Now and Then: Paying Dues (Sanis)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There were no patterings of small feet anywhere in the Cat. In fact, for once, it was blissfully quiet and the mood one of tranquility. A far cry from how things had been in the past. These breaks in the normal friction of every day happenings were oft welcomed by Loklorien s'Ilancy, and it had now become common practice for her to - when these quiet times prevailed - seclude herself aboard her shuttle.

In the time since she'd first come to Layla until now, the shuttle itself had changed rather drastically. No longer a bare-bones craft with nthing but deckplates and bulkheads, it had been turned into more suitable living quarters. There was a bed; neatly made and inviting, covered in the softest of comforters. A small desk rested against the bulkhead, and a low table made of deep deiga wood sat in the center. It had been purchased at their last stopover and already housed a number of oddly carved trinkets and other assorted odds and ends.

A lit incense burner was set on a nightstand, adding to the serene picture and giving its' already archaic surrounding that much more of an ancient nature.

The lone occupant of the shuttle was silent, letting the quiet of her 'home' reign with only the occasional rustle of paper as she studiously scrawled notes with an old style stylus.

One of the stranger things about the shuttle was that if one was to look closer, they would notice the distinct lack of any electronic recording instruments, such as datapads and voice recorders. No; the only things to be seen of that nature were handwritten, handbound books. Each one carefully placed upon the few small shelves that could be found against bulkheads, and each one well-used.

Loklorien s'Ilancy let the silence overtake her, concentrating on her writings as she had for the last two hours. Tak was in the cargo bay playing with Daani, so the Lupine used her time well. It was a rare thing for her to have the time to restore her left behind texts, but she was determined to take advantage of the peace whenever possible.

She had brought what books she could, but still had to leave volumes upon volumes of Lupine literature back on Cathar. As such, she took on the task of rebuilding her library. It was a daunting task, but one that she enjoyed none the less. Preserving history was a passion given to her by her father before his death, and she would carry the tradition of documenting the nearly extinct Lupine lore.

Alone but for the wisps of smoke rising from the stick of incense she had lit, Lok went about her writing in content silence.

[Sanis Prent]

I'd switched Layla to automatic control over an hour ago. There was little to do now but watch the stars go by.

The longer space voyages were always a bit surreal. You had a general sense of passing time, but one that was always a little blurry around the edges. Night and day were numbers on a chronometer. While Cirr and James spent this duldrum slumbering in their respective quarters, I spent it in the pilothouse, somewhere between my thoughts and insomnia.

Eventually, I tore myself away from the view, and went to seek company. Climbing down from the pilothouse, I could hear Daani and Tak bounding on the cargo room's floor grating from a deck above. It was always best to let those two tire themselves out.

After a little aimless wandering on my boat, I came to a stop at the spot where my domain ended. I gave a light knock on the hatch.

"We'll reach the Nimpa system by morning." I spoke in a soft tone to the shuttle's occupant.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Only a slight pause in the scrawling, but the scratching soon resumed and s'Il said nothing for a few moments while finishing the sentence she had been writing. Setting the stylus down carefully, she reached out to wipe away an unseen speck of dust from the paper.

"That is a sooner than I had originally thought," she finally answered after another moment of silence. Her attentions were divided now, as she remained aware of Sanis' presence behind her while still mulling over what she had written. Twenty years ago she would have been worried that her ability to record past events would never be truly acceptable when compared to the other volumes she had; that her talents would nowhere be near those of the authors who had come before her.

Now though, the Lupine recognized that each retelling, while holding the same facts, was unique to its' author. Her own writing skills had vastly improved, and now it seemed as natural a function as breathing. It was this way for most all Lupines; history was a thing to be revered, recorded, and remembered. Preservation in any form possible was key, since the once vast bloodlines had dwindled down to only one. Her.

After another moment of contemplation, she turned slightly to look sidelong at him.

"I take it everyone else is indisposed?"

The smell of the incense filled her nostrils, and she gave him a rather foreign-looking - yet genuinely friendly smile.

"Or are you so bored as to look for conversation from me?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Don't take it the wrong way, but yeah."

I offered a sheepish smirk, leaning against the hatch frame.

"I get a night of nothing breaking on my ship or anything going wrong with my crew. You'd think I'd feel a little more grateful."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il turned back to her papers, plucking the stylus up from where she'd placed it.

"Enjoy it while it lasts. Times like this are too few, and the calm before the storm isn't something to be thrown away."

Continuing on in her writing, she let a pause rest between them.

"If you're looking for someone to talk to, you best come in," she said presently, "No use standing in the doorway."

[Sanis Prent]

"Sure."

Wasting little time, I hopped through the threshold and took a seat on the bed in the living area. My eyes wandered to s'il's handiwork.

"Whatcha got?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"History."

It was a simple reply for an equally simple question.

Scrutinizing the last line she'd written, s'Il leaned back only a little. She sat crosslegged on the floor in front of the low degia table, and her free hand went down to rest on the intricately woven rug that had been placed over the decking of the shuttle.

"I left most of my library on Cathar; All I had room to bring were family trees and a few other assorted collections. This is nothing more than rebuilding what I once had. I don't expect to be done any time soon; maybe in ten or twenty years time, but I think now is a good a time as any to begin reconstructing what I had."

[Sanis Prent]

"Reconstructing...from memory?"

I played with the frills on an ornate pillow at the corner of the bed.

"I've seen your library. That's one hell of a job, even for a wizard like you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She offered him an easy smile. "From memory? Yes. It's not very hard most of the time. I grew up on those lessons and parables. A majority of them I could recite to you right now, and so it's not all that difficult to commit them to paper.

"This has nothing to do with my connection to the Force - it is more of a personal undertaking that is completely unrelated. As it stands, my skills in the Force itself are woefully inadiquate compared to what they could be. I've lived alone for so many years that it is all I can do to continue with the lessons I'd been given before the Purge. After that, I was on my own. No master, no teacher... no one to impart any new 'wizarding' talents."

The fingers of her free hand rubbed over the rug in the smallest of motions as she remembered her library back on Cathar. She let her smile shift a little. "As for my old library, it's grown since you last saw it."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah?"

I leaned back a bit.

"I never was much the reading type. How about a book report?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The stylus was set back down and s'Il inclined her head, staring at Sanis.

She smirked.

"Aye, if I remember things correctly, you were more the stealing type."

[Sanis Prent]

I nodded, unashamed of the accusation.

"That's practically sainthood on Nar Shadaa. I stole from people who could afford the stealing. People killed over a cleaner wardrobe back there, so I guess I can live with a little thievery."

I mulled it over, and laughed.

"Guess I haven't really changed much."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"You're not quite as obvious about it as you were back then - I dare say you've picked up a bit more class in regards to that whole subject; at least in terms of knowing what jobs are really worth your time.

"My days of considering you halfway legit are coming to a middle."

The Lupine went silent for a moment, digesting a part of what he'd said.

"Would you say I could 'afford the stealing', as you put it?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Hmm."

I leaned back against the pillow, knowing exactly what little moment in time she was referring to.

"You know, I'd tailed you a good seven blocks. You'd be suprised what you can know about somebody just from walking behind them. The way you talked, the way you looked at other people, and even the shops. You were sweating book learning, and I banked on what I thought was a safe bet.

That, and your robes weren't speckled with soot and bird crap. Or maybe I've got mind tricks of my own."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Almost seven years ago...



During the fall months, Imram-Lien - the Holy City - was always bustling with activity. Inhabited mostly by monks, preists, and clerics from all walks of Cathar's religious orders, it almost literally oozed with the planet's mysticisms.

Lok s'Ilancy had lived on Cather for long enought hat the years now blurred together, making her bi-monthly visits to Imram-Lien with precision clockwork. The owners of the shops she visited knew her well, and they often had her purchases already laid out. Of course, she almost always bought the same things - binding leathers, papers, new pens, and ink.

She new many of the priests by name, and visited them whenever she made her trips to the Holy City. No one knew where she made her home, and she had made it a point to tell no one. After all, the Lost Palace of Beasts was considered a sacred place, and if word were to circulate that she had made the ancient citadel her home, there would be no telling how such a reaction would unfold.

Now, at the end of her most recent sojourn into Imram-Lien, the Lupine stepped from the door of her last stop out into the harsh Cathar sun. Her white robes were amazingly free of most of the dust that coated other traveller's clothes, and her boots somehow had also remained immaculate.

She was the very picture of an almost obsessive individual. Everything had to be just so, and her attire was no exception. After years of running, she had finally begun to feel safe - and that security now manifested itself much more prominantly than before.

Turning her one good eye skyward, she gauged the position of the sun before starting down the ancient bricklaid street.

The city's single, almost laughable 'starport' was a short distance away and she wished to return home once more to surround herself in the already extensive collection of Lupine volumes that had been left in the library when the original architects and inhabitants - her ancestors - abandoned Cathar.

Determination in her gait, the Lupine made her way through the crowds littering the street.

[Sanis Prent]

This place smells different.

Of course, that is a good thing when one comes from Nar Shadaa, but it's tough for me to place. There's an earthy flavor on the air, and the faint scent of spices.

Of course, that doesn't help me figure how I'm going to book passage to the next planet. I'd stolen my fare off Nar Shadaa, and I would've been off to Malastare if I hadn't gotten caught with my hand in the captain's credit account. He would've brained me for sure if it weren't for the fact that the Cathar would've taken poorly to the idea. Instead, he left me with the clothes on my back while he moved on.

That was a week ago. By the amount of thieving I'd done since, I figured I was a day away from bartering for a fare on the next transport. Where would I go, I didn't know anymore.

A strange glow caught my eye, and I turned from a merchant's fruit booth to watch a pristinely-robed person slipping into the crowd. Her (it was obviously a she) robes were no less humble than the others around, but they seemed to somehow be in a better condition. It was as if she washed her clothes every day. That may not sound like much, but I knew the kind of people that did that sort of thing on Nar Shadaa. They were called easy targets.

It didn't take much convincing for me to follow her.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Through pockets of holymen she meade her way, only giving a brief nod to those who had originally given a cursory wave in greeting. Shrines dotted the streetsides, surrounded by charm shops, book shops, and even a few cafes.

Past all of these she walked, her stride unbroken as her eyes picked out the easiest path to take through the crowds before her. It was a bit of an easy task, as many recognized the white-robed offworlder and made more passing room than they would normally afford others. Of course, it was not hard to pick her out - the scar blazing a trail through her right eye made sure she was set apart from the other offworlders that had come to call Cathar home.

Her gait never broke, never faultered as she passed by those around her, and in an almost absent movement reached a hand up to swipe away a lock of blonde-brunette hair from her face. A stately Cathar male standing outside the entrance to one of the many shrines along the street moved to walk beside her. He had caught sight of her very quickly. Once again, she was not hard to find in a crowd of Cathar natives.

He kept pace with her, his eyes forward. Without so much as a glance at her, he spoke. "Ah, One-Eye."

s'Il kept her pace, but inclined her head in respect for the older male.

"High Priest Mobahk."

"I did not realize the time since your last visit had passed so quickly. Out of writing materials already?"

They navigated through a cluster of shamans.

"I am."

Mobahk let what constituted a Cathar smile spread across his greying face. "Such a desire for solitude in one still so young; it is a quandary that many of my colleagues ponder. Myself included."

"It is my firm belief that age is determined by experience, not years."

"Perhaps. It does not stop some from wondering, however."

A smile and a slow nod. "I won't be so narcissistic as to presume my presence on Cathar warrants any more attention than the other offworlders here. In any case, I would think that my minor presence is for the most part unnoticable."

"And when you are given a wider berth than others of your kind?"

"The scar tells enough stories on its' own. I don't expect people to forget such a disfigurement."

Mobahk chuckled. "You may be correct. Do not think yourself invisible though - it could be your downfall. I know you seek to be alone, but take care. When you think yourself safest is when you are in the most danger."

"I'll be sure to remember that."

She slowed to a stop then at the opening of an intersecting road. The starport was in sight, and the Lupine finally turned to look up at her walking companion.

"Tell your fellow brothers that I send my greetings and best well-wishes."

"I will."

Each dipped in respectful bows to the other, and without ceremony parted ways.

Alone once again, s'Il headed for the single building that made up the city's starport.

[Sanis Prent]

Now, the act of stealing one's meal ticket from another person was a bit more complicated than face value. One had to be mindful of the environment, their target, and the people around them.

In this case, I was on the six of a lady in a crowded town street, under broad daylight. She wasn't noticing me, but she was wearing robes, which aren't entirely condusive to picking pockets.

So, a simple pick was out. So too, was pulling a knife or a blaster on her. With lots of law abiding citizens around, it's sort of a faux pas. And these were the sort of law abiding citizens I didn't feel like rubbing the wrong way.

That left only the most creative options. I hung a quick left down a side-road, feigning to place some coinage in a newsboy's cup as I took a copy of the news for a read.

She was an offworlder, and her footsteps seemed to be a beeline to the port. I'd been scratching for coin here long enough to get to know the backroads well enough, so I began to weave through them, picking my pace up to a jog as I went to cut her off. Eventually, I came upon a thoroughfare that lead back to the main road. As long as the robed lady didn't pick up her pace too, then I was ahead of her. I loitered near the corner of the intersection, and opened the paper beneath my eyes, glancing up on occasion to try and spot the lower hems of her familiar robes.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

To those from the Core, Imram'Lien's starport would more than likely induce a hearty laugh. s'Il however found it quite appropriately sized, as the Holy City did not really pull in much traffic as far as space-faring vessels went. Mostly personal craft and a few desert skiffs were berthed there, as most on Cathar simply travelled in pakka caravans. It was a simple existance that the people of this planet had - simple and unencumbered by technology. What few larger ships there were visited the desert world mostly stopped at Joffa or Cathar's capital, Kai'Arbydos as those two cities were considered the hubs of trading activity.

This left other cities reliant upon pakka caravans for the most part; of course this made little difference to the Cathar. They had been using beasts of burden for so long that many trusted their animals more than ships.

Oddly enough, s'Il had come to rely more on pakkas than other faster means of transportation herself, but every now and again - mostly for her trips to Imram'Lien - she would use the desert skiff she had purchased when first coming to Cathar.

Closer to the port she came, passing others on their way deeper into the city. What few loiterers there were she ignored; her desire to return once more to the citadel and delve into the journals of her predecessors was great.

In the absence of any Jedi teachings, the Lupine had taken to the history of her people with a renewed vigor. Now able to devote the entirety of her time to studying, she gladly immersed herself in her homes' massive library. She had not forgotten her lessons from the time she spent at the Temple before the Purge though, and consciencously excersised herself into exhaustion lest the atrophy she feared would worsen. There had been so much Master Windu was unable to teach her, but what he had she had done her best not to forget.

Threading her way through the now thinning crowds, s'Il shifted the leather satchel she was carrying to her other shoulder. Head held straight, the Lupine allowed her mind to roam free, becoming aware of those around her as she continued. She could see her Force essence trickle its' way ahead of her, the soft blue-white hue invisible to all but her - another perk of being what she was.

It was as her thoughts rolled over a few wandering monks and an offworlder perusing a paper, that she first felt the small pings of anticipation - the kind of anticipation one felt before taking a somewhat calculated risk. She knew enough that the monks were not who she felt this from.

Taking a cursory note of the man, s'Il opted to keep her pace constant as she continued past him.

[Sanis Prent]

She began to pass, and I walked forward at a hurried pace.

"Oomph!"

I bumped hard into her, and we both fell to the ground, my paper and her satchel falling to the side in a clutter, the contents of the bag spilling among the mess.

"Frell, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."

I fumbled around the dropped items in a veiled attempt at trying to pick up the woman's belongings and put them back in her pack. With the paper rustling over some of the things, I was able to use the distraction to pocket some things without seeing them.