Ask Requiem of Memories

[Null]

Null, Mind's Eye, 151 ABY
Several days before A Joining of Minds

Spoiler: Intro Theme

~~ Dive to the Mind ~~​

An endless expanse of calm and quiet darkness lurked in the empty abyss of Null's mind. The young man's body slowly drifted down through the featureless realm. His eyes were closed as he peacefully sank head first toward what seemed to be completely devoid of anything. Then his arms floated out to his sides, while his head and upper body seemed to tilt forward. A moment later his descent gradually came to a hover, and his feet began to reach down.

The ball of his right foot gently pressed against something, and the Galaxy burst out from under it. The stellar spiral swirled outward and glowed with the countless stars that shimmered in and around it. The cosmos continued to ripple out and burst into vast nebulae, bits and clusters of starlight blinking marvelously in the soothing darkness ever embracing Null's conjured universe.

It was utterly beautiful and breathtaking to him as always, even in the imperfect and foggy recreation of his Mind's Eye. Null took a moment to bask in the glow as he stood atop the center of the Galaxy like it was a glass floor, and watched the countless lights far away that glistened in and out throughout the imaginary viewscape.

~~ Stopping the Void ~~​

Then, after a long moment of peace and calm, the slowly spinning Galaxy under him began to fade to a dim glow along with the rest of the starry backdrop. A muffled whimper echoed from behind him, and the young man slowly began to turn around.

A dark silhouette of himself began to fade in at the edge of the dim Galaxy. Just a helpless boy, thin and weak, sitting in a blurry chair with his chin propped up and his lips partly open. It was the day he'd become so null and void that his misled savior would finally realize the consequences of her choices...

Null took a step toward the boy, and dim light gradually swept across his younger self's nearly catatonic expression. The once vibrant azure in his youthful eyes had nearly faded away. Deep and dark bags under them from the lack of sleep and the deterioration of his health. He couldn't even eat on his own anymore, his muscles hadn't been used in weeks, and his gaze had become blank and distant. Whatever he'd once been before seemed completely gone along with his will to live.

The young man let out a heavy sigh as he reflected on the echo of his past, watching unnoticed from atop the core of the darkened Galaxy. Then someone else slowly began to materialize in a vibrant torrent of lights next to the unmoving remnant of himself. Her form began to appear at the tip of her index finger, hesitantly pressed against the edge of a small gelatinous cube that was gently rested between the boy's unmoving lips, a substance they'd been led to believe would help him recover, but now it was becoming painfully obvious that the Void was destroying him. The rest of the woman's lithe hand and wrist gradually appeared next as the dancing lights ebbed and flowed along to form her lower arm, then continued up and away to eventually conjure the rest of the woman that'd both saved and erased him - Celeste Stythani...

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~Stopping the Void ~~

Why was it not working like it should?

Celeste was left with a thousand questions.

They had told her, it would work. They had been quite convincing and even though she had remained slightly mistrusting, she had hoped that this substance called "Void" would help.

She had desperately clung onto those hopes.

And now they were all shattered.

The guilt seemed to devour her from the inside, pulling herself deeper into the dark and not making any progress in the right direction.

She had lost track of time. How many weeks and even months had it been by now? Null was in a very bad condition and seeing him like this was unbelievably painful. However, it hurt her even more that she had trusted the substance. She had out her faith in the seller who had been her last and only hope and now she regretted everything.

No more. She couldn't continue like this. All the pain and all this suffering had to stop. It seemed like Null had forgotten the vast majority of what had happened in the warlord's lair, yet the memory loss had different consequences too. It seemed like with ever spoon that she gave to him, it was getting worse, and so she was left with no choice. After all this chaos and all the tragedy, she herself would try a different way. The very last possible choice she even had.

She was quite aware of the fact that he would probably remain unresponsive and catatonic as always, yet she still tried to speak to him. A habit she had picked up from the very beginning. "No more of this" she whispered desperately, her hand shaking as tears already ran down her cheeks as she let the spoon drop to the floor.

"Null...I-I cannot believe this is happening. None of this. I'll...fix this. I promise" her voice was soft and quiet, but the pain was clearly noticeable. She placed a hand on the dark haired man's arm, her own body still shuddering. "I'll find you" she added, barely audible, desperately hoping that there were still any parts of him left. "I'm sorry...so sorry" she removed her hand from his arm and carefully placed it on his cheek, her other hand doing the exact same thing before she let them wander upwards, so that his head was soon held between her hands."I'll fix this" she repeated, more for herself than for him because he was not actually processing her words anyway. She still closed her eyes, muscles still shaking as she tried to call on the Force. She knew that what she wanted to do would drain her, possibly even hurt her, but she had to try. She had to succeed. She had to find those shattered pieces and bring them all together like a puzzle.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ Stopping the Void ~~
​

Null silently watched not far from the chunk of memory where Celeste had finally stopped feeding him the gelatinous drug that made him little more than an empty shell at the time. And then she had made another difficult decision -- to dive into his empty mind...

A couple meters behind the blonde woman and the raven-haired husk a dark light ripped open like the maw of a wild rift. A boundless void lurked within as it churned wildly and opened faster, completely unnoticeable to the woman and the husk whose mind it represented.

The lost Shadow slowly went to take a single step toward them from where he'd been observing the conjured scene, and in nearly an instant he was suddenly there, standing in front of the dark stormy portal to a memory's memory. It was a broken world that Celeste no doubt experienced every time she dove into the nobody's foggy mind...

Inky black clouds that endlessly extended in every direction. Dark hazy flashes of dim blue energy intermittently striking throughout them. Vast splotchy nebulae with countless faded bridges between them to reflect the dormant mind.

The illusory portal next to them would continue to flow at its jetblack edges, while the pair of individuals behind Null began to slow to a pause, not that his former self had even been able to flinch when he blankly watched Celeste's sturdy facade crack infront of him.

"Thank you for remaining strong enough to push through and help..." Null spoke over his shoulder to the motionless warlock that once saved him. Even if she was just imaginary, at least he still had something to remember her by. And even if she couldn't respond, at least he could still talk at her. Then a moment later his dim blue gaze returned to the dark stormy portal before him.

"But... how many times did you throw yourself into this abyss for me?" He'd always wondered just how often she'd been willing to venture into this same empty mindscape. Over and over, with no trace of the man he used to be...

~~ First Words ~~​

Celeste and the shell sitting infront of her gradually dimmed to silhouettes. Null remained at the illusory portal, staring into the stormy darkness within it. Then it too began to freeze, until suddenly the jetblack ring stopped, and then slowly began to rotate in the opposite direction. It gradually increased in speed, and the abyssal mindscape began to swirl in on itself like a vortex.

Null's mind continued to warp and distort the mental world, until suddenly the portal he gazed through had morphed from dark cloudy storms to an endless torrent. Hazy images flashed across the inside of the swell. Images of the pair behind him blinking through various moments in their future -- still his past.

He could see the woman continuing to help him as best she could in the following days or weeks that passed. He couldn't tell just how much time passed while she continued to try caring for the catatonic shell, all he could see were glimpses of the shattered memories. They'd gone back several times after his recovery to try delving through the fog to the rest of his hidden mind, but still this was the best they'd been able to find...

"C..."

A distant whisper echoed out from the torrent, and within moments it began to slow once more. Null continued to watch, his breaths calm and steady as the vortex untwisted to a stormy fog within the portal, and then eventually unraveled and pulled away from the center of the anomaly. A bright point of light appeared in its place and grew outward until it filled the imaginary portal. The glow then faded over the next few seconds, transforming into a vast white room devoid of details, yet radiating with a feeling of peace and serenity.

"Ce..."

The breathless voice came from inside the room, which was slowly beginning to fill with blurry lines that flowed and formed into new shapes and objects. A bookcase. A desk. A chair. All lacking saturation. And then there they were again. The blonde senator of Rattatak and the raven-haired shell she saved from the vile clutches of a tyrannical warlord.

Null continued to watch silently from the otherside of the portal, using it like a screen to observe the scene from his past while his former self sat motionless on the couch across from Celeste's desk.

"Ceh..."

The first utterance from the shell in weeks.
A soft and familiar sound that faded to a hazy breath.
Almost as though a ghost tried to speak through him.

"Ce--leh..."

He was finally beginning to speak again, but struggling.
His pale grey eyes and lethargic body remained unmoving.

Then there was another long pause from the shell as he fell silent once again, perhaps needing a helpful nudge from the one he weakly tried to call for.

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (paused)
3rd: First Words (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~First words~~

Celeste sat at her desk, a literal pile of work in front of her. Ambitious and hardworking as she was, she normally had no problems when it came to getting her work done in time, yet it had started to pile up since attempting to nurse Null back to health had proved itself as a full time job.

She dedicated each and every free hour to the man who was still nothing but a remnant of what had been. An empty shell that once belonged to the bountyhunter she had hired. She had grown desperate weeks ago since still nothing seemed to work.

While working away she tried to stay focused, yet she regularly glanced over to Null like an overprotective mother that watched her child sleep. Yet he was nit sleeping. He was right awake and yet mentally some place else...perhaps even no place else since she wasn't even sure whether his brain was still able to conjure images of places. A horrible thought and she didn't want to follow it further, yet it kept echoing through her head.

It seemed like he would caught in this catatonic state forever and the guilt was eaten her from the inside. How could she have trusted the man that sold this substance...it was a good thing that he was not taking it anymore, or she was at least assuming that some effects might still be reversible, but the raven haired man had still remained unresponsive until now.

She let out a sigh after sending the next mail, briefly allowing herself to rest her head on the desk for a moment. Too much had happened, she didn't sleep well if she slept at all and it seemed like there was still way too much work on the table. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to draw strength from the silence, yet she found it rather uncanny again.

Whenever she was alone with him, there was nothing. No verbal reply, not even actual sounds and he rarely ever directed his absent, faint gaze at her anymore. Maybe she had lost him forever. Maybe there was no coming back from where he had went.

A terrible, icy shutter was sent down her spine as she dwelled on that thought for a moment, but then there was suddenly a voice. A faint, feeble, unknown voice and her first thought was that she had fallen asleep and was simply hallucinating now. But then again: The faintest whisper traveled through the air and reached her and she immediately raised her head, started even.

Her gaze immediately found the man seated across from her and with dilated pupils she stared at him while she noticed that his mouth was opened. It took her sleep deprived brain a few moments to process the information, yet suddenly there was no doubt any more. "Is that truly possible?" she muttered breathlessly, immediately jumping up, making her way over to him and squatting down next to him, overjoyed with the first tears already glistering in her tired, light blue eyes.

"You're not lost..." she muttered softly, her hand slightly shaking as she carefully placed it on his arm, her statement sounding like a soft promise.

The darkness had faded and a faint shimmer of light shone back into her own mind. There was hope. There was still hope.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ First Words ~~​

There was a beat in the young man's chest. A reaction stronger than the apathetic heartbeat he'd had for so long now. His chin softly trembled, and turned ever the slightest to Celeste. The pale orbs shifted, then returned to the center where his blank stare usually lingered.

"Ceh..."
The shell began again like a broken record.
His voice barely broke through the breathy mutter.

"Celeh..."
More effort inched out of the rusty vocals.
Another flinch from muscles that barely remained.

"Celest.."
The end of her name slipped from his breath.
Then his head slowly hung, and his eyes began to close.

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (paused)
3rd: First Words (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~First Words ~~​

She stared at him wide eyed, but not in a terrified but in a completely hopeful way. Internally, she was praying he would continue trying because maybe this seemed like a major breakthrough if he was finally starting to talk again.

Celes...

She truly couldn't believe it. Those were the first few words he had uttered in weeks, no months even? She had completely lost track of time, so it was hard to tell. But this gave her nope indeed.

"Yes....yes that's me. Do you...remember anything that happened since-" she immediately stopped herself from pushing him to hard and from letting all of those emotions out at once. "I'm sorry. So sorry" she added, but it was merely a faint whisper.

There was a huge emphasis on the word 'sorry', since she was not just referring to her emotional outbreak.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ First Words ~~​

A faint shake of the head came from the apathetic young man when Celeste asked if he remembered her. There was just the imprint left of all the people who had been helping them, from all the times other people who said her name around him. From all the time she spent wandering inside his mind.

Silence came from the lost Shadow, no longer aware of any connection he'd ever had to the Order or even his own family. What little remained was just the few clips and sounds the shell had picked up during his frequent trips in and out of consciousness. The blonde warlock of Rattatak that so desperately tried to help him inadvertently erased just about everything else.

At least his past traumas were gone, but so now too were the thoughts of everyone he ever knew, and everyone he ever loved.

"Hhh..."
The ghostly breath began.
The head and upper body jostled ever so slightly.

"Hell..."
The blank gaze remained lazily adrift while a few more muscles began to pulse awake, not that they moved very much.

And then he froze a moment before he weakly drew a deeper breath than he had in weeks, and released a soft plea to Celeste.
"Help..."

Which was then followed by a timely grumble of his empty stomach.

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (paused)
3rd: First Words (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~ First Words ~~​

It felt like an eternity.

She stared at him patiently, not wanting to push him to far or to overstimulate that fragile shell of a man by raising to many questions or urging him to speak.

Another eternity passed.

She could see him struggle, striving for words he was possibly missing and yet she could finally see that it hadn't been in vain. There was hope in her heart and she would give him all the time he needed.

Time literally stood still.

There was pin drop silence in her office.

She still squatted next to him, faces not far apart while she tears swelled in her eyes. Her facial expressions were softened yet she couldn't fully hold back that pure excitement and joy.

Hello? Was that what he wanted to said? That would be an odd way of starting to break the silence that had lived within him for so long. Was the time of torture finally over? Would she finally managed to recover the remnants of himself he had left behind?

She held her breath and waited for him to go on, but as he finally expressed this word her insides seemed to turn around. Her throat went dry, the first tears began to run down while she gasped.

Her heart was broken, once again. The pain was indescribable and it made her blood freeze. "You'll be okay...I'll help you" she whispered in shock, the agony spreading through her body as guilt took over once again. "I'll help you" she repeated. "I always will".

She softly placed a hand on his cheek, hoping he wouldn't flinch in fear again, before she withdrew that shaking hand. "Dinner! I...I need dinner!". She had gotten back to her feet and was addressing her aides outside with a louder voice. Even if there was hope now, she still felt like she was lost in a very dark place. He hadn't eaten for days. He hadn't spoken for weeks. She had lost track of time so that could have all been a lie. "For two" she added, desperately clinging to that spark of hope.

Hopefully it would be over now...

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ First Words ~~​

The shell of a man waited with heavy breaths. When Celeste's fingertips touched his face there was no longer a flinch that came from the ex-slave. Instead there was a hint of familiarity that mixed with a touch of curiosity, but the signs and movements were so little they'd barely be noticed.

A shallow breath faintly escaped him.
Another restless grumble from his shrunken tummy.
His pale gaze inched towards her, but seemed to remain blind.

It were as though something inside was eagerly trying to fight its way out, but on the surface he looked as though he might slip from consciousness once again at any second.

He just needed to get some food in his system at least.
He could feel the pain of his body consuming him.
He just needed to get a few bites before he faded.

The head slowly dipped and wavered.
Words tried to form, but went breathless.
All he could do now, was rely on Celeste.

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (paused)
3rd: First Words (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~First Words ~~​

And another eternity passed.

She desperately waiter for her aides to come running in with two filled plates, but deep inside her was that inconvenient truth that it would take them a while to prepare their portions.

It was early for dinner, but she had unmistakably heard his rumbling stomach.

Was that finally the breakthrough she was hoping for?

Her gaze had flicked back to the remnants of the dark haired man that had accompanied her on a mission.

Tick...tock

It felt like an eternity had passed...and yes it must have been so many months - no even a whole cycle...potentially more. Quite likely more.

She involuntarily held her breath, unable to say a thing as she didn't even dare to make a sound. Whatever had started right here in front of her very eyes was very fragile.

She couldn't stop the tears from running, but she immediately went down on her knees next to him, carefully supporting his head from below. "You'll be okay. I promise" she whispered faintly, but her soft voice was distorted by the crying as she painfully promised him that once again.

Had she broken that promise? He hadn't been okay in months and the guilt still ran deep.

All she was praying for was that he would finally eat.

And that those first words weren't his last...​

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ First Words ~~​

It took more and more effort for the weakened remnant to hold his head up. With each second that passed more of his muscles began to give out and go limp. It wasn't long before the full weight of his head was in Celeste's hand, and it was there his blank stare caught a glimpse of the blonde woman's pain.

"I..."
The ghostly shell began again.
Mind empty except of Celeste.

"I'm... sorry..."
His head remained unmoving.
Gaze fixed on Celeste's tears.

"So... sorry..."
His final words drained away,
along with the last of his strength...

And then the world froze.​

Null was suddenly next to Celeste and his starving remnant.

His palm softly cupped the bottom corner her cheek, while his thumb gently swept across one of her unmoving tears. The single droplet resumed movement again for the briefest of moments, caught in the wake of Null's momentum as his mind flicked the tear away from the tip of his thumb where it gradually came to a still in midair.

"I should've never ran from you...
Maybe I should just come home, but I..."
A deep painful breath pushed from his lungs.

"...I just don't know if I'd be welcome now..."
As Null's emotions began to falter the world around him began to crack and splinter like it was all imprisoned by a giant glass dome. The portal of memories that connected his previous mindscape to Celeste's estate waned and wavered, until it finally collapsed in on itself and vanished.

"I'll try to make things right..."
Another crack in the walls. And then another.

"I..."
The ceiling and walls splintered, webbed, and then shattered. Celeste and both versions of Null remained while everything crumbled away except for the floor and any objects within the estate that rested on it. All across the length of the wall-less building's lower floor the young man's memories began to fill the building with one ghostly form of himself and Celeste after the other.

Down the hall she helped him learn how to walk again, even though he still struggled and had to lean on her for support. Further away the two of them materialized at the dining table, where he'd finally managed to start eating for himself again, though it was also a struggle and he still needed help from Celeste at the time to do even that simple task. Another ghostly pair of the two appeared in his room, where his heavily scarred back was being covered with one of the shirts he weakly tried to pull on with a hand from Celeste.

The forms of himself and Celeste that had been right next to Null slowly began to fade away while more and more copies of the pair blinked into place throughout the Rattatakian estate. Each one representing basic tasks and functions that the gradually recovering shell needed to be taught again.

~~ Back To Life ~~​

Hundreds of memories overlapped in the same wall-less environment, each gaining in speed as Null's mind played through the remnant scenes like a Holovid on fast-forward. Faster and faster the countless chunks of his past weaved through the building while the man conjuring the mindscape gradually stood with his gaze not anywhere else within the estate, but outside of it instead.

Apart from all the memories that played out around him there was one going on outside in the garden that caught his attention. Everything else began to slow around him, and then the countless ghostly copies gradually fizzled away to dust. Only one pair remained, the pair that was taking a peaceful stroll through the blonde senator's garden.

The shell was finally walking on his own, and had even become capable of holding a datapad in his hand while doing so.

"Aeyyzzz-uh-fuhh-howler-durrdurr-hll." The past copy of Null botched the Wookiee senator's name once again while he looked down at the datapad in his hand. It was clear he was giving it his best shot, but as he turned his head over to Celeste her reaction seemed to show that he hadn't quite nailed the senator's name. "Gahh.. I'm never going to make a good politician... Maybe it's just not in the cards for me..."

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (inactive)
3rd: First Words (inactive)
4th: Back To Life (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~Back to Life ~~​

Things had changed. Progress was slow, but there was at least some progress after all this time of pure hopelessness and so Celeste literally couldn't have been any happier about it.

She was taking him on a walk through the gardens again, not just to allow him to finally get some fresh air, now that he was capable of walking again, but also to continue with his lessons in politics.

She was teaching him a few valuable lessons about politics, important politicians and other important persons and businesses in the galaxy and he seemed to pick up information quite quickly, but of course he was stuck when it came to the pronunciation for Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl.

"Yes...almost. You're doing an amazing job!" she happily praised him, "A's...air...fff...how...rrr...hud...rrl" she pronounced slowly, her voice rather high pitched and encouraging and she tried to speak extremely clearly.

"No, no...You're doing great" she had placed a hand on his back as she kept leading him on. "Try again! You can do it!" she kept on encouraging him further. It wasn't about pronouncing the wookie's name, but she generally wanted to keep his mind busy.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ Back To Life ~~
​

"Ace...air...phow...rrrr-hurddle-durrdle." Null let out something between a groan and a soft chuckle. "Ahhh... That last part gets me every time." He hadn't smiled much since he began his comeback from the edge of death, but he was smiling now. It wouldn't last for very long however, as his eyes scrolled further down the Kashyyyk senator's profile on his datapad.

Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl's valiant leadership of the FWA at the Sith's glassing of Kashyyyk, combined with support from the ISC, had helped the planet withstand and repel an orbital assault from the Empire. Or that's how he'd seen things at least. Either way it didn't change the fact that the Sith Empire had malevolently murdered millions of people for no justifiable reason in his eyes.

"How is it you still side with them...?" The raven-haired young man's demeanor fell once more, becoming the usual sullen and broody expression he'd unfortunately had since his revival. His blue eyes shifted over to Celeste's. Given their time together and previous discussions he knew full well what she was. A Sith. "How can you sleep at night...?"

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (inactive)
3rd: First Words (inactive)
4th: Back To Life (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~Back to Life ~~​

She closely listened to him while she studied the man she was slowly nursing back to health and back to life. Despite all the progress, he was still weak, but every time he smiled, her whole body was filled with a pleasant warmth that seemed to touch her very soul."I'm so proud of you" he would be able to tell that she was not just referring to the fact that he hadn't completely butchered the name again. "-hud, rrl" she still clarified, but in a rather playful, perhaps even slightly teasing way as she kept leading him through the garden.

What he said next, however, completely caught her off guard and she immediately stopped where they were. Her light blue gaze flicked up to him, a slight hunt of frown in her otherwise so soft facial features as she took a moment to ponder on her answer. "Ka-" she calmly began, but what he said next felt like a hit right in the stomach.

She swallowed, blinking a few times before she cleared her throat. That had been indeed...unexpected. the bluntness shocking even. It was a good sign that he started to think critically himself again, because that proved that he was not just a shell anymore, but the way he put it was definitely hurtful. "I...well Null, it's not that easy. I'm trying to help and the Empire brings peace and order to those who are in desperate need of it, but yes...what happened on Kashyyyk was an unjustifiable tragedy" she admitted with a sigh. "I'm trying to represent them diplomatically but it has never been easy due to some...extremist decisions I would say. I'm...conflicted and yes, often I feel guilty, but I'm really trying to help" she finally explained. Would he understand? She wasn't quite sure...after all, he was still very unstable and that matter was extremely complicated.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ Back to Life ~~
​

"What happens when they don't agree with your vision of help?" Null stopped along with Celeste. He'd gotten pretty used to reading her, and though he felt bad for coming at her the way he was, he felt a much stronger urge to see her safe. "All it takes is for one of those psychos to snap, then you're dead for no reason."

The gentle breeze slowly blew his raven bangs from side to side, his brows furrowed behind them with a clear look of concern for her. "Couldn't you do more from the Free Worlds Alliance? Couldn't you help the Galaxy without risking your life every time you leave?" His hazy blues searched back and forth between her eyes. "You know none of us want to lose you. Can't you just stay here, and stop working for them?"

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (inactive)
3rd: First Words (inactive)
4th: Back to Life (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~Back to Life~~​

The Senator knew exactly where those questions came from. He was worried and concerned about their safety, which was very sweet, but he was also forcing her into confrontation with those doubts again. She sighted, directing her gaze at the still rather bright afternoon sky before she let her gaze wander back to him.

"It's complicated...I don't quite know" she began, biting her lip for a second. It was not like she did not have answers to those questions, but she wasn't sure what exactly he would understand. "You sound worried...I can promise you I can protect myself. If they don't agree, I'll either convince them or figure out a different way" she replied, throwing him an encouraging smile.

Of course he had questions and she even loved that he was starting to become curious again...he was finally able to think for himself again and she was proud of him for reflecting on all of those issues so critically. "I..I don't know. The Empire tries to bring peace and order too...some Sith act out though. You know me...I've always walked my path and following orders was never my strong suit...so...I just don't know any more" he would see her inner conflict and he would also notice that she had repeated the phrase ' I don't know' thrice. She really didn't know anymore. She had had those thoughts before...but she really didn't know what to believe any more!

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ Back to Life ~~
​

"Hey I..." Null paused, his eyes unmoving from his savior. A gentle hand hesitantly went to her shoulder, then gave her a firm yet supportive squeeze. Nothing intimate. Nothing romantic. Null hadn't been capable of such things since his revival. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you..."

He felt confused, empathetic, responsible. This wasn't the first time he'd seen her on the edge of this monumental decision. His lips slanted, his chest twisted deep within. He went to speak, but nothing came out. Then he released his breath of hesitation after a moment and wrapped his other arm around her to pull her in for a warm heartfelt hug. His chin tilted down just above her ear as he whispered to her with as sincere a tone as he could muster.

"I'm sorry..." His embrace around her tightened. The pain and tormented emotions he felt from her were nearly tangible. "Maybe it's selfish of me... I just don't want to lose you..."

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (inactive)
3rd: First Words (inactive)
4th: Back to Life (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~ Back to Life ~~​

She did not want him to see her break down again and so she kept fighting against it. Those decisions and thoughts were eating her from the inside, but she hadn't finalized any decisions...yet she knew he was right.

She was in a dangerous position...even though she was a part of the diplomatic core of the Empire, she had disobeyed a few times. With each and every command and order she ignored, she brought herself in dangerous terrain and was she truly making any progress...

Would she be better off alone? To help Rattatak, it would definitely be worth to join the FWA, not only because the planet would be protected but also she would have an easier game when it came to influence...All she ever wanted was to help, to make the galaxy a more peaceful place and she was responsible for her people, so she definitely owed them safety...

Also, by joining the FWA she could help rebuild the organization, especially in the humanitarian sector and she would be able to negotiate on a much broader scale without having to be forced to obey certain orders from above...not Rattatak, but she herself would be much more independent after all.

She had heard what he had said and his words deeply touched her, yet she had lost herself in thoughts whi,e she stood there frozen in place, her thoughts running wild. Null moved over and hugged her tightly and for a moment the pieces inside her seemed to fall back into place.

And immediate warmth spread through her as this pure, wholesome gesture had been exactly what she needed. "Thank you" she had softly whispered back, a few tears already glistening in her eyes before she closed them for a few moments, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're back...and I never want to loose you either ever again". What they had was just so innocent, so pure and yet so intimate. Not in a romantic, but after all those years she finally felt like she had an actual family member again. She still felt responsible for his well-being and his happiness and seeing his every day progresses still made her unbelievably happy, but he had also become an anchor for her. He had this special ability to ground her and she was so thankful for his help and support.

@AdventCore

 

[Null]

~~ Back to Life ~~
​

Null's hand gently slid up Celeste's back. His fingers splayed at her neck and drifted up through her hair as he supportively held the back of her head and softly began to sway their bodies in a soothing embrace. His eyes closed and leaked a tear. His head buried into her shoulder and leaned against hers.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
He whispered softly.
"You'll never lose me again."
He paused and squeezed her tight.
"I promise..."

Spoiler: Current Requiem of Memories

1st: Dive to the Mind (active)
2nd: Stopping the Void (inactive)
3rd: First Words (inactive)
4th: Back to Life (active)

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

~~ Back to Life ~~​

She did not plan on getting too emotional and yet he managed to make her sob again. Ironically, he had gotten the one who was always there for her now and the one to build her up and give her support, after she had carefully attempted to put every of his lost and shattered pieces back into place.

She had her eyes closed, a joyful tear screaming down her cheek. She didn't reply anymore as she was too emotional and didn't want to pull him down with it. It was just nice to have him back and she was still overly happy that he was back. Back in so many ways.

It's not like she had known who Null was before, but he suddenly seemed like himself...whoever this 'him' even was.

@AdventCore