The Cycle Begins (open)

[Agden Ithrin]

(OOC: This thread is going to include an important change in Agden’s life, so please only join if you feel like your character would be willing to interact with Agden in the future, preferably as a close friend. Thanks :))

Agden Ithrin, a Jedi Padawan, was seated at a table in Master Yoghurts Bar and Grill quite happily. This was a rare occurrence, his being happy. It was not often that he found himself in high spirits, but today for some reason he could not deny that he was feeling cheery. As he watched the morning news, with the rising sun warming his cheeks through the window he was sat by, he chewed thoughtfully on a morsel of bread.

For some days now he had not taken any hypnocane – the painkiller he had become addicted to – and was feeling better for it. He was less drowsy and on the whole didn’t feel as lethargic as he normally would. All in all, things seemed to be perking up for him, and he was glad for it.

“G’morning,” he half-coughed, through a mouth full of crumbs, to the waitress who was approaching him.

He could never fathom who the bartenders in the Bar and Grill were always so happy – they worked all hours of the day, and still managed to serve him with a warm smile.

“Nothin’ more for me at the minute, thanks,” the Zabrak said as the woman moved onto the next table.

The sounds of the HoloNet once again became his focus, with the hustle and bustle from the temple and Coruscant itself as ambient.

[Anthony Scott]

With a smile upon his face and a datapad in his hand, Anthony Scott made his way into the Bar and Grill. The tall broad shouldered guards at the door said nothing to him for they knew by now that he carried no weapons upon his person. His dark brown eyes scanned the room for a moment before they settled upon an empty booth just behind Agden. Slowly the Jedi Padawan made his way through the small crowds of laughing and talking people until he found his target. Setting the datapad upon the table, the Padawan sat down and ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair before brushing the wrinkles from his white t-shirt. His hands came to rest upon the brown leather pants he was wearing as his thoughts drifted to breakfast.

"Can I help you, young man?" A cheerful voice sang in Anthony's ears. He looked up to see the smiling face of a woman dressed in blue with a pink frilly apron overlay. After thinking about what he wanted, he nodded slowly and returned her glowing smile.

"I'll take some pankcakes and a tall glass of Namana Juice." The waitress scribbled some strange shorthand on a datapad and nodded with the same happy smile as before. "Alrighty then, sweetheart, your order will be here in a few minutes." She winked and walked away leaving Anthony with a smile upon his face. Suddenly he heard the sound of the theme from the popular galactic news channel, GNN.

Turning around in his seat, he suddenly met eyes with Agden who was obviously in the midst of watching a breaking news story about a group of hoodlums who had broken into a store but were stopped by an unknown being -- most likely a Jedi. Anthony turned from Agden and put his attention on the story, though he meant not to be rude.

"Interesting, isn't it? I mean -- how one person can stop five like that?"

He suddenly spoke, deciding it best to make small talk at the moment. The Padawan had never met the strange looking being before, but had a strong feeling that he too was a Jedi. Anthony could nearly see his aura and this only confirmed his theory. He figured it would be good to get to know someone knew while he had his breakfast.

[Agden Ithrin]

“Aye,” Agden nodded and offered a small smile in return to the man who had addressed him.

Much like always, he could sense a small amount of curiosity in the humans’ eyes. Most people had never laid eyes upon a Zabrak before and had heard of them only in stories of Khamier Sarin – the late Darth Maul. It didn’t bother him particular, of course. As a child he and his classmates had learnt of almost all of the species known to inhabit the core worlds, and he expected this naivety from most of them.

“People’re lucky that Jedi are so carin’ about them,” he added, more as a thought aloud to himself than anything else.

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony nodded and watched the scene unfold upon the holopad once again before the news cut to another story about some rancid food at an upperclass restaurant in Coruscant.

"I think it is amazing how willing the Jedi are to put their lives on the line to save another -- and as much as I say I would do that, I still can't picture myself in that situation." Anthony sighed as he shifted his weight and continued eyeing the Zabrak. He was a curious fellow and it was true, this human had never seen one of his kind before.

"Sorry for staring, I mean not to be rude but I am awefully curious as to what you are." A smile crossed his lips as his cheeks flushed red. Perhaps it was not the right wording or even the right question, but Anthony wished to know.

[Agden Ithrin]

“Zabrak,” Agden replied, as he reached one hand up to give his small horns a momentary brush over with his fingertips.

“An’ a Jedi Padawan, though I haven’t had much a’the training yet, y’know? Mostly just bin readin’ the history of the Jedi and the like.”

[Anthony Scott]

"A Zabrak?" Anthony repeated the word that the strange looking man spoke. Suddenly his attention perked as he listened to what the man was saying.

"A Padawan? Me too! I mean -- I just began my training and I haven't gotten very far, I just realized, though, that it's a lot harder than I originally thought." He laughed to himself, though a pain struck his heart as he wondered why he had to be cursed with the inability to hear Force speech.

"Who's your Master? I was here for a while before I found one. Then one day while walking through the Temple, a Jedi Knight came upon me and we began talking. Then he took me as his learner. I don't know if you know him, but his name is Oriadin. A very nice fellow he is." Anthony sat back then, withdrawing himself for he realized how much he had just rambled off. A boyish grin fell upon his lips as a red hue swept over his features.

"Sorry -- it's just been so long since I've actually had someone to talk to. I'm Anthony Scott, it's an honor to meet you --" He paused, extending a hand to his fellow Jedi with a smile upon his face. He had a feeling this would turn out to be an unexpected friendship, but something he welcomed with open arms.

[Agden Ithrin]

Agden accepted the friendly handshake – and as he did so, there was a chorus of metallic jangles. All around his wrist were bangles made from odd looking metals, with little symbols crudely engraved into them. On his ring finger he wore a silver band too, with one mark scratched into it.

“My Master’s Xazor. I know she’s very busy at t’minute so I haven’t had much trainin’ yet… but am lookin’ forward t’it.”

Slipping back into his seat, the Zabrak relaxed himself somewhat.

“Good t’meet ya by the way, Anthony. I din exactly know many people here. The seem t’be a bit … afraid a’me.”

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony nodded slowly as Agden spoke of Xazor. He had the pleasure of meeting her once, for she was the one to accept him into the Greater Jedi Order. "I'm sure there is a good reason for you lack of training. My Master is very busy as well, but I understand." He said with a smile as they shook hands. Agden's next words, though, made Anthony frown slightly.

"Afraid of you? Why would they be afraid of you?" He questioned as his brows furrowed together. This confused the Padawan slightly and he wondered if the reason was due to the fact of Agden's appearance. "Is it because of how you look? I would think the Jedi to be a bit more accepting." He shrugged slightly, knowing it mattered not to him how anyone looked as long as they were friendly and willing to accept another.

"Well -- I'll be your friend! I don't care what anyone thinks." He said with a confident smile. Truth be told, Anthony had not met many people either for hardly anyone knew that he was a Jedi. The way he dressed did not mark him as one, not to mention that he was very quiet and shy around new faces.

[Agden Ithrin]

“I really d’know why they seem t’be scared. I think they think am contagious or something,” Agden replied with a shrug, “But thanks for y’support like, Anthony. Much appreciated.”

His eyes were drawn back to the news, and as he watched and listened he smiled. There was a story about a rescue been shown at the moment, where the Coruscant City Watch had saved a group of children from a burning building.

The Zabrak looked around the bar slowly with somewhat squinted eyes. For a moment, everything around him had seemed oddly loud. Each sound had ascended to another level and merged into one great ruckus. It was like the feeling of a headache, or being feverish, when things seem to compress into one.

… And then vanish. A rush of pain flooded the Jedi’s mind, and in an instant he knew what was about to happen.

The low murmur of the TV became silent. The chatter of the bar become silent. The twittering of the animals outside became silent. The roar of the traffic became silent. Everything was … silent.

Agden looked over to Anthony, who was saying something – but though his lips moved, no sound passed through them. Visibly the Padawan strained to hear, but it was no use. The cycle of the disease he carried had instigated its first change – Agden’s loss of his sense of hearing.

Slipping his fingertips over his temples, he lowered his head and groaned loudly.

[Anthony Scott]

"Isn't that amazing?" Anthony smiled to himself as he continued watching the news, unaware of the changes that were going on inside of Agden. The Zabrak spoke of being contagious and Anthony lofted a brow at the word.

"Contagious? What do you have?" He laughed, not taking his new friend seriously. Surely no one could contract a look. He knew that horns would not sprout from his head nor would his face acquire the interesting lines Agden beheld. Suddenly, then, Agden's eyes grew wide and then he winced in obvious pain. Anthony reached across the table and placed a hand on the Zabrak's.

"Agden? Agden!" He called out, not receiving a few stares and glares from those around him. He locked eyes with his friend and attempted to figure out what was wrong with him. "Is something wrong?" "That was a stupid question, of course something's wrong!" He scolded himself after questioning. A helpless sigh escaped the man's lips as he unknowingly was sending calming waves into Agden -- yet another aspect of his hidden gift of a healing touch. He felt badly for his friend and the suffering he was going through at the moment.

[Agden Ithrin]

The Zabrak’s ice-white eyes looked up at the silent yet moving lips of Anthony in desperation. Finally, after gawking for a short while, he said:

“I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

His voice, though of its usual tone, was tainted with a quiet whine. It was louder than normal, understandable for a man who could not hear his voice to regulate its volume.

“I can’t hear anything.”

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony's eyes widened in surprise by the voice coming from Agden. It was evident that he was telling the truth for grew louder with each word. The Padawan knew not what to do -- he had just learned how to speak messages in other's minds and he still felt a great deal of pain when receiving them himself. "I must face my fears and overcome them." He thought to himself before closing his eyes and focusing deeply. In a matter of a minute he found his friend in the Force just as his Master had taught.

"Can you hear me, Agden?" The Padawan called out through the Force, feeling the gap between them be bridged momentarily. He hoped that the message had transmitted and had not negatively affected the Zabrak.

[Agden Ithrin]

The voice penetrated his mind easily, and although he knew it was the same volume it would have always been, his subconscious convinced him it was that little bit louder.

“Aye,” Agden replied as he sat himself up, testing his ears with his fingertips for any response – receiving, of course, none.

The Zabrak inhaled deeply. So this was what it was like…

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony sighed in relief as he figured out that all he really had to do was think to send a message to someone else. It was not as hard as he made it out to be, though his head hurt slightly while he was doing it.

"I really don't know what to do for you, dear friend. I wish there was something. Why is this happening to you?" He projected his thoughts to Agden once again, attempting to link his emotions to the words he was speaking in his friend's mind.

[Agden Ithrin]

To most people around the two, this was an odd sight. The tattooed man spoke loudly to the silent man who would stutter out words then remember what he was meant to be doing, straining with emotion as he projected his words to Agden.

“…It’s just… a disease I have,” muttered Ithrin, his voice a fair bit quieter now.

“Should’ve known it would come soon,” he added as an afterthought, his pitch fluctuating slightly as he further tested speaking without hearing himself.

[Anthony Scott]

"I'm sorry." Anthony stated without speaking the words through the Force. He forgot momentarily and then it struck him that Agden had no idea what he had said.

"This is difficult, ya know? I mean -- what is it that you have that is so terrible? Why does the Force curse us like this?" He thought of his own misfortunes and for the first time in his life he became angry at himself and at the invisible life energy surrounding them -- that which they depended on so greatly.

"Does your Master know about it?" He questioned softly in Agden's mind, feeling as though he was getting the hang of telepathy. A sigh escaped his lips as he tried to figure out something to do to help Agden -- anything.

[Agden Ithrin]

Agden nodded.

“A’course. I told them when I joined, so they would know that I would only be a temp’rary member an’ all.”

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony's heart sank at Agden's words. "Temporary member?" He thought to himself, accidentally allowing his thoughts to drift into the Zabrak's mind.

"No -- I can't let this happen to you. Sure, I've only known you for at most an hour -- but somehow, I feel obligated to help you." He touched his friend's mind with the words once again and thought of everything that could be done to save him and give him the longest life possible.

"What about medicine? Isn't there anything you can take to ward off the effects?" He questioned, desperation evident upon the man's face now.

[Agden Ithrin]

“It’s uncurable – believe me, I’ve looked hard enough to find something to stop it. It can’t even be slowed… it’s just like a relentless, cell killin-…”

Agden cut himself off. For anyone not so accustomed to the condition he was in, this could have been distressing – and knowing what little he did about this Anthony character, he imagined he was one to be easily troubled.

“…I’ll be alright.”

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony sighed and sat back in his seat once again, noticing how many people were actually staring at them. He sighed inwardly and attempted a smile. "I hope so -- sorry for worrying so much, it's just that -- a lot of bad things have happened to me and now I see that it isn't as great as this tragedy. You did nothing to deserve it." His brown eyes fell to the table top once again and he shook his head.

"Maybe we should take a walk so these people stop looking at us." He cracked a smile once again and almost laughed as he looked back at those looking at him. They turned their heads immediatly and returned to eating or talking amongst themselves.

[Agden Ithrin]

Agreeing, Agden stood up immediately. Once again he looked around and felt chilling sensation wriggle up his spine; there were so many people speaking and so much going on, yet it was as quiet as the dead of night. Perhaps it did have its advantages then, that he would no longer have to deal with the grating buzz of industrial life.

Leading the way off towards the bar door, Agden stepped out into the silence, looking back at Anthony questioning.

“… What bad things happen’d t’you?”

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony stopped as the question penetrated his thoughts once again. He shook his head and sighed, then continued walking. "Too many things -- but mainly a lot that has to do with my family." He shook his head as thoughts of those who used to be part of his life entered his mind.

"Of course I still have my daughter, Faith, but you must be wondering what happened to her mother. Well, she and both of my parents were -- they were --" He paused a moment, still unable to speak the words just for what they were. He closed his eyes and shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

"They were all killed in a fire just a few years ago. My brother is possessed by evil and I'm supposed to be in charge of the kingdom now. Yep, that's right -- I'm a prince and I ran out on my people." He spoke everything so simply as if that was all the weight there was to his problems, but it was evident by the strain in his eyes that it was not so easy. "That's my current life in a nutshell." He laughed to himself, though the matter at hand was not all that funny.

[Agden Ithrin]

“Yer a prince?”

Agden was somewhat taken aback. He didn’t expect to find royalty amongst the ranks of the Jedi Order. He was always of the impression that Jedi were the humble sort, not rulers or sovereigns.

“… Y’gonna go back to save yer people when ye’ve been trained?”