Heartbreak (open)

[DarthHERA]

The dust swirled in tormented devils up and down the sandy corridor that pretentiously passed for a main street.

Lining either side of the 'road' were roughly constructed buildings made from hard-packed earth and sandstone, whose one unifying feature was the air of hopelessness and despair that seemed to seep from every dark interior into the blazing sunshine of the day.

The woman idled her speeder bike looking over the scene. A more desolate place could probably be found, but after being here, why would one bother? This was desperate enough.

The heat was stiffling and the black cape that sheilded the woman from the scorching sun prickled uncomfortably against her skin. A trickle of perspiration ran from the root of her hair, down the side of her slender neck, to curl around and roll down the cleft of her chest.

A drink would be nice.

Shrewd blue eyes ran the length of the buildings, flicking from doorways, to windows, to rooves.

The township appeared deserted, shimmering in the waves of heat that rose from the ground upward, like spectres rising from the ovens of hell. Looked like a ghost town. But that was just appearances. The woman knew dozens of eyes were probably flicking back over her, and just as keen as her own.

Looking up at the flaming ball that had climbed to its zenith in the cloudless sky, she sheilded her gaze with one gloved hand, and made a decision.

A drink would be, in fact, necessary.

Accellerating slightly, she nudged the bike forward, searching for any shade that might reveal itself between buildings. There wasnt any.

Determining a likely drinking establishment from the smell of stale beer and cheap whiskey wafting out from the glassless window of one of the stores, she gave up on shade and stopped, leaving the bike to hover in the sun.

Stepping onto the walkway that ran the length of the street, it was a near miss that she did not step on a lizard of about a hand's span in length, its' frilly scaled throat pulsating in and out as it panted in the heat to cool off. Good luck.

In an arc that framed the top of the entrance doorway was a sign chisled into the stone, its letters loosing distinction over time from the hot winds that constantly worried their form, the woman read as she entered:

Welcome to Heartbreak


Hera laughed shortly. How appropriate. And stepped from the glare of day into the contrastingly cool, dim interior of the bar.

[DarthHERA]

The floorboard beneath her boot groaned the weary protest of age-warped timber as she stepped inside. Correspondingly, a cosmic ripple that was far less discernable than the creaking floor, resonated the length of Heartbreak as the newcomer entered.

Shoulders of patrons who sat, staring into their drinks, sank almost imperceptibly lower.

Hera stood just inside the doorway and looked about her. Not exactly a lively joint.

"Hey fella's" she quipped, "who died?"

Baleful snorts from some, complete ignorance from others.

Not big on humor here in Heartbreak.

She walked solidly to the bar, "Dont suppose you have any cold water back there?"

Heard someone strangling a cat in the back room. Or maybe that was the harmonica player. Probly be good if it could be him who died.

A bristle-cheeked man with a crooked eye took her flask and filled it for her from a rusty tap behind the counter.

"Thanks" she said, taking the container back. "I'll take a rum too"

The bar tender complied, still yet to utter a verbal response.

Not big on conversation here in Heartbreak, either.

Leaning her back against the bar, one elbow resting on the pitted wooden surface, she took a closer look at her present company.

What a sorry bunch this is, she thought.

Outside, the cosmic anomoly rippled its way the length of the township. The speeder bike ebbed back slightly, then settled still once more. The wind whipped up momentarily, more sting in the sand it tossed about. The lizard on the walkway closed its eyelids and failed to rouse from its lethargy and move to find shelter from the burning rays of the merciless sun.

Inexplicably, a weight seemed to settle upon Hera. She sipped her rum. And looked down.


She hadn't realized it yet. Everyone was looking down.

[Shade Magus]

Shade walked into the dreary establishment a few minutes after Hera, but paid her little mind. He himself had been trying to keep to himself as much as he could on this "vacation". In truth it was just a week's time granted to him by the Jedi Council before taking his Padawans on a training trip to the new Yavin temple.

He had only been in this town for about twenty minutes, looking for something decent to drink and had also ended up seeing all it had to offer. This was his last stop before he would take his own landspeeder in search of better drinking water.

He stepped to the bar to order a cup of water, to try and refresh his tounge and mouth from the heat. As he took a sip, he glanced around the room. Hmm...not the most talkative bunch, but at least the water is much better here. Maybe I can fill up some containers to take with me, he thought as he placed the cup back on the bar.

"Thank you. May I please have some more?" he asked the bartender, who just nodded and took the glass to be refilled. Well, let's not be the politest.

His eyes wondered around the room once more, this time picking up on the fact what everyone in the room was looking at the ground.

"Wonder what that is all about," he asked himself outloud as the man behind the bar gave him his second glass of water.

[Ta'sath]

Sand crunched underneath the lazy footsteps of a lone figure. His footstep slow and casual but his direction was precise, never varied. His face was concealed, wrapped in a flowing black silk that rippled, danced and played, coming to life with those few moments of wind that blessed this cursed town. A waste of your breath, the man commented openly as if the universe was listening.

A strong gale suddenly picked up, whipping back the man’s cloak to flail at a right angle in the direction of the gale was blowing. Sand filled the air for a brief moment. The gale picked up speed, hissing, as it’s serpentine path twisted its way through the smattering of crumbling sandstone buildings. Mortar, holding bricks of worn sandstone together, cracked and split under the glaring sun.

The figure passed a flat palm over his brow in a feign attempt block the blazing orb that held its position high above, casting down its glares upon those who would make the mistake to be in its sight.

“Well, well…” A dust covered finger ran down an equally sandy repulser engine, his finger drawing a somewhat clean line through the layers of dirt as it slid down the sandblasted surface.

“We have a visitor.” The man turned his back to a sudden gale of sand, jolting both him and the speeder somewhat.

“So rude. Can’t you see I’m making friends?” The man waved a single finger at the wind as if it had a mind of its own.

“Anyway, your owner wouldn’t be around here anywhere would he? Hm?” A lock of blonde hair fell through the wraps of black covering the majority of his face as he knelt to press an ear close to the bike’s engine.

“Loyal one aren’t you. Very well, suppose I’ll have to find out me self.” The man straightened up bending his arms at his elbows and tossing them back to give his spine a few resounding pops.

[Zasz Grimm]

Apparently he wasn't the only oddball out in the middle of nowhere. The Dark Jedi watched as an old friend came in- an old friend he hadn't seen since the supposed death of Vega Van Dervald. Zasz watched carefully as he sipped at his rather large drink of water. He was also dressed the complete opposite of what he should be, for this planet.

He stood slowly, his black grab drudging the ground as he walked forward. He got her attention, slowly raising Hera's face from underneath her chin with a coy grin. It had been far too long since the pair had seen each other, and they hadn't seen enough of one another.

"It's been quite some time- and afterall, I promised you we'd be seeing each other again. Pity it be here."

He grinned as he looked up and down the worn down and beat down establishment. All the natives we're now paying attention to the strangers it would seem- or at least knew they were there. Zasz slowly took another long drink of the water- which wasn't exactly as cold as he'd like.

He looked through his framed sunglasses as he slowly took them off, to reveal those brown eyes. He placed them in a pocket as he awaited Hera's response- ignoring Shade.

[The Man in Black]

thump . . . thump . . . thump . . . thump

Footfalls sounded down the long wooden porch of the bar outside, until a shadow cut the glow of sunlight out from under the swinging double doors, which were pushed apart with a creaking groan.

The man who entered took two steps forward, letting the doors creak closed behind him. He was tall and lean, and his profile as spartan as the shadow at his feet. A black duster hung from his shoulders like a death shroud, and his crown was covered with a wide brimmed hat. He scanned the motley patrons with a casual glance, running a thumb along the grains of his well-manicured moustache.

The way some of the regulars eyed him would be enough of a hint that he wasn't a stranger.

With a slow and deliberate step, he made his way to the seat opposite Zasz and adjacent to Hera, and straddled it.

"I'll take one of those cigars."

Gesturing behind the bartender, the man lay a credit chit on the bar, and slid it forward along the bumpy wood grain countertop. The barkeep nodded, and pulled a thin sepia cigarillo from an old humador.

"Snip?" The bartender offered, to which the man in black nodded an affirmative.

As the bartender sheared the end of his cigar, the newcomer shifted his attention to Hera and her companion.

"Rare to see a lady around these parts."

[DarthHERA]

Zasz had startled her somewhat. She had been miles away. Or, at least, out of the present. She couldnt even say what she had been thinking of exactly, or what it was that had drawn her thoughts down to almost a standstill. Just a drawing sense of...loss... for want of a better explanation. Strange. She wasn't really one to feel a whole lot of anything when it came to the more tender emotions. But something edging on....hate to say it....Sadness had come over her in a wave.

"Wha.........oh, Zasz. Its you." It was a bit of an underjoyed response.

She tried to recover with a strained smile and a shaking of herself, as if shrugging a monkey off her back. "Yes, been a while, hasn't it."

She would have asked him what he was doing out here, in the middle of nowhere, but the man in black injected his observation first.

'Rare to see a lady around these parts'


"Is that right?" she replied drily, returning a little more to herself. "What about Jedi (she surreptiously eyed Shade sipping his water quietly across from them) - you get many of those?"


The bartender leaned forward with a flaming match toward the man in black's cigar - the man in black, cigar clamped between his teeth, correspondingly, leant forward to meet it.


Out side, the wind moaned loudly, increasing intensity. It whirled through the lonely buildings, its tenuous fingers flicking in and out of doorways, windows. Hungry. Hunting. It rattled shingles and tumbled knotty brambles in crazy patterns against the buildings. It was anxious. Eager. Anticipating.

The doors burst open with a particularly severe gust, preceded by a striking figure clad in black silk. Sand and dust billowed inward, coating the occupants as they sat or stood in its scratchy wake, stinging eyes, making them water.

The match was extinguished, the cigar went unlit.

Majority of heads in the bar dipped, sinking lower into their drinks seeking avoidance. Ignominity.

Hera, one of the few who did not know better, watched on as the stranger made his way forward.

The bartender hastend to close the door behind him. The wind outside abated slightly. But inside, its restless uneasiness remained having now been allowed in.

[The Man in Black]

"Wouldn't know."

He puffed his cigar, causing the tip to glow an angry red.

"The only people that come here are killers and whores. The rest..."

He eyed the bartender briefly, before looking back to Hera.

"...made a mistake."

A powerful chinook wind cut like cold fire through the bar, tearing the hat from the man's head. A fine dust rolled through the aftermath like a poltergeist, staining the furniture and finery of the saloon. The man in black made no motion to retrieve his cover. He made a dour expression at his extinguished cigar, and glanced sidelong to the visitor who had arrived with the storm.

[Ta'sath]

Grains of sand flowed through the air like a sigh, moving quickly at first before dying down as if it had sympathy for the patrons who were already drowning themselves in their sorrows. The man stood still for a moment, watching as the bar occupants rubbed sand from their eyes. His index finger pressed up against his lips with a hiss.

“Shh..” Coincidentally the sand inside the bar finally came to rest, although just outside the wind picked up, violently shaking the splintering doors and windows against their rusted hinges like some sort of monster.

“Look at this. Looks like a frelling town meeting.” Cold blue eyes blinked lazily as they scanned over the bar and its patrons.

Wastes of life, diseases taking up space …oOo what’s this though? His head canted to the side, a hint of curiosity arching over his eyebrows as he regarded Shade. Looks like a Jedi, thought they always traveled in pairs though? Where’s the other one?

Maybe that one, he asked himself as he squinted, a man dressed in black with… brown eyes. Or that one there, a man chewing on the end of an unlit cigar, also dressed in black.

Seems to be the motif these days, he thought casually, glancing down at his attire. No…they weren’t Jedi. They held themselves differently then the other one did. But there in-between them both like water mixed with oil she stood and in this climate just as precious. She was watching him and had been since he entered the bar. Curious, she looked familiar…

The man still hadn’t moved. His index and thumb were rubbing together, looking over the room still as if the dirt between his fingers would act like a magnet to the owner of the bike outside. Oddly enough movement caught his eye, a small object rolling toward him, a hat. Its path arced slightly as it rolled over the floor like a wheel before tipping over with a flop at his feet.

“Something to tell me do you?” He whispered to himself while bending over to retrieve the black hat.

[Shade Magus]

Shade watched Hera, Zasz, and the man in black with little regaurd. He could tell enough through the Force that atleast two of them were Force sensitive, though he didn't really care. If they were Sith so be it. He didn't have the energy for a fight with one person today, much less two or three. He took another sip of his glass of water.

When the dust blew in, he turned his head ever so slightly. More to just keep the sane from getting in his drink rather than his eyes. When he looked back up, he regaurded the newcomer with little more than a look of curiousity. He noticed many others slouching more as if trying to remain unseen, but he didn't really care. What was the worst that could happen after all?

[DarthHERA]

Blue eyes followed the bending sweep of the new arrival as he scooped up the man in blacks hat. Only after she had assured herself that the newcomer intended no immediate threat, did Hera wipe the cuff of her robe over her face in order to remove some of the deposited grit. The action served to mostly move the dirt around instead of lifting any off, but it would have to do. A stranger in a strange place, she would be a fool to relax her guard. And of all things Hera knew she was, she did not hold herself a fool.

The atmosphere in the bar had become charged somehow. Whether it was the new man's presence, or the moaning wind outside, one could only guess. The grizzled patrons still held their eyes averted and heads dipped, but a tenseness had somehow been added to the dispirited mood.

Hera looked at her current company and, with perhaps the exception of Zasz, decided the less time she spent in this dust bowl, the better. And so, taking in the small knot of men around her with a frank look, she got to the point.

"Any of you know where I can find Trenioux? Sometimes called the Watchman? He's apparantly some old wise man, or crazy recluse (depending on who you talk to), who supposedly knows things...?"

The bartender paused in refilling her drink, not looking up.

"You got somebody round here like that?"

[Gideon Kell]

Another set of eyes watched from one of the tables in the more darker corners. Relaxed, and leaned back the bounty hunter known as Gideon Kell listened with interest. So far this was a barren and forsaken town...very little of anything happened here. And this little gathering at the bar was by far lately the most intriguing thing.

The patrons here were a quiet bunch, but some like the man in black were the ones you obviously watched for. Gideon was here on business. Supposed to meet up with a potential client about a bounty on a wanted ruffian who swindled the wrong people out of alot of credits. They wanted him badly, they said they'd pay....he'd do the job.

But the contact didn't show, so either they were killed, found the guy themselves or backed out. He would wager the latter. So off to other things, namely this interesting group...or more that interesting woman. Casually fixing his leather duster, Kell delved into the situation at the bar.

Sipping his drink, the almond shaped eyes of Kell fell on the female as she spoke. Controlling his breathing, and heartrate...the droning of it in his ears seemed to quiet down as their voices, though a bit away, got louder.

Trenioux....The Watchman....recluse....

Gideon smiled, yes keep going sweetheart....The smile vanished as he let his eyes settle upon the table he sat at, but his ears still held their voices.

[The Man in Black]

Originally posted by DarthHERA
"Any of you know where I can find Trenioux? Sometimes called the Watchman? He's apparantly some old wise man, or crazy recluse (depending on who you talk to), who supposedly knows things...?"

The bartender paused in refilling her drink, not looking up.

"You got somebody round here like that?"

If it were possible for the bar to get even quieter, it did. The wind even seemed to lower its howling. The barkeep's hand slipped, dropping the drink, which shattered into glassy shards on the floor behind the counter.

The man in black struck another match, waving it under the charred end of his extinguished cigar, until acrid smoke curled from his lips again.

"Last man who went looking for the Watchman's up & buried on Boot Hill, and the name on the tombstone ain't his own."

He looked sidelong to Hera.

"If you're looking for that medicine man, best be looking on along, before the storm really sets in."

[Zasz Grimm]

He'd been watching for some time, quiet while the conversation carried on. He had no real reason to be on the planet- merely felt a strong pull at him as he was traveling through hyperspace. He had stopped his shuttle, and found it originated here. Now he knew why he was here; Hera. It really had been too long since he'd seen the woman he knew well from his younger years.

A woman, he realized, who's looks seemed to have enhanced, and made her look all the more desirable. He, however, quashed this quite quickly from his mind as he watched what was going on.

Having no real reason to be here- he had had it in his mind to stick with Hera, waiting for a place for him to talk.

[Ta'sath]

Fingers of a light golden tan reached up, feeling over silk folds, paused and fidgeted for a moment then with a tug pulled the layers of black away. Grains of sand fell like rain through the air as their hiding places within the silk where revealed. Pink lips, almost bleached by the sun, where quickly rolled back with a parched lick. Another lair of black was lifted like shadow from his forehead; letting locks of blonde hair dotted with colored beads of various materials fall free.

His lips didn’t have to move to tell the story that his face conveyed. The majority of his hair was short, save for the longer braids that hung low around his shoulders, the golden color burned a lighter blonde from exposure to the blazing sun. His tanned skin displayed a similar, If not darker gold that had been baked in by the scorching sun. Soft patches of red were few but apparent along the side of his neck and the top right corner of his forehead, either abrasions from grating sandstorms most likely. Only one feature of his unveiled face held a heavy contrast, his eyes were blue and even though his face radiated warmth, they seemed dead cold.

His hand was quick to brush back his thick hair as he placed the black hat squarely on his head, tilting it forward ever slightly, with a grin of mischief contracting the corners of his lips.

Now then…lets go mingle. Melodic steps took rhythm as he made his way toward the group of three. Casually he walked by a table and with a quick but very noticeable scooping motion, snatched a drink from one of the locals. If someone looked closely they would have saw the hair on the natives arms stand on end as the stranger passed.

"Any of you know where I can find Trenioux? Sometimes called the Watchman? He's apparently some old wise man, or crazy recluse, who supposedly knows things...?"

"You got somebody round here like that?"

The wind came to a sudden calm as the man also slowed to stop just feet away from the woman who posed the question. His mind blinked and sparked burning into a melee of thoughts and ideas, even plans. A glass shattered over the warped floorboards of the tavern, shattering the stranger’s daydreams while snapping his mind back to skitter and roll over the warped floorboards of the present. Interesting.

A quick hop and a skid over the creaking floorboards sent the stranger sliding, even budging, between the man in black sitting on the stool and the woman. He leaned his weight on an elbow placed on the bars counter and with a flick to the black hats rim, tipped it up to reveal blue eyes.

“You’re looking for Trenioux?” With the stolen drink still in hand he paused and took a sip, giving a sour face to the native whose drink he stole. Tasted like turpentine.

“I just came back from that way for provisions. I could take you to see him on my way back if you need a guide? The names Cruor.” His smile was warm and inviting but if she dared to look into his eyes long enough she would see something, or rather, a lack of something that normal people possessed.

[The Man in Black]

The man in black reached up, removing the cover from Ta'sath's mop, and depositing it back on his own head.

"I don't think the lady would appreciate being lied to."

[DarthHERA]

The mention of Trenioux had caused a marked, but subdued reaction in many of those around her.

The smashing glass was a cliche'd, if unintentional, punctuation mark for the man in black's comment. Was his advise to "keep moving" a warning, or a threat? A quick flick of her eyes took in Zazs's opinion on that with a glance. Hell if he knew.

The man in black could be just the one Hera needed. Or just the one to avoid.

The offer for a guide presented itself in a man with deadpan eyes, and was instantly met with opposition from the man in black.

Curious.

Hera turned slightly in her seat to lift her glass from the countertop, drawling a threat as she did so,

"I got not patience for liars"

[Tear]

oops. sorry.someone delete this post.

[Ta'sath]

“Don’t listen to him then.” His voice was cool and soft; the curve of his lips and the smile that played over them would melt anyone’s suspicious nature into a trusting one. The man turned, rolling his back to the bar counter so he faced outward, both elbows were leaning back to prop himself up.

“Come or don’t. It was only an offer.” Canting his head to the side he eyed the man in black, a mischievous grin etched over bleached lips, hidden from the woman’s view. This one knew something…the watchmen himself perhaps.

“I do have one question though. Whoever’s bike is sitting outside…” The man looked back to the woman and the rest of the strangers to try and spot a reaction. “…Or was sitting outside. The sandstorm, she carried it off.”