Fevered Dreams: Tripping over fate

[Zakkel]

I'm supposed to protect her. She told me that without saying a word, just like she changed my name. I was once a Lieutenant in the Empire, I had a purpose, a life, and she took it all away. But I'm supposed to keep her safe. Despite the fact she could destroy me with a thought, despite the fact that leaving Rishi opened her up to dangers she'll never realize. I've learned not to question. The entire crew I worked with questioned and now they're all dead. Doctor Ktarr tried to kill her and he ended up becoming paint to the walls of our ship, the Captain bored a hole in his head while screaming about having to get something out... they were the lucky ones.

I got to live, I got a new name, I got a new job. She wanted to leave when it was over, so did I. I didn't know where to go, she projected it into my mind: Onderon. At least it wasn't Coruscant.

So here we are. I either look like a terrible father or a pervert with this little girl with me on the streets of Iziz. She probably could use some new clothing, the dress she has now looks tattered and filthy. She's already telling me not to think such things. I'm an idiot.

[Leliel]

Leliel lead, causing people to part in the walkway for her whether they realized what they were doing or not. They moved, some walked, some stumbled, but they moved.

There was no knowing where she was going. She was simply felt pulled. It willed, she followed. Tracing lines to connect stars in constellations. Raine would never understand, he couldn't see. But it was not his fault, maybe one day he would learn to.

But something was here, something important. Not for her to hold to, no, but a puzzle piece had to be placed in the picture. She had to do it, there was no one else.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Wandering the City out of uniform, Lilaena felt strangely light. The armor she had become used to wearing was like a second skin now, and to be without it was a bit like walking around naked.

She pulled the brown cloak around her, fingering a hole that had worn into it. Lost in her thoughts she was surprised when a small girl ran into her.

"Watch it," De'Ville said, stepping out of the way. She caught the eye of a man who was with the girl, and nodded politely, but the pair were already out of her thoughts.

[Zakkel]

Everyone we had come across had moved out of our way, except for the woman that the little one ran right into. My first reaction was to attack, to throttle the stranger for even coming near the girl... That wasn't normal. I knew she was causing it. Instead I quickly apologized and expected to move on, but Lilly wouldn't budge.

[Leliel]

Brilliantly violet eyes focused on the woman. She hadn't moved. The others had. Why? For what purpose was this one immune? It was a dawning somewhere in her mind that came on slowly as she continued to watch. She was one of them. Must be. Had to be. But could she bring her to the strange pull that she had felt on this planet?

Perhaps it was time to find out...
... as a woman in the crowd was roughly thrown towards the cloaked figure.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville's eyes narrowed, turning away from the man and meeting the stare of the girl. "Don't worry about it," she said in reply to his apology.

Then things got weird.

A woman in the surrounding crowd stumbled and then was shoved towards the Dark Jedi. De'Ville sensed her movement and ducked to the side, neatly avoiding the crash with minimal effort. The unfortunate woman sprawled in the street, dazed and struggling to get to her feet.

The girl was still staring at her. De'Ville stared back, green eyes meeting violet.

[Leliel]

Leliel could feel the worry coming from the man she kept with her, his mind pleading her to not do anything that would draw attention. It was insulting to believe he would think that she would be so careless. Rishi had been one matter, ensnaring the crew of a ship in her nightmares was without consequence when they all had met their demise. An entire planet, even just a block in a city, however... while perhaps not beyond the scope of possibility, was entirely out of the question.

Though what to do with the woman?

Their eyes had met and the seemingly blank expression the small girl held was one that was entirely foreign for children of her age. There was no life there, no hinting of youthful joy.

Her eyes broke contact first, darting towards the woman who was struggling to her feet. Not an instant later, the women on the ground began murmuring nonsensically, slowly standing upright as she stared at her hands. It was the only pretense to the woman suddenly screaming and tearing at her forearms with her nails, harping on the fact there was something under her skin.

As heads turned to witness the raving, the little girl quickly grabbed her associate's hand and tugged him to run back the way they came.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The beautiful eyes of the child were as dead as a doll's, and Lilaena was slightly unnerved by them. As the woman who'd narrowly missed her started screaming and scratching her arms, De'Ville broke the eye contact. Red welts streaked on the woman's forearms, some already beginning to bleed as she continued to scratch, babbling about something crawling under her skin.

It took a moment to reach out with the Force and find that there was nothing physical effecting the woman. When De'Ville turned her head back towards the little girl and her protector they were running back in the direction they'd come, disappearing around a corner. The Ondorian's affliction and this strange child coming together at the same spot in the City seemed to be no coincidence.

De'Ville left the peasant to her fate and chased after the girl, brown cloak flapping behind her.