Mysterious Encounter - Library Edition

[Zenya]

​

Lanna walked through the busy streets of Coruscant, the place she currently felt most inspired. It was a busy planet, filled with characters that never seemed to sleep. Lowlifes, and gentile spirits sharing apartment complexes. The rich and poor. It was a world of vast diversity, and culture that Lanna just could not seem to get exhausted from. She enjoyed a surprise at every turn, or even, an obstacle. This particular day, she was going to study up on speeders, and how to drive them. It was no secret that she could induce a panic attack when she was sitting in one, in the middle of a tough situation, with no idea what to do. She hoped that brushing up her knowledge would help put her mind to ease over the subject. She specifically wanted to do it the old fashioned way, by taking her materials from a library. There was a large library and archive section in the temple on Tython, which she deeply enjoyed visiting. It was an excellent way to study, and further her knowledge while resting at the same time. She had been working through a busy passed few days, and thought that the Library would be a good place to spend her day of free time.

When she approached the location of the library, she quickly realized it was no fancy building as the one on Tython was. It was a hole in the wall, with a metal door you would have to open manually. Lanna turned the knob, and stepped inside, sucking in a breath of distinct cigarette smoke. Lights on the roof illuminated the place, and a human in a hood sat at the counter. She looked to be fairly old, and looked up at her briefly, then looked back down to the tablet in her hands. She had black markings on her forehead, and around her mouth. The girl took note of the peculiar looking woman, and them advanced further into the small building. There was a room to her side lined with rows of shelves, overflowing with tablets. The marker read "Fiction."

She continued to walk up a staircase, grabbing the railing tight. Everything, including the walls, was especially close. She made her way to the "Science," section, which was larger than expected. She scanned the shelves, not paying much attention to the man that just entered the room. Then she paused. She got a strange feeling from him. Swallowing it down, she decided to keep a careful eye out, just incase he would bring her any unwanted trouble.

@Vinny

 

[Vinny]

The padawan's body squirmed slowly under his grip. Wake held him down, palm covering his victim's eyes and his fingers digging into his scalp and temples. He could feel the knowledge pooling into him, prying free from the weak and supple mind of the young man who writhed beneath him. Wake tilted his head when the padawan opened his mouth in an inaudible scream. "Does that hurt? Of course it does." Wake drawled at his 'patient', his breath coming out husky in the dimly lit alleyway. The jedi struggled again, fighting for oxygen, fighting off the darkness of pain-shock. "I liked you, you know, we were going to do great things." Wake hissed, and drew deeper on the young man's mind, supping of deeper memories. Family, a mother, a father, a sister, a world left behind for the Jedi order.

"You just had to get greedy. There's no need to get greedy, no need to be wasteful, we could have been friends even..." Wake hissed, leaning in closer. The young man was handsome if you looked past the pale, stricken look of agony. "I don't like killing unnecessarily, Jedi." Wake drawled and drew even deeper. "So understand that as you are going to die, that is how deeply you have disappointed me." The sith 'errand boy' snapped and wrenched the last bit of memory from the Jedi. Some of it was useful, most of it was bunk. Then there was a popping sound, a disjointed groan, and then something broke inside of the Jedi's neck. Wake rose to his feet, grabbed the corpse, and threw it into the nearby lower levels garbage chute.

"Pathetic." He muttered, and made his way out into the street. The air was thick with the urban squalor of Coruscant. He screwed up his face in an expression of disgust and looked around for some manner of shelter. The moments he had spent in the alley had been a respite from the atmosphere. Shit and now he needed a new spy in the Academy. Damn it all. If only that ingrate hadn't gotten so greedy for secrets, this wouldn't have happened. The masters back on Korriban would expect him to find a new spy before he came home, otherwise the consequences would be dire. Wake spat on the ground and sighed. He glanced up at the building to his left, a library.

Well, at the very least he could read away some of his frustration.

He strode into the library and caught a fragrant scent in the air. His eyes shifted up to the balcony and he paused, savoring the unique odor of a female human. Too young to taste of course. He frowned and shrugged, passing the hooded woman standing off to the side. Perhaps he could find something here that he could use. Their science section looked large from where he stood. He would start there. He ascended the steps and made for the science section, running his hand along the bookshelves and glancing down each aisle. This place was depressingly empty. Save for one, in the very section he had chosen, where he found the female he had scented earlier. Her robes were a dead give away. Wake had to suppress a smile.

Jackpot

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

Lanna scanned through the wide selections of tablets, holding various information for her to consume. She enjoyed learning about new things and broadening her horizon of knowledge. She liked to be prepared as well, which was where much of the desire derived from. She pulled out one of the tablets, turning it on. A blue light illuminated the space in front of her, showing the picture of a speeder, and then rotated to the inside so she could see the steering wheel and buttons of a typical speeder. She tapped one of the buttons, and text came over the screen, explaining what the specific part on the speeder did.

"Excellent," she smiled to herself. She continued to drag a finger over the screen of the tablet, moving the text across the screen as she read.

The man in the room seemed to keep to himself. Which was fine, and normal, except for the strange feeling she got from him. He stuck out more than the average man, in a way that was impossible to ignore. She took a glance at him out from the corner of her eye, and then looked back down at her work. Weird. It was a growing sense of unease, itching at the back of her subconscious. She was used to the warning signs her gut feeling so often provided her, so she decided it would be best to not ignore the feeling. She turned the tablet off, a bit disappointed, and put it back into it's place on the shelf. She would rather come back another day than run into trouble. Especially all alone from a man on the top floor of the library. Swallowing, she lowered her head, turning out of the room, making her way downstairs, out of the library.

(Sorry it's Super short. You can follow her if you want :D)

 

[Vinny]

(Lol that's fine! It's all about quality for me anyway)

Wake's eyes lingered for a moment as she packed her things and moved to leave. A subtle shift of yellow, the markings of darkside corruption. A cruel smile stretched across his lips as he glanced back down at the datapad he had been perusing. The document had been one on using probe droids as signal relays. An interesting paper to say the least. Unfortunately he would have to copy it and save it for later reading as his real target had already decided that she did not want to be there any longer. He let out a breath, focusing on the taste of her fear and presence, feeling her out. He waited until she had left the building before he snatched a pad of paper she had left behind on the desk. There was nothing of import on it, but it would suffice. Descending the stairs himself and putting a credit coin in the hand of the attendant, he made his way outside.

Without a word, he strode out into the street and took another breath of the fetid air. He turned his head right when he sensed her presence moving down the street, and threw up the hood of his tunic. The girl was moving at a casual pace down the main thoroughfare. If his mental map was correct, there was a cafe and transit terminal a few blocks ahead of them. He needed to lure her away from it, if only for a moment. His quick pacing brought him to just within eyeshot of the back of her head. That was close enough; he concentrated on her, reaching out and touching her mind, he had to be within physical contact to use his more potent abilities, but a whispered plea, a call for attention, the scent of power. That was something he could project to her.

You are looking for something. His presence seemed to say without words, his unique talent for mentalism had given him the ability to express his will very nearly with words. They were more like whispers in the mind, ideas and thoughts that seemed to occur to the target rather than feeling like something outside trying to communicate. His power was still unrefined, obviously. Let me help you. Come to me. Come to me. He broadcasted, turning toward an alley and finding a secluded perch and wrapped himself in the power of the dark side.

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

Lanna made her way out of the Library, swiftly walking down the crowded walkway of the very populated surface of Coruscant. Or more specifically, One of the surface Layers. She rarely ventured further down, but when she did, it was certainly a noteworthy adventure. The surface was filled with crime and shady rituals and individuals as well, but it was nothing like way down below. When she experienced the culture of the lower levels, it almost made her forget to keep her guard up when she returned to the upper levels. Everything seemed so safe, and quaint until something deliberately stuck out. Like a dark alleyway, or a sharp eye. In this case, it was the man that brought the young Jedi back to the reality that was Coruscant. It was a world of potential for all things, including those lustful, vengeful, and indulgent. She had to constantly be on her guard in a place like that.

So she walked on, weaving in and out through the people around her. She brushed by people every now and then, and she was moving on quite fast. She pulled her hood over her head, and tried to disappear. She was a small person after all, it would not have been difficult to lose herself from one's sight, in a mass of individuals that the majority of, towered over her.

Unfortunately her concerns had not been appealed. She believed the presence she sensed before was pursuing her. It made a shiver run through her body, and she walked on, a little faster. With another step forward, she faltered. Something struck her, as if she forgot something. She pulled away from it once, before it attached itself again. A strange thought. A voice, deep inside of her that man her stop. Her feet were firmly planted apart, as she tried not to fall over from the people pushing passed her.

Slowly, she turned to the voice.

 

[Vinny]

Wake remained where he was, crouched amidst the shadows of the alley. The aura of hopelessness that the world seemed to give off stuck to his clothing and made him feel almost invisible. The desperate, clinging cold of a world filled with too many people. He kept his eyes shut though, forcing the images of the world outside away and focusing on his target, his prey. She was there, not far from him, she had stopped to listen to him. That was more than enough, it was obvious she was stronger in the force than he originally had guessed, her resistance to his call was clear enough. He took another breath, and wrapped a veil of anonymity around his presence in the force, using the aura of the world as a blanket to hide within.

Wake leapt from his hiding spot and wormed his way back into the crowd. He worked his way toward her, waving at her. He assumed the role of someone just trying to help, holding up her notepad and waving it over his head. He stumbled between grumpy pedestrian and angry local, framing himself a klutz. "Excuse me! Please! Oh I'm sorry!" He gasped and struggled, enduring the knocks and bruises he received from stumbling into one too many people. One turned and nearly took a swing at him, he winced and fought his way further, moving toward the girl.

"Excuse me! Yes!" He gasped, his lungs acually feeling quite weary after fighting through that unpleasantness. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself before, here, you left this." He said and bowed, slipping into his corellian accent. "I wasn't expecting to see another padawan so far off the beaten path." He scratched the back of his head and gestured to the training saber on his hip. "Forgive me for being such a creep..." He implored, forcing a blush to his pretty face.

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

Lanna looked up, curiously, and a little surprised to hear a voice show itself from the crowd. There was something she was forgetting, but for some reason she could not remember it again. She hated it when that happened. And this man was not helping. There was something off about the stranger who had shown himself. He gave her a warning vibe, which had now seemed to disappear. It made her hesitate. She sensed nothing. Instead, she stood there with her mouth open, quite perplexed. The man pushed his way through the crowd, clumsily running into people's sides, and twisting through a handful of unsavory characters, who gave him a difficult time. All whilst holding up her notebook that she had apparently left at the library. She broke her gaze away from him, noticing she had been staring with a likely dumbfounded expression. Hopefully she had not offended him. She would not want him to think she was being rude.

She looked down at the bag that was over her shoulder, and opened it, looking for her note pad. Nothing. She could have sworn that she put it away. She could even remember moving a piece of fruit to get it to sit properly inside. Even so, she pushed it aside, assuming she must have been confused. That maybe, the notepad was what she was forgetting the whole time.

The man spoke with a familiar accent. He politely bowed with a bob of his head, and Lanna smiled back at him. "Hi."

She cocked her head to the side when he said Padawan. He was a Padawan? The only reason she was surprised, was because he seemed older than the typical Jedi in training. Something in his eyes, possibly. They were lighter than usual. Blue, almost.

"Thank you!" She said, taking the note pad.

 

[Vinny]

Wake scratched his chin, glancing toward the notepad and inclining his head. "I've only been a padawan for a few years," Wake lied, and nodded to the notepad "This is my first time on my own on Coruscant, to be honest I don't come to the core world often at all, my master does relief work in the outer rim." He flashed a dazzling smile and scratched his head.

"Maybe we can help one another?"

The fact was, he needed more information on a vision he had been getting more and more often. The dark side had given him sight beyond that of a normal sith, the problem was he did not know how to appropriately interpret it. The Sith archives had been less than helpful in seeking the world he saw in his vision. So he had used this particular mission to Coruscant to gather information. Now though, he had found an even more useful resource. He glanced around at the thick crowd which had begun to grow testy at their standing in the middle of the walkway.

"Oh stars, I'm sorry. You were going somewhere."

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

Lanna narrowed her eyes slightly, as she listened to his explanation of being a Padawan, and visiting Coruscant for the first time. How interesting she thought. Coruscant really was an astonishing place, and the young initiate had also been spending her first time there as well, for the passed few weeks. It had been just about two months since she arrived. She raised an eyebrow when he offered the suggestion to help each other out.

She hesitated at his sudden change of subject.

"Yes, I suppose I was going somewhere..." For some reason she could not remember. "It's alright. Why don't we go over there, and talk about it?"

She trailed off, slightly confused and unable to get her mind on track. It was as if everything were slightly clouded.

They moved off to the side of the road, to the ally way that the man was originally standing on.

"I'm Lanna," she said, holding out her hand out to shake. She looked up through amber eyes, waiting for him to propose just how he was thinking hey could help each other.

 

[Vinny]

Wake did not allow her to regain full sense of what was happening. Easier to cloud her mind just slightly than to allow her a moment to breathe and think. He walked with her, stopping at the edge of the alley he had only moments ago been hiding in. He took her hand and shook it, allowing the skin contact to be the bridge between his mind and hers. He delicately fed the feeling of comfort and ease of mind into her. Transmitting thoughts with mind trick was easy enough, but transmitting feelings was even easier, when one put some thought into it. He showed no sign of change in his expression after he released her hand;

"Wake." He said in pure honesty, the lack of dishonesty on his words would do well enough to further deter suspicion.

"I was studying various types of probe droids, and various types of repulsorlifts, my master is planning on building a new speeder to get around better back at home." Wake said, scratching the back of his head. "Search me as to why, the one he has is good enough in my opinion."

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

"Wow," Lanna muttered, thinking about what kind of a home required a speeder to get around in. His Master must have been rich. The girl had never been particularly rich, but she always had enough resources to live comfortably. The Army provided her with the money she needed when she was traveling from planet to planet. As long as she was smart, she wouldn't be caught in a situation that left her with a lack of good or shelter.

"Seeing as we are both initiates, we must have our own agendas in the Army. Are there any plans you have for the future?" She asked, only paying half attention.

She didn't come here for a friendly chat. She knew subconsciously that something around her was wrong.

Looking up at her acquaintance's light gaze, she swallowed.

"I have to go."

@Vinny

 

[Vinny]

Well. That was a bit disappointing. He had hoped such a neophyte in the ways of the force would have been curious to follow the trail of breadcrumbs he had left her. But no, sadly she had been taught a little too well by whomever it was that instructed her. That was fine, as far as he was concerned. She was not strong enough to resist him. Wake moved a bit closer, a sad look in his eyes. He took her chin in his hand and began drawing on the power of the dark side. Force Stun was an effective maneuver more often than not even when wielded with neutral power. Drawing on the dark side to fuel it simply upped the ante.

He bore his teeth and caressed her cheek just once. "I'm afraid, Lanna, that you are not going anywhere." He whispered gently.

And then the Dark Side flowed into her.

@Zenya

 

[Zenya]

Her heart seemed to skip a beat when he reached out his hand to touch her face. She would have turned and ran, but there was a solid wall behind her.
Her eyes widened in that instant, and then in one final attempt to break free from the oh so terrible situation, she lunged forward. Unfortunately, the action was futile, as what felt like electricity made its from the outside of her cheek, to her brain. It felt like he pressed a hot iron to the inside of her skull, which made a strangled cry escape her lips.

If anybody heard, they probably wouldn't come to her aid. They would just look away, and not get involved. Not because they were necessarily afraid, or didn't care, but because What could they do? They all had their own secrets and things to keep safe. That was one of the reasons so many crimes went down in the back alleys of Coruscant, and now Lanna was becoming one of it's victims.

She grabbed a piece of Wake's shirt with a white knuckled fist, as her vision flickered a moment, and she sank to her knees. Her hand released it's grip as she passed out.

@Vinny