021 - Week 3 Day 4: Pensive Thoughts Under the Neon Sky

Evemarie quietly nodded to Master Rothul's directions and quietly left the hut to gather her things. Now was not the time to address her feelings on the situation as time was of the essence. This is such a disaster... A total and unmitigated disaster... We have limited aide, loss of several comrades and now we are leaving a potential asset to forgo it on our own? I wonder if the loss of his Padawan has clouded his judgement... Maybe he should be relieved of his... No... Can't let myself get carried away, this is what I wanted after all. This I guess what cooperating is like... She thought to herself as she quickly packed her belongings before making her way out of the camp.

As she exited the cavern she could not help but turn back and let out a forlorn sigh. This was not ideal but she was apart of it and was going to do her best to make sure that the group survives their stay on Ryloth. There is no turning back now, I might as well make the best of it and gather some information on the state of the blockade and to see if there are any potential leads that may aide us  

An hour had past since she left the camp, she spent most of the time making a misleading trail to throw any potential spies off of where the location of her speeder was, Her paranoia was getting the better of her but she knew that they were compromised and such things had to be done. Even if it seemed a bit excessive it was best to tread lightly. At her speeder she casually began to change into her "going out" clothes to best blend in for trek into Sil'uun. Her outfit consisted of a leather skirt with a raven leather top and her black boots. She calmly strapped her belongings to her speeder bike and set off for Sil'uun,

Two weeks had passed since Iukan'liwa had lost her master. The first thing she had done was... well, cry. A lot. And then, she had given Rava a proper funeral, at least the best she could do. Then she had made her way back to their ship... but nearly three days had passed, and upon finding their landing spot, she discovered the ship ransacked, several valuable components stolen and the ship as a whole in shambles. Little more than scrap, to be sure. The padawan nearly always piloted that ship, and it was quite another blow to find it in such disarray. Still, she figured, she could use it for shelter. It seemed she'd be stuck here for a while, after all.

When Rava and Iukan had come here, they had not reported the side-mission to the Council. They had merely been answering a distress call... See how that turned out... thought the padawan bitterly. Had they just returned as planned, none of this would have happened, and her master, Rava, would still be alive. Instead, she had become stranded, all by herself. In her first few days, she had realized that keeping her jedi robes on was like leaving a giant scumbag target on her back - people kept hassling her. So, out of a trash can behind... something like a motel or inn, she had dug out some street clothes to wear. Not that they smelled very good. But by then, she had run out of food, and she had no money to buy anything. Five days had passed since The Worst Day of Iukan's life.

Spending so much time alone, as this was rather a rough city, and no one would really talk to her, let alone help her out, she had a lot of time to think. Too much, really. Her nights were filled with nightmares, either of the death by starvation or exposure she saw as inevitable, or about the The-Thing-She-Still-Wouldn't-Think-About. That Thing, what happened to... her master. It haunted her. What could she have done differently, or what if they had never come here. What if she'd been a little quicker, a little more skilled... the thoughts were intrusive, and tormented her relentlessly. She had little to distract herself with. She had done the one thing that as a youngling, she could've never forseen: failed her master.

And lost him.

At first, they hadn't gotten along well at all. She hadn't been sure why Rava had been chosen to teach her. It seemed they had little in common. But a year had passed since then, and they had bonded over time, on their missions. They had become quite close. Rava was like a father to her. And you let him die, Iukan, her mind tormented her, but each time, she would shake her head, mentally shoving the thought away. She had to focus on surviving. As upset as she was, Iukan had decided she did not want to die here. She wouldn't let Rava down again. Not after she'd already gotten him killed. If the Council wasn't going to banish her or something, she would become a full Jedi. Over the time she was on the streets, she promised herself that. That she wouldn't let anyone down again. That she wouldn't let them get killed.

Iukan looked like a feral child. At just fifteen, she was of average height, but skinny, with a lanky build, and going rather hungry for a week had not helped. Little enough food was handed out or thrown away that while she did not starve, she certainly did not eat her fill. And days of looking out on the streets of this city had made her distrustful and paranoid. Everywhere she went she looked first, and her eyes darted around like a cornered animal. She had been mugged once, but thankfully, all the thief stole was a tiny bit of money she'd managed to find and some food.

She felt like little more than a rodent, all her food came from charity, or garbage, and she was filthy. She had not been able to wash since before they had come here. And more or less everyone on the street was bigger, tougher, and meaner than she was. She survived by staying off their radar. And hiding. And sometimes, simply running away. A few times, her Jedi reflexes had saved her skin. It was around a week of living like a homeless nobody that the ship had been rendered unliveable and dangerous, and she'd had to abandon her shelter. She'd managed to save the three possessions she cared about: Her own light saber (which was the one she used), Rava's light saber (which she kept as a keepsake), and her jedi robes, which she kept stashed away. The two light sabers, she kept cleverly hidden beneath her clothes.

By the time a full fourteen days had passed, Iukan'liwa barely looked like a Jedi, though she still carried her light saber. It made her feel safer. Lurking in the shadows was becoming easy for her, and Iukan escaped the notice of most who walked by. Her new shelter was an inlet, tucked away behind a dumpster that seemed all but forgotten about. It smelled awful, and it didin't ever seem to get emptied. Behind it, the wall came in, making a small alcove that was protective against the elements. And unnoticeable enough to offer safety from the city's thugs. That particular day, Day Fifteen for those who were counting (really, only she was. Days since The-Thing-She-Still-Couldn't-Think-About had happened. Days stranded-and-hopeless.), and Iukan had left the safety of her new shelter in order to find some food to eat.

She was no longer able to convince passerby people to give her anything. She figured she'd gone from cute and sad to merely pathetic and gross. She was out and about, looking for anything useful to her. Food, mostly. Or better clothes. The street clothes Iukan had managed to get her hands on during Day Three of being stranded here, were now falling apart. They were absolutely filthy. She was absolutely filthy. Covered in grime, her face had gone from light blue to a dirty greyish blue. She was bruised and scraped, mostly from being shooed away from other people's trash.

Staying to the shadows of the city's alleyways, she watched people pass by on the main road. She had considered stealing. So far, her moral compass wouldn't allow her to complete her transition into City Trash, but it was more and more tempting... Especially as the oblivious ones made no effort to hide their money. If she didn't rob them, somebody around here would. And they weren't struggling to survive like she was. They had it easier than her. It wasn't fair. And most of these people, the little bit of money she'd steal wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Then again, she'd probably draw attention to herself, and that was the last thing she wanted.

A few hours would pass before Evie could make out the glistening lights Sil’uun, the past couple of weeks had been a disaster. With the Sith Empires involvement it was only a matter of time before the blockade would start to tighten around them like a faulty garbage compactor. The thought of potentially having to put down fallen Padawans haunted her thoughts as she rode for the city. So much so that she thought it may be best on top of finding information that she could also blow off a little steam. It had been a few months since she had last basked in the rhythmic ambient beats of the night scene and partaking in narcotics that dulled the senses allowing one to enjoy the moment. Even if it was brief, this respite helped her stay centered as the life of Shadow is one of tragedy and loneliness. The thought of not being a pariah of the most conservative aspects of the order when interacting with her peers was just as hypnotic and soothing as the ambient beats of the club.

I know this is selfish but… I really need this… My heart aches as I often end up playing the “bad guy” in these situations.. I wish things would be different but the reality is the longer they are in captivity the higher probability is that they are lost. As much as I hope they can be salvaged I know that it is a lost cause often then not. Ehhh gotta stop thinking of this or it’ll driver me mad. She thought to herself as she scanned the alleys for a place to stash her speeder.

Eventually came upon a secluded alleyway just off the main nightlife district that was located on the outskirts of the market. She parked it behind a dumpster and covered it with haggard brown cover. The alley appeared to be deserted for the most part at first glance. However, Evie could make out a figured doing their best to stay hidden within the shadows. This was odd as most beggars often would be scouring the trashcans or asking for credits. Evie was always ever so curious and being on guard thought it was best to confront the potential threat as opposed to ignoring it. For all she knew it could be nothing and she could give the poor soul some credits.

“Hello? Why are you hiding? If you want credits I’m always happy help a poor soul in need. My bike does need some looking after and I can make it worth your while if this is your home.” Evie said in a warm gentle voice as she moved her black hair out of her eyes to settle her right hand on her hip just above where her data dagger hung.

“Hiding? I... I just don’t want any trouble! Let me be!” said Iukan, turning abruptly to face Evie. She stared at Evie for a moment, taking in the other’s appearance. She doesn’t look like trouble... She felt ashamed of her outburst, of her fear, and she took a moment to try and compose herself. One deep breath... and two...

“Sorry. Um...” She frowned. “T-This isn’t my home, no. But thank you, that’s really kind of you,” she said. She hadn’t seen a whole lot of that kind of niceness in this awful city, and it struck her as odd... not to mention, she didn’t exactly look like the type one generally saw around here. “You’re not from here either, are you?” She blurted. She hoped the question did not offend the stranger. The offer of credits was kind of tempting.... and then, Iukan shook her head. Acting like a common beggar, happy for any scraps anyone was willing to give up.

Evie was taken a bit back by the young Twi’leks response, however she did not take any offense to these type of things. The galaxy was unfortunately a tragically cruel place many and with the advent of the blockade things were about to get a lot worse. Evie couldn’t just help but let out a mild sigh as her arm let go to her side resting at ease. However there was a presence that was eerily familiar, one of that whom had been trained. Evemarie tensed for a brief moment before concealing her unease behind her usual fake warm smile. Her thoughts were running wild going through all the potential scenarios.

A very odd method for a Sith Assassin… To think I could let my guard down soo easi.. No… Stop it Evie, you sound like your master… If this person’s goal was to kill me she would have concealed herself and tracked me. No… Maybe she is one of the Jedi that came to Ryloth and happened to run into trouble. I mean the poor thing looks like she has been living in garbage compactors for the past few weeks. Yes… Best not to jump to any conclusions, I need more information. she frantically thought to herself. Evie couldn’t help but assume the worst but further investigation is needed.

“Well, right to the point then dear? Well I am from Chandrilla, I’m a trader and pathfinder by trade. I’m currently on layover right now. I wonder if I’ll be able to leave this planet with the whole Sith Blockade about to set in. Would like to get out of here before the shooting starts.” She said in a bubbly tone that was absent from her interactions with her fellow peers. One would think that this was a façade but rather it was her earnest over eager personality that she often had to masque around her peers. She often would allow this aspect of her to come more to the surface when she is pretending to be a civilian.

“Ohhh where are my manners, my name is Evemarie Burrell but you can call me Evie for short! Now, you seem to be famished dear. I’m a bit hungry and was going to get something to eat before going out to the clubs to take my mind off the situation. Care to join me? Ohh! Before I forget what might your name be?” she said in a bubbly energetic tone as she out stretched her hand.

The young Twi'lek watched Evie with suspicious eyes, but, she was lonely and tired, and she couldn't help but trust Evie, even if she didn't want to just yet. The other's personality seemed to change on a dime, going straight to bubbly and energetic... a little overwhelming for Iukan. She herself was a quiet, studious one, even beforehand. And Rava had been a serious-minded, level-headed Jedi, not one known for his energy or eagerness.

Chandrilla... Iukan had heard of it. She had been there once before, actually, on a mission with her Master. The thought brought memories of him closer to the surface once more, and she blinked hard, hoping she did not cry in front of a stranger. Turning her thoughts to something else, she wondered about this Sith blockade. She hadn't heard anything about something like that... perhaps it was news since she had been cut off from the Jedi order, within the last few weeks?

Finally, the young apprentice met Evie's gaze with big, round, green eyes, reaching her own hand out somewhat hesitantly and shook Evie's hand. "My name is Iukan'liwa, and I..." She said, her voice somewhat calmer than before. She stopped herself, realizing that before she knew exactly who Evie was, it would not be smart to disclose her place as a Jedi apprentice... or, former place. At this point, Iukan wasn't sure which it was.