. I feel awkward for some reason.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith stopped in her tracks for a moment, hearing a voice coming her way. She turned on her heel to look for the source of the hail, her desire to converse lessening as her nausea grew. The question was expected from someone who recognized the Guild on the planet. Which meant he was an ally or an enemy. Hopefully the former, so she could dump him and continue sulking like the sorry excuse of a being that she was. Cursing under her breath, Herrith found the source of the voice, or hoped she did, and replied with a nod and a questioning look in her eyes.

"Maybe...who's asking?"

The woman attempted to at least make herself look interested, though it was difficult, mainly because all she wanted to do right now was pass out with a drink or some spice on hand. That'd be luxurious..though she knew there was no way she could. Too much important stuff going on right now. Hell, maybe this guy could be a brief distraction. He could offer some decent conversation, as much as she didn't want any. Or more, depending on the situation, though she wasn't in the playful mood at this time. Or the shoot things and get shot at vibe.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras wanted to punch himself in the face. He knew that getting up and talking to the woman was a bad idea. Why would Ras even try to start a conversation of any kind? He never talked too much, and when he did he didn't say more than ten words. He just wanted to disappear. Something still made him walk towards the Zeltron and answer the question she made in return to him.

"I am"

Ras looked at the woman for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Aight', I'll be honest with ya'... I just... want to know people in the guild better, y'know?

Ras had probably never talked as much in years as he did seconds ago and it made him feel weird. Luckily, he had his helmet on. Ras really didn't want anyone to know who he was right then and there.

"I'm pathetic. I know"

Ras was in a strange state of mind. He wanted to sink into the ground and disappear, but at the same time, he felt like nothing really could go wrong for some reason.​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith focused on the visor of the helmet, identifying the voice belonging to a man. According to his speech, he was a member of the Guild. She didn't recognize him. To be fair, she didn't recognize a lot of people in the Guild, as there were plenty of newcomers, so he could very well have been one of those. A slight smile appeared on her face and she shifted her weight to one foot, her smile slowly fading to confusion as the man continued, labeling himself as pathetic. Herrith shoved his shoulder and rose an eyebrow, replying in a way that she hoped would be uplifting.

"Pathetic? Come on, nothing wrong with getting to know your Guild better...especially people like me."

The Zeltron winked and her smile returned, attempting to counter the negative emotions emanating off the guy, as well as the other voices that told her to be careful. He could very well not be a member of the Guild, and just be undercover trying to bust their whole group. Though it was unlikely. His armor didn't blend in TOO WELL like undercover people, there wasn't too much dirt and grime on it that a lot of unfamiliars tended to try to do to blend in.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Pathetic? Did Ras just call himself pathetic? That wasn't what he really wanted to say, but apparently, his brains and mouth didn't work cooperatively at the moment. Ras looked at the ground and tried to clear his mind. He didn't know why he felt the way he did, but he knew that he didn't have to. So he took a deep breath and looked at the Zeltron again when she spoke.

Ras nodded a bit when the woman told him that there was nothing wrong with getting to know people, but the last part caught him a bit off guard. He knew that Zeltrons felt the emotions of the people near them and the woman was probably just trying to make him feel a bit better, but Ras still tilted his head a tiny bit in confusion as the woman winked. He couldn't say anything for a while, but when the storm in his head calmed down a bit, all that came out of his mouth was a small, confused question.

"What?"

Ras took a deep breath before continuing with a bit more confidence in his voice.

"What do ya' mean by... people like you?"
​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith scoffed to herself at the man's apparent confusion to her statement. Sure, she had been vague, and that was certainly her intention, but he was just being plain clueless at this point. The guy certainly wasn't a talker, and definitely wasn't good at taking a hint. She chuckled lightly to herself and started walking, waving for the armored being to follow as she spoke. Best make the best of this, seeing as this guy could easily get pranked. Though she wouldn't be too harsh, after all he was a member of the Guild in the end. She also didn't want Daesha kicking her ass.

"Well, first off, I'm a Zeltron. Secondly, I'm kind of good at a lot of things, third? I'm a Guild Councilor. Right up there with Daesha. Not surprised you haven't heard of me, I haven't exactly been helping out for quite some time. I'm sure you have, though."

Herrith put a smile on her face, trying to wipe away the sorrows that had plagued her only moments before. Now there was something to keep her distracted.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras wasn't entirely sure why the one little detail made him so confused in the first place. As always, he wasn't really sure about anything. Maybe the woman wasn't actually with the guild at all and just happened to look like someone Ras saw at the HQ? Maybe he was being lured into a trap of some sort?

The woman started walking again and motioned for Ras to come with her. Ras thought about the possibility of being lured into a trap for a second before he followed the Zeltron that was listing the pros of knowing her.

The woman said, that knowing her would be great because she was a Zeltron and good in... many things. Things? The Zeltrons Ras had encountered on Nar Shaddaa were hookers and they apparently did their things really well too. The woman was talking vaguely in purpose and Ras knew it. He just didn't know why she did it.

Apparently, the Zeltron was a Guild Councilor. Ras didn't believe her at first, but the woman said that she hadn't been a member for too long. She was sure that Ras was a long time member though.

"Nah, man. I've been in the guild for a week now"

Ras thought for a moment before he continued.

"Care to shine the light on me? How many councilors are there?"​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith held in her laughter as the very clueless man asked a couple questions and explained that he'd been a part of the Guild for a week now. Oh yeah? She was there from the very start. Not to brag, of course. The woman eyed a couple shops with what looked like interesting contraband as she replied with a short laugh.

"A week? I've been in for quite a while, since the beginning. There's three councilors, I'm one of them. We all basically answer directly to Daesha and tell you guys the news. Name's Herrith. That ring a bell, by any chance?"

The guy was funny in the ways he expressed surprise, and the good vibes were granting her some leave from the constant nausea that she dealt with because of her empathetic abilities. It sucked to be a Zeltron half the time. The other half was great.

 

[Ras Klaar]

The woman was a special one for sure. Ras had never met anyone that clearly enjoyed when he was clueless, but on the other hand the woman had some weird abilities. Suddenly, Ras understood why the Zeltron talked so vaguely. She seemed to enjoy the feeling of... Confusion Ras felt whenever he asked something. A strange thing to enjoy for sure, but Ras wasn't confused anymore. He knew what the woman was trying to do, so he decided to answer in a sarcastic way instead, because he wanted to see how the Zeltron reacted.

When the woman told Ras her name and asked if it 'rang any bells', he stopped walking and talked in a surprised tone.

"You're Herrith? Man... I'm sorry. I should've recognized ya'. I've heard so much about ya, y'know?"

Ras knew he wasn't the best actor, but he did act genuinely surprised in his own opinion. He took a deep breath before continuing in his normal, a bit quiet tone.

"Never heard of ya'"

Ras hoped that the Zeltron would react in some way to his change of feelings. Although the woman probably knew that he wasn't really surprised at all. ​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

The sarcasm that came from the man was unexpected, though very much appreciated. At this point she was just interviewing him, getting to know him a bit better. It took her mind off the other stuff plaguing her knowledge currently. That was one plus. As she thought to formulate a reply, she eyed two people glaring her direction from a storefront before they turned away and continued browsing. Trouble. The woman averted her eyes and then returned her gaze to the masked Guild member.

"Didn't expect the sarcasm. Eh, not a lot do. It's what I'm good at, not being heard of. Anyways, what's your name, love? And what's with the helmet? Nothing to hide around these parts."

 

[Ras Klaar]

The woman was clearly surprised when Ras' answer was sarcastic. He didn't know if it was a good thing, but the Zeltron clearly noticed it. Something caught Ras' attention though. He saw some armored large men with axes on their backs. They were obviously Roxi gang members. The last time Ras saw those guys they were about to cut his arms off so he wasn't too excited to meet them again. The chads clearly noticed that Ras and the Zeltron saw them and they went back to looking around a shop of some kind. Ras knew they recognized him. And he was sure that they were more than willing to detach all the limbs from his body. Luckily, he wasn't alone.

Ras tried to ignore the gang members and smiled a bit to himself when the woman told him that she didn't expect the sarcasm, but when she asked about his helmet Ras had to think for a moment before answering.

Call me Ras. And the helmet? I am... I was a bounty hunter, so I'm used to using it all the time, y'know?"

Ras didn't actually know why he loved his helmet so much. It just had emotional value to him for some reason.​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith nodded. Yeah, of course. Everybody needed their sentimental pieces, and more importantly, privacy. She shrugged as he introduced himself as Ras. Ah. That name rung a bell. She'd spotted it while she was going through the member list of the Guild. Ex bounty hunters, eh? Daesha was equipping some serious heat. Maybe something big was happening soon. Or maybe she just wanted Nadina to have an extra hand.

"I get it. Sentiments, you know? They're so nice, but sad at the same time."

Herrith glanced at the gang again.

"Sad like this lot is at blending in. I know these punks...keep on your toes. They might try something on us soon. I hate gangsters."

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras glanced at the armored men again. They were looking at him and the woman in a way that didn't hint towards anything too good. They didn't turn their heads anymore. They were just straight up staring at them now. Ras looked away. The armored blokes were just standing still, but Ras was ready to take his blaster pistol from its holster if the chads were to try something.

Sentiments? Ras looked at the woman again when she said something about them. To be honest, Ras didn't hear what she said but nodded anyway because he didn't want to be rude in any way. The Zeltron was a guild councilor after all.

She clearly looked at the gang members as well before continuing. She knew the punks, eh? Ras wondered if they had tried to cut her arms off as well before the woman said that she 'hated gangsters'. Ras couldn't agree more. Gangs were always rambling on about respect and stuff like it. It always annoyed Ras for some reason. He answered to the woman quietly to make sure the gang chads didn't hear him.

"I know them too, man... they tried to cut my arms off once. They'll probably try that again, y'know?"
​

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith stared right back at the thugs, holding each of their gazes for a solid second and then returning her attention to Ras. Don't mess with me, now...my bite's much worse than my bark.. She listened while the bounty hunter explained his incident of being nearly disarmed..ha ha. The Zeltron held back a smile at her own petty joke before speaking rather quietly back and leaning in slightly to make sure she was heard.

"Just keep your eyes out. If they make a move, it'll be hard to hide with those massive kriffing axes. They're bold, and I don't think they realize that the Guild owns the planet. If they try to hit us, we've got permission to kill them, so don't hesitate or hold back. I'd rather have killed them anyways, but policy is policy. We can't be completely heartless, eh?"

Herrith switched on the power to her pistol rather nonchalantly and leaned back, slightly relaxed.

 

[Ras Klaar]

The woman was clearly looking at the men as well, and she seemed to hate them as much as Ras did. There weren't enough people that despised gangs in Ras' opinion. Maybe they were scared, but gangs just said they would things more often than they actually did them. These two weren't like that for sure. They were looking at each other now and were clearly planning something at least.

Ras looked at the woman for a moment as she talked. She did talk a lot, but not as much as the Twi'lek he met... hm... Alask. Ras wasn't the best one in remembering names. He never bothered to try to remember the names of the people he killed, so it was never a useful talent to him. Although he probably had to learn it now when he was in the guild. Ras answered to the woman quietly.

Heartless? To gang members? Where even are ya' from, ma-"

Ras' stopped talking immediately as the men started to walk towards them. The other one was grabbing his ax already and the second guy screamed something to Ras and the Zeltron

"Oi', you two!"

The street was empty and nobody was there to interrupt the men as they walked towards Ras and the woman next to him. He decided to take his pistol out of its holster and turned it on. He just wanted to shoot these guys, but... 'we can't be completely heartless, eh?

​

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith groaned as the two thugs decided to approach, very clearly not recognizing them as Guild members, and not realizing that they could stomp the two into the ground if they felt like it. Or maybe they did know, and they just didn't care. Probably underestimated the ability of the Guild to kick ass and their risk of paralysis or certain death. As they called out to get Ras and the Zeltron's attention, she let a vibroknife's handle fall into the cup of her hand from her sleeve, and at the same time slowly put a hand on her blaster pistol.

"The bloody hell do you want, punks? Get outta 'ere before I make sure you never get a chance to. Go on, buzz off."

That was doubtful to work. But no sense not trying.

 

[Ras Klaar]

The punks stopped in front of Ras and the Zeltron next to him. They clearly knew who Ras was and he could see it from their eyes... or he thought so at least because the men had helmets on. They looked at the Zeltron in a different way though. She was appealing for sure, but the men were just looking at her like she was a slave or something. They were clearly surprised though when the Zeltron opened her mouth and talked. Ras liked the way she talked, to be honest. It reminded him of Nar Shaddaa and the people there. Rude.

It took a moment before one of the chads answered to the woman. Ras almost knew they were going to say something about respect and he was right... gang members were all the same.

"You think you're tough, eh? We'll make you two regret not respecting us"

Ras watched as one of the men took his huge ax out. Taking a better grip of his weapon, Ras knew he should probably say something to the men, but he just looked at the woman again, waiting for her response instead. Not having to talk was the easy way out of for him in a way.
​

@Herrith

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith sighed in irritation as the thug drew his ax in an attempt to intimidate her and Ras. It didn't work, at least on her. She'd seen it thousands of times. Axes were deadly, sure...if you could swing them with enough speed. What had really pissed her off was the fact that they assumed she was some kind of servant or slave. She knew that higher than thou look anywhere. Why? She'd been on the receiving end of it plenty of times before she had been free. It was easy to spot if you knew where to look. The twinkle in an eye as they examined every feature imaginable...it was disgusting.

Which was why she pulled her knife first, shuffled inside of the man's guard, and stabbed him directly in the groin, hoping if he was dumb enough to try to move that it would cut into his inner thigh and sever an artery as she ducked underneath his raised shoulder, then lowering herself to the ground to kick him in the kneecap before barrel rolling to the side, checking for more opponents. Hopefully Ras had the other one handled.

Keetar fregs.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras didn't get a chance to say anything, because the woman started to violently stab the other chad. She was god damn fast for sure, but before Ras could watch her any longer the other chad took his ax too. Ras turned around to face him and took his pistol out fully. The chad laughed a bit. He probably thought a pistol wouldn't hurt him when he had his oh so mighty ax. And for sure the man charged towards Ras.

Ras dodged the attack and hit the man on the back of his head with the pistol. The man didn't fall down, so Ras decided to just shoot both of his legs. He did manage to shoot the other, but the man hit his right arm with the ax, making the pistol fall to the ground. Ras groaned in pain as he kicked the man and took the weapon he dropped. Before the chad got up, Ras shot him in the back about three times. He would die for sure, but pretty slowly.

Ras looked around, but there was nobody else to be seen. He didn't holster his pistol but held his right arm with the other one. There was a cut wound under his right shoulder

"Fark... come on"

​

@Herrith