Who: Exar Kun & Gemini What: Doing a trade When: Night, after visiting Ossus Where: Exar's housing, Naboo Rating: Above PG, TBA Status: In progress
Exar arrived back on Naboo earlier that night, and he was feeling tired; not physically as much as mentally, after he'd visited Ossus. The blood of many Ysanna on his hands aside, the state of the world and space around it was jarring and he'd been less talkative and edgier ever since.
He dropped one plasteel case he had carried inside down next to a table and continued into the next room. "Increase illumination a point," he grunted, barely waiting for the dim light to turn on, then threw the second lighter case on the bed. With his hands free, Exar rubbed his temples and sighed. He'd reflected on past events enough, quite frankly, and he was sick of it. Now with seeing Ossus indeed was a ruin, how the hell was he supposed to react to that? He supposed he should feel sorry or even remorseful.
Approaching the bath chamber, he took a glance at himself in the mirror and could barely recognize the man there. The face peering back was harder, and his eyes were cloudy and bloodshot. They were worse as he left Ossus, he remembered with almost a thrill. He'd heard stories of the dark side manifesting physically before, but never quite believed them. Certainly there had to be a way to retain one's looks and use the dark side.
He turned on the sonic sink and began to wash his hands, still marveling at that face in the mirror. While he looked a bit rougher, he realized he also appeared more confident and wiser. A new man. Am I going to tell her where I got the gold neckpiece with the red stone? I wonder if she'd like knowing where it all came from? He briefly clenched his jaw and switched on the sink's direct water flow, splashing some on his face. How was he going to live with himself if he couldn't move on? The struggle within and the internal arguing, even second-guessing, was tiring. "Open the windows." When the program didn't comply, he impatiently elaborated. "Open the windows twenty-five percent! Sithspit, how specific does it have to be?"
Exar stepped back and began to peel off the dark green jacket he hadn't taken off in days. The same one he'd worn on Ossus and into the village. He formed it into a ball and threw it into one of the waste disposals and disintegrated it. The rest of his clothing followed it into oblivion, save for his belt. He took more care removing the tie fastening back his hair, and then entered the sonic shower. While he finally relaxed, that was only physically possible. His mind wouldn't rest, as hard as he tried the calming techniques and remembering his Master's reassuring wisdom. "I wonder if this is the same for everyone who falls," he murmured, words drowned out by the shower. "...Suffer for weeks or years until we just give in to the inevitable."
Fifteen minutes later, he dried off and wrapped a towel around himself. Usually he'd concentrate on his hair at that point, but he curiously let it hang free and entered the next room. He opened the case on the bed for the first time since Ossus. Within was a tangle of jewelry and ornamentation, and while some was cruder than what he was getting in exchange, not all were trinkets from the tribals. Some finer golden ornaments from an older era remained. He picked up a piece he'd initially mistook for a golden bracelet and saw the hook of an earring, then placed it on the bed. There were some pieces he'd keep for himself, but nothing had as much worth as that amulet - at least to him.