But This is Not Black and White

[out_of_order]

WHO: Cal Kestis, BD-1 and you
WHERE: Sh'Ka
WHAT: Totally avoiding Certain People while trying to recenter himself
WHEN: Mid-July
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTE: Will match tag format/preference!


"I will find you, Cal Kestis."

While the sentiment in those words is nothing new, the real concern that haunts the young Jedi is the fact that the threat is new and most importantly, here on this planet. Worse yet, within a confined area of a planet that they really had no great means to travel to, much less any knowledge of any possible places beyond the two cities they currently have access to.

Cal had thought that being on the run would have been over for him. He'd finally come out of hiding, fearlessly faced the Empire and the Inquisitors it sent relentlessly after him and his friends. He'd infiltrated the Fortress Inquisitorious and somehow made it back out alive. Being able to stay alive after everything is always a positive outcome. Being brought back to Agra 10 was considerably a vacation in comparison.

Once again, he finds himself in a defensive mode. At least he has the Force to rely on, and the one who might seek him out does not, but Cal had learned early on to be wary of Albert Wesker. Those concerns had only been further underlined once he'd found himself in the man's dreamspace.

If nothing else, Sh'Ka proves to be at least much more bearable for the weather. Cal had had BD-1 shoot off a few messages to Tony, Jon and Echo to tell them where he'd be if they needed him, an abrupt enough message to leave without seeing them, but the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to them if Wesker was on the prowl. He decides to revisit the power plant where he'd last set up camp, back when he'd led a small team on the repair work for the power grid. If he's going to be here, he may as well make himself useful and see if he can pick up on what was being done about the water.

It's been easier to find focus here too, for some reason. Calmer. Quieter. When he's not working on the water treatment equipment or tracing water lines, he's up on the roof of the hotel, meditating. It's not an easy spot to get to but it's peaceful, and the view's pretty nice.

Comments

[sinistral]

Cal was probably aware that he wasn't the only person to make his way to Sh'Ka after the Calibration activities. But the Soldier believed in giving others space — not that many stayed in this city long term anyway. Thus a few days passed before he decided that Cal must have plans for a longer term, and decided to see what shape those plans might take.

He approached the camp in the middle of the day, after his own morning workout, and did not attempt to conceal his presence. He had no reason to hide from the other man; Cal was one of a few he'd consider a friend, not that he was often willing to use the word. But vocabulary and his own mental struggles with it aside, he didn't mind working at the other man's side.

[out_of_order]

The Soldier's presence was by now a familiar one by sense, and definitely one Cal didn't mind. He was aware that the other preferred his space but he was also grateful that he'd been given his own. But as much as Cal had gotten used to being on his own, he still liked having people around. If he didn't at least have BD-1, he wasn't sure how well he would have fared.

Cal was in the process of cooking something of a late lunch. It was by no means anything fancy, he wasn't Greez. BD-1 was settled nearby, recharging off of the portable unit Cal had brought along. One of the benefits of staying at the power plant meant he could charge the energy rods if needed, even if they did take slightly longer, but at least BD-1 didn't need to charge that often.

He raised his head as he sensed the other man, smiling faintly as the other was finally opting to approach them. He raised a hand in a wave once the Soldier came within sight.

[sinistral]

After the confinement of Calibrations everyone needed some space, regardless of how much he might like people. Intruding on Cal would have been rude, especially since the Soldier didn't know if they'd shared any Calibration dreams and the invasion of privacy that came along with it. It was possible they hadn't intruded upon each other, but it was also possible that he just didn't remember so doing.

He hated Calibrations.

But that aside, he took Cal's wave as invitation, returning it and continuing his approach. In deference to the weather he'd pared down to a tee and jeans instead of the full leather-and-kevlar kit, but he was still as armed as ever; some things never changed.

"I don't mean to interrupt your meal. Should I come back later?" Practical as always.

[out_of_order]

If anyone actually liked Calibrations, Cal would have to wonder about them.

The Jedi shook his head, even as BD-1 hopped over and beeped a greeting of his own at the Soldier.

"Not interrupting at all. Probably enough to share if you want," he offered. "Doing all right?"

[sinistral]

Likely some had an easier time of it than others, depending on the background trauma fueling the dreams. But it wasn't about measuring who had suffered more; the Soldier had no patience for that.

"I ate earlier." And pity anyone who tried to keep up with his metabolic needs. He nodded a simple greeting to the droid as he settled opposite Cal, taking the invitation to settle instead. "But thank you."

As for the question, he could easily turn it around; Cal had been the injured party in their last encounter. But why bring it up? "Within reason. There's always the need to recalibrate oneself after Calibrations. That hasn't changed."

[out_of_order]

With a shrug and a nod, Cal left the matter at that when it came to food. It wasn't like it was a gourmet meal anyway, but he was still willing to share if the other man hadn't eaten.

He went back to checking on the food before using the Force to lift the container from the heat, setting it on a storage crate he'd taken to using as a table.

The Soldier's response got a breath of a laugh out of him. "Unfortunately," he nodded. "After two previous times, you'd think we'd know better," he said with a sigh, shaking his head.

[sinistral]

Another meal at another time, maybe. Especially if they were both hanging around.

"Handy trick," he commented on the Force-manipulation of the hot cookware. Not that he could talk; his own version of it was to reach in the fire with the metal hand; for quick tasks there was little risk of damage. "You might find your presence requested in the cook space if you're not careful."

Had it really been so few times for Cal? The Soldier shook his head as if to clear it; the thought weighed in heavily. "The thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter what you expect, something is going to go over all strange and it's impossible to predict what or how. Best to move on and not dwell on it." A beat. "Which is easier said than done of course."

[out_of_order]

Cal laughed. "That'd probably be the only thing I'd be good for. Greez is too possessive about his kitchen space and barely started letting me assist with landing procedures for his ship." He poked at his food with a fork, stirring it around to disperse some of the heat.

What the Soldier said was true enough though, and he had to nod. "Yeah... Especially when people caught up in the experience make it a point to hold it against you even once it's over," he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

[sinistral]

"One might be just slightly easier than the other," but he wasn't going to guess which was which. It might depend on the day. Or the meal. He stretched out his legs, leaning back on hands as Cal settled his meal; it felt comfortable enough in his presence for the Soldier to relax some.

He groaned in sympathy. "There's always at least one who thinks he's special and acts like the whole thing was meant to inconvenience him specifically." It happened before, it'll happen again. "Needs to just get over himself, but he'll probably make it a problem for others before he swallows his ego."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link didn't have any particular goal, when he ventured out into Sh'Ka. Just to explore. See what had changed, while Link had been stuck in Calibrations. Maybe catch some more lizards.

But then he spot someone at the power plant - doing some kind of repairs? And curiosity had Link wondering over.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

[out_of_order]

"Water connections still hasn't been taken care of," Cal says, elbow deep in wiring. "Not sure if the lines have fared any better here than Temba but there's probably a lot to replace."

He sighs. "Gotta fix this first to get it running- we started a while back but then never came back to it. Back then I'd rigged it to work for this area because we were camping here to fix the power grid. Now I have to see about getting it to flow elsewhere. But before we let it loose, we should probably block off the flow in sectors and do it little by little so we don't have leaks everywhere."

That's...a lot of work and not something to look forward to in this summer warmth, but Cal has no aspirations to fix the whole city himself. If he can get this much fixed, it'll make it easier for others to hop in as things are needed.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link doesn't really know much about how wiring can help with pipes - it's the sort of thing Zelda would understand, but Link doesn't know that much. But Cal seems to know what he's talking about, so Link just nods along, as he listens.

"You need help?" Surely there's something Link could do. Even if it's just fetching things.

[out_of_order]

Cal smiles a little at that. "Sure wouldn't say no to it. This definitely isn't a one-person job."

He carefully extracts his hands from the panel, getting to his feet.

"See these pipes?" he asks, stepping over to where the most prominent connections to the mechanism he'd been working on are. "They run throughout the city to bring water to places, like the fountain in the square. But the city's old and not as well-kept as Temba in some places. If you can keep an eye out for these pipes and see any damages that would prevent water from flowing properly, that'd be a big help."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link follows Cal, crouching down to get a look at the pipes he points out.

So he needs to find damaged pipes? "Like rust?" he says. "Holes?"

[out_of_order]

"Holes, cracks... if the rust looks bad enough. Basically, any compromised state that could mean bad things sooner or later," Cal nods.

"It'd be easier if I had a map you could mark up, even better if there was one for the water lines, but I guess we'll just have to go by landmarks and buildings. I don't expect you to do the whole city. Just by sections when and if you can."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods, taking mental note: Holes, cracks, rust, any kind of compromise.

And then he just...walks off. Without even another word. However, an hour or so later he comes back...apparently with a report.

"Found some!"

[out_of_order]

Strange...but Cal doesn't question it. It's not like he's going to force anyone to do anything, much less outline some strict plan on how, and if Link has other things to do, well, that's entirely fair.

He's taking a break when Link finally makes a reappearance, raising a brow at him. "You have?" the Jedi asks after he's gulped down some water from a canteen. He glances at his little droid buddy who hops off of the crate he'd been perching on.

"Can you show us?" Cal asks as he looks back at Link then.

[in_extremis]

Calm and quiet were not Tony's area. Luckily, he did pride himself on making for a nice view, so it was clearly an improvement as the quiet first shivered with the distant burr of Iron Man's engines, their approach a crescendo and howl of wind as he went hurtling straight passed Cal and had to do a generous loop in the gust of his own wake. The dust he had blown off of the roof of the hotel was still showering down the sides of the building as he drew up the face of it to hover in the calculated centre of Cal's sightline, perfectly poised to catch the glint of setting sun on his polished helmet.

"I forgot how long that train trip is," he greeted, and evidently had built up a lot of restless energy while in that tunnel because he was talking very fast. "How do people live like that? We've got to get another ship up in the air, this is barbaric, we might as well be getting around by horse and buggy. You had a month to figure that out, by the way, I know you weren't doing anything interesting with your time down there, nobody came back pregnant."

[out_of_order]

Well, that was one way to disrupt his meditation. Cal's eyes were still closed on the first pass of the Iron Man, a slow, lopsided smile creeping across his lips. He heard BD-1 hoot in surprise from wherever the little droid had gone to investigate along the rooftop. Maybe waiting until Tony had come around again to open his eyes was a bad idea as he caught that glint off of the man's helmet right in his eye.

"Agh," he winced, bringing a hand up, however it didn't completely wipe the grin from his face. He got to his feet, catching BD-1 almost casually as the droid clambered up to his usual spot.

Head tilting at the man's rant, he marveled at how much he'd missed the chatter. Had he been away that long? Then again, he'd vanished almost as soon as he'd come out of Calibrations, and that had already been a chunk of a month in itself. Cal shook his head once Tony started to wind down, still smiling.

"Good to see you too, Tony."

[in_extremis]

There was a tilt to Iron Man's head, chin up with an unmistakable smirk despite the mask, preening as much as a set of armor could under that sarcastic encouragement, and taking his time now with the light at his back to consider Cal methodically. He covered the examination with a suddenly challenging, "Is it?," swooping closer like he might tackle Cal back, only to gracefully twirl away and alight on the edge of the roof with a very heavy thud when the whine of his repulsors finally pitched down that was incongruous with the dainty cross of his ankles. "I thought I had to come out here to lure you back to civilization. What passes for civilization, anyway. Toilets. Arguing with Tommy. Occasionally having to brush your hair." He slipped a bag from his shoulder to pull into his lap; his offer, which had gotten a little mashed and thus sugary fragrant on the journey over. "Your favourite," he seemed to have decided, folding the bag back to reveal what remained of the cheesecake.

[out_of_order]

Even silhouetted by the light, Cal could tell Tony was enjoying his showy entrance to some extent. But that was Tony for you.

He managed not to step back even as Iron Man jetted closer, smirking as he watched him back off to finally land. It was nice to know he was missed, but Cal still shook his head.

The cheesecake, now that was a surprise. He laughed as he saw what it was, and mashed or not, he probably would still eat it. Cheesecake beat whatever rations he'd been picking at, any day.

"Thanks, Tony," he said, stepping over to join him at the ledge. "And I'd love to head back, but I've got things I'm working on here. ...and things I'm figuring out," he added with a sigh.

[in_extremis]

That wasn't a surprise. Cal had a predictable pattern, turning hermit when he was struggling, like he could hide from it long enough for it to resolve itself. At least, that was what it looked like to Tony, who muttered, "Oh, in that case," and retracted the offer by pulling the cake back closer to himself as he tipped his face into his free hand. The helmet disengaged from behind his head, plates sliding easily apart to let it drop into Tony's hand, and get planted at his side like it was watching over the dead city for him. Now that he had a mouth, he swiped a finger through what was supposed to be Cal's cake to taste. "Guess we should figure them out before you become entirely unsocialized."

[out_of_order]

BD-1 took the opportunity to hop off of Cal's back so he could come around and settle over by Tony's spare head, his own boxy head cocking, birdlike in study of it.

Cal gave something of a shrug, hands turning upwards where they draped across his lap with the motion. "This one's kind of a mess." He paused, grimacing a little. "Okay, it's only more of a mess because it involves people here and not...back wherever."

He sighed again, tipping his head back to stare up at the sky.

"...you know Albert Wesker?"

[in_extremis]

A local problem had a better chance of being solved, since Tony still hadn't figured out how to get them out of here, though his determination to override that shame with the optimism was rapidly challenged. There was a name he was getting sick of. He took a breath, tongue between his teeth, only to hesitate with his brow furrowed, glaring intently at the cake like it bore some of the blame for Wesker's bullying. The track Tony eventually landed on was, "You remember, way back, one of the first things we talked about was responsibility, how having these abilities meant being able to keep people safe..." It wasn't entirely a question, not one that Tony was all that interested in an answer to. What clarity Cal had about the conversation wasn't material. "I didn't think it was a philosophical discussion then, you know, it was bound to have immediate, practical application. We never really landed on what that looked like. It's not a scale I'm familiar with. It's easy to make hard decisions when its a galaxy for one guy."

[out_of_order]

Cal didn't have to look at Tony to sense that fluctuation of sentiment. He turned his head to look out towards the rest of the rooftop again, neither nodding nor confirming recalling the conversation, but he waited, listening as Tony continued.

"That's why I came out here. I didn't want anyone else getting caught up in anything. But then I'm not sure who else might've been unfortunate enough to get stuck in that guy's head." He rolled his eyes, finally glancing over at Tony.

"Sorry I left without stopping by. The moment we were out of that tunnel, I didn't need the Force to sense how angry the guy was. I was avoiding him as well as I could, but I was starting to get too anxious just being in the city. I'm not so sure it was all him that was the source of it though, and that's troubling too." He shook his head again. "So I figured this was the best place to clear my head and my senses."