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

[kallig]

"We did."

He didn't really want to talk about it now, so said nothing more on the subject.

"True... One day though, that might change."

And Altair certainly had words when that happened. But it was neither here nor there right now. Instead he sighed, and shook his head, "No reason to get worked up over it now, anyway. Instead, I have a question for you."

[out_of_order]

It wasn't a matter Cal had meant to revisit on purpose, and he was quick to leave it at that.

The Agrii was another subject that they could only go over so much, and no real ground could be gained without their direct interaction, yet another thing he let lapse for sake of practicality. He nodded at Altair, however pausing as the other addressed him.

"Oh?" he prompted, glancing at the Chiss again.

[kallig]

"It's a somewhat weird question, I suppose... I have Force-sensitive friends. At home. But there's never really been a good time to ask..."

Altair was pretty lousy at hiding his emotions. His veil had done most of the job for him, when he was younger. It had hid his expressions away, making him difficult to read. But he was still curious.

"When you sense my presence, my mind, what does it feel like? Like a Chiss? Or just like a fellow Force-sensitive keeping you out?"

There were a few more Chiss around- and Altair experienced their presence as great big blanks. So he was curious if he felt the same.

[out_of_order]

Cal waited then, growing curious himself about the question that Altair had for him. It was an interesting one indeed, not exactly something he'd found himself asked by even his fellow Jedi, not that he'd such company in some time.

"I think I'm still getting acclimated to the presence of Chiss," he admitted. He'd never met any before here, and now there were several that he could actually start to work out the subtleties. "Honestly though, I sense you as a fellow Force-wielder. Different than those I've come across recently. It's...kind of difficult to describe. Concentrated? But other than that I don't try to push too deeply."

[kallig]

"I see. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. My species, apparently, are very good at keeping other people out. But I didn't grow up in the Ascendancy, so..."

No wonder he was different.

Every other Chiss at home felt closed off, and it was the same for Thrawn and the other Chiss here too, though that one, he'd only seen and sensed from a distance.

Still, this was a good a subject to focus on as any- something that wasn't the hospital, or the frustration that was their situation with the Agrii.

"Sith have to be good at it though, in their own way. Of course, my mind isn't entirely my own, either."

[out_of_order]

It was an interesting thing to know. Cal wondered if perhaps there were somewhere some Chiss Force-sensitives in his own time. There seemed no reason not to be, but perhaps they were at least safe from the Empire if their people were even a rarity then.

Cal nodded. "I hadn't thought too much about the need to do so until I had to go into hiding. And then it became more than just keeping others out. It was burying everything I was, distancing myself from everything I'd learned." His lips twitched in a flicker of a smile. "It was difficult getting back to the level I'd been at, but those are the lessons you don't completely forget."

He swiveled a look towards Altair, brow lifting at the mention of the Chiss's state of mind. "How's that?"

[kallig]

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

And he didn't mention that the Jedi back home were going through something similar. After the war with Zakuul, the Jedi- what was left- had withdrawn to the ancient world of Ossus. The Sith Empire had pursued. Mutated, turbo-charged, psychotic Genonosians, a member of the Dark Council creating those twisted creatures to attack the Jedi in the first place, Darth Malgus back from the dead, and then him.

There was a lot there to unpack sometime, but not to Cal. He didn't need to hear it. He'd suffered enough in his own time, and Altair wouldn't add to that by speaking of the state of the war at home.

"I told you about the ghosts, I think. One of them stayed with me. Though he hasn't spoken to me in some time... There was four once. And then Valkorion, though he's gone."

There was another thing to unpack at some later date.

[out_of_order]

It still hurt to think of what was lost, but for a while the thought of being able to restore the Order had been a good distraction. If there was any reason Cal didn't look forward to going back, it was because he wasn't sure where he was at, or if he was ready to pick back up at things. Dealing with failure was still a thing he wrestled with.

The ghosts, he recalled something of that, and so he nodded, although from his expression he seemed uncertain about whether having that many minds in your head was all a good thing. Confusing, surely. "Force-users?" he asked. They had to be strong to maintain their presence, or at least that seemed to make the most sense to him.

[kallig]

"Yeah. Sith don't become one with the Force when they die. They just... Fade, I suppose. Or remain bound to their tombs until someone wakes them up."

Servant of Ergast. Darth Andru. Kalatosh Zavros. Horak-Mul. All angry in death. They'd gone back, most of them. Though Horak-Mul remained, refusing to return to his tomb on Hoth. Altair couldn't blame him- he wouldn't want to go back to Hoth either.

"It's a scary thought."

And part of the reason why he'd tried really hard to change. Not hard enough, apparently. If his anger was anything to go by. If his lack of empathy was anything to go by. He'd become bound the same as them, it seemed.

[out_of_order]

The thought made Cal wince. "That's...terrible." It was a sad thought, that perhaps such Sith were so tainted in the dark side that they couldn't so simply return to the Force. He wasn't sure how it worked. But being bound after death didn't seem very ideal an existence either.

He could only nod his agreement; it was a scary thought, and he hoped that Altair could be spared such a fate. Was there a point when it was considered simply 'too late'?

[kallig]

"Seems like all I can do today is lead us into morbid topics."

The Sith Code. Ghosts. And a whole host of dead Sith Lords.

He shook his head, "What have you been keeping yourself busy with?"

That was a better thing to talk about. Or rather, let Cal talk about. If he only listened and responded, it would be easier to avoid any more topics they shouldn't be discussing in the first place.

[out_of_order]

"Not on purpose," Cal replied, snorting a little in partial laugh. He didn't blame Altair in the least. In any case, at least it was a turn from other matters.

"Oh, mostly the same I've been. Exploring, scavenging. In the mornings I do some training in the amphitheater, just to keep in practice." And ready, in the case that something happened. They might not be able to fight storms, but being prepared was better than not.

"We've also been trying to figure out possible toys to put together for the kids around here- the Mandalorian's? And Sansa's. I have no idea what they'd find interesting though, and I'm not really versed in making stuffed animals." He grinned a little as he shrugged.

[kallig]

"I'm pretty good at that, so long as I have the materials. I crochet and knit, too."

Embroidery, crochet, knitting. All hobbies that most Sith wouldn't bother with. But Altair had always liked them, and was pretty good, too. He was the most skilled when it came to embroideries, though genuinely enjoyed the other two as well.

"I already made something for Sansa's child, though I wouldn't mind making more in general."

His schedule was looking rather open, after all.

[out_of_order]

Now that he thought about it, Cal did recall seeing the Sith working on something, the first time he'd come to visit the Sith at the hospital. Back then he'd been surprised, and still finds himself a little so at the reminder.

"Did you teach yourself?" He wondered what sort of things he might have undertaken if he'd found the interest. Working with machinery still seemed more his forte. Maybe he could try his hand at planting things. His assisting Greez with the terrarium had been mostly seed gathering, but he'd watched the Latero work.

"I'm sure James wouldn't mind," he laughed. What child would complain for more than one toy?

[kallig]

"When I first became interested, yes. I was only a child then, not a Sith."

A slave though. Working with stolen materials. Anything he felt wouldn't be missed. Scrap fabric, needle, thread, and very clumsy hands. He'd ended up pricking his fingers and bleeding on the fabric a lot. Still, it had been a distraction.

And then he had come to love it.

He'd gotten bolder with stealing, and honestly, he'd very rarely gotten caught. And he'd taught himself everything. Trial and error.

And once he had his freedom, he'd started working on perfecting his craft.

"Strange thought, isn't it? An even smaller version of me."

And he did figure he could spend some time making more toys.

[out_of_order]

Cal smiled, trying to imagine it. "I think in general it is kind of strange if we did give it some thought that we were once so small." Not just them, but the others in the city, or even back home. Well, home in the general sense, anyway.

"It already seems like a lifetime since, doesn't it? But I guess it would when so much happens between one point and the other."