#Sith: walking faster

[rinrinp42]

#22 for the dialogue prompts!

I was delighted by this one, have some of Boba Adopts A Dad

22. “The children were eager to behold my blood”

Obi-Wan’s eyes darted about, taking in the lack of anyone in the hall.  He knew that the Force said there was no reason to be concerned, that Wad’e and Kal were distracting any of the Kaminii so the eyayade could be the children they were instead of the products the Kaminii wanted them to be.  And yet…

The lack of anyone was concerning.  Somehow he was quickly understanding why the Cretch Masters were so worried when their charges slipped away.  He owed so many apologies to Master Valesh…

Obi-Wan slowly walked down that hall towards one of the training rooms.  He could feel Jango and some of the eyayade there, with no overt negative feelings.  He still was apprehensive though.  Why was it so quiet?

He opened the door and blinked.  His mouth twitched.  He had to swallow his first words.

“Did I come at a bad time?” he finally asked, fighting to keep his voice even.

Jango blinked at him like a tooka who just slipped from a ledge and was pretending that was the plan the whole time.  He then glanced down at the chair he was in, the wire wrapped around him, and the squad surrounding him.

The CC’s shifted awkwardly, the one with auburn hair starting to open his mouth then closing it.

Alpha-17 on the side of the room raidiated smugness.  And was standing next to a box of…toy weapons?  Obi-Wan wasn’t sure where he even got them.  Ah wait, there was Boba mouth covered by his hands sitting on the floor next to Alpha-17.

“The children were eager to behold my blood,” Jango finally answered, “I, ah, thought you had a meeting with your friend Quinlan?”

“His last mission took an unexpected turn and has been extended,” Obi-Wan waved off, eying the box.  He didn’t want to bring up that Quinlan was in the midst of tracking the last known Sith from before they disappeared.  At least not around the children.  They may look about 10 (except for Alpha-17 who looked like a proper teenager), but they were still children.

Alpha-17 locked eyes with him and deliberately glanced down at the box.

Well.  If the surly eldest brother was inviting him, who was Obi-Wan to turn them down?

Obi-Wan stepped into the room, craning his neck to see better into the box.

Jango caught on faster than the eyayade surrounding him.

“Now cyar’ika, let’s not be hasty he-”

Obi-Wan lifted the stuffed lightsaber using the Force as sent it over to smack Jango in the face and was delighted as it lit up with a soft blue light.

The children cheered.

[evilminji]

Oh? >:3c why THANK you brain!

You no apps n such like TLDR? That summarize text for you?

In Star Wars? There are a SHIT TON of AIs just... floating around. Someone (such as a SI-OC) could REALLY fuck over the gears of corruption? By unleashing a team of AIs. Some to post continuous TLDRs of any and all legislation and SOME to continuously improve their firewall!

Slice THIS, fuckers!

Anyone, yes ANYONE, could put in ANY local legislation. Get the fully summarize read out. Get stages of summary, from youngling simple to business report. Who benefits. What is hidden where on what page. None of the fancy, misleading language.

People lose their jobs.

There would be OUTRAGE in the Senate. Hit squads.

But? You can't put the storm back in the bottle. This is SUPPOSEDLY a Democracy. And? Every cantina is filled with debates. Every spacer, moisture farmer, and mercenary has an opinion. Those club dancers have just as valid a vote as YOURS, Senator. You're not better then them just because you walk gilded halls.

They try to shut it down, obviously.

But we ALL know that only makes it spread faster. Under new names.

The people have a right to know what your doing, Palpatine. Have a right to tell you to get fucked. Viva la revolution, ya Sith bastard!

[ac-schryver]

I’m officially calling this the Mrs. Skywalker AU

A Little Treat

Obi-Wan felt his eye twitch as The Force, who they now called Mrs. Skywalker, outside of Anakin and Ahsoka, prance around the clones and the battlefield. Padmé had excitedly dressed the woman as they explained what was happening to her.

“Oh, I guess, if this wouldn’t hurt too much,” Padmé had asked that day. “Is Shmi okay now?”

Obi-Wan had watched Anakin and Mrs. Skywalker get the same pinched face, before the later turned back Padmé and patted her head.

“You’re kind to my Anakin, but you both need to have a talk about your relationship,” Mrs. Skywalker had sighed. “Please.”

Anakin had returned that night and crawled into his bed. Obi-Wan had wanted to yell that it was unbecoming, but he felt all response died on his tongue at Anakin’s jagged edges.

Anakin had seemed better after they left Coruscant, the distance between the pair seemed to easy the hurt. When the Force had told Obi-Wan to be more selfish with Anakin, he had thought it was about protecting that marriage, but Mrs. Skywalker had just set it to the tide and the waves ripped through as if cheap flimsi.

“Anakin, lovely,” Mrs. Skywalker called. “I think as a little treat, you should learn Force Lightening. It would really help with these droids.”

“ANAKIN IS NOT LEARNING FORCE LIGHTENING!” Obi-Wan yelled appalled. “That’s a Sith technique!”

“Bah,” Mrs. Skywalker waived her hand at him. “Techniques are only evil if used for evil.”

“Don’t yell at her,” Obi-Wan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Don’t yell at her.”

“I’m mean, the Force Song,” Mrs. Skywalker started walking over to him. “Can be used good and bad. You can enthrall people to be inspired good deeds or worse. You need to stop trying to fit into a tiny little box that won’t fit you, Dear.”

Mrs. Skywalker patted his cheek before walking over to Ahsoka.

“Maybe she’s right?” Anakin frowned rubbing the back of his neck. “What if she’s right about me needing to learn it? I can’t say I don’t see the practical use for it. We could cut the droids down faster with frying their motherboards.”

“And what of the very much normal generals?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Sith spit!” Anakin yelled. “Why would I use it on living beings? The droids I get but the people? I thought you’d want to know it to keep bugs from you.”

“I have no interest in learning the ways of the Sith, and neither should you!”

“You always told me to trust in The Force,” Anakin rolled his eyes. “Why not now?”

“Because I fear the path she wants you to take will lead you to a place I cannot follow,” Obi-Wan frowned. “If it is her will one day for her to tell you to leave my side, I don’t think I could survive that. When she asked you and Padmé to really truly look at your marriage, it broke my heart that night listen to you sob into my night shirt.”

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin warbled. “I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing Mother can do to make me leave your side forever. We’ll always find each other, this side of the next.”

“Thank you, Dear One,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“You’re welcome,” Anakin smiled, before turning to see Ahsoka has climbed onto Mrs. Skywalker’s shoulders. “Ahsoka! Get down!”

[forabeatofadrum]

El WooWoo! First El WooWoo of Pride month!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Thank you @whatevertheweather for the tag on Friday.

I have some more stuff from... "Inhale my Richard". Inhale. Not exhale. I fucked up my bad working title. Anyway. Simon realises that it's not very heterosexual of him to want to suck his nemesis's cock.

Penny frowns when she sees me approaching. "Are you alright?" she asks. I must look stressed. I suppose I am. And panicked. And very confused. "Penny, have you ever, er, realised something unexpected?" I ask when I am close enough to her. Together we walk to the library. I have to say it now, since I have no interest in talking about this in public. "Like?" she asks. "Like... realising that you wanted something. Something you never thought of before. At all. And then you realise and it completely overwhelms you!" "Like?" she asks again. Circe. Is she going to make me spell it out? "It's about Baz," I say and she sighs and walks faster. "Simon." "Hey, wait!" I rush after her. "Stevie Nicks and Slicks, don't tell me you're actually considering hurting him now," she shakes her head in disapproval. She has no clue. "What? No!" "Then what is it about Baz?" "I want-" but then I snap my mouth shut. I want to suck his dick is maybe a bit too much. I mean, I know it is. It's out of nowhere for me as well, but I want a genuine answer to my question. I should lie. I should say something less shocking, but what will still surprise her. "You want?" Penny prompts. "I want to kiss him!" I tell her, and I realise that isn't a lie at all.

Gosh, why is writing this so hard for me??? I like this story.

In other writing news, the latest Doctor Who episode pissed me off so much that I wrote a fix-it. It only fixes one of the many problems, though. But hey, writing!!!

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @coffeegleek @caramelcoffeeaddict @raenestee @tectonicduck  @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @that-disabled-princess @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @cutestkilla​ @wellbelesbian​ @artsyunderstudy​ @facewithoutheart​ @shrekgogurt @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites @esilher @kurtsascot @blackberrysummerblog  @nightimedreamersghost @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thnxforknowingme @martsonmars

[cassianlord]

Cassian wouldn't say he was nervous per se, but he could feel his heart beating faster and harder as he walked towards the ice skating rink set up for the holidays. People were milling about, being generally merry as they laced up their rental skates to have a turn on the ice. Some held steaming cups or snacks, some were taking their time to walk around and admire the lights. Cassian wished he could be so at ease but in his head, this was the first date he'd had in years. Well, he was under the impression it was a date. Was it? It had to be. Maybe not.

The dragon had his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks and he thumbed over the edge of his cellphone, tempted to pull it out. He'd read the texts messages between him and Gwyn a dozen times and Gwyn was so damn flirty with his silly little emoticons that it made it hard to decipher what he really meant underneath them. It was just a fling, probably. Finn had told him on his very first night here that this was the sex capital of the world. Sex and flirting was casual in this day and age, especially in this town he found. It didn't mean you were pledging anything to anyone. He took a breath and let it out slowly, a spark dancing over his teeth before fading into nothing. This was just fun.

He stood near the edge of the wall set up that kept the skaters within the confines of the rink so they wouldn't skate off into the pavement if they lost control. Surely he and Gwyn wouldn't be ice skating. This was just a convenient place to meet. Cassian stood his full height and looked through the crowd to try and find a curly head of dark hair. He knew what Gwyn would be wearing because he'd texted him photos asking his opinion but he might be wearing a coat over it all. It was a chilly night but Cassian was feeling a bit warm in his layers; a suit jacket thrown over a medical themed ugly Christmas sweater and a button-down underneath. Gwyn ran cold anyway so maybe he was just in his ensemble as it was.

He thumbed at his phone again, wondering if he should text. He'd give it a couple minutes more. He towered above the crowd and surely that meant the sith would be able to spot him.

[tennessoui]

first of all happy mayday and then also happy mermay

so au where anakin, human, falls in love with padmé, young mermaid queen of atlantis, and he finds a way to become a merman to be with her (she helps him because she's a queen lol it takes a bit of political maneuvering to get the sea witch to do the magic and ok now the sith have a small piece of their own territory in atlantis but it's worth it because they get to be together) but now someone has to show anakin how to be a merperson because it's not intuitive and he's really fucking bad at it like 'got his arm bitten off by a shark because he couldn't figure out how to swim faster that the shark' bad at it

and padmé is much too busy being queen and preparing for their wedding ceremony so...enter her most trusted advisor, obi-wan kenobi

obi-wan doesn't know what he did to deserve this sort of punishment. it's bad enough that the queen went rogue like this, gave the sith their own legitimate territory, and messed with dark magic just to get some tail (lol) but now obi-wan has to deal with it?? obi-wan has to teach anakin how to swim? the correct titles of their royals and how to pronounce them? the correct way to eat? obi-wan has to show him how to dress and deal with his sometimes surly countenance and his incessant need to touch everything he sees, up to and including the bright blue scales of obi-wan's fins--something only mates are supposed to touch??? obi-wan has to put his hands on anakin's waist and move his body to pump up and down and not side to side as humans walk??? obi-wan must carefully brush out his hair and treat it with their special concoctions so as to preserve its curl despite being underwater all the time now???

(they definitely fall in love which makes them both feel very, very guilty, except the truth is anakin and padmé's match is less true love and more fleeting infatuation now that they get to spend longer than a few seconds together)

[secondarysefikura]

Aerith’s first steps aren’t towards Cloud or even Tifa, they’re towards Cait Sith.

Baby Aerith loves Cait. He looks like a fun toy to her, so she's always crawling after him and trying to grab him/snuggle him. Cait (and Reeve) do not feel as fondly for baby Aerith, on account of her having the tendency to damage some parts of Cait's body anytime she manages to grab him. Reeve has had to replace Cait's tail on several different occasions after Aerith decided that it would be fun to crush it in her little fist while tugging on Cait.

Hence, Cait tends to hide on surfaces out of reach to a crawling baby anytime he has to be near Aerith (Luckily Aerith has grown faster than her wing, so she can't really fly right now.) Too bad Aerith isn't one to be deterred and decides that if she can't reach Cait by crawling, she will start walking. The extra reach that standing and walking offer her are perfect for making the silly kitty toy make silly noises (like terrified Irish cat noises).

[citruswriter]

The Call of a Lover

Pairing: Reader x Anakin Skywalker

Reader Is: Afab, gender neutral, former Jedi, firebender, trading merchant.

Anakin Is: Sith Lord, Uncharred (ik BBQ is tasty but still no crispy Anakin for you).

Citrus Rating: ✨Lemon✨

Warnings: They/Them pronouns, little to no paragraphs, sloppy writing (haven't written smut in ages), p in v, oral (f receiving), choking, mild degradation, not proof read, fluff at the end.

A/N: This is ✨part two✨ to my dream/fanfic. So enjoy.

Listen in with me! ↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

Sunlight. Warmth. Cotton. Those are the first few things you noticed as you cracked your eyes open. Groaning in pain, you looked around. You weren't on the starship anymore. Slowly dragging yourself up to sit up, you looked around and saw you had been transported to a planet's surface. Rubbing your eyes you looked out the opened windows to see lush green grass and flower meadows. But you didn't get to admire their beauty for long, pain in your chest arising. Wincing you did your best to stand up and drag your way over to the simple vanity that was pressed up against one of the cobblestone walls. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you noticed the change of clothes you had been put in. A long baggy shirt and a pair of simple underwear. "Was this Anakin's doing?" You muttered to yourself, gently touching the shirt. It was soft... Clearing your throat you did your best to peel the shirt off and toss it to the side, leaving your body bare, minus the underwear you were still in. You winced at the wound on your chest. Although your body had regenerated quite a lot, it was still pretty nasty. Turning to view your back, you were relieved to see that at least the wound on your back had completely closed. Igniting a hand with your flames, you began to circle the fire over your chest wound, causing it to heal up faster.

♡⑅*˖•. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .•˖*⑅♡

Anakin chewed his lip as the medic spoke to him. "They seem to be fine, no doubt due to the self healing properties their species possesses. The wound on their chest may need some extra treatment but other than that, they should make a full recovery." She stated in a soft tone, she could practically feel the anxiety rolling of the Sith Lord. He nodded, relieved. "Thank you, doctor. You are dismissed". He replied with a wave of his hand. The doctor nodded before making her way out of the small cottage-like house and to her tiny ship. Sighing, he perked up when he heard movement from the room you had been placed in. Standing up, he grabbed a glass and jug full of freshly squeezed orange juice. They'll prolly be thirsty... He thought as he poured you a glass. Running a hand through his hair nervously he shakily picked up the glass and made his way to the room. It had been so long since he had seen you. He always dreamed for the day that he'd see you again, although never under such dire circumstances. He parted the curtains to the room and almost dropped the glass at what he saw. You. Almost completely naked, flames over your chest as you healed your wound the rest of the way. Eyes screwed shut as you pushed through the pain, chest heaving as you painted, cheeks flushed red. It was a sight to behold and he had to duck back out of view and take a few deep breaths. Oh fuck. He thought as he felt his pants tighten. He felt horrible but he couldn't help but feel this way when you looked like that.

Taking another deep breath he quietly walked in and walked up behind you. "Feeling better?" He murmured, causing you to jump and shriek in surprise. Anakin couldn't help but laugh as you stood up and whipped around, arms covering your chest. "ANAKIN!" You shouted, both embarrassed and startled. He couldn't help it, you looked like a startled bird. He started laughing and you couldn't help but relax at the sound of his musical laughter. "Oh relax. It's only me." He said with a roll of his eyes, lifting the hand holding the cup of orange juice. "Thirsty?" He questioned, holding it up close to your mouth. You looked up at him through your eyelashes before nervously pressing your lips against the glass. Anakin tipped the glass up slightly, allowing you to drink as much as you wanted. You hummed and went to pull back, but Anakin didn't catch on soon enough that you were done. You gasped as the cold orange juice spilled, dripping down your chin and splashing your neck and chest. "Shit. I'm so sorry, princess". He muttered as he grabbed the shirt you had previously been wearing and using it to clean you up. "So uh, how have you been?" You asked, causing him to look up into your eyes with those gorgeous blue eyes of his. He smiled and shook his head softly, "Really, (Y/N)? We haven't seen each other in years and the first thing you ask me after all this time is how I've been?" You pouted at him. "Oh I'm sooooo sorry I couldn't come up with a better question, Lord Vadar". You playfully snapped. Anakin winced and began wiping your chest, silently remarking how well your wound had healed. "Don't call me that. I'm just Anakin with you," he muttered, grabbing your face gently so he could clean your face. "Just Anakin?" You echoed, lifting your gaze to see him. He was so close, you could kiss him if you wanted to. His nose was mere centimeters from yours. He drug his knuckles softly up your shoulder before leaning in to place his hands on the vanity behind you. "Just Anakin". He confirmed. Leaning back yourself, you lifted your head to brush your nose against his. "Well then, Just Anakin. How have you been?" You questioned once more, causing him to smile softly. "Hm. I've been ok. Could be better though". He replied honestly. "Oh? Anything I can do to help?" You questioned. Anakin let out a shaky breath deciding instead to drop his head to the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent like he used to when you were still Jedi. But it was different this time. You didn't smell like old Jedi scrolls or like the flowers that grew in the gardens anymore. You smelled like the stars, you smelled like home. "Maybe..." He replied after a moment of just nuzzling your neck. Heat crept up onto your cheeks.

"Ani?" You squeaked out. You went to touch him but he grabbed your wrist. "Fuck you haven't called me that in ages." He breathed and you clenched your thighs together at his deep tone. An action that didn't go unnoticed, smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. You tried to wiggle your wrist free so you could touch him, but he tightened his grip and growled softly. "Touch me and I won't be able to hold myself back," he warned, grip softening so you could free yourself if you so wished. "I haven't seen you in so long. I never thought I'd ever see you again. Touch me and I'll make sure you never leave my sight again". He was giving you a choice. You reached your hands forward, pulling him back so you could cradle his face, fingertips brushing his curls back. "Ani..." You whispered, causing him to shudder. You leaned in, mouth hovering over his. "I've wanted you since we were Padawans..." That was all he needed. His hands found you in an instant, pulling you up and into the air, clutching you close to him before tossing you onto the bed. "You're gonna regret this, pretty girl". He said, lust dancing in his eyes as he drank your figure in. "Then be my favorite mistake," you cooed, arms reaching out to him. He pounced onto you, lips bruising yours in an instant. He practically devoured you, lips moving across your lips and neck, nipping and biting as if he were starving. Hands gripped at your legs as he pulled you closer to him, clothed length grinding against your core. You hummed in pleasure, rolling your head back. Anakin took advantage of this, attacked your neck as his large hands gripped at your bare skin. He trailed his fingertips over your body before grabbing your waist and forcing your hips to smash against his. "Ani!" You whined out. You felt like you were suffocating. Head spinning as you just laid there and let him do what he wanted to your body. You were essentially high off his presence and you best believe that he knew it. Hands reaching for your underwear, he made quick work of taking them off before diving between your legs.

You cried out as you felt his tongue make contact with your core. You tried to wiggle free, lifting your hips in a poor attempt to get away. "Ah ah ah. I don't think so, princess. I wanna taste you," he said, arms hooking under your legs to keep you in place. You whimpered and Anakin kissed your inner thighs in reassurance before returning to his meal. Tongue circling your clothes as you whined again. He certainly knew what he was doing as he lapped at your folds that were covered in slick. Latching onto your pearl he began to suck, eyes drifting up to watch you writhe and moan. Desperately wanting to stop him before the orgasm you felt coming over came you, you grabbed his curls and tugged. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ani. W-Wait, fuck. Anakin, I'm gonna-" "Gonna what? Cum? What you don't wanna cum on my tongue?" He taunted, kissing up your body. You moaned again, body reacting to every touch. He chuckled before dropping down to kiss your lips once more. Your hands slipped under his shirt, trying to peel off his clothes. "M-Maybe another time." You replied as you slipped his shirt off before grabbing at his belt. "Please Ani," You whined, getting impatient. "Please. Need you so bad, baby". He groaned at the desperation in your tone and obliged, stripping himself of his clothes before nestling in between your legs again. "You're so fucking beautiful," he cooed, kissing your neck as he grabbed his shaft in order to better guide his tip to your core. You whined again and desperation and threw your head back, throwing a mild tantrum. "Hurry uuuuuuup!" You pleaded. Anakin couldn't help but laugh at your desperation. "You see me for the first time in years and you just become my cock hungry whore almost instantly. How precious". You snapped your head up and glared up at him. "I've waited for this moment since we were both teenagers. If you don't fucking rail me til I can't speak, I swear Anakin I will-!" Your angry rant was cut off as the man above you thrusted up into you, him immediately setting a brutal pace in you. "Sorry what? What was that?" He grabbed your neck, squeezing tightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to give you a buzz. "Sorry I can't hear your brattiness over the noise of your pussy squelching around my dick from how wet you are". He let your neck go, choosing instead to claw at your flesh, making angry red lines.

You cried out in pain and attempted to snap back at him but all that left your mouth was mindless babble, words refusing to form in your mind as you became more and more cock dumb. Trembling as he gripped your hips to angle them down, you yelped as he hit that spongy spot within your walls, causing your vision to temporarily whiten. A strew of stuttered curse words left your mouth as he kept pounding away within you. His chest was heaving, sweat beaded across his forehead as he focused on forcing you to come undone. "Fuck... So tight... So close..." He muttered, hot breath fanning against your neck, causing you to tremble. Ducking his head more to latch onto your neck. Moaning, you rolled your head back, a knot forming in your stomach. "Ani. Ani please. Please I'm so close". You whined out. He didn't respond to you, only pressing a palm to your lower stomach so you could feel his cock more as he bullied your cervix. You cried his name out as you orgasmed, him groaning and cumming inside you only a few seconds later. The both of you stayed there for a moment, catching your breath. "I love you..." You whispered. Anakin chuckled softly and pulled out finally, lifting his head to gently kiss you on the mouth. "I love you too, pretty girl. Now let's get cleaned up".

♡⑅*˖•. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .•˖*⑅♡

BONUS

"Anakin Skywalker!" You yelled and Anakin sheepishly peaked his head into the bedroom, "Yes, my love? Am I in trouble?" He asked with a nervous chuckle. "Yes you are!" You said in an exasperated tone as you threw some sort of stick at him. Scrambling to catch it he held it up. It was a pregnancy test... A positive pregnancy test. "We have sex ONE TIME! And you've somehow already knocked me up!" You said with a nervous laugh. He stared at you with wide eyes before rushing over to scoop you up and spin you around. "This is amazing! I've always wanted to be a dad!" He beamed. "Oh really?" You mused. "Yeah. Hey I've got a new nickname for you". He replied mischievously. "Oh and let me guess, mommy?" You said with a playful scoff. "I was thinking Mrs. Skywalker but that one works too". He cooed, causing you to become all flustered but you smiled none the less before kissing him. He happily returned the kiss and the two of you stayed that way. Blissfully wrapped up in each other's arms with whispers of the future.

I'm sorry it took SO DAMN LONG to finally finish writing this. Work has burnt me out so badly. But I finally finished so hell yea! Sorry if it's shit tho, been ages since I've written smut. 😭

Tag List: None yet

[emoani]

summary: the sith lord darth vader is in love with you and your baby blue dress

pairing: darth vader x f!reader

warnings: insinuation of sex, vader in love, but still an evil sith lord

observation: i dedicate this post to my corazón @fuckmyskywalker because his favorite color is blue

▪︎baby blue dress▪︎

You run your hands through your hair, smoothing it down for the thousandth time. Until you hear his breathing. Vader has finally arrived, and that makes you excited.

- Are you getting ready for our special night, honey? Have you already chosen what you are going to wear? -His voice comes out through the modulator, he was looking for you anxiously in that big suite, but he doesn't see you.

- It's a surprise - You tease him, with a smile on your lips, you were hiding somewhere in the room so he wouldn't find you, even knowing he could do it quickly with force.

- Ok, darling. I'll do my best to guess. Will I get to know what you're wearing tonight? - Vader joins in the fun.

- At night... - You pause pretending to think - I won't wear anything!

The Lord takes a while to answer you, his breathing gets faster. You had managed to affect him with so little and it was so much fun.

- Honey... Please say you're going to use something...

You laugh at him.

- Yes love. I'll wear it, usually in front of others.

- Don't make me anxious, my dear. What are you going to wear for our special night?

- A long baby blue dress - You describe what you were wearing at the time and walk slowly towards him, feeling his anxiety.

- Forgive me, but I have to be honest... You're going to look like a goddess, dressed in a baby blue dress... Your eyes and hair match the blue so well - As he's talking you approach and poke his shoulder. He, anxious, can't stop touching you from your hair to your beautiful blue dress. He is in love with what he sees - Baby, you look beautiful, my love...

You laugh, so happy as you wrap your arms around your man to hug him. You loved him so much.

- Who knew that one would say I would see a Lord so in love like this - you think aloud.

- Honey, I feel like a seventeen-year-old boy by your side. I won't be able to take my eyes off you all night!

His voice might not be able to convey that much emotion, but how could you not be moved by those words? Vader could look so bad to other people, but not to you because you understood him. And that's why he loved you. You understood why he ended up that way, you waited for him for years until he allowed someone into his heart again. You loved that bad guy. And he didn't care what people said. You loved him so much that you would always be there for him, follow him to every planet and ignore the bodies he would leave lying around.

- I don't get used to so many compliments - you says blushing.

- Don't worry. When I marry you, I will always give you compliments. I will always tell you how beautiful you are, how perfect you are for me, how you are the woman of my life...

Its robotic arms were around your waist, holding you as tight as if you were going to walk away.

- I'm looking forward to kissing you now. But I'll control myself until dinner time... give me a hug, I'll control myself until later.

You can't not laugh about it all. Oh, how she loved him.

- How will dinner work, since you can't eat with me? - Worried question - Won't you mind?

It wasn't the first time you said that. Ever since you started planning this night, you've been insisting that you can skip that part. But Vader always said he wanted to give you the full experience of a romantic night. That included dinner. He made it very clear that it wasn't an option to skip this part, however you were so insistent.

- We've already talked about this - He reminds you, walking around the room - I don't care, as long as I'm with you, my dear. I will feed myself with your beauty, with your personality, with your presence, with the air you breathe, with the same air you exhale when you kiss me. I'll be by your side, watching you eat... To be honest: I'll be very focused on you; I want to see every little bite you take...

So passionate.

- You're obsessed with me, so glad I am with you too

- I'm a Sith Lord, but I'm the most passionate being you've ever seen.

(...)

You continued exchanging flirtations the entire time. As you walked, while Vader chose a good ship to take you to the planet he chose just for that night.

The whole place was beautiful, as well as the dinner. The place he took you to was more romantic than he expected. The walls with glass chandeliers. The soft wood floors, and the brightly lit stairs. There are roses on the ceiling. It's all perfect.

And the dinner that Vader insisted so much on was great, and once again you imagined what it would be like if that accident on Mustafar had not happened, you were sad to think that he could no longer feel and enjoy certain things.

- Honey - Vader says and you know he was in your thoughts - I'm feeling good now. We still have the whole night ahead of us.

You finish eating and thank him. The androids begin to silently clear the food from the table.

- I'm anxious to know where this night will take us - You observe.

- I can use my mind to show you a little what awaits you. Do you feel, my love?

You, still sitting, raise an eyebrow without quite understanding what he is saying. Seconds later you tremble all over, feeling an invisible touch between your legs. Was he really teasing you like that? You bite your lip and lower your head in embarrassment. You were out in public, by the way. Even if there was no one else in the place besides the androids.

- So, my queen? Are you feeling my rage? My desire to have you in that blue dress?

You squeeze your own thigh, trying in vain to contain the trembling in your legs as he, through the Force, touches you.

- Vader, please... - You ask softly - Not here.

- Here, yes. Do you think you have the right to deny me something? - He speaks each word slowly, as if he wasn't doing anything - I demand to be rewarded.

And you who were being stimulated the whole time, trying to hold your breath, don't even think about stopping it. Who did you want to fool? He was the Sith Lord, your Lord and he could boss you around and do whatever he wanted. And he knows it.

- As you wish - You answer, making your submission clear.

[bardicinsomnia]

The day Shen had gain his Master-hood, Master Karma had taken him to walk the Coruscant Temple Gardens.

"Your first padawan will be exactly what you require to grow as a Master," Master Karma had said with a small smile and a tip of her head.

Shen didnt realize at the time that was a karking curse on his lineage--

Akali throws herself forward at Kayn with a wild cry, heedless of the blaster fire and explosions going on in the tight space of the canyon around her. Shen swallows a groan and allows the irritation to pass through him. As much as he wants to glance over to make sure Akali hasnt accidentally trampled anyone-- again-- he cannot afford the distraction, not right now, not with Zed's twin glowing blades before him.

It is no small consolation that Zed looks equally aggrieved with his own padawan. His eyelids flutter and his brows pinch in such a familiar expression that Shen forgets himself for a fraction of a second, the corners of his mouth curling into a small smile.

"I would think--" Shen says lightly, deflecting Zed's blades down and aiming his other elbow in a crushing strike at Zed's wrists. It misses, of course, Zed has always been far faster and more flexible, but it buys him a little room to breathe. "-- that hotheadedness would be a valuable trait in a Sith padawan."

A jedi should not feel satisfaction in causing another creature pain. However, the expression that crosses Zed's face is more amusing than it has any right to be. One blade strikes high at Shen's head, the other low for his stomach, and Shen flows through and around Zed's form, Lightsabers sparking as they are deflected with two quick strikes.

"And I would have assumed," Zed bites back, "that focus would be just as valued a virtue in a Jedi padawan."

They both reach out with the Force at the same time-- then stop just as quickly when the walls of the canyon shudder menacingly.

Its bad fighting here, droids and clones and jedi and sith on the ground, the insect-like native people of this planet swarming in the air too low for starfighters to safely engage. Shen can feel the shatterpoint starting to crack, the Force warning, danger, danger.

Shen parries another blow, a second, ducks under a third double-blade swipe, and then they are dancing apart when a hail of blaster fire cuts between them. Where the bolts scatter against the soft canyon wall Kayn is losing footing, a dense humming ball of frustration and the sick-hungry slithering of his Sith scythe as he blocks Akali's blow, lashes out into empty air trying to kick her diaphragm.

Kayn releases his scythe with one hand, letting Akali drive him even further back, and from the widening of Zed's eyes he, too, feels the moment the shatterpoint bursts open.

The canyon walls give only a tremble of warning before they begin to crumble and cave inwards. Kayn cries out in panic even as akali grabs him by the front and flips them both backwards, but the landslide is begining to pick up speed and they aren't. Shen's heart is in his throat, Akali's name on his tongue as he lunges forward, the Force eating up the distance between him and the padawans and the several tonnes of earth coming crashing down on top of them.

He throws himself over Kayn's back, Zed against Akali's, the padawan's between them and a hasty Force-barrier sputtering into place, but there is little else to do but brace for impact.

[natusvincere]

That Darn Cat || Sam and Vic

TIMING: about a week ago LOCATION: Downtown PARTIES: @natusvincere & @uncannysam SUMMARY: Vic comes across a scuffle, which turns out to be Sam being attacked by a Cat Sith. She has to decide if she wants to pet it, or help. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

Vic was stressed. Things felt too upside down with the Good Neighbors, even more than she ever expected them too.  She knew when joining there was a good chance that something was awry, but conversations she’d been overhearing were pointing to something deeper than she had ever expected every day. And now, everything seemed to be happening all at once, faster than she was ready for.  But life rarely cared if she was ready.  

She was determined to do more research- to find out exactly who this ‘Winifred’ was and if she was really as nefarious as Vic had begun to expect.  Unfortunately, her leads were going nowhere fast, and she kept following ones that lead her to dead ends.  Actually, this one led her to a poorly-lit alleyway, but the sentiment was still the same.  She was about to head home, defeated, when she heard a commotion from the other end.  Even with her superior sight and hearing, she couldn’t quite make out what she saw, only that it seemed to be the beginning of a scuffle.  Instinctually, she slowly made her way toward the sight, trying to get a better look.

It had been a long day and the afterwork errands were always the hardest, especially when customers wanted to pick arguments or try and haggle prices with her. Luckily for Sam, she didn’t have too much to do. A quick trip here and there, and she could be back home to Scout and her nice comfy bed. However, that’s not what fate had in mind for her tonight. No, there had been something waiting just beyond the path back to her truck, and as Sam rounded the corner there it stood waiting.

At first, she had been startled by it, but as soon as her eyes adjusted, Sam realized it was a cat. An oddly very large black cat except for the one patch of white fur on its chest, but nothing too bad. Or so she thought, “Fuck, you scared me. What are you doing back here?” The animal cautiously moved towards Sam, soon rubbing up against her thigh and purring; its larger body pressing into hers slightly knocking her off kilter, “Hey, whoa. I don’t have anything okay? Just my groceries.”

As she continued to move forward, the cat followed her. Sam fumbled with her keys trying to get them into the door of her Bronco, but before she could, the animal rubbed up against her again, knocking them out of her hand, “Dammit.” Sitting her groceries on the ground, Sam dropped down looking for her keys and while doing so, she felt the animal rub some more as its purrs grew louder, and soon she found herself pinned up against the truck in a sitting position while this enormous cat continued to rub on her legs moving back and forth, “Okay, alright, I get it. You just want some love.” Reaching out, Sam put her hand on the back of the animal’s neck, but before she realized what was happening, the large creature pulled up its paw and smacked Sam across the cheek; claws fully extended.

“What the fuck?!” Yelping in pain, the woman pulled her hand up to her cheek only to find blood, and without thinking, she quickly shoved the animal off of her trying to scramble to her feet, before it could get another swipe in.

It was more than just a scuffle.  Vic knew, because as she walked closer toward it, the sickenly sweet smell of blood permeated the air around her.  Her instincts told her to pounce, or to let the creature do what it wanted and then eat up the aftermath.  But she was better than her instincts.  And extremely well-fed.  She was thankful for both of those facts.  But it seemed as she investigated further that what caused the blood was a… really big cat?  She found herself moving toward the scuffle in double time, trying to think of the best way to help.  “Hey!”, she said, in her loudest, booming voice, hoping to scare it away.  She even tried hissing at it, sticking her tongue out in the process and feeling entirely ridiculous.  “You need to get control of your demon-cat before it hurts you again”, she called to the woman, avoiding eye contact with the blood on her cheek.  What would it taste like, she wondered, to feed again from a warm body?

She shook her head, taking in a deep breath as she reached down for the cat, wrapping her arms around its belly and trying to pull it off the girl.  Even for someone of her strength, the cat was big, and she had to grunt out her words as she tried to pull it away.  “This… thing…has to be a…code violation…somewhere”, she grunted, setting her feet in place on the ground.  It wriggled in her grip, but she pulled it away so the girl just might have been able to wriggle away.  “But the best… thing to do…”, the cat finally wriggled from her grip, pacing between the two of them, “...is to get that thing trained.  Do you know how much of a fine they could charge you if it hurts someone else?” 

She watched the cat as it walked between the two of them, rubbing against both of their legs as it did so.  She remembered reading, years ago, how cats sometimes got overstimulated with too much affection, even though this one seemed to be actively seeking it out.  “Do you have a leash or something?”  She couldn’t ask about the girl’s injuries, because thinking about the blood and talking about the blood were two entirely different things, and she could only handle one of them. 

Sam continued to struggle with the massive cat, until she noticed someone come running to her rescue. Watching as the woman tried to convince the cat to leave, before she was actively tugging it backwards had given Sam the chance to get back to her feet, “This isn’t my cat! I was walking back here to get in my truck and leave, and it just came out of nowhere!”

The shorter woman quickly snatched up her keys from the ground, before the cat had broken free from the other person’s grip and started rubbing up against both of them, “Fuck if I’m getting fined for anything. Why does everything around here have to be so massively overgrown?” She looked down to her groceries and to the locked door of the truck. All she had wanted to do was gather up her stuff and leave, but she wasn’t about to leave this stranger, who had helped her, with this large cat that clearly had no training whatsoever, “What do you suggest we do with this thing?”

Sam backed up against the door of the Bronco while the animal moved back and forth between the two of them. It had done a number on her cheek, and she knew it was going to suck trying to doctor it considering blood was still trickling out of it. Pulling her shirt up, she tried to dab some of the crimson liquid off of her face, her eyes set on the woman standing across from her, “And thanks…this thing probably would've eaten me alive if you hadn’t come along. Sometimes it does not pay to be short in this town, when most animals are almost twice your size.” She let out a frustrated sigh.

“It’s something in the water”, Vic said matter-of-factly, shaking her leg free of the beast as it rubbed against her again.  She still knew how important it was to keep the average person off the scent of the supernatural, and this demon-cat was definitely some sort of zombie cat, or something.  “They put growth hormones in it a few years ago because our children were under the national average for height.  Someone must have overdone it this month.  Curse our natural yearn for being the best.”

She watched as the woman dabbed her shirt long her face, her eyes lingering on the spot left on the shirt.  Her eyes found the woman’s a little too late- she hoped she didn’t notice.  “It was nothing.  I uh… I hate cats, so…”.  She actually kind of liked cats, but the aloof facade was much more important.  “So I really did that more for me than you.”  

She looked back at the animal again, wondering the same thing.  “I don’t know- Animal Control in this town is usually pretty busy, aren’t they?  But… this bastard is pretty persistent.”  As if on cue, the cat took a break from rubbing against their legs to instead stand on it’s hind legs and rub against her shoulder instead.  She resisted the urge to reach out and give in.  “You don’t have any catnip in any of those bags, do you?”

Sam rolled her eyes at the answer dripping with sarcasm. Though a part of her did almost want to believe it. Wicked’s Rest was becoming stranger by the day, and the long she lived here and the more she discovered, Sam had wondered if her parents were as oblivious as she once was or if they just didn’t tell her about the things that went bump in the night. It really would’ve helped though, the night Zach was attacked, if they had known. But regardless, there was a situation in front of her, and one she and the other woman had to figure out, before it became more than just a nuisance. Things around here like to do that quite often – become more than just a nuisance that was.

“Oh, well, thanks I think. I mean, I’m more of a dog person myself, but cats are okay. This one, though…” Where did this thing come from? A zoo? And how were they going to get it back to whom it belonged to? Sam definitely wasn’t taking this giant ass feline home with her. It’d eat Scout and murder Sam in her sleep, “Animal control is really our only option though right? Unless you want to take it home with you.” Sam was hoping she would say yes, but there was definitely a slim-to-none chance she would.

Watching as it jumped up on the other woman, Sam took that opportunity to finally unlock her door and quickly throw her groceries inside, before the beast decided to shift its attention to her again. And though she didn’t do it, it had taken everything within Sam not to hop in the truck as well and drive off. But instead, she shut the door and shoved the keys back in her pocket for safe keeping, “Why would I have catnip, when I don’t even have a cat?” She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the woman and the massive cat.

Vic looked over at the creature, who was practically at eye-level, and tried to glare it into submission, the way a teacher might do with a small child.  It didn’t work, obviously, so her scowl momentarily switched to the woman in front of her.  “I have a 3-year-old and a Rottweiler, I don’t think my home would be the best fit.  You’re sure you don’t want to take it home?”

She wasn’t even sure a cat that size would fit in someone’s front door, nevermind make a good house pet.  “If we do call animal control, are we supposed to just… sit and wait until they come?  And what if it… goes rabid again?”  She didn’t mind squaring up with the demon cat if it tried to attack the woman again, but it would have been ever so humiliating to do it in public, especially in front of this stranger.  

Vic held her hands up in defense, the cat backing down as she did so. “Hey, it’s not my place to judge what you do or don’t do with catnip in your free time.  I can’t just go assuming you didn’t buy catnip.”  It sauntered it’s way back across to the other woman and Vic watched it carefully, on edge as she waited for it to pounce.  “It seems friendly enough now… what did you do it make it to angry that it tried to claw your face off?

When the other woman explained her home situation, Sam quickly realized there was no good option for this cat, “I’m positive. I live in an apartment, and I highly doubt this thing would even make it up the steps.” She couldn’t imagine trying to explain to the building manager why there was a massive cat living there. And she had her business to think about also. There was no way she was going to take a chance on hiding this thing, when the landlord could easily kick her out for a double pet violation forcing her to give up the space she rented downstairs for Escape Your Fate.

“I mean I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a cat this size before…” Sam had seen some weird stuff, and though the cat was pretty, it was still intimidating, and she didn’t have time to wait around for someone to come and try and catch it. She had groceries and a hungry dog to get home to. “Are there any animal shelters around here close by?” Sam glanced back at her Bronco. She didn’t even think the thing would fit in the back, but maybe they could figure out a way to get it to follow them to a shelter.

With the idea swimming around in her mind, Sam was almost going to pull out her phone to check, but decided against it as she noticed the feline coming back over to her. Leaning up against the truck for support, she watched nervously as the animal began rubbing against her leg again, a bit distracted from the other person’s response, “Well…you assumed wrong.” Sam was careful to keep her hands by her side this time out of fear of getting scratched again, “I just went to pet it before. It looked like it wanted to be rubbed, but when I touched it, it freaked out on me.” Her heart rate picked up slightly as she heard loud, but soft purrs rumble from its throat, “It’s purring. What does purring mean? I’m not a cat person. I don’t know these things, and I don’t want to try and pet it again if it’s going to murder me…” She looked at the other woman somewhat panicked.

Vic gave a huff, looking down at the creature walking between their feet again.  She couldn’t imagine this creature on her massive property, nevermind a small apartment.  And then there was the whole issue of it being extremely dangerous and unpredictable…  No, she didn’t think either of them taking it would be a good idea at all.  “I don’t keep a list of all the animal shelters in town tucked away, you know”, she said, crossing her arms.  It was a lie, she knew exactly where all of them were, thanks to a rather unfortunate obsession with counting them a few years ago.  The alley they were in was about the farthest they could get from any of them.  The universe continued to show its way of being so unfortunately inconvenient.

The creature became obsessed with the other woman, and Vic noticed her anxiety.  When she was anxious, not much helped, unless she found herself painting. Maybe the girl needed some distraction herself.  “What’s your name?”, she called out of nowhere, avoiding the sight of the blood once more, hoping it wouldn’t pool up in any deliciously tempting ways.  “Mine is Vic.”

She squinted her eyes though, when the woman claimed all she did was pet the cat.  “The cat whisperer says cats get overstimulated.  Maybe it’s not used to affection.”  Although, the way the cat was rubbing up against the woman made it seem like it was definitely asking for more pets.  What the hell was up with this thing?  “Relax!  Purring is good.  It means contentedness, I think.  Or it could point to anger… what are the rates per minute of the vibrations?”

The more this thing rubbed against Sam, the more anxious she became. She didn’t like being cornered by a giant cat. It was like accidentally falling into the lion’s den at the zoo without any way of escaping. Sam was tiny. She always had been. And the harder this thing rubbed, the more claustrophobic she was starting to become. This woman’s smartass replies weren’t helping either. Thankfully that had all shifted, when Sam heard the question.

Forcing back the knot forming in her throat, mixed with a few cat hairs, Sam tried to focus, “Uh…It’s…It’s Sam. I wish this thing would just leave already.” She couldn’t go back any further into the door of the car and at this rate, she already felt like she was leaving a Sam shaped dent in her door. “Purring is good. Okay. Purring…wait…what?! How the hell am I supposed to know the answer to that?!” The question was so ridiculous that Sam laughed nervously, until she noticed the cat had quit rubbing and was staring up at her with narrowed slits, “Fuck.”

Closing her eyes and shaking in fear, Sam didn’t want to know what was about to happen next, until she felt it. The Bronco had jarred causing the woman to open her eyes. And when she looked up, the cat was looking down at her from a reclined position on the top of her truck, “Oh come on!!!” Sam growled in frustration as the cat stretched out and rolled around on the roof of the vehicle.

“I’m not going to let it hurt you, Sam”, Vic said, knowing her word probably didn’t mean much.  Sam didn’t know her from a hole in the wall, and if a stranger promised Vic safety, she might have laughed in their face and kicked their shins.  “It’s just an unfortunate side effect of this town.  Being afraid of it is just going to give it power.”  She didn’t know if that was true, but she didn’t want to see anyone feel so afraid, either.  Cats were supposed to bring joy, not…whatever this bastard was doing.  

Uh oh.  It was time to put her money where her mouth was, because that giant pussy-cat was getting dangerously close to Sam’s face.  She was almost too late to react too, until she realized the cat was jumping on top of the truck and not Sam like Vic had worried was going to happen.  Okay.  Maybe her confidence in her ability to fight it off had been false, because this thing was fast.  “Hey!”, she yelled at it, holding eye contact.  Cats hated that, right? She reached down, grabbing a rock from by her feet.  If she wanted to, she could have gotten it square between the eyes (she knew her aim was on point), but she wasn’t about to harm an animal only due to its large, threatening claws.  This was just about scaring it.  “Get outta here!”, she yelled at it, chucking the rock toward it.  It went straight over its head, like she’d planned, but the cat seemed especially interested in where it had landed.

Vic peered over the side of the truck, and a few feet from where the rock had landed, a squirrel was rustling through the dirt.  The cat’s position on top of the truck suddenly became low to the ground, like those lions in that movie Rosie loved when they were ready to pounce.  “Sam…”, she whispered, slowly walking toward the truck.  “I think its distracted…”

Hearing Vic yell at the cat had pulled Sam’s attention away from the massive animal. And in doing so, she slowly backed away from the truck and closer to the woman. The cat was at an even greater advantage now being on top of the Bronco, and if it decided to jump they were done for. But she watched as Vic bent down to pick up a rock and bravely threatened the animal. It was the chucking of the rock clear over the massive feline’s head that had surprised Sam. If that cat had been angered, they were both screwed.

But instead, it did something else. It followed the rock, before setting its eyes on a nearby squirrel. Sam quickly looked back at Vic upon hearing her whisper, “I-I think you’re right.” Her voice was shaky, but low, and slipping her hand into her pocket, Sam quietly pulled out the keys. She had been so careful not to jingle them knowing jingly shiny things were like crack to cats of all sizes. But the biggest issue had been her door. The Bronco was old, and no matter what, the doors squeaked. This was their only shot though, unless they ran, and Sam was pretty sure they couldn’t outrun a cat that size.

Holding her breath, she slowly opened the door as she kept her eyes trained on the animal. It’s body low and butt raised ready to pounce on the squirrel below, “Vic get in…” She waited with baited breath hoping the woman would slide into the truck and to the other side fairly quickly.

For a moment, Vic wondered who would be faster- herself, or the large, demanding cat.  She was faster than the average human, sure, but would she be quick enough to place herself in front of Sam if the cat tried to attack her again?  She wasn’t sure, and she slowly took a few silent steps closer to the truck for good measure.  She wasn’t about to risk losing someone innocent.  

Luckily, the cat pounced off the top of the truck, swiftly and sneakily, and the squirrel was still none the wiser.  She watched as it slinked through the grass and managed to blend in despite it’s size.  It was an entirely fascinating creature, and if it weren’t for their impending escape, she might have stayed to watch it for hours. 

Her eyes fell to Sam’s pocket as soon as she heard the keys jingle, and a small smirk formed on her lips.  Sam Smarty pants, that would be the name she’d put in her phone if they exchanged contacts.  It was a good idea, one that Vic’s fight mechanism hadn’t even glossed over.  She nodded, because duh, she got the idea, and she cringed visibly as the door creaked loudly as she closed it.  

The cat, who had gotten much closer to the squirrel by that point, lifted it’s head and looked toward the truck at the sound of the doors.  “How old is this thing?!”, Vic asked, wiping her hands off on her jeans.  She was about to scold the girl again to let her know how dangerous it was to drive an old, potentially unsafe vehicle, when from the other side of the window, she saw the cat running back toward the truck at double speed.  “Sam! Drive this death trap!  Now!”

Somehow, they managed to evade the cat safely, but Sam wasn’t able to escape Vic’s lecture about vehicular safety in an ever changing, dangerous world.  

[guardian-andi]

Chapter 7: Rise

Andi held his staff piece close to his chest as he fell backwards into the depths of the island. The presence within the piece hummed in his hand, a pitched resonance emanating out from it. It filled his ears, drowning out the wind rushing past him and harmonizing with another resonance coming from deeper within the pit. Wherever the inquisitors had brought him, it was clearly deeply tied to the force. Judging from the outside ruins it might have been a temple of some kind, whether it was sith or jedi in origin he had no way of knowing, and that’s what worried him. What also worried him was that he couldn’t sense the ground yet. He could see the walls rushing past him but that was about it. 

At least he could see anything in the first place, unlike before. The last time he had fallen like this it had been back on Coruscant, during the purge. The memories flashed in front of him, the constriction around his throat, the sound of sabers clashing, the pain in his back as glass gave way to the skyways of coruscant. He tried to chase these memories from his mind, but they continued to break back into his mind. The heat from the fires on his face, the fear that pierced through his very soul. 

Was he back where he started? 

Did he fail the order again? 

Why didn’t he resist? 

Why didn’t he fight?

He had just run again! 

Was this his fate, to always run from the people who had taken everything from him?

These thoughts tore through his mind in rapid succession, fear building in his chest and weighing him down. He felt like he was falling faster and faster.

But the presence within the staff piece hummed to him, along with the cave itself. They gave him a sense of calm, like a parent comforting their child, the wind that had been rapidly tearing at his clothes seemed to smooth and envelope him, holding him carefully. He began to relax, falling upon the teachings of his childhood. Andi let the fear wash over him, he moved the feeling throughout his body and let it fade away. The memories no longer burst their way into his mind but instead flowed like a calm stream.

The grief as each life within the temple blinked away.

The curiosity of the countless jedi with their own stories passing him in the halls.

The unknown fate of his old friends, either dead or alone somewhere, scattered to the galaxy.

The games of hide and seek inside the temple when they were younglings.

The death of his master, his sacrifice being the sole reason Andi still lived.

The sense of awe and honor he felt as they first met.

He let these memories connect and fade as he entrusted himself to the will of the force. He would be ok. No matter how tired, scared, battered or bruised he was. Andi would always be ok if he trusted in the fate the force had created for him. With that last thought echoing in his mind, Andi let the wind take him and let himself relax.

Suddenly, he was lying on the ground. He hadn’t felt any impact or any sudden stop. It was as if he had always been lying there. He felt the cold wet stone of the ground. He heard water dripping somewhere near the walls. The cave was spacious, with more of the same ruins dotting around the edges. Andi stood up, taking in the atmosphere of his surroundings. Dripping stalagmites jutted from the ceiling, water running down them and falling to the floor, creating small pools within the crevices of the rocky floor. He held out the staff piece in his hand feeling as the piece hummed and vibrated with varying intensity as he slowly spun in place. It seemed to become much more active towards the ruins near the edge of the cave. Andi walked slowly towards the rubble. His footfalls echoed throughout the chamber. He ran his hands along the clearly carved stone, feeling the carved engravings along many of the crumbled pieces. Clear craftmanship and care was put into these. As he approached the cave wall he could see the outline of a door of some kind. A tall stone archway with a seam running down the center. A circular symbol of some kind broke the straight line. Andi placed his hand on the symbol and traced his fingers along the edge, the image flashing in his mind. It was a perfect circle with wings sprouting from the center and flowing to the edges. A line shot from the middle towards the top of the circle, ending with a single star. It was unmistakably the crest of the Jedi Order, although an older version. The fragment of his old staff began to rattle in his other hand. He could feel the presence inside growing restless. Tenderly, Andi held the piece in both hands Andi began to twist off one of the ends. As the cap came free, he released a small wrapping of cloth that he had sealed inside, holding it in his hands for the first time in years. His hands gently unwrapped the cloth, revealing a small crystal the glowed faintly with a green light. Even he could see the soft green glow emanating from it. He held the kyber crystal out in front of him instinctively, as if presenting an offering to the ancient door. The ruins rumbled as the door opened with the noise of stone grinding on stone. In front of him stretched a long hallway, stretching impossibly deeper into the island. Andi slowly walked in, not knowing what this tomb like structure could possibly have in store for him. As he moved, stone once more ground against itself as the door closed behind him.

The passageway was in complete darkness, not that he could tell. Andi’s vision relied on the force itself, he didn’t need to rely on light in order to see his surroundings. Yet this didn’t help him as all he could see was the walls to his left and right, rough and untouched. Whispers seemed to emanate from the very cracks as he continued to walk. They said words devoid of any meaning into his ear, like smoke curling around his mind. At times it felt as if hands were running along him. They didn’t grasp or grab at him, gently touching and embracing him. These feelings didn’t seem malicious, it was almost comforting as they guided him along the passage. Eventually Andi could sense the end of the corridor, an opening revealing itself in front of him. The whispers and touches stopped as he approached it and stepped through. 

Andi found himself in a circular chamber stretching high above him with no obvious ceiling. But that wasn’t what shocked Andi, what immediately caught his attention was the sheer amount of Jedi artifacts around him. Multiple lightsabers were scattered around the room, tattered banners hung from the walls, carvings of ancient jedi adorned the walls. He bent down and picked up one of the long-abandoned sabers. Rust flaked off in his hand as he gripped the hilt. Something rattled loosely inside, indicating the weapon has long since broken. He set it gently back on the floor and softly walked into the center of the room. In front of him was a carving of a Jedi kneeling on the ground, with stars floating around them. However, his attention was drawn to another set of objects. On a pedestal below the carving was a set of ancient Jedi robes. White cloth inlayed with gold designs sat under more durable plastoid. He didn’t need to be able to see the colors to recognize the temple guard armor, he had been expected to don a set much like this one. He looked it over, his senses heightening within the room, likely due to the force connection within the cave. The robes were lighter than the kind worn by the guards he was trained by, likely providing less protection but more freedom of movement. The plastoid covered the upper chest and shoulders, making up for that shortcoming in more vital areas. The set was not complete, as there was no mask underneath the hood. 

For a moment, Andi considered taking it, donning the robes he had once dreamed of. He reached out to touch them, stopping inches away. No, he was not worthy of these robes. He had failed the duty for which they were designed. He pulled his hand back, stepping back into the center of the room. Now seeing the carving high above the robes, he mimicked the pose, dropping to his knees and setting his hands on his thighs. It had been years since he last meditated like this, but if there was ever a time when he needed guidance, it was now. He layed out the cloth in front of him and set the crystal down on top of it. The fabric around his face began to fall away as he untied the strips, allowing them to fall to the floor. Andi took a deep breath and reached out with the force, drawing the ambient force within himself and back out again. He let the lifeblood of the universe flow through him as he made his body a living conduit for the living force. His vision faded to darkness.

“Do not fear my apprentice”

The message echoed deep within his mind, the deep yet soothing voice of his master calling to him.

“Master?” Andi, asked? Unsure of how to respond.

“You need not speak, we have seen your journey” Came a female voice, he recognized it as that of another guard. Many times, had he heard her advising him as they dueled in the training rooms.

More and more voices began to speak within his mind, each one a guard he had known before they were cut down.

“Remember your oath, the code by which you live”

Small rocks and debri began to float and spin around Andi, the scattered lightsaber rose into the air.

“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge” He responded.

The sabers deconstructed themselves, any preserved pieces from each one floated towards him. The green kyber crystal floating up in front of his face.

“We do not seek revenge, only the protection of those that have survived, and those that will arise” Whispered another voice, memories of meditation training in front of the Great Tree at the heart of the temple with an older guard.

“There is no passion, there is serenity.” Andi continued.

The pieces began to assemble around the crystal, snapping together as if they had always belonged together.

“Your trials are not yet over but remember what you can always trust in” came yet another familiar voice, Cin Drallig, his stoic demeanor coming through in his voice alone. 

Cloth strips of the banners adorning the walls began to wrap themselves around Andi’s head as the final pieces of the saber snapped into place.

“There is no death, there is only the force” Andi finished, a chorus of voices joining in.

Andi reached out with the force once more, allowing his vision to return. Levitating in front of him was a lightsaber, gold accents adorning the silver base. He reached out and grabbed the leather wrapped grip. His hand was suddenly gloved, looking down he saw he now wore the robes that were displayed in front of him. He smiled, but there was a twinge of guilt within his heart. He did his best to ignore the feeling as he examined the saber, a familiar hum emanating from deep inside the hilt. He took yet another deep breath before thumbing the activation switch. A loud hiss sounded as a green blade shot from one end of the saber. Andi laughed to himself, almost in disbelief. How long had it been since he had held a saber? He activated the other blade, extending from the other side of the hilt. He spun it in his hands, the weightless blades were much better compared to his makeshift staff. Muscle memory came back quick as he went through some old motions. His original saber was taken apart and scattered who knows where on Coruscant. But this… this was like him, built from the ruins of the order that had once provided shelter and safety. 

Andi turned the saber off and clipped it to his newfound belt. He looked around the room once again and noticed that the door he had walked in through was no longer shrouded in darkness but was illuminated with a bright light. Even through his force vision, Andi couldn’t see through it. He began to walk towards it.

“Andime”

He stopped, unlike before the voice had come from directly behind him. Turning around, Andi saw his master, adorned in the same robes he had worn for all the years he had known him. A helmet was held in his hands, it was black with a cracked red visor. The guard placed the helmet into Andi’s hands. He looked down into the visor, it was the same helmet worn by the inquisitor that had captured him. He looked back up at his master’s masked face. Why was he handing him this?

“Do not abandon those who may have fallen.” He said softly, his usually powerful voice now filled with tenderness.

“They are not yet lost.”

From behind him, more temple guards revealed themselves. The chamber became filled with them, all looking towards Andi.

“Our duty is not only to defend the people on the forces path… but to raise up those who may have faltered along the way.”

“I will” he said firmly

His master nodded in response. As Andi looked back down at the helmet, he saw it had been replaced by the mask of a temple guard. He ran his hands along the golden inlay, feeling the smooth metal trails running along it like a tree’s branches. He carefully flipped it over and gently placed the mask over his face. He pulled the hood over his head, looking one last time towards his old master.

“Thank you for this and…” the words caught in his throat.

“And for everything” 

Andi turned towards the door, and walked into the light.

“May the force be with you, Guardian Andime Endari” said the voices behind him, as Andi stepped through the light, and onto a sandy beach. 

His vision dulled slightly again as he was no longer surrounded by the living force, at least not nearly as intensely. He heard the rumble of repulsors in front of him and saw the outlines of two people on a boat waving to him from the water’s edge. Their forms swirled with confusion, but there were no signs of malice. He waved back and began walking towards them. 

Andi was done hiding. But first, he needed to make some friends.

[enkisstories]

Hux - or Isbrand Cycen, as his counterfeit ID was saying - didn't plan to stay long in Black Spire. Just the few minutes it took to enter the local transit station and buy a hover-bus ticket to the countryside.

The bus station was by the bridge. Coming from the higher up Black Spire, the bus gently sank down to street level, allowing the passengers to take in the sights of the lush green valley.

Up on the hill was Hux' old house with the swimming pool, there was the village green with the pond and on this side of the river were the houses of Rose, Poe and Finn.

Crossing the river twice was faster than walking along the shore.

Approaching the Tico residence, Hux spotted the Dree couple in front of it. Of course they'd be here, they had been friends with Rose and Hux ever since these two had come to Batuu.

Daniel: "What's the matter, love? You look as if you'd seen a ghost!"

Gavin: "We're force sensitive, Danny, so that's a serious issue."

Daniel: "So you did see someone's force ghost? Who is it?"

Gavin: "Ar... I mean Darth Isbrand. So he was a Sith Lord, after all!!!"

After clearing up Gavin's jumping to conclusions and proving that he was made of flesh and blood, Hux learned that Rose had moved into his old house. Gavin and Daniel had moved into this one instead.

Gavin and Daniel were strangely reluctant to share more information about their neighbor. Did that mean that Rose wasn't living alone? Was there someone else?

Gavin: "Someone new in Rose's life? No! Not in the way you think, anyway. Look, go up there and see for yourself. If I told you... You'll know why I can't tell you when you see... it. The other lodger."

Gavin had a habit of calling droids "it", even when they were clearly gendered. So Rose had gotten herself a droid? Then why didn't the neighbors just say so?

[jedi-lothwolf]

Day 4: Les Misérables (Survivors Guilt)

Fandom: Star Wars (Post Order 66)

Summary: Obi-wan Kenobi deals with his guilt.

    It had been years since the end of the Clone War. Obi-wan still thought about it often. He wondered how he survived or why he kept persevering.

    When he was 25 he survived a battle with a sith. As a padawan he should have been the one laying in the ground. But instead Qui-gon, his only father figure, died.

    During the war he watched his friends slowly die off until he was the only survivor of his friend group from his earlier years. It didn't seem fair. He still stood even as his men fell beside him.

    Maul killed innocent people to get his attention. He killed Satine just to get to him. Her death had been his fault yet he walked away.

    The Jedi purge had killed most every Jedi. The clones, their most trusted ally had killed their Jedi generals and commanders. The younglings in the temple had been slaughtered like cattle. They were defenseless.

    Most of the council had fallen yet he was alive. Instead of fighting, Obi-wan walked away. He hid Luke from his father; a monster he had taken part in creating. Even if by accident, there had to be something he could have done for Anakin.

    Everyone around the man died. Their ghost haunted every corner of his cave. They whispered in his ears, asking him why he survived.

    Maybe he needed to go outside. So the man walked out of the cave. He let the hot sun touch his skin. Every part of his old life tormented him. The memories plagued his life. They destroyed him in the same way he domed the people around him.

    The sun only made him hotter. He had hoped that maybe it would melt some of the guilt that had frozen him, but it didn't. Luke was around five now.

    The man had fallen into a routine. Yet nothing he tried made him feel any better. Obi-wan didn't want to spend the rest of his life miserable, he didn't want to be consumed by the tormenting memories and guilt that he had been swallowed whole by.

    Maybe a walk could help?

    Walking around, Obi-wan couldn't escape his own mind. Padme should be raising her children. But Obi-wan had let Anakin kill her. He couldn't save her, maybe no one could.

    Dealing with others survivor guilt had been easy. Obi-wan knew how to comfort Cody when his brothers died, he could help with the feeling that he should have done more or that he should have been there or that it should have been him. The jedi could explain that nothing could have been done and that his brothers wouldn't want him to feel so guilty over something he couldn't control.

    The same has gone for Anakin and the rest of his men. Obi-wan had talked to Kit Fisto when he started to feel that way and he had helped to calm Depa Billaba with the death of her first battalion. He had helped to guide Anakin in helping Rex with the guilt of Umbara.

    It wasn't so easy to get rid of the guilt yourself. Nothing helped. Obi-wan started to run. Like running would do anything. You can't outrun yourself, it's impossible. Getting away from the cave, from where his lightsaber rested, seemed like a good idea. Maybe he just needed to get away from that faster?

    It was hard to run in the sand. Stopping, Obi-wan sat in the scorching hot sand. What was doing? This was where his life was supposed to go. He was supposed to be living happily with the people he'd lost.

    There was nothing left to do. So he walked home. Tears fell from his eyes as he walked. The guilt worsened with every step.

    Being the survivor was hard. It might have been one of the hardest things Obi-wan had ever done. But there was no way to change that. The fact was he wasn't god, he wasn't even close. All the people who died were going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Obi-wan Kenobi was just a man. No man on his own can prevent death. No matter how hard they try they can only put it off.

    The entrance of the cave Obi-wan sighed. Facing himself, he walked in and sat down on his bed. Laying down, he let every feeling drag him down until he was lying there sobbing. Sometimes you have to let yourself feel it.

    Hours went by and he finally calmed down. The feelings would live with him forever. The memories would haunt him forever. There was nothing he could change and now he had to live with it. Why he survived, Obi-wan still didn't know, but there had to be a reason. There had to be. The Jedi just wished he knew what it was.

[tiredassmage]

What happened after the mission that got Leo's unit killed that he embarrassed Vorza so much?

In my own thinking about what would warrant such a punishment, I very much got vibes like that of what happened when Weiss snapped at the Beacon fundraiser/charity gala in Atlas in Volume 4 of RWBY. But idk. That's just my thoughts.

Damn, I do miss this guy. Okay, this will also be beneficial for me to actually write down because I... haven't done that yet, lmao. And I'm starting to forget who I might've ever clarified it with.

Leo's falling out with his father after the deployment is... Well, I mean, yes, about how their relationship has really never been a positive one, and it boils down to a lot of the same that Leo has always butted heads with him on: Vorza's expectations of him and who he was to be were a lot different than what Leo wanted. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with RWBY to confirm or deny if that's it from experience, but I'll try to walk us through it and y'all can tell me. xD

What Vorza tells him to shape up about it is, in short, an "attitude" problem. It's that Leo doesn't let go of the fact that he disagreed with the orders that got his unit killed. It's that he loudly puts blame on the Sith that was leading them that day and that he gets in his commanding officer's face about getting a lot of men killed. Now, his CO might have brushed off some of it on his own physical and mental recovery from the fighting, but a Sith's a lot more unlikely to tolerate continued insubordination of that nature, and Leo wasn't in a state that was likely to get any quieter about it without a sharp intervention.

So, Vorza, somewhat begrudgingly, I imagine, intervened to get Leo's injuries actually treated - hence the cybernetics. But Vorza's concern isn't Leo's well-being, it's how his loud mouth will reflect on the family reputation if he doesn't cool jets, and quickly. The only reason Vorza doesn't want to see Leo court-martialed for his actions is the irreparable damage Vorza worries about for his own position and the status of the family. Leo's following deployment to Begeren, then, is... just as much punishment, you could say, as it is "get your act together or you better hope someone else cleans your chrono about it before I do." It's for appearances' sake, really. If Leo can complete another tour of duty without tarnishing his record further, Vorza can deal with his son's attitude afterward more quietly and out of public attention.

In short then, what happened after the mission is Leo reacted to the trauma of losing his entire unit, of being ordered into a situation his gut told him was too dangerous, and then being proven right. Part of what haunts him still about that experience is not speaking up sooner, of not making that fuss when they were still alive to rebuke orders. Maybe it would've been a death sentence either way with a temperamental, hotblooded young Sith at their lead, but if enough of them had agreed to speak up together, maybe... maybe things would be different. It's one of the things that feeds Leo's impression of himself as selfish, and far more motivated by self-preservation than an interest in larger, grand ideals.

But he'll never know now. Those men are dead. And while he still had enough heat in him left to snap at Vorza about his attitude problem for a moment, he... ultimately felt locked up again by the lack of real choice in the matter. Leo wasn't looking to get himself killed - not that day, and not afterwards in proceedings or on a Sith's blade, either. And it was what he "owed" for Vorza so kindly (sarcasm detected) stepping in to help with his physical treatments afterward. Vorza's position and the family's status are the only things that bought him the kind of recovery time and treatment methods he was afforded, rather than being lost more in the shuffle of reassignments and possibly not redeployed at all - or redeployed faster than might've been... healthy, if you will. What Vorza frames it as is a chance to keep some honor, but what it really is between him and Leo is a demand to not fuck something up even further, and a promise that the slight won't be forgotten regardless.

[demonheartsworld]

Hearts of the Stars: A Sci-Fi Romance Pt.4

As she meditated, Liora probed the edges of the Force, looking for the presence that she’d sensed earlier. It was so silent that she could hear the dripping of water in the tiny cave. Her breathing was calm and regulated while meditating, and her heart kept a steady and efficient rhythm, each beat pumping blood to her peripheral vessels.

The robe kept her relatively warm and comfortable, until suddenly her eyes flew open and she flinched, sensing the foreign presence in the cave. So, it really wasn’t just my imagination... Cautiously she weaved a defensive force shield around herself whilst she observed him walking up to her.

She spotted his figure in the dark, intrigued and yet slightly cautious. He was tall yet agile, and moved so silently. Just like an assassin. Liora was usually confident and sure of her own defensive capabilities but this unknown entity unnerved her. As he crept closer to her, her right hand which was hidden by the robe slowly moved to reach for her lightsaber.

Being in his presence, she felt the Force reaching out, as if it was shaking her violently to warn her of danger. He is not dressed as a typical Sith Lord, perhaps-. Perhaps he is just as curious as I am too. Before she knew it, he’d unsheathed a thin and elegant monster blade and Liora gasped, having less than a second to react by lifting her left hand to the shoulder. The stranger’s strike was forceful, as if he intended to kill her; but her metallic hand lessened the blow from it although it still pierced her skin and drew blood.

Liora recoiled, getting up in a split second and moving backwards in a crouched position. She eyed the blade, Oh lords, I’d guess that the knife was laced with poison. Blood began to ooze at her wound and the adrenaline caused her heart to pump faster. Her wound throbbed as the poison worked its way into her body, but Liora kept pressure on it with her left hand, hoping to staunch the blood loss and reduce the flow of poison.

Looking up at him, she kept her tone even as she said, “I and my brethren come in peace; we are Jedi and our ship was derailed by a storm. I sense that you are Force awakened, if so - Seek out my presence in the force and I will show you that we are not here with evil intentions.”

Riktor was swift with his jab, quickly sheathing the blade once it had fulfilled it's purpose as he watched the stranger's blood trickling down onto the cave floor. He carefully held out his plasma staff before igniting it and holding it cautiously towards her, not knowing how the outlander would fare with the injury he inflicted.

A woman jedi she seems to be and those lightsabers... I briefly remember seeing one long ago during my infancy, but I still must protect my people and our sacred land. His eye almost seemed to emanate a small blue glow from the artificial cornea as he set his x-ray scan to be able to visualize her organs and her current state. The poison in her blood stream seemed to have yet to reach her heart, watching as it pumped rather quickly as a result of her fight or flight response.

The monk carefully lowered his weapon before disengaging it's crackling plasma blade. He then picked up a small oval looking instrument from his robe before softly blowing a series of simple notes, the sound resonating through the caves before finally reaching the community of monks back at their main hideout. This little culmination of notes would soon summon the females ones, surrounding the stranger before carefully approaching her with a weak antidote and some gauze to be able to partially fight the poison that had now mixed in her bloodstream.

Riktor finally spoke from his everlasting silence before placing his ancient instrument away. "You're fortunate, that was a weak blow... I wish to speak more about your intent on our sacred land while they take care of you of course... You would be no good to me dead" Two of the female monks softly approached and helped her up before bringing her towards Riktor, who stood quite tall as he looked at her with very little expression "Tell me your name outlander..." The other veiled monks softly followed behind the other two, counting at least a dozen of them all veiled and robed in the same colors as he was.