revivalproject | Open Log [8]

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Open Log [8]

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.)

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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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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."

"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."

"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.

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."

"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.

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."

If Cal knew Altair's thoughts, he would have said that it wasn't too late. The difficult part was actually making the move to try to make amends, if not bracing for whether it would be reciprocated or not. But at least those people were still here to try to do so. Words were easy to say, advice included. Taking action was the real task, and knowing he had his own issues unresolved, Cal knew better than to push.

"...I never thought about there being a code. Not that I knew very much about the Sith in general. I haven't heard or thought about the Jedi code for a long while either, so hearing that version..." He shook his head. "It was a little unsettling," he admitted.

"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.

"Technically speaking, it's more of a vague guideline than a code, I suppose. Plenty of Sith disregard it entirely."

Which was part of why it was so difficult to gain any sort of control over many of their most violent Sith. After all, the Sith code meant different things to different Sith, and there were as many different Sith philosophies as there were Sith.

Of course, Altair loved his people. But he did wish the code couldn't be used as justification to become a monster.

"I can imagine, then. To me, the Sith code is a source of comfort. I know it by heart and meditate on it often. To a Jedi, I imagine the Sith code would sound like the ramblings of a raving madman."

He shook his head, "No matter. Jedi, Sith... It doesn't really mean all that much here."

He sighed then, "Are you okay?"

Cal wondered if perhaps that was why they were not in abundance as it seemed the Sith were in Altair's time. Chaotic followers adhering loosely to chaotic teachings would offer plenty of opportunity for disaster.

"It probably depends on how one looks at it," he replied. Naturally there was a tiny part of him that was curious as to how exactly this Sith code went, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't like what he'd hear.

"No, it doesn't really matter here," he instead agreed. "...yeah, I'm okay. Just trying to keep busy."

"All any of us can do, I suppose," Altair said, "Guess I'm going to need to figure out where to go from here."

Not the hospital. Not back to the greenhouse.

Something would come to him, he supposed. He couldn't stay idle forever. Had to make himself useful, had to do something. Stagnation was death, and life was always moving forward. Some way or another.

All this time to think, the quiet, it... Was something he wasn't used to.

He almost missed the war.

Almost.

"Can't become dead weight, after all."

"At least there's no shortage of things that need to be done around here." Finding the drive to do it was often the problem over finding something to do at all.

Cal was of the same mind when it came to the alternative- far too much time to think and his mind would just run circles on the things he'd been forced to leave behind for the moment. Sometimes he could pretend it was fine, not have to worry about it right this instant. But he knew that it would be something he'd have to face, whether here or back where he was supposed to be.

"...you're sure you're all right with this? Moving on from the hospital?"

"I suppose not, no."

Things had been quiet for a while though, and it made things difficult. He didn't know what to do with the free time, didn't really know what to do with peace and downtime. He was so used to going from one crisis to the next, that this was unfamiliar territory.

Of course, he had no wish for chaos- there were too many vulnerable people here for him to wish for that.

But something.

He didn't know what.

"... I'm not. But if I can't understand others, empathize with them, understand where they're coming from... If I only consider my experiences and what I personally can handle... Then I don't belong there."

He was still angry and upset. But he'd thought about it. He'd come to a conclusion.

"If anyone gets hurt, or sick... They deserve better than what I can give them right now."

Cal shook his head. "You already sound like you know what's to be expected, and what's needed. That's more than most might consider. But you're aware of the things you struggle with, and your limitations. It's not an easy thing to admit."

Altair's decision was a respectable one. He hoped others would see it as such.

"So far as I know, I don't think anyone here has specialized in the medical field. It doesn't seem like the Agrii have thought that through when they brought people here, or they just figured that having spheres that could provide relevant information would be enough. So I don't think you're any more or less qualified than anyone else, not when you made a decision to help where you thought it would be needed."

"If there's a crisis, maybe I'll go running back. For now though, I'm going to stay away."

There had to be something he was suited to, even here. But it wasn't the hospital. It wasn't the greenhouse, either. They had enough people. The power plant was Hux's area of expertise, and he didn't want to intrude on the work that was important to Hux.

There was no place for scholars here, or archaeologists, or even political games. So none of the things he knew from home were viable.

Maybe the answer would come to him. Or maybe, he'd just have to pick something and stick with it regardless of whether or not it was something he enjoyed. Just to keep busy.

"Honestly though, do you think the Agrii have thought any of this through?"

"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.

"Hopefully there's no crisis, but if there is, I don't think anyone will have time to think." Nor object. People either panicked or took action, and Altair didn't come off as one to do the former.

"...I have no idea what to think about the Agrii or their methods. I can't help but be a little wary of them. They may have sincere needs, but there's just so many questions and so limited input from them."

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.

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Open Log [8]

[Beach]

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Hospital

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Transport Station