The Hangover

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

The

Hangover

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Crix's eyes snapped open. Fear griped at his core as a thunderclap shook his entire body. He starred up at the same terror he'd seen so many times. The piercing white eyes gaze out through the undulating storm. His fear faded to frustration as his brow knitted in anger.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" He cried. The mountainous entity swung it's pure white eyes down to Crix.

"Come. To. Me," it commanded.

"SEND ME SOME FRAKING COORDINATES!!!!" Crix screamed. The Jedi was done with this game, he refused to give into things that went bump in the night.

The sound of thunder rolling across the ocean filled the smuggler's ears.

"No," responded the being. Crix ran a hand through his hair. "Come to me."

"HOW!? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, MUCH LESS WHERE YOU ARE!?" Weightlessness gripped his innards but he refused to cry out. He'd not give this damn specter the satisfaction. Arms cross indignantly he fell into the darkness. His body turned end over end forcing him to see the jagged rocks below rushing up to meet him. The spray of the churning ocean below misted his face just before his body collided with the water.

Crix sucked in a terrified breath as his blurry eyes struggled to focus on the dimly lit room around him. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and had a Krayte Dragon sized headache. He was still wearing his trousers which was weird, but clearly, he'd consumed so much alcohol last night he'd just passed out.

Typical...

Crix wiped the sweat from his brow and then realized he didn't recognize the room he was in. His brain worked overtime to place what in the hell had happened last night. He could see a handful of images, Fury, Arda, Mira, Tycho, and a plethora of other rebels. He vaguely remembered a drinking contest, and a humongous beer.

"Oh man, I must have gotten a room or something...Wow, I was freaking hammered." He chuckled to himself and then laid back down.

Crix felt something stirring next to him and looked over and his mouth dropped open. The woman next to him was ARDA BREAUX. The smuggler's mouth went dry and his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he carefully picked his way out of the bed. He stepped into the living room and suddenly couldn't breathe. His chest screamed as he desperately tried to remember what transpired between them. Honestly, this looked a lot worse for her than it did for him, but that was beside the point.

Crix stepped to the sink and splashed his face with water.

"Ya know what, I'm gonna make pancakes. She can't kill me if I'm cooking, right?"

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

Her face buried in the cool pillow was the best luxury she could ask for, though as her senses begun to wake with the rest of her body, she wished she would have slept for another month. Her body felt as though she was hit by a repulsor-truck, the smallest breath she took made everything ache and her head pounded with such fiery intensity she could break through the atmosphere. Arda rolled over on her bed, her hand resting where Crix had been laying, feeling the sheets damp from his sweat and it startled her, forcing her to lift her head, her senses spreading out albeit painfully as her head throbbed in the attempt to figure out who had been in the bed with her.

She sat up, seeing she was in shorts and a tank, she didn't even recall when she had returned to her quarters and change, let alone with who or what happened after that ninth or...eleventh shot of liquor. Frowning, she could taste something bitter still on her tongue and no doubt had probably vomited the previous night; the Jedi climbed out of bed slowly, eyes still closed, not even bothering looking in the mirror to see how frazzled she had become after drinking so much with her rebel brothers and sisters. Pausing to rub her face and wait for the throbbing to stop, she heard something banging in the kitchen, and while she still stood in the door way, it took a moment to register who was in her kitchen fixing breakfast.

"Cr-Crix?" she starred at him in confusion. Slowly she turned to look back at her bed and then slowly turned back to look at him, "What...what the kriff?" she rubbed her face while she had pointed from the bed to him. Though she knew exactly what the kriff probably had happened, "Are you cooking?" she shook her head again, slowly shuffling her feet to where he was in order to fix herself the strongest cup of kaf she could make. She was almost tempted to eat the kaf grounds themselves.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix dried his face and then took a second to acclimate himself to his surroundings. He found the ingredients he needed to make his galaxy famous pancakes and slipped an apron over his head to cover his bare chest. He glanced down as he slipped the garment on and for a moment considered covering his weirdly scared chest. The corrupted flesh was mottled in purples and blues as the damaged vein like scars left serpentine tendrils across his chest. He shrugged if they'd slept together there was no way Arda hadn't noticed. Deciding to address that when it came up he went to work making breakfast.

In just a few minutes Crix had put together a decent spread. Along with his famous flapjacks, the smuggler had fried up some bacon and eggs. He was brewing a pot of coffee and flipping the last pancake when he heard Arda's voice. He froze in place and swallowed before glancing over his shoulder at her. He flasher her his patented lopsided grin and said, "Morning."

He allowed her bewilderment to settle as she seemed to come to the same conclusion as he had. He deftly slipped the pancake from the pan and onto the plate next to him. Arda asked if he was cooking and he chuckled, "I think so." he teased. "Ooo, Mind pouring me a cup?" Before he could stop himself he added, "Ya know you're pretty cute when you let your hair down, boss."

Before she could get within striking distance he picked up the plates of food. One in each hand and the final he lifted with the force. He set them down on the table and said, "Hopefully it's not terrible," he shrugged suddenly feeling a little anxious. He'd never actually cooked for anyone else before and he felt a little vulnerable about his spread. He stuck his hand into his back pocket and felt his ratty pack of cigaras. He pulled them out of his pocket and sucked his teeth in disappointment, making a mental note to grab a carton before taking off.

Crix pulled off the apron and returned it to it's hanger. His body was lean and well muscled, which was probably surprising considering most of his appearances involved binge drinking. The smuggler stole a glance or two at Arda and couldn't get over how beautiful she was. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time but quickly squashed his emotions. She's the grandmaster, dummy, he reminded himself.

He stepped to her room and slipped on his tunic. No need to show off his gross scarred up chest while they were trying to eat. Crix took a seat at her table and made himself a plate.

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

Her mind wasn't working as fast as she wanted as she began to pour herself a cup of Kaf when Crix asked for one for himself; the cabinet opened by itself as Arda reached in to grab another mug, but paused to give him a deadly glare as he told her she looked cute with her hair down. Though he must have known she could have slugged him painfully as he made sure to get out of swinging distance just in case while taking the food to the table. Arda just stood over the cups of Kaf, pouring the second cup, "Uh-huh..." she agreed with a mindless huff about breakfast being good while trying to stop the throbbing in her head long enough to move to the table. She turned around watching him hang up the apron, the Jedi didn't even know she owned an apron, but she ended up watching him for much longer than what would be considered polite.

She watched him return to the bedroom and suddenly she realized how hot the coffee was as it began to burn her hands through the mug and quickly she rushed them to the table without trying to spill too much. Though her stomach and head protested, she really wanted to all the food that was on the table, "This...this looks really good..." she whispered when he returned, even her own voice made her head ache, slowly lifting her cup to her lips to take a sip while Crix helped himself to a plate. It had been ages since she had a real breakfast, her own morning meal involved several cups of kaf and maybe a ration bar to hold her over until she was able to eat.

Arda pulled a little bit of everything onto her plate, digging into the pancakes first, savoring the first bite as she relaxed in her seat, leaning back with a long sigh and smile, "This is really good..." she said grabbing another bite, glancing at Crix with a small smile, before turning back to her plate, "I don't think I had a real meal like this since before I left Corellia." Arda took another drink of Kaf, feeling her stomach finally settle, "I don't think I have drank like last night since before leaving Corellia." Arda shook her head in disbelief, "Do you remember anything?" she frowned looking at Crix.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix watched as Arda took a seat and made her plate. He felt his lips turn up in a cocky grin when she commented on the meal's appearance. He held his tongue until she tasted it. He didn't want to ruin the taste of his hard work by putting a bad taste in her mouth with a bad joke.

He glanced down and noticed she'd actually gotten him a cup of Kaf, "Cheers," he said in a hushed tone so as not to aggravate her ailments.

He felt like rancor poodoo, but this was basically how he felt every morning, so not much really changed for him. The only difference was the gnawing fact that he might have slept with the Grandmaster. What did it matter? They were adults, and sometimes adults did adult things. There was nothing to be weird about, right?

Arda fixed her plate and Crix pretended to not notice her savoring each bite of his fluffy pancakes. "These babies'll be galaxy-wide with a glowing recommendation like that. Maybe we can fund the Alliance with them," he said with a wink before digging into his own plate. The Smuggler could feel his body bouncing back from the near alcohol poisoning as the pancakes absorbed any leftover liquor in his system. He wasn't going to be drinking any whiskey for a while that was for sure.

Crix felt himself blush at her compliment and had to look away, what in the hell was he doing?

"I'm uh-- glad you like it. I think you're the first person I've ever cooked for," he said running a hand through his shaggy hair. Crix chuckled in agreement at both the lack of good food and their apparent overindulgence the night before.

He gave her a small shrug and chuckled saying, "Let's just agree to blame, Fury."

Arda seemed to still be processing the night to which he was more than a little curious. Before he could ask Arda said what he was thinking. His brow knit together thoughtfully as he took a bite of pancake. He had no clue what had transpired between them. He swallowed his bite and took a sip of kaf suspending his response as long as possible just to be a little annoying.

"I'm a little offended, you were amazing, and apparently, I wasn't all that memorable..." he said holding a straight face for as long as he could and then burst out laughing. He put both hands up in surrender fending off any daggers she was glaring with his lopsided grin.

"Sorry, I don't remember anything after finishing that huge beer." he said trying to be as truthful as possible while also fighting back every urge in him to egg her on. He enjoyed seeing this side of her. Aside from the bar the only other times he'd seen her had been in transmission and in mission briefings. It was nice to see the REAL Arda, the woman behind the mantle.

"Look at it this way, even if it did happen, neither of us remember, so it doesn't count. Besides without like 20 shots in you there's no way you'd go for a scruffy smuggler like me, right?" he said hoping to ease her discomfort.

As he spoke he heard a familiar whisper the voice of the entity urging, "Come. To. Me."

He frowned a little and shook it off swallowing his discomfort with bacon and eggs. He chanced a glance at Arda and said, "Hey, uh is it normal to have weird dreams as a space wizard?"

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda grinned, and then laughed when he suggested they should just blame Brent; he did indeed pay for all the shots, she couldn't say no to free booze, just letting it go to waste was certainly not allowed in her book. Though the smile disappeared when he kept her in suspense as to if he could remember what happened the night before. She had paused in her bite, resting the side of her hand on the table while still holding the piece of bacon as she waited for a response. Her eyes widened, eye brows raised, but when he explained in the manner that they had surely did more than fallen asleep in the same bed, her cheeks turned pink, then red until his serious features melted into laugh and a large grin of his own, finally admitting he couldn't recall after a certain point.

The woman scowled at him, even more so when he suggested it would have taken twenty-plus shots to actually sleep with him, it didn't really put her at ease, in fact, it stirred up many questions as her position as the Jedi's leader as she remained quiet. Was this even ok...she had read the Jedi forbade relationships, especially ones that spurred out of lust and with the over-indulgence of alcohol, did that point to her act on the impulses of love and the attachment for pleasure. Then again, Master Reach had been married so how did that defined in an Order that has had to adapt and survive for the last centuries. Though nothing was being spoken out loud, her concern could be seen in a flinch of muscle above her brow, but this was something to figure out later, especially when she wasn't recovering from a throbbing hangover.

Arda set down her food and grabbed her cup of kaf, sipping it carefully and welcoming the burn as she could feel it down her throat and into her stomach. Her eyes not returning to Crix until he refocused her attention with a question about dreams.

"Sometimes, depends, generally Jedi of the past have described them distinct from dreams." she explained, slipping into her role as the Order's Jedi Master, "What is going on in these dreams?" she asked him.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix's mischievous grin spread wide as Arda's face went scarlet. He really enjoyed teasing her, but could tell she was actually struggling with the implications. It struck him then that leadership must have been incredibly lonely. All of the Jedi looking to you for every answer when the teachings covered close to nothing regarding physical relationships. His brow furrowed and he decided to lay off. No reason to add to her very real stress about the situation, even if he didn't think it was a big deal. Besides after the amount he drank he was nearly positive he wouldn't have been able to perform, but his pride wouldn't allow him to mention that little fact. The Grandmaster was clearly upset with his little bit.

Arda refused to look at him and Crix broke the tension by saying, "I'm sorry if I messed something up. That's kind of my move." he chuckled awkwardly running a hand through his hair. But his little apology seemed to be a too late, she'd receded back behind the veil of duty and the smuggler wondered when he'd get to see her at ease again. She sipped her kaf and seemed to consider his question.

It was Crix's turn to feel uncomfortable as the silence between them stretched out. After a moment fo contemplation, The Grandmaster said his plight wasn't unheard of, but they weren't generally called dreams and The Smuggler felt himself sit forward listening intently. Arda asked what was happening in the dreams and Crix immediately wished he had a cigara...

"Promise not to laugh?" he asked with more seriousness than he'd admit. With a sigh, he sat back and explained his recurring visions. He told her of the onyx monolith he stood upon, the raging lightning storm that hid the true visage of the mountain-sized entity within. He described the white piercing eyes that seemed to see into his soul and of the message the being commanded.

Feeling stupid for wasting her time with his nightmares he added, "I know I sound crazy, but I could have sworn I heard the voice just a few moments ago..."

The Smuggler couldn't stop his mind from going to the worst imaginable place. Was this a repercussion from his time as a lab rat for that depraved Sith Sorcerer? As if his ruined chest wasn't enough... Or could this be an after effect of his battle with the Nightsister Mother? Once one was touched by the dark side did they carry it with them? He couldn't' bring himself to look at Arda, suddenly feeling as like a fraud. This was exactly why he'd refused to apply for knighthood. Sure, he'd completed his training under Leah before her departure and the Ambassador had urged him to apply, but how could he? He couldn't even get over some nightmares.

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda waved off his comment of messing things up, she just wanted to move pass it, not linger on the what ifs the previous night, though she was feeling much doubt they did anything but sleep, the bitter bile taste in her mouth when she first woke was indicative of much less fun than the unknown could possible give. She gestured him to continue, curious to know what his dreams were about as he asked her to promise not to laugh, but she couldn't make such promises. Crix began to explain his vision and with each detail, she felt herself leaning closer and closer to the table, sipping in between his pauses of his description of the creature with white eyes and instantly Arda knew.

There was a cloud of emotions that surrounded the rebel, worry and regret and her brow furrowed in thought as she tried to read his uncertainty without prying into his thoughts.

"You should go to who ever is calling you, Crix." she simply stated and took a long drink from her cup, "Maybe if you followed where ever this creature is calling you from, they will leave you alone, bringing your own peace as well as their own." Arda picked up a piece of bacon and took a big bite, continuing by speaking from the corner of her mouth, "I can go with you if you wish, like extra guidance if you need it." the Jedi shrugged.

"It certainly sounds like a vision and not some reoccurring nightmare." Arda quickly ate some more, getting her appetite back in order to ready herself for the possible adventure.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix blinked at the first words she spoke. Go to whoever is calling, me? How the thing is a living thunderstorm! he thought sardonically. He grabbed his cup from the table and took a sip crossing his arms across his chest. I guess it's her turn to mess with me... he thought assuming she was teasing him for his stupid dream. He grabbed the last piece of bacon off his plate and chewed on while he attempted to consider what she was saying.

Crix felt like a moron, he should have kept his mouth shut about this whole thing. He leaned forward draining the last of the Kaf and preparing to excuse himself when he heard her comment about it being a vision, not a dream. He froze replaying her words as if hearing them for the first time. In his dr-- visions, the being called to him and he just stood there. Never considering that forward was a possibility because flight was only a skill he had in a cockpit. Crix's brow furrowed and he chewed on the inside of his lip deep in thought.

When suddenly he blurted out, "Wait, what do you mean you can come with me?"

If this vision was in his head how in the hell was she getting in there with him? Was this about to lead to a weird space wizard ritual? He'd been through enough of those and wasn't exactly sure how he felt about this all the sudden.

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda drained the last of the kaf in her cup as he sat in contemplating silence, the Force flowed through the Jedi Master, cheating in the application of her abilities to ease the hangover some. He seemed even more regretful and reluctant now as he questioned if she could come with him, "I mean, if you don't want me to come, that's fine too, I just thought you sounded confused, a little lost, and just needed some extra guidance." Arda shrugged as she rose from the table, collecting the empty dishes, including the cup straight from his hand.

"It doesn't sound like they are going away any time soon, and the way you spoke about it, sounds like they've been happenin' for a while..." she dumped the plates and cups into the sink, "Most of those I know try to solve or get rid of their problems, you're trying to ignore it or avoid it..." explained Arda, tying her hair behind her head as she frowned at the mess created in her quarters. She began to move the dirtied pans into the sink also, watching Crix for his response to what she was explaining to him, however, if he were persistent about her not going with him, she would respect it; she understood some things required one to do by themselves.

She didn't say anything else as she carried on until she finished, drying her hands on her shorts, "You're wasting time though, here." she said, tilting her head slightly, "A Jedi doesn't ignore their problems, we face them; you have the knowledge you need to move forward, now you just need move yourself to it." The Jedi pulled the tie from her hair, several strands have come loose earlier, there was no point in keeping it halfway pinned back. "So what are you going to decide, Knight Dolan?" she asked, running her fingers through her dark locks, waiting on his response.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

The Smugger was starting to think Arda knew something he didn't. The way she spoke made him think there was a physical location for this being. His brow still furrowed in contemplation, Crix, followed her lead and stood up helping gather the dirty dishes.

"I'd appreciate that." He felt dumb for feeling awkward about this, but he was out of his field of expertise. The practical application of the force came to him quickly, but the theory of it normally gave him a headache.

He placed the dishes into the sink following Arda, and replied, "I mean, yeah... I thought I just had PTSD."

Crix shrugged stepping aside as she began to clean up. Deciding it was easier to busy himself with cleaning than standing trial for a vision he'd not asked for he started wiping down the stove top. Silence settled between them. Her challenge hung in the air, but he just didn't know what to say. Sure, he shouldn't have waited as long as he had to say something, but the last time he checked they were at war. His jaw clenched, but he refused to allow his ego to get in the way.

"You're right I should have done things differently, but I didn't. I'm here now trying to make up for that mistake, and looking for guidance," he didn't turn to face her.

He let his response hang in the air as he finished wiping down the stove and then moved on the nearby countertop. Arda pressed on telling him what Jedi do, and then to his surprise, she began to encourage him. He turned to her, his face set in his unreadable gambler's mask.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he responded, "Did you just say, knight?"

Crix ignored the Dolan part. He'd made the name up in order to file Alliance paperwork and avoid explaining that he didn't have a last name, but he could fill Arda in on those details soon enough. His lopsided smile colored his expression as he looked around her apartment. Arda literally let her hair down and he allowed himself a small moment to appreciate her raven locks.

In response, he said, "I guess I'm going to drag you along on this little adventure of self-discovery."

@GABA

 

[Arda Breaux]

He had joined her in cleaning up and kept quiet as he worked through his own thoughts, talking out loud as he tried to pin point the reasons for his delays. She wanted him to start thinking, to realize his potential to be able to overcome this issue he was having with his visions. Though she did indeed know much about the Bendu he was seeing in these visions, she didn't think it would be wise to ignore messages from a Force god.

He did catch her calling him Knight, his grin brought her own smile, as she continued to slowly comb her fingers through her hair, "Of course I am coming along." she turned on her heel and disappearing into her bedroom, "We'll take your ship...? I want to see just as good as a pilot as you claim to be." she said picking up the rest of his clothing and laying it on the foot of her bed as she finished getting ready, "We're going clear across the galaxy."

She sat on the side of her bed, braiding her hair in order to pin it up and out of her face, feeling her way along her scalp, her thoughts spun to how this would look as she woke up with him, now they're going across the galaxy...she frowned at her own thoughts and worries, but forced them aside, feeling if any rumors started, she would deal with them accordingly. Pinning the final fold of her braid, she grabbed her belt, ready to resolve why the Bendu called for Crix.

@Zay