SWRP 03: Alluring Abyss, part 05

5/24/17
[11:09:23 PM] Sunnyshine: Trash-Heap had started poking the carcass of the large bird Snap had shot down while he was away; he supposed that it might've been better that he was stuck in the forest during that time, as it seemed they had some excitement here. He drummed on his outer hull for a moment, and then retracted his arms in a nonchalant sort of way; after a few moments of quiet, he began to pick up a few supplies that had been discarded on the cement, and made the journey back to Bittersweet. The underbrush had been insufferable and taxing, but he made it safely through to pavement again; he took a bit of pride in his ability, where he supposed lesser droids would have given up long before, and then meticulously cleaned himself. He didn't want Bitts to see him all covered in nature.

Snap chuckled. "Nice to know I'm not the only one who's emotionally invested." He breathed softly, looking over at Trison with an appreciative smirk as they walked. "It is difficult, though." He shoved his hands into his pockets timidly, though his expression remained unchanged as he refocused his eyes ahead. "Sometimes I have to find the off switch and distance myself. Sometimes it's easy, but sometimes I have trouble." He tapped his forehead, his grin becoming sheepish.

The trees got steadily thicker, and the shrubbery less so; the filtered sun almost seemed to twinkle at them through the rippling leaves in the canopy. The heat of midday was starting to get to Snap; he didn't care much for warmer temperatures, as illustrated by the sweat beading on his brow. He let out a sigh as they arrived at the cave he wanted to explore, and pointed out a tread-mark in the mud to Trison. "I thought that seemed out of place." He mumbled. "These mines are all automated, and, besides, this one doesn't even have work going on right now."

After a brief pause to catch his breath, Snap adorned his own night-vision visor; he had brought two just in case they were going to be out here all day long, and it seemed that it had been a good idea. While perhaps fun, entering a cave blind didn't seem like a very productive activity to him, so he was happy that he had thought to bring them. He put a hand inside of his backpack, and pulled out a pistol, offering it to Trison before drawing his own gun. "In case we get separated." The chiss then paced forward into the darkness; his senses strained to pick up on any hint of life.


5/25/17
[12:31:53 AM] Melissa: “Have I said before that this is the first time I’ve taken on a job like this? Before now I’ve just taken on courier tasks.” Trison chuckled at Snap’s words, his laughing fading as he continued. “I thought it was easier to live like that, not getting too involved with anything, but I guess I wasn’t really living at all.” After his state of mania earlier, he found it easy to just talk, even though he wasn’t sure if this was the appropriate time or place.

“How do you find the balance?” Trison inquired, running a hand through his unkempt hair and finding that he was able to somehow curb his anxiety for now. “I thought not caring was easy and now that I do find myself…” He cleared his throat, realizing that he wasn’t just speaking about the child gone missing, but things that were much more personal. “I don’t know how to wrap my head around any of this.”

Trison had gone quiet by the time they arrived at another cave; he was just trying to enjoy the warmth of the planet and deal with his own newfound emotional honesty, but mostly the company of the chiss next to him. He nodded at the mark in the mud, feeling like he used all his words for the time being and hoping that Snap wouldn’t mind if he stayed quiet for a while; he was still trying to sort out everything swirling around his mind.

Seeing Snap put on a visor, Trison did the same; he watched the chiss as he readied himself, and took a step back as he was offered a weapon. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable using one.” He said, hesitantly taking the gun and holding it as if he were disgusted by such a thing.


[1:35:29 AM] Sunnyshine: "Well-" Snap had smirked at Trison's apparent revulsion of the weapon. "Let's hope you don't have to use it, then." He paused, taking a step forward into the darkness of the cave, and untied a short blade from his back; he handed the sheathed machete to the human. "Perhaps this is more your speed?"

Without a reply, Snap strode into the unknown; the shadows cast by the walls of the mine were sharp and eerie, almost as if they could cut someone if given the chance. The wind howled through a few breaks in the ceiling, and dust particles that caught the last bits of light slowly descended, as the temperature noticeably dropped. The chiss was uneasy, but he ducked through the narrowing crevice without much hesitation; he most certainly hoped that he wouldn't lose his friend in the darkness, and tried to have faith in his night-vision tech.

Several minutes passed in silence; Snap hadn't engaged in further conversation, and urged Trison to remain quiet as well. He didn't know what would be ahead of them, if anything at all; a low tone rung through the rock, as the ceiling shot up far above them and they entered a larger chamber. This cave wasn't scary at all, the chiss tried to convince himself; it was mostly the not knowing that made him tense. He might find absolutely nothing in here, they could be skulking around for no reason, and he might be making Trison worry or hope without cause.

Snap reached back to grab the human's hand, not really sure how to show his own anxiety; he opted to focus on the path to distract himself from it. There was a light noise up ahead, and he thought it was only a few falling rocks at first; however, the shuffling of feet echoed through the cave, and it was unmistakable. The chiss spun around an outcropping quickly, pulling Trison against his chest, and waited for the sound to dissipate.

Snap breathed as softly as he could, being face to face with the human now, and brushed some of Trison's hair from his forehead; a range of emotions flooded his brain, most of them inconvenient in the particular moment, and he couldn't help but blush. He secretly hoped that the pigment of his reddening face wasn't apparent through night vision, and he forcibly refocused himself to the task at hand. There was someone else in the mine with them, and, to the extent of his knowledge, they hadn't learned of their presence yet; the chiss put a finger to his lips, telling Trison to be quiet, and leaned his head against the rock behind him, listening intently for the movements of the stranger.


[2:29:15 AM] Melissa: Trison tucked the gun into his belt and held the blade in his left hand, staring at it as the chiss moved away; he had never held a weapon like this, and although it wasn’t as upsetting to him as a gun, he wondered what he had gotten himself into.  

He looked around in the darkness as he followed Snap; he wasn’t used to being able to see when light was low, let alone in the darkness, and although his ability to see in light was still much crisper, he was really enjoying the technology. His eyes were moving from shadow to shadow in an almost nervous sort of way, but it was more with awe than actual anxiety; being able to see took a significant amount of fear out of being in a creepy cave, at least for him.  

The cool air made a layer of bumps cover the skin of his neck, but he continued on without complaint, filled with a sort of nervous excitement; he really did want to figure out whatever had happened to the child, and decided it was best to stay focused.

Trison was surprised when Snap grasped his hand, “Is something wrong?” He asked in a low whisper, tightening his grasp in a concerned way. He went still as Snap moved against him, not daring to utter a single word; he grinned sheepishly as his hair was touched, but held back the feeling to do anything more, as he looked into the other man’s face.  

He was concerned, that’s what he told himself, that was all; he knew he had grown to appreciate Snap’s presence in the short time they had known each other, and even though sometimes he found himself exceedingly confused or frustrated, he just wished to be near him, even if he didn’t really get why. This current feeling of being so close brought something else, but he pushed it aside as he watched Snap and stayed quiet as instructed through his body language.


[11:23:13 PM] Sunnyshine: Snap's hand had drifted down to Trison's waist, though perhaps not on purpose; as the footsteps faded, he pulled away suddenly as if he was ashamed. He breathed, smiling a little, and then took a step to make sure the large chamber was clear; the large gun he held was pointed forward in the event that the unknown person hadn't moved on. His ears strained to listen, and he walked forward into the pitch blackness as softly as he could; the jagged rock formations made the place look invariably hostile, and he grew more nervous with each passing moment of silence.

There were a few alcoves in this particularly large area of the cave; some went this way, others that way, and a couple natural crevices were in the ceiling as well. Snap was staring down at the ground, seeing that the stranger had moved on, and glanced his eyes around to find wear in the rock to indicate a path; a brush of his sleeve on the wall made dust scatter with a whoosh, and he jumped slightly, hoping that they were being quiet enough to not attract attention.

Snap perked his head up, looking around as if panicked, and then rested his eyes on Trison with a smirk of relief; even though he could see with his visor, the darkness seemed to envelop everything, reaching out and obscuring his perception of things, and this made him exceedingly uneasy. He did not want to lose his human friend now, especially since they had actually confirmed that someone was in here; who knows what the person was capable of.

Snap swooped back to Trison, and slipped his free hand around his waist, pulling him in close. "We should go that way." He whispered in his ear, barely a breath leaving his lips, while motioning down a right-hand chamber opening; the contact made him tingly all over, and he smiled sheepishly before pulling away again to follow the path. There was the sound of dripping rocks in the direction that he chose, and he frowned at them, thinking that they might even hide the noise of footsteps; it may be good for them to remain stealthy, but also bad, because he wouldn't be able to hear the stranger come their way.

Another several moments of silence passed; Snap followed the more-worn areas of the ground, and soon found what seemed to be a living space. There was what looked to be furniture carved from the wall, a couple unlit torches, some technology strewn about, and bags of supplies; the chiss pondered as to why someone would be living in a place such as this, but didn't pause for very long before continuing to the next chamber of the cave.


5/26/17
[12:43:43 AM] Melissa: Trison didn’t pull away at Snap’s shifting touch; he wondered if he was starting to get more comfortable with him, but when he pulled away suddenly the human thought perhaps he was wrong. The chiss’ body language was especially hard to read for him; the way he would linger or quickly move away, the random kisses and kind words, but then there was hesitation, a lot of it, of course Trison didn’t really blame him. Like many humans, or perhaps it was most; he didn’t really know what he wanted and was even less sure how to react to things when they did happen. He was painfully aware of his own awkwardness and wondered why anyone would want him around because of it and many other reasons.

As they moved again, he stayed barely a half a step behind Snap; leaving just enough space that the chiss hopefully didn’t feel like he was too close, but close enough that he could see his movements and follow him. He watched Snap closely, not sure if the man was just focused or perhaps a little nervous; the night visor helped him see enough to move around safely, but not a whole lot more.      

Trison kept his concerned gaze on Snap as he looked around anxiously; he thought he could tell that something was bothering them. He returned the smile without a word, but a slight nod, hoping he was relaying that he had his back.  

His heart fluttered as he felt Snap’s touch again and hoped the blush on his cheeks would go unnoticed as he was pulled to him. He nodded at the chiss’ airy words and brought his hand up to touch Snap on the cheek, but didn’t linger as they were quickly on the move again.  

In the next chamber of the cave was a middle aged human with salt and pepper hair and a beard; he had just sat down on a makeshift stone chair in a slight alcove, just out of view of the main chamber, and was working on making sure his gear was ready to go out into the forest again. He chuckled softly to himself, looking over his blaster, thinking of the money that he was going to be making soon. He just had one more cage to fill, he thought, as he glanced over to the row of cages from his tucked away position; one more night, this last trip into the forest, then he’d be selling these little savages as slaves and collecting his fortune.


[2:11:46 AM] Sunnyshine: Snap had turned a sharp corner, almost as if the cave was doubling back, only a wall separating it into different chambers; he froze suddenly as his eyes began to adjust. There was a faint warm glow just passed a dip in the tunnel; it flickered slightly, but not like a fire might. The cover of dripping stalactites faded behind them, and the chiss stood there for a moment, as if he didn't know what to do; he smirked sheepishly at Trison, and then readied his gun. He didn't particularly want to shoot anybody, but he certainly wasn't afraid to; he abruptly hoped that his human friend knew how to use weapons, and it dawned on him that he hadn't thought of that before.

This wasn't going to be easy, Snap pondered, if this was indeed the guy they were looking for; he had stolen a kid from his family, and judging by the bags of supplies in the last area, he likely knew how to handle himself in a firefight. He breathed softly, getting mentally prepared, and then crossed the threshold; his eyes darted around the chamber, trying to pick up on anything that might be helpful to him, and found himself looking into the faces of caged people.

Snap's mouth hung agape for a moment as he realized the weight of the issue he had simply stumbled across, and lost his footing for a second; his boots scratched across the rough surface of the ground. Slightly panicked, he over-corrected himself, and staggered into a rock wall; he reflexively whispered a cuss, and then spun around to see if anybody had been alerted. Being already slightly disoriented from his collision, and further from the intense darkness turning into faint light, his mind had to reboot; he smirked, having found pride in catching himself, and promptly tripped on another jagged boulder.


[11:18:37 AM] Melissa: Trison kept Snap in sight as he continued to move with him in a smooth and almost collected sort of way. He had finally managed to stay focused on the situation at hand, although it took a significant part of his energy and he realized he was mildly fatigued and maybe dehydrated, but he pushed through nonetheless. The cave got easier to see in, even through the visor and he realized that there must be light in this part of the cavern, although he couldn’t see the source. He wanted to say something as the chiss pushed forward, a warning to be careful, but he figured the feeling of uneasiness had more to do with his all too complicated feelings and knew that this wasn’t the time for that. He was sure that the other man was more experienced in tense situations, as he seemed confident with his weapon, even if there was something else in his stance.

He watched the chiss land heavily across the rock, not quick enough to catch him, and frowned at the noise as it seemed to echo across the cavern. What had thrown him off? Trison looked around again trying to follow Snap’s line of sight, but his attention immediately returned to the other man again; without even a thought, he dropped the weapon in his hand as his arms reflexively reached out and caught Snap as he tripped again, the blade landing with a soft clang on the stone floor.

He quickly pulled Snap to him and crouched down beside the cages, using them as cover, as he caught his breath and looked into his companion’s familiar red eyes. “You’ve got this.” He spoke in an airy whisper, almost against the chiss’ cheek and reached down to draw the blaster from his own belt. His eyes briefly took in the face of a child in the cage beside him for the first time and an intensity flashed across his fine features; someone was taking children from their parents, he just figured it out, and found he was wholly not okay with it.

The man in the alcove froze suddenly to listen; he had heard a slight noise and even though he was sure it was just one of those savages he was holding, he knew he should take a look. He sighed and picked up his gun again, he was almost done with the task at hand and was aggravated that he needed to pause what he was doing. He despised children, their attitudes and all the noise they made; even with them tucked away in cages, he was jumpy and uncomfortable. He had to threaten the children many times since he had imprisoned them, but only had to raise his hand to them a few; that was the positive side, he reminded himself. They were very easy to threaten, not to mention their size made them easier to transport and his contacts paid significantly more for young slaves that could be molded to their client’s liking. Holding his weapon steadily and ready in his hand, the man moved slowly out of the alcove and towards the row of cages, taking in the cavern in the low light. His eyes noticed a glint of metal against stone and he cautiously proceeded forward.

“You have my back?” Trison spoke almost silently, still lingering against the chiss, a look of fearlessness crossed his face as he placed a soft kiss on Snap’s cheek and he quickly pulled away to stand. He motioned for the chiss to move around the back of the cage; he wanted to put some distance between them, in the hopes that they could take the cave’s occupant by surprise, even though he wasn’t sure if he had much of a real plan in his own mind.

The older man was just a few yards away now, if he came much closer he’d easily see the two men hidden beside the cage, but he was still mostly unaware of their presence. He looked at the weapon Trison had dropped and kicked it with the tip of his boot, the blade of it making a scraping sound as it was forced away towards the wall. He continued to look around as he listened, trying to figure out where they would be, if someone else was there. Maybe it was a child, he thought; he had seen one wandering in the trees, earlier in the day, but he had lost sight of him. Maybe he wouldn’t have to go hunt for another tonight, if one had followed him, he’d be able to easily fill his quota by tonight.

A wicked little grin crossed the bearded man’s lips as he raised his gun and took another step towards the cages, he had heard another sound and he was sure it came from that direction; he prided himself in being a hunter, his senses were still quite keen despite his age.

Trison removed his visor and popped up, out from behind the cover; he was holding his blaster in an almost natural sort of way, trained on the human in front of him, despite having trouble adjusting his eyes to the low light. +You will let my brothers go free.+ He spoke in the language he had picked up just earlier that day, trying to pass himself off as one of them, even though his skin was much lighter.

The man fired a shot to the side, just to spook him; Trison jumped but stood his ground anyway, forcing his hands to stay still from the shakiness that was trying to edge itself onto him. The older man looked at the human in front of him, considering him; he thought he looked some years older than the children he had collected, but he still looked young enough to sell, and he looked nervous. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. His stance shifted slightly as he spoke in basic, “Where did you get the blaster, lad?” He asked, his tone feigning interest. “I didn’t think your village had that kind of technology.”

“Found it.” Trison lied simply in basic with a sheepish smile. “Found my brothers too.” He motioned towards the cages with a frown.

The older man sighed, taking a step toward Trison as he spoke. “You need to put the weapon down, before you hurt yourself.”

Trison looked at the weapon in his hands as if he were considering it, “You need to let my brothers free.” He said, shifting his gaze back to the man with determination, his tone still reflecting a sort of innocence. “You can’t take them.” He kept the gun on the man, not really sure what to do next, hoping Snap had figured out something during the provided distraction.


[11:21:33 PM] Sunnyshine: After being tugged behind something, Snap's heart fluttered slightly at Trison's kiss, his mind racing with another sudden spike of feelings; the human wasn't in an altered state this time, his thoughts declared, that must mean it was genuine, right? But why? Maybe it was from stress of the situation; people do silly things when they're anxious. Yeah, that must've been it, but that conclusion didn't make his blush any less apparent. He nodded fiercely at the human's question of having his back, and balanced himself into a crouching position; his vision blurred from the surge of emotion.

Snap had ran a hand through his dark hair as he made his way around another cage; his eyes were fixed on the stranger now, and he hoped that the kids wouldn't give away his position. The children all looked to be in rather poor shape, and probably hadn't been fed for a few days to break their spirits; a flare of anguish, followed by anger, sharpened the chiss' eyes. He readied his stance to take a shot at the middle-aged man.

Snap's heart leapt into his throat when Trison had revealed himself; the walls of the cave rung with the warning shot, and few stalactites crumbled from the vibrations and fell to the ground. He paused for only a moment, long enough to feel the uncertainty of his friend through his words, and quickly stepped out into the open. In one swift movement, he pulled his gun forward and placed it at the side of the stranger's neck, both of his hands tightly on the charric weapon; rage began to flood into his eyes, but he tried to ignore it by clenching his teeth.

"Put. Down. Your weapon." The chiss spoke slowly, so as to not be misheard, and his voice was in a low threatening tone; he had to let the man know that he wasn't afraid to kill him, right now, with the flinch of his finger on the trigger. "How many shipments have you pulled from here?"


5/27/17
[11:02:41 PM] Melissa: The older human didn’t let his surprise show, his stance still reflective of his experience as a hunter; he had been thrown off by the man in front of him and hadn’t even considered that he wouldn’t be alone, in his experience with these savages, he had found that they weren’t the most skilled or intelligent of their race. He shifted his eyes to the blue-skinned man without moving his head and frowned, this one was obviously not human; he slowly lowered his gun, as he tried to hide the disgusted look on his face.

“Just the one here.” The man explained, slowly slipping his free hand down to his waist. “I struck a deal with the chief’s partner; I could take some children if I didn’t tell the hutts about their village. They’re living on privately owned industrial land you know?”

He tilted his head toward Snap as he finished, remembering the savage he had killed; it wasn’t that he was overjoyed in killing his own species, but the man had tried to change the deal after making it, which made him a liability to the entire operation and he had to be dealt with.

“Shipment?” Trison finally spoke, his face showed naivety and confusion at the use of the word. “These are children, not items, they have fathers and mothers...” Even after seeing the children in cages, the situation didn’t really make sense to him; it seemed like Snap knew exactly what the man was up to, but as usual Trison was lost when it came to specifics.  

The beared man wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the large hunting knife on his belt; being ambidextrous had always proven useful to him in difficult situations, and today would be no different. In one swift movement, the man had swung his blade at the chiss while ducking and moving away from the weapon against him and shot blindly at the other human.

“Snap!” Trison cried out as he ducked down immediately, hearing the sound of a weapon firing; he pushed the night vision visor in his hand back on his face, hoping he would be less disoriented with the ability to see in the low light of the cavern. He steadied the weapon in his grasp and peeked around the side of the cage, staying low to the ground, wanting to make sure that his companion wasn’t injured.


5/28/17
[2:13:50 AM] Sunnyshine: A sigh hissed through Snap's teeth; he hadn't thought that Trison wouldn't understand what slavery was. People were used as livestock and objects in such a case; hutts were especially passionate about the trade, and this was one of the reasons why the chiss hated them so very much.

"Good-" Snap said about this being the only shipment, but was interrupted by the quickly shifting situation; he had reflexively leaned away from the man's blade, but his shirt ripped and the skin on his abdomen broke with a burst of red. He cussed, spreading his arms, but drew them together again to take aim; his eyes focused, and his mind was sharp with adrenaline. The chiss' weapon hummed at his touch, and in a split second the man's throat was blown out in a bright blue beam of energy; it had gotten part of his shoulder as well, since Snap wasn't the best shot, and blood began to leak out of his decimated arteries with a sudden and eerie stillness.

Snap let a few vulgarities slip out of his mouth, as he recklessly wiped his shallow injury; he paced over to Trison, looking him in the face for a long moment to see if he was okay, and then turned back to the man to look for a key of some sort. He quickly checked the man's pockets, his fingers nimbly running across each one, and soon found what he was searching for. This wouldn't be the end of the tribe's problems, and he knew it, but at least he did something for them; he had aided in giving them their lives back, for now, and maybe some more time to figure out something better. Each door opened with a clang, and he tossed the metallic keycard to the floor. He was starting to get a little dizzy, and his concentration waned.

Snap rubbed his eyes with the back of his crimson-stained hand, and looked down at the slaver; he grimaced, and then shot him once more. The buzz of his gun rang in his ears in a satisfying way, and the blue explosion obediently scattered the man's head across the floor. There was no recognizing the body anymore, and no face was left to haunt the chiss in his dreams tonight.

Snap swore, feeling somewhat woozy, and reminded himself that he had used his last bit of bacta a couple days ago. He leaned on a cage as the children began to scatter, and looked over at Trison. "How are you doing?" He hummed softly, the rage having gone from his mind altogether, leaving him with a feeling of contentment. "Perhaps we ought to get back to the ship now?"

The chiss hadn't waited for an answer; he staggered slightly, but caught himself on the wall, and breathed a deep sigh before continuing back the way they had came. He tucked his gun on his back again, and let his arm hold his stomach wound as nonchalantly as he could manage; blood began to drip down his shirt as it clotted, but he wouldn't say anything about it. He already felt self-conscious enough. The journey out of the cave was a lot less stressful, as he didn't feel such a need to be quiet; his heavy boots clomped loudly, and the sound echoed around until the jagged rocks became trees of the forest.

Fresh air hit Snap like a hot damp cloth, and he coughed a little at the sudden shock of it, being reminded that this planet was a warm one; he blinked into the light, and walked out into the underbrush after only a moment of hesitation. He glanced back, making sure that Trison was following him, and reached out with his clean hand to hold his again. It was already a bit of a safety, physical contact with the human, and his brain started its compulsory analysis of their relationship to ruin the pleasant feeling he was getting; he had been smiling softly, but it faded now into a slight gloom.

They returned back to the Bittersweet without problem; Snap huffed, lying down on the couch in the lounge without a word to Trash-Heap. The droid had been minding his own business; this hadn't been the first time the chiss had come back bloody, and he supposed that it wouldn't be the last. He buzzed some static at the two organics, and then continued on his way to plug himself in to recharge. The day had been tough on everybody.


[5/28/2017 2:39:17 PM] Melissa: Trison had refocused just in time to see Snap’s weapon fire at the bearded man; things seemed to slow down in a very disorienting manner for him as he watched the man fall, dead on the ground, blood draining from his neck in a most gruesome manner. His heart seemed to skip a beat, as he wordlessly stared into Snap’s furious eyes.

As the chiss moved away, he leaned back against the cage he had been hiding behind, trying to push away the rising panic in his throat. Trison couldn’t hold back the rush of memories that were invading his mind; nor the feeling of despair and horror that came with them.

-Many years ago on Tatooine, when Trison was just a boy of ten, he carried a blaster when he first worked for Jawas doing droid recovery and deliveries. He had been crossing dunes most the day alone, doing simple tasks just as he did most days, but this time it was later than he usually stayed out and the sky was starting to get dark. Even then, he carried several glowrods and so he stopped, kneeling on the sand to pull a light from his backpack. He suddenly had an intense awareness that he was being watched, and stood with his blaster and glowrod in his hands. He remembered the feelings of fear and anxiety in that moment as if no time had passed, even though two decades had gone by.

Young Trison had been taught a little about the weapon in his hands and found he was naturally proficient; without much thought, he took aim and fired the weapon at a blurry form, several meters away. His target wasn’t even able to utter a scream, it fell dead before it could become aware of its impending doom. At first, Trison was proud of himself, taking care of oneself was an important skill, especially on the barren waste planet of Tatooine. He approached the still form, aiming his light at it to see what had been stalking him; he figured it had been a bobcat or some other creature, and was taken aback when it seemed to have a small humanoid form. An already dried stream of blood laid across the light colored sand, the heat of the planet seeming to soak up what was left of the victim’s life.

The young human collapsed to his knees beside the corpse, lifting the blood covered mask off of it, he peered into its vacant eyes. The tusken raider had to be no older than him, a mere child trying to do what it had been taught, to survive.-

Trison leaned over and retched, the memories of so many years ago, mixed with current events made his whole body ache; he wanted to be anywhere but here, an all too familiar feeling, but in reality it had less to do with the place or company and everything to do with the feelings he just couldn’t bare.        

The second shot of Shap’s gun brought back a touch of focus and Trison willed himself to stand, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and trying to keep his eyes off the bloodied corpse as he did. He picked up the blaster and blade that the chiss had given him and approached his companion, but stopped several feet away, taking in the wound on Snap’s stomach. He nodded in reply to the second question, the first not really heard, but couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eyes; he was concerned, confused and angry at himself and the chiss, but couldn’t organize his thoughts in a manner to say anything.  

Trison tucked the weapons in his belt and found himself moving forward to help Snap as he staggered, but took a step back as he balanced himself without assistance. He followed the chiss out of the cave and through the forest, still somewhat disoriented, but his feet seemed to work anyway. He didn’t pull away when Snap had grabbed his hand, even though his current feelings wanted him to; he instead grasped the man’s hand with a firm but kind grip, silently falling in step with him, until they were aboard the Bittersweet.

Trison took off the visor, just remembering he was wearing it and huffily placed it and the borrowed weapons on a table in the lounge area. He looked over at Snap and let his eyes take him all in; the look of exhaustion on his face and the blood on his clothes worried him and he pulled off his backpack and started digging into it for his medpac.

“For kark’s sake, Snap!” He finally spoke in a sort of exasperated whisper, fumbling with the medical supplies in his grasp as he knelt down beside the chiss. “What were you thinking? You didn’t have to get so close! You’re hurt!” His voice broke and he went silent again, obvious concern in his face; the concern shifting somewhat as he forcefully pulled Snap to a partial sitting position to remove the clothing from his torso. He laid him back down gently and threw the clothing across the ship furiously; taking a deep breath, he returned to his bleeding companion and started cleaning his wound.

“I recall you telling me you can take care of yourself, is that what that was?” He asked, gritting his teeth as he put a vial of bacta into his hypospray device and pushed it against the chiss’ blue skin. “I get it, they were children, and for you it was personal, given your past.” He sighed heavily, his voice still quiet, despite the emotion in it; he didn’t know the specifics of the man’s past, but found he was driven by certain things, like compassion.

“This is gonna hurt.” He whispered, his voice had a hint of desperation to it as he pulled out a laser cauterizer from his medpac. He forced his trembling hands to be steady and carefully used the tool to close the gash in Snap’s flesh. He busied himself for a few moments, putting his things away, before turning back to the chiss.  

Trison’s heart was still racing, he had so many feelings whirling around in his head; he was furious, but he wanted to cry, and then he really just wanted to hug the man, which confused him, which circled back around to anger. He rubbed his hair in his face with his palms, knowing that he never knew what to do with anger, let alone the other feelings; he never liked yelling so he tried not to, and throwing Snap’s clothes really didn’t make him feel any better. The desperate want to feel everything and yet nothing was overwhelming; he had a sudden strong desire to kiss the chiss more intensely than he had ever kissed anyone before and it made his breath catch in his throat. He sat looking at him with his mouth slightly open, unable to move closer or retreat.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Trison spoke in a whisper again, “I-I’m going to go make sure the job is done, I’ll t-try to be back before dark.” He frowned as he stood and grabbed his backpack as he quickly made his way back out of the Bittersweet.

Was it just a moment of raw emotion, he thought, that made him really, truly want to kiss that blue-skinned man? Everything had been such a whirlwind of feelings since he had met him; he was angry at Snap for mostly just what happened in the cave, -for his own lack of self concern- but he also had all these other feelings towards him and didn’t know what to do or say to express them.

Trison had made it back to the mines before he realized that it was later in the evening and he wouldn’t be able to see well much longer, even with the use of his glowrods. He knew he would have to work quickly if he wanted to feel like the job was finished, so he knelt down beside a broken droid he hadn’t checked yet and started tending to it. Luckily, despite being cracked his datapad booted up and he was able to run diagnostics so he knew what exactly needed repaired.

As he worked his thoughts continued to wander; he began to realize that he was mad at himself for letting himself get so involved with someone, just because getting close to people meant getting hurt, and Trison didn’t know if he could handle any more pain and loss in his life.

[2:40:27 PM | Edited 2:40:50 PM] Melissa: His mind lingered on the subject for some time; he had many issues and he knew it, but leaving his mother as a child wasn’t usually one that stayed present in his thoughts. He had found himself driven to help earlier based on the thought of his own mother, he knew that now, but he didn’t understand why. He knew how he felt about the death of his father, it saddened him, but there was closure because he was old and they knew he was dying.

Then there was the death of his friend on Corellia, was friend even the right word? Trison was trying desperately to get over him, or was he already over him? Sure, the thought of him made him sad, but it was a clear feeling and not confusing. He smiled briefly at the memory of Vict, they had some good times together and although their time was cut short, he didn’t really dwell so much on what could have been. If not for him, Trison would have spent the rest of his life in a factory, not in space; he would never have even met Snap…

He booted up one of the droids he had been working on with a resigned sigh; he was feeling better, organizing his thoughts, composing himself, but then it all came back to the chiss with his funny ship and his sarcastic droid. “I think that’s the last mining droid.” He said to himself in a whisper. He looked around; the sky was dark now, and although he had been using several glowrods to see his work, he really wished he hadn’t left that night vision visor on the ship.

Gathering his tools and datapad and depositing them into his bag, Trison stood and tucked a glowrod behind each ear; he held several more in his hands, thinking what a funny sight he must be while swinging his backpack over his shoulder. He started back through the forest and returned to the ship with only some difficulty.

Forgetting about the assortment of lit glowrods on his person, Trison looked around for Snap; finding him and staying standing a few feet away, he looked at his feet nervously. “I’m sorry about my behavior earlier.” He said, his voice shaking noticeably. “If you haven’t noticed yet, I have a lot of problems, I don’t understand things, I get confused easily…” He trailed off and laughed softly. “I just…” He put his face in his hands. :I wish I could say what I need to.: He mumbled under his breath in his first language of Hapaii. His heart started to race again and his words just wouldn’t come out; he turned to retreat, but stayed with his back to the chiss instead. “I find you more than just interesting.” He started speaking in basic, but it shifted to the alien language again. :It’s so much more than that though; I want to be around you, I want to know more about you, I want to kiss you…:

“What I’m trying to say,” Trison cleared his throat, trying again to speak in only basic. “-is that you’re important to me.” His feet finally decided to work again and with that he started to walk away down the hall.


5/29/17
[2:02:21 AM] Sunnyshine: Snap had let Trison remove his shirt, though he couldn't help that a smirk ruled his expression during; the human was terrifying, and a little cute, when he was furious. He wiped his eyes, and then was laid back down; he kind of felt like he was being treated like a child, and it was relatively refreshing, but his smile faded suddenly as the searing pain from the laser met his skin. The smell of burning flesh was nauseating, but the chiss set his jaw to keep from reacting too much.

Lifting his head from the couch, Snap watched Trison busy himself for a moment, and waited for the burning on his abdomen to subside. Why had the situation gone down like that, he wondered; he had been in more serious scrapes than that before, so what was different this time? He listened to the human's words, gleaning a good amount of unspoken nuance, and nodded. It dawned on him that the distinguisher had been staring him in the face; the reason why he couldn't focus properly was Trison, and the reason why he was running with his emotions so high lately, it was Trison. But he hadn't thought it was really a bad thing to wholly admire someone who didn't like you back; now, perhaps, his mind had been changed.

The human had left the room, and Snap sat up with a sigh; running both of his hands through his hair in a resigned gesture, and then rested his chin on them. Suddenly he realized that he was still soaked with his own blood, and a wave of revulsion hit him; why would Trison even consider loving someone like him? The chiss got up, lifting himself from the couch with a groan, and made his way into the lavatory to clean himself up.

Time passed slowly; was it a few minutes, an hour? Snap wasn't sure, but he took his time bathing; he buckled his pants belt, and left a towel draped over his head, going shirtless again. He let out another sigh, one full of more relief than before, and began ticking in a course for their next destination. He paused momentarily, remembering that he hadn't asked Trison what he wanted to do yet, and put in a few settings in case he had changed his mind about staying on Bittersweet. He was determined to respect him, no matter the toll on his own heart.

When the human stepped into the cockpit, it took Snap by surprise; he spun around, the cloth on his head shifting slightly to one side. "Heh, you look like a-" He swore in a teasing tone, having a smirk on his face at first. "-traffic signal." His words faded halfway through as Trison continued speaking.

"No, I'm sorry." The chiss had mumbled, and then lost his courage again; his eyes drifting to the glass floor. Tears started welling up with a wave of emotion; holding them back by not breathing, he turned his face away. His ears reflexively skipped Trison's words that he didn't understand, and he pulled the towel down from his messy hair to his face; he never liked to let people see him cry, but the tears were just too much right now. He did his best to stifle a sob, and then looked up in shock at the human's words; he hadn't been told that he was important, not in a very long time.

"So-" Snap stood with his hands in his pockets, and his eyes down; the cloth in his hands falling to the floor. "You don't hate me?" He stepped softly toward Trison, though letting him have his own space; he felt sick to his stomach, and a few stray tears fell from his eyelashes. "You seemed completely disgusted by me." His words caught in his throat as he leaned a shoulder on a cold wall of the corridor, and then continued through gritted teeth in barely a whisper. "I despise myself."


[10:01:36 AM] Melissa: Trison had only taken a few more steps down the hall before he heard Snap’s self-hating words; he felt nauseated again, the ups and downs of the day were taking a toll on his body as well as his mind. He staggered and dropped the glowrods, but caught himself by leaning heavily against a metal paneled wall. He giggled anxiously, but almost silently; knowing he needed to stay with the chiss, no matter how hard it was for him, he wouldn’t leave him alone with those type of feelings. He turned around, “I don’t hate you, I was upset by your lack of self-concern.” He spoke softly, moving closer to the man.

“I-I was scared.” He admitted, his gaze on the floor. He stopped just inches from Snap and tentatively reached up to caress his cheek, “You are compassionate and real, and you have this zeal for life that just amazes me. How can you not see that you are beautiful?” Trison blinked the fresh tears from his eyes, and lifted his gaze to the chiss’ face; he felt extremely vulnerable right now, but very much alive and organic, which wasn’t usually the case.

“You have shown me more intensity and kindness in this short time, than I have experienced in my whole life before meeting you.” Trison told him, he wanted to embrace Snap, but couldn’t manage to do anything but breathe and ramble on.

“I have spent my life unsure and scared; hiding any real glimpse of who I might have been… then I met you, and yes I was standoffish, but honestly it was because I couldn’t see a thing in that blasted cantina. Then, what are the chances? I don’t believe in luck, but kark, I met you again the next day…” He was shaking again, as even more tears fell from his eyes, but he didn’t really try to hold back; he was exposing himself more than he ever had and he didn’t know how to stop now. “I don’t know why I was so stupid at Phen’s, or why I’m finding myself giving in to sudden emotional outbursts, or why I-I can’t stop talking or why I can’t stop feeling... but I think it’s because I’ve changed since I met you.

“I’m no longer content with just surviving, I’m trying to figure out what living really is about.” Trison paused to catch his breath; he was astonished that the chiss always seemed to let him speak his mind. “I wouldn’t undo anything that was done or said between us and…” His voice broke and his gaze faltered. “I don’t know if you want me to stay here, with you, or if I have just made matters too confusing and frustrating, and you want me to go.” His voice broke again and he paused to swallow, willing that his voice not give out on him yet; he raised his eyes back to Snap’s face. “Either way I want you to know that you- you have made all the difference to this broken man and please, Divolas, know that you are worth so much more than you think.”

His heart was pounding in his chest as his eyes stayed on the chiss; he was hoping that Snap wouldn’t want him to go, but even if he did, Trison wouldn’t regret the little time they had spent together. He let his mind whirl with the memories of their intimate moments and in his heart he knew that his words were filled with honesty.


[1:47:13 PM] Sunnyshine: Snap had reflexively reached out to try and catch Trison, though he wasn't quick enough, and ended up drawing his arms back again; he was ashamed, his hands curling into fists with anger at himself. He kept his face angled away, down at the metal floor, as the human continued to speak; his fluffy hair seemed somewhat unaffected by gravity, the tight curls holding their messy shape with any direction he faced. Trison's hand on his cheek took him by surprise, but he didn't react as he listened; his mind was so confused, floundering in a great sea of emotion.

Snap glanced up as Trison continued to speak, making eye contact for only a second before aiming his red gaze back down. He ran a hand through his partially-damp hair, a few water particles scattering at the gesture, and then reached to hold the human's palm that remained on his face; he drew the heel of Trison's hand to his lips after he had gone silent, and kissed it. "Don't cry for me." He breathed, the words barely forming on the tip of his tongue.

Snap's other hand found its way to the human's waist again, his fingers still slightly curled from self-hatred; he leaned his forehead to touch Trison's, and met his eyes after only another moment. He wiped away his tears with the soft pad of his thumb, and took in a deep breath; their mixed scent, though mostly just soap and dust, was somehow intoxicating. His mind scattered, and his chest was tight, as he pulled the human closer; tugging at his shirt gently.

Snap twisted his head around Trison's, kissing his pale cheek with a sort of tenderness, followed by a kiss to the side of his jaw, and then at the hollow of his throat. "I want you-" The chiss sighed, the breath staggering to come out of his chest; a heat made its way across his face, and his eyes were closed as he paused to breathe slowly. "With me." He had grabbed Trison's shirt with both of his hands now, softly wrapping them around the human's waist. "For as long as you'll have me; flaws and all."

Snap's mind paused for a moment, thinking about the only other time he'd felt this strongly about someone, and drew back from Trison's touch suddenly; the memory of Tallulah invading his mind uninvited. "Since we're being honest here, you ought to know-" He let out another sigh, a sort of resignation advancing over his expression yet again as his heart hid behind a wall; his hands retreated back into his pants pockets, though his chest was still slightly pressed against the human. "I've been in love before."

Snap hesitated, a deep blush making its way to his ears. "I -I couldn't imagine I might be able to find it again." His voice was soft, thrumming deeply in his throat, and a stray tear fell from his eyelashes. "People never really care about me; everybody just wants something from me." He lifted his hand to his face, wiping his tears away with a deep sniff. "Tallulah was different; she cared so much, and I didn't even have to do anything." The chiss paused, struggling with his words, and then chuckled as he let himself weep. "There was this one time when I was freaking out; she just held me, and let me scream in her ears. I was an idiot child." He shook his head, the slight smile on his face falling back into an expression of grief. "Do-" He paused, finding Trison's eyes. "Do you think I'm betraying her memory... if I let myself feel that again?"


[4:29:26 PM] Melissa: Trison stifled a cough, tears still streaming down his face; he didn’t say anything nor did he pull away when Snap pulled him close. He had voiced so many feelings in the last few minutes that he wasn’t sure what he was feeling anymore, besides exhaustion, but he did know that he liked the way the chiss held him; the way he felt against him, like he was safe there, like maybe he wasn’t just tolerated.

His breath caught in his throat for a second as the other man leaned against him and met his eyes briefly; he breathed in the sweet aroma of soap, the chiss always smelled so good. He was suddenly very aware that he hadn’t cleaned himself up today; sure he had washed out his mouth and cleaned his hands earlier, when they had returned to the ship, but he was worried that he stunk of dirt and sweat.    

The worry faded as quickly as it came; Trison’s thoughts were lost in the adrenaline, his heart racing again as Snap kissed his face so tenderly. When the chiss spoke again the words echoed in his mind; he wondered if they had some sort of unspoken meaning and his eyes searched Snap’s face for a hint of clarity. All he could read from the man was a feeling of raw honesty with a hint of embarrassment, and so he let his questions fly out of his mind as he was held so tenderly.

He wrapped his arms around the slightly taller man and leaned his lips to his ear; but his mind paused, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to, and then the chiss had moved away. Trison wiped his face on his woolen sleeve and looked at the blue-skinned man; his heart threatening to jump out of his chest and his eyes swollen from crying. His breathing relaxed a little when Snap spoke again, but the physical space between them made his heart ache a little. He considered the chiss for a moment, in truth he knew that Snap had been in love with Tallulah; the way he adored her memory, her ship, her droid, made Trison respect him even more.

He tilted his head slightly, still trying to keep his eyes on the man he knew he cared for; the chiss was talking about so much more, he was talking about love, and Trison honestly didn’t think he had ever really known what love was, so how could he reply? He could tell that Snap didn’t use such words lightly, the man knew what his emotions meant and he was fierce in his own gentle way. Was it because he, Trison, was so selfish, and love was a selfless act? He didn’t think he deserved to feel such feelings, because here he was again, lost in his own thoughts as the man bore his soul.

You can’t just keep pushing everyone away, his mind reminded him of what his friend used to say; you deserve to let yourself feel, you are not in fact a droid. You deserve to be happy. He took a step closer to Snap, trying to close the gap between them, but stopped just a few inches away.

“I think she’d want you to be happy.” He bit his lip and looked down, “I’ve had perhaps a glimpse of love- or something similar in my life,” Trison whispered, a slight whimper in his voice as he continued. “But I’m not even sure if that’s what it was. I morn the loss, but it’s just the loneliness I think that gets me, I never was sure of him like… Like you are when you speak of her.” He looked at the chiss, a fond smile on his lips.

He sniffed a little, still trying to organize his mind. “I care about you and respect you, and I will honor whatever boundaries you need to establish to protect yourself.” He found that he really didn’t mind when he spoke of her now; before it had made him a bit apprehensive, but he was getting used to the emotionally open way that the chiss lived and he was now aware that she was part of him. “I would never expect you to change, I adore the way you have chosen to remember her.” He said, letting his eyes take in the asymmetrical walls of the Bittersweet.

Bringing his gaze back to the man in front of him, he slowly inched closer, wanting to feel the warmth of his body against him again; he brought a hand to Snap’s face and wiped the fresh tears away, his other hand resting against the chiss’ hip; not as close as they were just moments ago, but as close as Trison dared go, knowing that Snap was fighting with his inner feelings.


[8:07:23 PM] Sunnyshine: Snap listened again, trying to calm his breathing; there was something steady about the way Trison spoke. He was so matter-of-fact in this moment, and he immediately knew that the human had changed since they'd been together; he let himself smile softly, wrinkles around his eyes breaking his dark freckles as he did. "I suppose you're right." His voice cracked slightly as he whispered; Tela would want him to find happiness again, he knew that, though he supposed that he had forgotten.

Trison's words rocked the chiss' stifling emotions loose, and they scattered; being washed away or buried like shells on a beach. Snap's skin tingled at Trison's touch as he brushed his fingers across his hip; he gazed into the human's differently colored eyes, and took another breath. "I suppose I'm allowed to be selfish every now and then-" He turned and pressed his body flush against Trison's; his hands fell back to his waist, as if they were meant to be there. "As long as you're with me, to catch me if I falter."

There was a momentary pause; Snap's bare chest quivered in apprehension, and then he pressed Trison's lips against his. His mouth opened a little as he took in a sharp breath, the wound on his abdomen was still moderately painful, but he didn't care right now; his pulse pounded in his ears, and all he could do was tenderly kiss the man in front of him.

He tasted like dust, Snap noted in the back of his mind, dust and tears; an interesting combination, to be sure, but not unpleasant in the least. The chiss let one of his hands migrate up to Trison's face, caressing it with the lightest of pressure, and drifted his softly moving lips down to his jawline again; his heart raced with passion, but he tried to curb his more-forceful tenancies with a breath. He paused, a sigh rippling over him, and then smiled timidly; looking into the human's eyes with a slightly playful tone. "So I guess you like me, huh?"

Without an answer, Snap began kissing him again, a slight eagerness in his movements this time; he slowly drifted his hands down to the seam of Trison's shirt, and slipped a few fingers underneath. His soft skin was so warm. An involuntary hum escaped the chiss' black lips as he breathed; he was soaking in as much joy as this moment would allow, and his emotions felt as if they might burst, his passive guise growing even thinner.

"Are you guys going to just keep necking?" Trash-Heap's indifferent voice was deep and reverberating; he had rolled up the corridor a few seconds ago, intending to pass the two organics in order to get some work done, but found that they were hogging the pathway with an ill-conceived locking of lips. "I would imagine that our time could be used in a more productive way."

Snap laughed faintly out of elation and shock, looking over at the droid. "I didn't think you could imagine anything." His hands brushed against Trison's skin on his waist once more, and then repositioned back on top of his shirt; he wanted to be near him so badly, but he felt the moment fading with Trashy's accusatory gaze.

"It is a figure of speech." Trash fizzled, obviously unamused, and continued to stare at them. "At least get out of my way."

Snap placed a hand on the cold hull of the droid, teasing him, and then kissed Trison in a spirited sort of manner; hesitating, he realized that he didn't want to lose this feeling. He was scared that they would never get it back if they stopped now. In his and the human's short time together, emotions had been so high, and yet so had apathy; his face fell into a wistful expression, just a touch of sorrow playing along his eyebrows. Had he gone too far to savor the moment? Had Trison even been talking about this sort of thing, or something else?


5/30/17
[1:35:38 AM | Edited 1:47:47 AM] Melissa: “I’m not planning on going anywhere.” Trison told the chiss, his cheeks turning red with the sudden feel of their bodies so close. He pulled away only slightly for a few seconds, just to pull off his extra layers of bantha wool; he didn’t want the roughness of the cloth between them, or against the chiss’ skin. Concern spiked in his mind, he had been rough with Snap earlier and he wondered how his chest was feeling, but the thought of asking about his injury made the human’s eyes water again.

A surge of anticipation pulsed through his veins as Snap leaned in to kiss him; he let his hand rest on the nape of the chiss’ neck, kissing him back gently. Finally, his mind whispered; a part of him had been wanting to revisit this feeling, this new sensation of being lost in another’s touch, and his heart continued to race.    

He let his body relax against the other man again, as he sighed softly, any left over worry or fear being pushed out with his breath. Snap knew how to communicate so much through touch and Trison tried to remember each feeling, as they rushed into his mind at first; but it was overwhelming his senses, so he let his body take control instead.

Yes, I do. Trison answered the chiss’ question in his mind, with more surety than he had expected. He kissed him back perhaps a little more passionately than he meant to; he had opened his mouth mid kiss and let his tongue flick against the other man’s bottom lip, his fingers caressing the bare skin of his back.

His gaze stayed on Snap’s face when Trash interrupted them, he didn’t wish to stop said necking; he touched the chiss’ face again, and brought his fingers down the curve of his cheek as he spoke, a smile playing on his lips. His heart fluttered when Snap leaned in to kiss him yet again, his lips tingled with the touch, and he pressed his body against him.  

“Should-we-get-out-of-his-way?” He breathed each syllable between little pecks on the chiss’ dark lips. “Maybe, we should sit down somewhere before we fall over?” He suggested, his lips still so close to the chiss.

He remembered how tired he was and figured that Snap was exhausted; he wondered for a moment if all of the physical attention had something to do with the man’s injury and state of mind, his breath caught in his throat again, what if he hated him tomorrow? He tried to push his concerns away, leaning his forehead lightly against Snap’s cheek, not really wanting to pull away.