Awaken (open anything)

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim awoke some time in the middle of the night. His room seemed suffocating to him and so he stood and flung open the window. Though he cold feel the coolness in the air outside, it didn’t seem to be entering the room.

In the darkness, he reached for clothing and pulled it on and then slipped out the door of his room into the hallway.

It was quiet in the hallway. Most of the other apprentices, the few he’d seen anyway traipsing to and fro to their rooms on occasion, seemed to be asleep.

He knew the castle by now. Or at least, knew it well enough to know how to get around it and the basics of the layout. He began to walk, pausing for a few moments to look out into the garden. He wanted very badly to go down the stairs and walk there, curious about the creature who ruled it in the nights, but he’d promised Leliarre he would go with her some night. And so he continued on, heading aimlessly to no where.

The air flowed a bit more freely in the part of the castle that he’d entered, and he inhaled deeply, relishing the coolness of the evening.

[Rast]

While Maxim is enjoying the cold, there's another person here who's not. Rast has been up all night servicing his bike, and is on his way up to his room, cleaning his hands of oil on a handkerchief and muttering over the cold. So absorbed is he that he fails to see Maxim until he's almost about to run into him.

"Jeez, stand aside. What're you doing up, anyways?"

[Maxim Vasilijev]

His dark eyes narrowed at the arrogance of the one telling him to stand aside. The scowl that seemed to be set almost permanently upon his face deepened.

“I should ask you the same thing…” He retorted, his hotheadedness not curbed in the least.

[Rast]

"I've been fixing my speeder bike, if it means that much to you. Have you got a specific goal in mind, or are you just wandering aimlessly like all the other apprentices do?"

Rast takes a look at his hands and decides they're as clean as they'll get, then pockets the handkerchief.

"I'm Rast. I'd shake your hand, but mine aren't clean."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

I've been fixing my speeder bike, if it means that much to you. Have you got a specific goal in mind, or are you just wandering aimlessly like all the other apprentices do?

For a moment, he’d taken offense to this remark. He hated being an apprentice and even more hated being singled out as one. Hated that he was so obviously one. He was impatient and proud and the designation as one still learning was somewhat humiliating to him. These emotions settled a bit with the next few words.

I'm Rast. I'd shake your hand, but mine aren't clean.

The scowl faded a bit.

“Maxim.” He replied before finally moving to step out of Rast’s way a bit.

“What was wrong with your bike?” He asked.

[Rast]

"Needed an oil change and some parts had to be replaced. Minor stuff, actually. If I rode it more it wouldn't be a problem. I don't get the chance much now that I'm part of 'TSO's family' or whatever. It's like a joined the Mafia, rather than a darkside order. Such a let down. I haven't had any training at all since I got here, except some telekinetics and boosting. I suck at that though. Pissed my master off pretty good."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim raised an eyebrow at the fact that Rast hadn’t received much training since he’d arrived. Leliarre had had the same experience.

So far things had been going ok for him, but he’d also taken off on his own just to get out and cause some trouble from time to time.

“Who’s your master?” He asked, knowing full well that pissing off his master would be a very, very bad idea.

[Rast]

"Name's Videl...I hardly see her around here. All I can really do is brush up my blaster skills and float rocks. It's so damn lame."

He spits on the floor in disgust.

"I can never get more than a foot of height. Can't boost enough to be worth anything either."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim nodded.

"I know what you mean..." He replied, to some degree understanding. He was struggling with the mental aspect of everything, much preferring a simple physical confrontation.

"Ive been learning some stuff like that, too, but its pretty frustrating..."

"You get to go on any training missions or anything?" He asked.

[Rast]

"Nah, haven't been on one at all. They always happen when I'm not looking. I miss them by miles."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim shook his head.

"I hear theres one coming up. Going to be on Coruscant..."

He shrugged somewhat nonchalantly.

"Im planning on going." He added.

"Gonna show them Im more than they think I am." An impatient tone had entered his voice, mixed with determination and a hard set expression on his face.

[Rast]

"That so? Maybe I'll come along on this one to test my mettle...see if I've got skill with anything other than a blaster. Wonder who else'll be coming along on this one?"

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He shrugged.

"I dont know who'd be coming. Besides Lady Vader who's my master and this lizard guy Odin I met on the training grounds, Ive only met one other person here. This girl who lives on my hall...Leliarre."

"You met her before?"

[Rast]

"Nah...so far I've only met you, Videl, and some bitch named Dea Potentia. That chick pisses me off. She whines and cries about her problems but doesn't ever seem to do anything about them. Damned drama queen..."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim laughed, picturing easily quite a few of the girls he'd gone to school with at the university. The description seemed to suit them to a t, and so he immediately formed a rather poor opinion of Dea without ever having met her. Perhaps she would prove him wrong.

"Sorry to hear that." He replied with a sympathizing grin.

"Is she another apprentice?" He asked, thinking he'd be on the alert, because it probably meant that she lived on his hall.

[Rast]

"Oh yeah, but she's been here for a while, I think. Says she's been practicing for-EEEEVER and she could beat me with fair ease...I could care less."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim looked down at the ground for a moment, a slight ruse to hide the expression of amusement.

"I'll keep an eye out for her..." He replied - and he would.

"So where are you from, anyway?"

[Rast]

I'm from here," Rast replies casually. "Born and bred in the capital city of Corellia. Went to school up until I was a senior in high school, dropped it, got a bike, and been doing my own thing since."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He nodded.

Down the hall, someone opened their door and slammed it, as if to tell them to move the conversation somewhere else - they were keeping people awake.

Maxim couldnt resist an amused grin.

"so what made you join here, then?" He asked, thinking having a speeder bike and doing his own thing sounded pretty damn good right about now.

[Rast]

"A whim. Seemed like the thing to do at the time."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

A whim. Seemed like the thing to do at the time.

As the door down the hallway opened and slammed again, Maxim gave an annoyed sigh and together they began walking through the halls towards their rooms.

“Does it still seem like the thing to do?”

[Rast]

"Depends on the moment. Sometimes it's like 'yeah, this rocks', and at times it's like 'WTF did I ever join this thing for'...y'know? If they'd teach me to do something with the Force power I've got, it wouldn't suck as much as it does."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim shrugged.

“Maybe it’s a test of some sort…” He commented.

“You know, to see if you want it enough to go and get it…”

[Rast]

"I've tried to go get it. Videl just waves her hand, says something ending in 'little one', and sics her damn pets on me. I can't count the number of times I've shot them both. The pets, that is."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He couldn’t help but laugh at this.

“They got nine lives or something?” He retorted, wondering a bit about this master and pets.

“Did she say what the point was behind the lessons?”

[Rast]

"Nah, they're just really frikkin tough. She doesn't say much at all. I've heard her talk maybe ten times since I met her. Usually it's a command."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He nodded.

“Mine keeps reminding me of the same thing over and over.” He offered, as if it somehow made Videl as a master seem as normal as all the others.

“I think she thinks Im a screw up….” He added, his expression darkening.

[Rast]

"Videl thinks worse of me," Rast pipes up. "She saw I carry a blaster and dismissed me right from the start."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Videl thinks worse of me. She saw I carry a blaster and dismissed me right from the start.

Maxim looked genuinely confused at this fact.

“Whats the problem with carrying a blaster?” He asked.

[Rast]

"The hell if I know. She said something like 'it's not a real weapon', then handed me a sword. We did some sparring before she got sick of me not being able to use it and dismissed me."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

The hell if I know. She said something like 'it's not a real weapon', then handed me a sword. We did some sparring before she got sick of me not being able to use it and dismissed me.

Maxim nodded, thinking about this.

“At least she trusted you enough with a sword. Lady Vader wouldn’t let me use any weapons the last time. No weapons except my mind.”

He rolled his eyes for a moment at this. Later, he would regret this attitude. For later, he wouldnt probably learn the importance of using his mind. He would be lucky, in fact, to get out alive.

[Rast]

"Videl fights alot. She'd rather just kill you than worry with floating stuff around. So I got some weapons training."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim sighed.

“I wish I had more weapons training…” He replied, the tone of his voice somewhat wishful. And then he shrugged it off.

“So are there any good places to go out in the city?” He asked, referring to the nearby city of Coronet and the fact that Rast was a local who might know the better places to find excitement.

[Rast]

"Pfft. Used to be. Corsec sucks though...they shut down some of the better places. Before I came here I had a bike gang...all we did was give 'em hell."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim grinned.

"Oh yeah? What kind of bike have you got, anyway?" He asked.

He would have liked to own one himself, but it didnt look like that was going to be happening anytime soon. All funds from his father had been shut off the moment he'd learned of Maxim joining the Order.

[Rast]

"I don't know what it used to be. It's the ones the pizza delivery boys have. I stole this one off a guy who delivered late one day. It was old and busted, so I did some work on it. Now it's just my bike."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim actually look surprised at this and then burst out laughing.

"You stole a bike from a pizza delivery guy?" He asked, sounding as if he truly didnt believe the story.

"You get the pizza, too?" He asked.

[Rast]

"Nah...he was delivering to the neighbors. The guy next door was this fat, sweaty lump that used to sell his daughter off for money. The shot that took the delivery boy was meant for him. I got him on the second try though...figured while I was out disposing the bodies I'd take the bike."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Ah....this made so much more sense. The thought of taking out the pizza guy had been just...too amusing. Most of them werent the toughest of guys, though they certainly deserved a lot of credit for the bull they put up with.

"Maybe you can help me...obtain one." He suggested, though even as he said it, he knew he was looking for trouble. One more visit to the Sith Order from Officer O'Malley and Lady Vader was going to kill him for sure.

[Rast]

"Yeah, no problem. Just need to find a guy with a bike that's stupid enough to start trouble with us."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim laughed.

"Well thats probably not so tough to find. I just need the police to stay out of it - they've already told on me a few times to Lady Vader and she wasnt exactly happy with me." He admitted.

By now they were approaching the apprentices hallway.

"Which room's yours?" He asked, figuring he'd stop by every now and then to hang out. Or when he needed a partner in crime. Rast seemed as if he'd be game for pretty much anything.

[Rast]

"It's at the end, on the right," Rast says, gesturing in the room's direction. "I actually haven't bothered to memorize the number on it."

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim nodded.

He knew the number to his room only because the numbers happened to coincide with his birthdate.

"You wanna go in Coronet tomorrow night?" He suggested.

"Theres supposedly a good band at some bar near the red light district...."

[Rast]

"Yeah," Rast says with a stretch and a yawn. "Sounds good. We can get you a bike too. Later man."

He runs a hand through his head and trudges down to his room.