Everything into the dark

[ashesofkatarr]

Who: Visas Marr, You
Where: Around Aldrip
What: Visas is trapped on a planet full of false people and imitation life
Warnings: Visas being creepy and weird. Also check out her permissions post!

Happy to do prose/brackets, also happy to consider TDM things canon!


I. To see what can be seen
[So she is still here on this new planet full of falseness.

She is looking for vantage points. That's why she's looking for the tallest buildings so she can climb their stairs. She is climbing the stairs inside or the fire escapes on the exterior. Or maybe she is on the rooftop already, hands braced on the railing, leaning out and her face turned towards the horizon.]

How can there be so little? [...] What is the purpose for it?

II. Unwarranted observation
[The people of Aldrip give off nothing, nor do the animals, nor do even the plants. The only thing that carries the light of life at all are those known as the Chosen.

Which is why she is following them.

It doesn't matter who, and it doesn't matter when. It doesn't even matter where. But at some point in your daily routine, you may realize that you are being followed. Visas is stealthy by habit but she's not putting much conscientious effort into remaining unseen.

So you might just turn around and see her standing there. Watching you.]

III. Perchance to dream

[Visas does not want to talk to the... citizens of Aldrip, she supposes they could be called. They are everywhere, underfoot, like so much trash being blown about the streets. More than once she has collided with one of them.

She doesn't want to talk to them and she certainly doesn't want them telling her where she should sleep. So she isn't doing that. Instead she is prowling around the city streets, looking for somewhere that seems sufficiently untrodden.

When she finds it--a soccer or football net in one of the parks--she kneels and begins to meditate, trying to clear her mind and its anxieties, trying not to feel so lost and alone without the Exile's guidance. But it is a short-lived effort. She is weary of this place and trying to make sense of it... so she stretches herself out on the dewy grass and attempts to sleep.]

Comments

II

[conflictresolution]

[Silco was used to cities like this, full of fake people. The point was to unveil what was real about them or let them experience freedom from themselves for the first time. He expected that would be the same with the new Chosen that had appeared almost like clockwork in Aldrip, and based on the suspicion or odd behaviours, he could tell who was new and who had at least some experience with the false city.

He also did not often find himself stalked as he went about his own business, and it was a novelty from his own city. People followed him everywhere, usually because he was paying them to, but on occasion, someone haunted his steps when he deigned to be out in public on his own.

At first, he tried to shake his tail but recent events meant he wasn't as limber as usual so the half-hearted effort was abandoned after turning a corner and waiting for this one to follow.]

Are you my new secret admirer or is there a question that I can answer for you?

[ashesofkatarr]

["Secret admirerer." That sounds like something Atton might say, trying to cover apprehension in humor.]

I have many questions. And you are... real. Not like these others. [This isn't the first time she's gestured to a random townsperson and referred to them in this derisive matter, disregarding the offended expression. It won't be the last, either.] Do you have time to answer?

[conflictresolution]

[Real? Perhaps he should be flattered, especially with the gesture at the natives who were nothing more than window dressing to this place. Still, they had their uses, and he was willing to do just that to get what he needed and wanted.]

A new arrival then. [She was... different than the others that normally found their way here. He'd wait and see how this played out.] Are you actually providing me the choice? [He shrugged.] But I do have time.

[ashesofkatarr]

Do not fear. I do not intend to use violence on you.

[She can't tell much about this man, other than that he is a person who truly has life. But if he is willing to answer, she should try to put him at ease. She definitely knows how to do that.]

My first question is this. Why are we called "the Chosen?"

[conflictresolution]

It should be noted that an opening like that will cause concern in others. Violence is not the first item to assure someone of not having to experience upon a first meeting.

[Well, in Aldrip anyway. There were plenty of places where someone wanted a fight just for the sake of a fight or to have an advantage. Perhaps this one was from his city where fighting was like a hand shake for some.]

Because we are here to serve our punishment and reform to better people. Everyone else who is considered 'native' in this place is only present to facilitate our rehabilitation. There are, of course, strong religion overtones as well as the natives worship the Chosen on any given month.

[ashesofkatarr]

[Visas considers that. It's been such a long time since she spoke at length with anyone who wasn't the Jedi Exile or one of her followers. That included an ex-torturer, two warriors of different races, a war veteran, a bounty hunter, an assassin droid...

Even among the real people she has met, not all of them line up exactly with the kind of violent life that had been daily to the crew of the Ebon Hawk.]

...I will keep that in mind.

So we are Chosen to be prisoners. [That is troublesome. Visas has work to do, restoring the Jedi. She hasn't worked out what the details of that, only that she must do it... it is what the Exile stood for.] I do not think I care to be... worshipped.

[conflictresolution]

[Interesting, he didn't consider the correction to be someone many would actually take at face value. Finally, someone who might have both manners and the ability to learn to be more than an under-socialized heathen.]

That is an excellent way of putting it, yes. We cannot leave save on the whims of this place, and we must endure both each other and whatever socio-political events this place seems worthwhile to provoke a reaction. [This was all rather common knowledge, so he had no issue providing it without a fee or a favour in return. It was best to get the new ones situated well he had found then build on it from there.]

This place cares very little about your feelings or preferences. Some months you will be worshipped and others you will be reviled.

iii. [chrom voice] there are better places to take a nap other than the floor... or however it goes

[aeolianmode]

You will catch a cold if you insist on sleeping here out in the open.

[ The man's voice is kind, chiding her with the same energy one might use to recommend a wayward youth select a different course of action.

Sunday treads over to her. Damp grass crunches underfoot, though the sound is muffled thanks to his light steps. He pauses next to Visas and looks down at her with gloved hands folded in front of him. Although the woman's eyes are obscured, he offers her a serene smile. ]

Surely, there are more appropriate places to rest?

[ashesofkatarr]

I am hardy. Minor illnesses do not worry me. [The grass might be a pale imitation of the real thing, but it's softer than the concrete, and softer than the floor in her cell aboard the Ravager.

Since he is coming over, she stands. He looks... different... in her vision than the other Chosen she has met, at least of those who she has been able to see clearly. He is harder, darker. She does not want to not be on her guard around him, she decides.] I did not wish to invade the buildings without permission. The ground is suitable.

[aeolianmode]

[ He'll take Visas at her word. Sunday's from a land with several different species of "human," so he can believe this woman must have a much more souped-up immune system compared to the average person. ]

The minor illnesses aside, it cannot be particularly comfortable to lie on the grass.

[ Sunday shakes his head as the woman rises to her feet. ]

No, please. Sit -- sit awhile. I suppose the ground is suitable for that much.

[ Now it's his turn to lower himself to the ground, taking a seat on the grass. He knows nothing of Visas' alliance sight, for if he did, he might take pause with continuing to speak with her, but. So it goes. ]

I believe some of the houses scattered throughout this city are specifically designated for us.

[ashesofkatarr]

It is comfortable enough. I have slept on less forgiving surfaces.

[She isn't sure why he is taking the trouble to sit down, but as he is doing so, she sits back down as well. Regardless of the shadows she perceives in him, shadows and an imminent threat are not the same thing.]

Are they? That is... convenient. [Of course, if employments, food, and clothes are provided for captives, it would naturally follow that lodging would also be.] Do you know which ones?

[aeolianmode]

[ So has Sunday. What a wonderful thing they have in common. ]

Indeed. While I am not privy to the precise buildings available as lodgings, the residential district is where some Chosen find their new homes.

[ Not that Sunday's gotten around to figuring out where to live either. ]

I have yet to select one, but they seem adequately furnished if you have slept on less forgiving surfaces.

[ashesofkatarr]

This is useful information. Thank you. [She still doesn't want to make inquiries of the false people, but she may have to grit her teeth and endure it.] I take it that you are also newly arrived to this world.

[Since he doesn't have his own home yet, but also doesn't seem inclined to sleep on the ground somewhere.]

ii - going with 63!Jim per the glitch event!

[finalfrontiersman]

[ Someone's following him.

Aldrip, for the most part, isn't typically dangerous. No more or less than any other city Jim's ever lived in. People are still people, but despite the fact that they had all been accused of crimes upon arrival, random violence on the streets wasn't too common (well, in Jim's experience). There were also some superpowered people around here...but Jim had yet to have cause for concern just walking around.

He's wondering now if the only reason he hasn't sensed an undercurrent of Something is because typically, he's male-presenting. At present, his body is biologically and presentationally female, and he's been dealing with all that entails all day - he's been noticing a decent amount he hadn't, before, like the fact that this feels a lot more dangerous at dusk near the docks, Jim with a bag slung over his shoulder but no weapon. He's pretty sure he's had his ominous stalker since somewhere in the shopping area, when he'd been haggling for the metal appliances he needed for Spock's catio, and picking up fresh herbs from the market for dinner.

He probably shouldn't have taken so long to notice that they'd moved into a less-trafficked area, that part is definitely on him - but why was this person following him home?

Abruptly, he's furious. The idea that Uhura or Gwen have to put up with this kind of crap is infuriating, and he doesn't care if he's a kickass woman or a kickass man right now - the point is, he's James Tiberius Kirk, and he can still kick some ass. ]

Hey lady! [ Jim turns around, wishing he had his phaser - but shoulders-squared and iron-backed would have to do. At least his hands are free. ] Can I help you with something?

[ His tone is very much back off or fuck around and find out without being outright about it. ]

[ashesofkatarr]

[Visas draws back a little at the furious tone. She hadn't thought this woman would have brought such anger to bear... but that is a misjudgement. Even Mira, Jedi now though she is--good person though she had been even as a bounty hunter--wouldn't react serenely to a threat.]

You do not need to be alarmed. [There may have been a better way to go about this. She shouldn't have been so careless about her stealth in tracking the stranger.] I am only recently arrived on this planet, and I have no intention of harming you.

[finalfrontiersman]

[ Jim eyes the woman critically for a beat, assessing her demeanor, as if to determine the veracity of her claim. She doesn't try to come any closer and she doesn't make any sudden moves, at least, so an iota of tension ebbs from Jim's shoulders. He would feel worse about snapping if he were less wary, but to be fair, following him like this wasn't exactly a move that would put most people at ease.

And then there's the whole getup, and the fact that Jim can't see her eyes. He's come across plenty of aliens as Captain, acting in an ambassador capacity on behalf of the Federation - and it's just a fact of his species that not making eye contact put them ill at ease, the same way scratching your nose was the highest insult you could possibly give to a Vochcean. Still, Jim tries to tame the impulse, gaze narrowing slightly. ]

Piece of advice? Don't follow people home without introducing yourself. [ He blows out a breath, which catches on a tendril of long hair - he pushes it behind his ear, wishing he'd thought to ask Gwen for some pins or something. ] My name's Jim.

[ Probably best to practice what he preaches, even if he's still winding down from the not-a-fist-fight work up he'd been building towards. ] You said you're new in town? Are you...lost?

[ashesofkatarr]

I am Visas. I will greet you rather than following silently, the next time I encounter you.

[It has been so long since she had to talk to someone... she doesn't know the word to use. Someone who was unlike the others in the Exile's train. Not someone operating on the fringes of life, with no habit of socially easy behavior. And it has been equally long since she was alone, navigating an unfamiliar situation with no help, no guidance from someone stronger.

But she did know such things once, didn't she? She thinks that she probably did. And even if she didn't, she does have one fact in hand now.]

I have consulted the map on the tablet. [Aldrip is a strange place, but in terms of plain navigation, it is simpler than the streets of Onderon or Nar Shaddaa. Especially the latter, all metal and angles, where ten steps in the wrong direction could land you in the sights of a teritorially-hostile gang.] But it is not physical navigation between buildings that troubles me. I have no sense of what this planet is like, what it stands for... not truly.

[finalfrontiersman]

...thanks, be sure that you do, Visas.

[ The way she speaks feels like Jim's caught her slightly off-kilter, and he takes a step closer, shifting the space between them from something wary to a more acceptable distance for polite conversation. He tilts his head slightly, blue eyes examining, evaluating, drawing towards a final assessment; some things stayed the same, no matter what else might change. ]

You mean, why we're here? Or where here is, exactly? [ The second question turns rhetorical at the end, and Jim sighs, world-weary. ] I'm afraid none of us have the answer to those questions. All of us were brought here unawares.

We've been accused of crimes, and told we'll stand judgement by the Council that runs this place. [ The snort at the end of his sentence implies just how much water Jim thinks that holds. ] But all signs point to it being an obfuscation.

[ Does that answer her question? If not, she'll have to be more specific, but at least Jim is still there, doing what he can to help. ]

[ashesofkatarr]

[It seems that Jim is somewhat more at ease now... good, that means Visas has succeeded somewhat in this conversation.

She would have accepted any version of those answers, so it is disappointing to hear that there aren't any.]

The Council? [It's most likely a coincidence... but Visas does not have a good opinion of the erstwhile Jedi Council for a multitude of reasons. Hearing the title in this place puts her a bit on edge.] Explain these signs, please. If we are being deceived or used for some purpose, I need to know.

ii.

[grappler]

[Vi knows when she's being followed. it's creepy as fuck, but for once she's not going to turn around and punch the first person she sees... she waits until Visas finally reveals herself behind her.]

About fuckin' time. You wanna tell me why you've been following me around like a stalker? Haven't seen you before in my life.

[ashesofkatarr]

That is because I have not been on this planet long. [Visas doesn't approach closer. Even if the woman is restraining herself, her language and tone are enough to know that she will see it as a further threat.] I am not following you for any malicious reason... only because you are a real person, and I know little about this place.

[grappler]

This batch of newbies are so weird.

[she says it in a huff out loud, and props a hand on her hip.]

Okay, so what does the "real person" thing mean? Because I know us Chosen are definitely real.

[ashesofkatarr]

Yes. You and I are real people who were born of some biological process.

The residents--the apparently native population--are not. They have the physical appearance, but they do not have the light of true life inside them. Nothing here does.

[grappler]

[Vi's not quite sure how to feel about all of that.]

Not surprised. So why stalk the "real" [air quotes] people, then? You making this a habit, or did you just think I was cute?

[ashesofkatarr]

[Ah. That sounds like the kind of thing Atton would say.

Visas has never really been sure how to communicate with Atton.]

I am... trying to understand this place. It seems easier to do that by observing someone who is not one of the... one of the fakes. [She still hasn't settled on a way to refer to them yet. They aren't droids; nothing mechanical. Simulacra? Mannequins? She hasn't decided what sounds the most right.] Once I am more familiar, I will not need to do this.