Family Ties
| Family Ties | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 08 December 2023 |
| Location: | Medical Center - Jedi Temple - Coruscant |
| Synopsis: | Imoen faces a dilemma. |
| Cast of Characters: | Cayde Alexis, Imoen |
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
As soon as the padawans had returned to the Temple--in fact, right as they were heading inside, Cayde had very abruptly passed out on the stairs to the main entrance. Upon arriving at the medical center, the nurses are shocked to find that he has actually been stabbed in the side of his torso a couple of times and urgently needs a transfusion.
Fortunately they are able to handle the situation quickly, and get him stable. Yes...he'll be fine. Just needs to rest for a while...
- Imoen has posed:
As soon as Cayde passed out on the stairs, Imoen was in a bit of panic mode. She rushed to his side, anxious about him experiencing even more injuries from the fall. She does her best to help him up and towards the medical center, one inching step at a time. Inevitably, whether Navi returned with them or someone saw the collapse, others hurry to his aid and they take him the rest of the way with greater haste. Imoen looks a bit crestfallen to hear how extensive the wounds were. "Damn it, Alexis...you should have said something."
She waits where there might be some seating to do so while they work over the boy, and then waits again by his bed while he rests. She doesn't try to wake him up, as he clearly needs the time to recuperate. If it's only a few hours, she'll be there when he wakes. If it's longer, she asks the nurses to notify her, and she works out her frustrations and thoughts during physical training, darting back in as soon as she hears the good news.
With a scowl on her face, she tells him flatly, "you could have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble if you just told us how hurt you were. You even refused Navi's help. Were you trying to get yourself killed?"
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
A nurse would notify her some hours later that Cayde was awake if she wanted to speak to him.
He watches her with expectancy when she enters, though it isn't long before she immediately starts letting him know quite clearly how annoyed she is with his behavior. A vague shrug is given in response to her diatribe. [Not so bad] he signs.
- Imoen has posed:
"Yeah, this time. I heard you got stabbed. Twice. What if we didn't get here in time? What if you collapsed on the train in the poorer blocks?" Imoen waits for his rationalization, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms with a sigh. "Just tell us next time." There's a lull in their conversation before she broaches the topic she had wanted to ask since the housing blocks. "So. The Marksmen. What are they about?"
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
She waits for his rationalization...but it never comes. What was the point of these hypothetical scenarios, anyway? He -didn't- pass out on the train. So, there. Instead, he just shrugs. [But I did not] he signs, even while she is still talking about what -could- have happened.
When she asks about the Marksmen, he holds out a hand, as if expecting her to take it.
- Imoen has posed:
Hence Imoen's sigh, when the other Padawan offers no rationale for not telling her. "Just...next time, please tell us." After asking about the Marksmen though, he holds out a hand. She seems confused, blinking between it and his face. "But I thought..." Uncrossing her arms, she seems uncertain as she extends a hand of her own. She doesn't take his hand so much as make contact with it, allowing him to grasp if he so wishes. Her hand slides against his, and she looks up questioningly. "Did you want me to take you somewhere or?"
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
No commitment to a 'next time' is made. Cayde just rolls his eyes when she seems confused. Physical contact made telepathy easier...didn't she know that?
Thus, he doesn't really grab her, but as soon as she touches him, she'll witness a flood of visions like the one she'd seen earlier about the local children. Except these are a fair bit more disturbing, like the nightmares she sometimes has...
A bar, somewhere in the lower city. There is a man she doesn't recognize. A Terrelian Jango Jumper is talking to him. "...Kalregar's in deep with the Marksmen...mess with Kalregar, you risk having all of them come after you. And trust me, you don't want that. Enough people have suffered because of turf wars, and we ain't about to let some bounty hunter come in here and stir up shit for all our families over a few creds."
"...He has a death mark on him." Another man--a human and very tall, is saying. "Whatever bounty you were offered for him, it's not worth your life."
The Jango Jumper again. Maybe at some point later? "The Marksmen aren't a bunch of scruffy nerf herders...they'll come for you..."
Now the bounty hunter is signing to Cayde, at the same bar. It's not clear if it was later, earlier, or somewhere in between. [Could be personal for you. According to my contacts...he's your father]
- Imoen has posed:
It's more than a little unsettling when the visions that intrude upon Imoen's mind are so reminiscent of her own Force-imbued premonitions. Her hand twitches as if to pull away, but she wills herself against the act. Instead, the imagery consumes her mind, and she closes her eyes to focus on it. A Terrelian. One doesn't encounter their species very often. Kalregar. "Kalregar. Is he the bounty hunter, or the bounty? What's this have to do with death sticks..." She trails off, brow furrowing in confusion. Her eyes slowly flutter open, and she peers thoughtfully at Alexis. "So, this Kalregar, you think he might be your father? And he's got some sort of death mark on him?"
She shifts back a bit, "seems like Kalregar has some sort of protection with the Marksmen, but he's in danger anyway." She purses her lips, "did you show this to me because you wish me to help you save him? Save Kalregar? He doesn't seem like a very nice person, if he's running with criminals...if you don't mind me saying so." A small sigh, smirking faintly, "it's just one thing after another with you. And they say I'm trouble. Did your exchange with the Dowutin have something to do with all of this?"
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
Cayde shrugs vaguely again. [Marksmen is what you asked about] he signs to her. It was simply what he knew about them, from that one bounty hunter's memories. The one he'd seen at the bar.
He takes out his commlink and pulls up a posting...well, several, really. It seems this Kalregar individual was -definitely- not a nice person. He has a large price on his head, notorious as a spice dealer who sometimes posed as a legitimate medical vendor, and sometimes kidnapped children and other unsuspecting individuals, forcing them to work for him. Some of the posts claim he's sold some as slaves to powerful crime syndicates.
- Imoen has posed:
Imoen blinks at the signed words, "yeah, because I was worried about the kids in my housing block, and you said that the death sticks dealer is part of this Marksmen Syndicate." She frowns, "I didn't realize your father was also closely connected to them." The posting details all the sins committed by Alexis' supposed biological parent, and this only serves to darken her expression. "He's done some pretty terrible things. Are you asking me to help save him from his past misdeeds?" She searches the boy's expression, trying to find an answer in him. "If I did, it would only be to bring him to justice. He most likely will live out the rest of his days in some prison somewhere. But...well, at least he'd be alive, I suppose. Is that what you want me to do?"
- Cayde Alexis has posed:
Cayde shakes his head. [You asked for information...I gave it] he tells her. He doesn't really look upset or sad, in fact his expression is mostly unreadable. But she may be able to sense that on the contrary, he does not want to get anywhere near his father, for fear it will cause him to become too emotional and lose control of himself...which he fears could have disastrous consequences.
However, she also will get another bad feeling about these Marksmen. She'd asked her sister's neighbors to make sure that guy didn't try again. But what if he did, and what if he brought...reinforcements with him?
- Imoen has posed:
Imoen stares at Cayde, clearly trying to decide what kind of action to take. On the one hand, if she goes and makes things worse by her presence, that would not be an ideal resolution. On the other hand, she could simply do nothing. Kalregar might go free, and more people would be hurt - including potentially the children in her own housing block. Still, this is all very tangled with both her own and Alexis' past, and could cause imbalance no matter what she did. She might feel responsible for this situation because it's close to her, but if she takes action, she will in part -be- responsible for whatever comes. Standing up, she tells him, "I think I will meditate on this. You need to rest. Get some sleep." She tries to encourage him to settle down with a gentle pat on his shoulder. Then, she's starting on her way out the medical center. Perhaps to her dorm room, or one of the many meditation rooms built into the Temple.