Open Log [8]

[kallig]

WHO: Altair & Open
WHERE: Hospital, beach, transport station, power plant, & possibly other places
WHAT: Altair's back from walking his anger... Partially off.
WHEN: 22/5 - > to the end of May
WARNINGS: Angry Sith Lord? Will add if anything pops up.

[Hospital (22/5, in the evening)]

Much as he didn't want to return, he kind of had to- after all, he had set up his own little office in one of the rooms, and had kept some of his things there. Not a lot. And maybe things he should have just abandoned, at least until his mood lightened. At least until then.

But no- even if it was just some of his sewing supplies, and the beginnings of a crocheted scarf, he wanted to get them, so he could continue working on them somewhere else.

Somewhere that wasn't the hospital. Somewhere far away from the hospital.

He still felt the need for distance.

Probably would for a while.

[Beach]

It had been a long time since he'd gone out to the beach. He was more used to ruined city or untamed wilderness, even at home. The beach and the ocean, they were something new. Something he hadn't really been able to enjoy. Not that he was necessarily enjoying it now.

He sat on the sand, watching the waves out at sea, listening to the sound of them, and the sound of the wind.

Normally being in nature soothed him completely.

Right now, well. He was half-way soothed at least. The quiet did him some good, sitting in rather a secluded spot.

Perhaps he would meditate. Once he was done just sitting there.

[Transport Station]

When all else fails, go for a change of scenery.

That was what brought him further away from the places he usually went.

It reminded him a little of the stations on Corellia, or perhaps the ones on Iokath, somehow still functioning after the death of the species that had once populated the planet. That reminded him a little of this place, he supposed. Except there was no crypt of billions of dead, no ARIES or rogue droids. No thrones or superweapons.

He wondered if dealing with TYTH and his fellow machine gods was something he'd have to do, once they were all done in this place. Probably.

Perhaps this place just made him nostalgic for being able to travel someplace else. That was something he missed- not just traveling from city to city, but planet to planet too, according to his own whims, rather than someone else's.

RE-1 chirped from where he was examining something, Altair following the scout droid.

Though the place was as in ruins as every other place, he felt his mood lighten just a little.

[Power Plant]

There was no place like home.

And home was where he mostly wanted to stay these days. Though at night, he retired as usual, and spent his time with Hux, he tried to stay out of his boyfriend's hair during the days, unless his presence was specifically requested.

So he wandered the place.

Or meditated outside.

Kept himself occupied some way or another.

[Wildcard]

(want to run into darth sulk somewhere else? go for it. places he might visit include the greenhouse, hotel, the hangar, & the department store.)

Comments

[Beach]

[thrawnsaide]

Eli had decided to spend the day at the beach gathering various supplies that the ocean had to offer. He had managed to make a net over time and used the net to catch what ever various sea life he could get.

When he wasn't busy working with the net, he was gathering various shellfish that clung to the rocks. He was also working on trying to get more salt since he didn't want to waste the supply the Agrii had given him. That was slowly starting to get smaller and smaller.

He was knee deep in the water, when he spotted Altair in the distance. Eli gave a wave, as he hadn't seen his friend in a while.

[kallig]

Had he been reaching out with the Force to sense his surroundings, chances were he would have known Eli was there, long before Eli spotted him. But with his veil left at home, he hadn't been reaching out, and so, he didn't see him until Eli waved at him, the movement catching his eye.

He raised a hand and waved back, and after a few moments, got to his feet and headed down closer to the water.

Despite whatever mood he was in, he was always happy to see Eli. Eli, who he had come to see as a brother.

He wouldn't ignore him just because his mood wasn't quite what it usually was.

[thrawnsaide]

Eli smiled, glad to see that Altair was heading over. He decided to head back to the shore as well, taking his basket with him. This would be a good point to stop for the day.

"Hey, how are things?" Eli casually asked. It had been some time since he had seen the Chiss. He was aware that some things had transpired and was genuinely concerned. He supposed that perhaps Altair didn't want to discuss those things and was content on discussing something lighter.

He added the basket next to the other baskets. Today's work had been a good harvest.

[kallig]

"Hanging in there. You know, like usual. Like we all are."

It wasn't a lie. He was hanging in there. Dealing with rather a lot of anger, and being off balance, but hanging in there was the truth. Besides, getting to see Eli? That lifted his spirits. Besides Hux, Eli was the person here he was closest to.

And honestly, he'd much rather worry about Eli than have Eli worry about him.

"Do you need any help with that?" He asked, nodding toward the baskets.

Doing something practical would probably help.

[thrawnsaide]

Eli understood that. That's basically what they were all doing. With Thrawn having disappeared again, he just kept busy and tried to not dwell on things. He handled things better this time around compared to the first time.

"Yeah....I suppose I got a little ambitious with today's harvesting." He laughed at himself as he surveyed the various baskets. Some were filled to the brim others partially. "Hopefully people are in the mood for some seafood."

[kallig]

"Are any of us truly in a place where we can complain?" Altair asked, arching an eyebrow.

He was just happy that they had a fairly stable source of food at all. After all, they could be starving, without anything at all. A thought that still scared him, even so many years after he stopped being a slave.

"If anyone does, you should feel free to tell them they can starve."

A joke. Sort of.

"I'll help you bring it all back to your place."

Might as well make himself useful one way or another.

[thrawnsaide]

"Perhaps not, but it doesn't stop some people from voicing their opinions...." Eli stated. He began to rearrange the baskets in a way so he could stack them with out crushing everything in the baskets.

"What are you going to do in your downtime now?" he asked casually.

[kallig]

"Clearly you're in need of someone who'll throw out anyone who complains," Altair said, with a slight smile. Only a joke, of course. Despite his words, starvation wasn't something he wished on anyone. He'd experienced it for himself, and it was the reason why he was small, and thin, and had a strong instinct to hoard food rather than eat it right away- usually resulting in him actually starving himself.

A vicious cycle that.

Of course, he didn't say any of that now, instead just shaking his head, "Do we have anything but downtime here...?"

He didn't think so. There was the occasional what he could only describe as an event, but beyond that, they were all just keeping busy. Trying to survive.

"I don't know," He said then, honestly. Because he didn't.

[thrawnsaide]

He merely shook his head, understanding when Altair wasn't being serious. He began to learn over time to tell when Altair was joking and when there was some underlying truth to the statement.

"Well, I could always use more hands in the kitchen and greenhouse..." Eli offered.

"I'll admit I did miss working alongside you. I think I got a working system going over at the diner that's helped make things more smoother."

Hospital

[out_of_order]

Sensing the Sith's presence was an odd relief, but then Altair was a strange exception to anything that he'd ever heard about the Sith from his Temple days. Cal had been passing the hospital on his way back to the workshop, abruptly turning from his original path of intent, BD-1 beep-hooting a quiet inquiry.

He remembered the way up well enough, Altair's presence making it easier to retrace the way. The hospital wasn't a place the padawan had visited too often, although that was probably a good thing considering unexpected visits would imply unexpected injuries.

"...Altair?" he called out from down the hall, certain that his own presence was probably something the other would be aware of by now, but not wanting to surprise him all the same.

[kallig]

Meeting Cal in the hospital wasn't something he'd expected. But then, quiet as he was, he hadn't really been expecting to run into anyone, having intended to go in, get his stuff, and then leave again.

He had sensed him though, so there was no shock when the padawan called out to him, instead just turning slightly and offering a somewhat tired smile, "Cal. If you're seeking medical advice, you're going to have to ask someone who isn't me."

He turned to fetch the supplies he'd left behind, and then turned to fully face him, "If you want to talk, then we can do so while walking. I just came to retrieve something I left behind."

[out_of_order]

While he returned the smile, Cal didn't try to force it to stay in place. That was a confirmation he hadn't really expected to receive, given his conversation with Jon not too long ago.

"...let's walk then," he said, nodding. He'd fall in step with Altair once the Chiss was ready to go.

[kallig]

He put his supplies away, and then moved to walk toward one of the exits- eager to leave the place behind and go somewhere else. Anywhere else, really. He'd been happy to work at the hospital, but obviously, he wasn't cut out for the work of a healer.

Should have known, all things considered.

"I'm assuming there's something in particular you want to talk about, since you came to seek me out."

Of course, he could be wrong. Perfectly possible that it was a normal friendly visit, that he'd sensed his presence and just came to say hello. Somewhat unlikely. But perfectly possible.

[out_of_order]

It wasn't too far off the mark, really. After Altair had left the city without a word, a simple stop-by to say hello seemed inappropriate. As the Sith started along, Cal accompanied him, BD-1 taking to his usual dangling off of the padawan's back.

"...you've been away," Cal said. "I won't ask what happened." He didn't ask Jon either. "I just wanted to see how you were."

[kallig]

"I won't lie- I'm still not okay. But this anger can't linger forever."

He could bury it. Until he needed it. As he so often did.

Maybe that was unhealthy. But it was the Sith way. Peace was a lie- it was the truth. For him, for the galaxy, even here. He dreamed of peace, certainly. Lasting peace, prosperity, stability. Even personal peace. But it was a lie. It never lasted, regardless of what type of peace one clung to.

The fact that he'd been knocked off center so easily bothered him. The fact that he couldn't find balance again bothered him even more. But he didn't know what to do about it either. Certainly didn't want to admit that that was part of what was bothering him.

"Peace is a lie is one of the first things a young Sith is taught. I need to stop being surprised whenever it doesn't last."

He sighed, "I won't mention the rest of the code to you. It's something a Jedi doesn't need to know."

[out_of_order]

At least he wasn't trying to hide it. It still didn't make for an easy solution to anything, but Cal wasn't here to try changing Altair's mind about whatever decisions he'd made.

Peace is a lie. It was a casual mention and yet it made him shiver. That there was more to this Sith code came both as a surprise to him and at the same time not. Were they counterparts to the Jedi code? If that first line were any implication, the mention of peace aligned.

"...just because it doesn't last, doesn't mean it doesn't exist," he said instead. "If anything, peace is fragile."

[kallig]

"I know."

He knew. It just seemed so far away. His personal peace most of all. Some part of him wanted to apologize. For getting so upset. For not trying harder to understand Jon's point of view. For being so focused on his own experiences, and the fact that nothing could truly bother or frighten him, without considering someone else's fears, and that not everyone was as sturdy as he was, as powerful.

Of course, he could think that now. When it was much too late to fix anything at all.

He also felt betrayed, and scared, and sad, and his anger was at least partially him being angry with himself.

He worried that his concern for others was some sort of sick self-satisfaction more than a genuine desire to help. He was scared that this might turn him into everything he didn't want to be.

All this time to think wasn't good for him. All these thoughts he kept to himself.

"... I'm sorry for mentioning any part of the Sith code to you at all. I... Can tell that it's..."

Uncomfortable? Scary? Maybe both. He wasn't sure.

Transport Station

[in_extremis]

That was a new one. How many of these friendly little bots were in this damned city, and what invoice had Tony missed to not get his safely shipped, too? He froze as he lifted his head over the rim of the narrow tunnel, not expecting to come face to face with a droid when he had left the surface of the station entirely empty, and unable to offer anything better than a mumbled, "Charmed, I'm sure," to its chirping, mostly indecipherable around the crystal rod in his teeth. It didn't seem threatening, but Tony wasn't sure if it had come to deliberately keep Tony down the manhole or just indulge the same curiosity as him. He couldn't very well stay on this rusting ladder, though, he had tested his luck with it far enough already, so Tony kept an eye on the droid has he hauled himself up onto the dusty ground and kept low, kneeling to stay near its level as he tucked the rod into his belt. At least he had discovered something interesting on this excursion.

[kallig]

Altair knew that voice. And he certainly knew him by appearance.

Just the man he'd hoped never to meet in person. Fantastic.

"RE-1, come here," He commanded immediately, the droid chirping curiously at his master's tone of voice, looking back at Altair, then at Tony, then at Altair again, before hopping over to the Chiss as he leaned down to scoop him up. Which admittedly looked ridiculous, given that RE-1 was large enough to make it awkward for someone as small as Altair to carry in his arms.

The droid let out a high-pitched cheep and Altair sighed, "You can explore somewhere else, I promise. I'm not mad at you."

[in_extremis]

Tony should have guessed. The droids never appeared on their own, and he already knew Altair came from the same place as the other ones had--this was to be a brief romance, clearly, and Tony pouted as the droid seemed to make its difficult decision and abandon Tony to wondering what could have been. Now he was on his knees for no reason, Altair preemptively irritated with him and feeling underprepared for that kind of confrontation from this position. Jumping up felt aggressive, so Tony took his time, one hand planted on his hip and the other scratching idly at the back of his neck as he cast a thoroughly fascinated look down the tracks like it was the first time he was setting eyes on them. "This your new thing?" he eventually asked with a sidelong look Altair's way through his lashes, not quite confident enough to be playful. "Going to get the train working, be the station master?" This would be much easier if Jon hadn't let Tony know that Altair had torn down some buildings, this conversation could have been polished by blissful ignorance.

[kallig]

Some of that anger was back, though he carefully suppressed it, not sure he could fix RE-1 should he accidentally fry the droid with Force lightning.

It would have use, some day. Not today. Not now.

"What business is it of yours what I end up doing?" He asked, setting RE-1 back down, the droid moving off in the opposite direction to explore somewhere else. Altair knew the droid was loyal to him, after all. And he did feel bad that the droid couldn't explore where he had been exploring.

Still, he didn't want RE-1 to get any ideas that Tony was even remotely trustworthy.

[in_extremis]

The energy was hard to ignore, Altair's face and voice hard, making Tony feel exhausted already and grumble defensively, "Just making conversation, man," as he climbed to his feet. That tone from Altair was a familiar one and Tony knew there wasn't going to be an easy way to deal with this; he had said one wrong thing to his dad when he was three and had been trying to make up for it right up until the funeral. He hadn't cracked that code yet. "All yours," he bit with a sigh and wave at the rotting station, Altair's kingdom to piss all over if he wanted to, Tony wasn't here or sticking around to fight him for it.

[kallig]

"Just because I'm in here doesn't make it mine," He said, sighing. He was still angry. But he also realized that fighting each other wouldn't get them anywhere. His anger served no one, besides making him more powerful in the Force.

And he didn't need that right now.

It was why he put a lid on it, because it wasn't necessary right now.

But it would be later.

"... What were you doing?"

Not an offer of peace. So much as extending the same offer of making conversation.

His stance and body language was still tense, but. Well. Altair supposed he'd forgiven worse people than people who'd insulted him. Or at the very least, learned to work with them.

[in_extremis]

Tony wasn't the one that needed to be told and he pursed his lips, but his prickly departure was stalled enough for him to drop a hand to his hip again and take another look up the tracks, squinting in the sunlight. He knew what Altair meant, it was a gracious enough gesture, but Tony didn't have to show it. They weren't really in a place for Tony to start thanking him for allowing for neutral ground.

"Found a hole to stick myself in," he explained, and they also didn't know each other like that, but it wasn't an untrue statement even if Altair wasn't in on the joke. Tony indicated the tunnel with a sway of his body back its way and continued, "There was this basement thing, on the other side of the city, that I thought could maybe be some kind of subway platform-- doesn't matter, I didn't find much. There are tracks down there, too, but it might just be their terminus system." It wasn't enthralling news to deliver, Tony knew, not a grand discovery yet, but he also couldn't turn the question back on Altair now. He'd already bitten his head off for it, he wasn't about to try again. Instead, Tony gave another awkward sway and said, "Would have been decrepit, anyway."

[kallig]

"Bit dangerous, don't you think?" Altair asked, arching a brow.

He had the Force, should something down there collapse, but so far as he knew, Tony was just a regular human. Of course, maybe that wasn't any of his business. After all, he'd left the hospital behind, and didn't intend to return.

"Never mind."

This was awkward. He had an easier time talking to Arcann at home than he did Tony now, and when it came to who'd hurt him the most, Arcann more than won that competition.

"What part of this place isn't decrepit? This place feels like it's one Rakghoul plague off from being Taris..."

Though at least on Taris he'd had stuff to do. Screaming and running, mostly.

"... Wonder what the other cities on this planet looked like though. If they're even still there..."