Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

There were people everywhere!

People partying, celebrating, raising hell, mostly just having a good time. The festival had barely started and Garth was already feeling a little overwhelmed. Clearing his mind of conscious thought, he let his feet find a path, and the path led him here, to the maze.

Could be a little fun, he thought as he stepped between its well maintained floral walls and the game was afoot...

Eventually he runs into two blindfolded people - a human male and a mirialian woman - making there way through the hedge. The man is walking confidently, as if he knows exactly where he is going. The woman is less so. She is clearly doing her best to keep up with the man, focusing more on the sound of her partner's feet.

He stops and removes his blindfold only to have the woman bump into him. "Hello, friend...." He seems cautious. The woman takes off her blindfold and looks Garth over. "Hello."

Force Power: Seek: 2eF 3 Light Side


Force Power: Seek: 1eF 1 Dark Side
(Barris does not activate her power.)

Garth had been observing the pair for a few moments and was wondering what the heck they were doing before they greeted him.

"Howdy, ah'm Garth. Y'all are def'nitely doin' this maze on hard mode with them blindfolds." He comments, one hand absently running across the green shrubbery.

"We're training." The woman spoke up. "I'm Barris. This is Mark."

Mark offers his hand. "Nice to meet you." He gives a small chuckle. "Just trying to improve our other senses. It helps with the job."

Barris rolls her eyes. "We're detectives." Clearly, this random man in the hedge maze isn't going to know what Mark is talking about without clarification.

Garth accepts the offered hand and shakes it vigorously.

"Ah ain't no expert, but what other senses y' looking t' hone? Ah can't imagine the air tastes any diff'rent from one section to another? The scents of diff'rent flowers maybe?"

He seems impressed at the idea, but very confused about its execution.

Mark pauses a moment, considering what to call it. "I suppose the best way to describe it is a sort of inner balance. Like walking on a tightrope or going through a dark room. Seeing things with getting distracted by vision." He puts the blindfold on Barris. "You see what you want to find, and let your mind guide you towards the path. Useful when you learn the trick if you don't mind the occasional bumping into things and looking a little foolish while you learn."

"Hey." Barris takes a slight bit of offense about that. She didn't bump into him too much.

Garth can't help but silently wave his hand in front of the blindfolded Barris to try and find out if she could really see through the thing.

"Then ye're better than me. All ah know is if ah stumble back t' me cot in the dark after too many beers, ah wake up wi' bruises all over me shins."

Barris slaps Mark. "I can feel the wind from your hand."

"Good. You're learning." He turns to Garth. "Try it sober a few times. It should help your body learn to do it after a few too many drinks. Can't promise you you won't wake up with any bruises, but should have a few less." He flips a credit. "Barrie, find the credit."

She obviously is not finding it. She isn't even heading into the right direction. And yes, she did smack into the side of the maze. Mark frowns. The girl still has more to learn.

"As you can see, it's not the easiest thing to learn." He shakes his head. And changes the subject. He would have no problem laughing at her if they were alone. But he wouldn't embarrass in her in front of others. "Is this your first time at the festival?"

Garth looks a little almost offended at the method of training. It almost looked like Mark was treating her like a puppy or performing animal - at least to Garth's unpracticed eye.

Ignoring the training methods as something he just didn't understand he focused on talk of the festival. "Yeah, first time at the festival, first time on th' planet, first time meeting mah family. Lotta firsts here fer me, what of yerselves?"

Mark ignores Garth's seeming offence. The alternative would be trying to explain that he is teaching her how to use the Force in the same way as he has. And while the man does not appear to be a Jedi or Sith, Mark did not like to advertise his abilities.

"I grew up on Alderaan. I have been to this festival many times. But this is my first time in some time. I have been helping various worlds with investigations in the name of House Antilles."

Mark sighs. "Barrie. Stop. You're not close. We'll start over from the beginning later. Just relax right now."

She mutters something under her breath and gets up, taking the blindfold off. "This is my first time. I have been partners with Mark for... about two years now and before.... well, I didn't get to go a lot of places before I started traveling with Mark. Don't have any family. Meeting yours must be nice."

He was proud of her. It would have been a bit rude to ask, Hey, are you important, or just random person? But Barris was trying to get him to talk. She might not have any loyalty to House Antilles, but she knew what the job was. Even if she disagreed with Mark's plans.

Mark Fallenstar wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:46 am

"I grew up on Alderaan. I have been to this festival many times. But this is my first time in some time. I have been helping various worlds with investigations in the name of House Antilles."

"Sounds int'resting, like one a them space cops off Kessell Run holovids?" Garth asked with an inquiring tone. "Must be a lotta stories tied up in that line o' work?"

Mark Fallenstar wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:46 am

Mark sighs. "Barrie. Stop. You're not close. We'll start over from the beginning later. Just relax right now."

She mutters something under her breath and gets up, taking the blindfold off. "This is my first time. I have been partners with Mark for... about two years now and before.... well, I didn't get to go a lot of places before I started traveling with Mark. Don't have any family. Meeting yours must be nice."

Garth suppressed a chuckle at Mark's frustration and focused on Barris's words instead, his hand reaching for the ilum pendant he wore, as was his customary tic when he started to talk about his mother. "Is def'nitely a comfort to meet family who knew me mother. Findin' out I got an Uncle and cousin's an' more is nice, that feelin' ah'm not alone in the 'verse. Sounds like Mark gives ya a similar feelin' of belonging t' something?"

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 17, 2021 2:05 am

"I grew up on Alderaan. I have been to this festival many times. But this is my first time in some time. I have been helping various worlds with investigations in the name of House Antilles."

"Sounds int'resting, like one a them space cops off Kessell Run holovids?" Garth asked with an inquiring tone. "Must be a lotta stories tied up in that line o' work?"
[/quote]

Mark chuckled. "I have some interesting stories. Though not quite as exciting. If I got in a blaster fight, I'd just be shot."

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 17, 2021 2:05 am

Garth suppressed a chuckle at Mark's frustration and focused on Barris's words instead, his hand reaching for the ilum pendant he wore, as was his customary tic when he started to talk about his mother. "Is def'nitely a comfort to meet family who knew me mother. Findin' out I got an Uncle and cousin's an' more is nice, that feelin' ah'm not alone in the 'verse. Sounds like Mark gives ya a similar feelin' of belonging t' something?"

Barris became stonefaced. Her hand unconsciously reaches for where her lightsaber would have been in a different life. "No. I.... I had people like that once. But I had to leave those people. I wasn't fit serve..."

"Barrie, stop. No reason to get hung up on the past. Maybe after all of this, we'll see about finding some work on Mirial." That shocked her, but she quickly got herself under control. Like Mark said, she can't change the past. Dwelling on it would only lead to regret. And that sort of things leads to the Dark Side.

Mark continues. "We're partners." Though considering Mark's relationship with his family, being partners was preferred. "Though I am happy for you. Is your family from House Antilles lands?" Mark doubted, but his idea would make little sense if they were.

"Yeah," Garth replies as he rubs at an old wound on his upper thigh. "Been shot, not much fun, but occupational hazard of workin' fer th' Navy."

When Barris reacts to the mention of family and belonging, her emotions almost smack Garth in the face, he'd never felt a connection that strongly before.

Sense Barris emotional state D1 MM: 2eF 4 Light Side


"I...Ah....ah'm sorry Miss Barris. Ah didn' mean t' upset ya." Only belatedly did he hear Mark's question about ANtilles lands.

"Ummm no, Ulgo actually.: He replies still a little stunned from the earlier developments.

Barris emotions were loss, regret, and self-loathing. An organization she belonged to. She missed them. He fault. Not good enough. Corpses. When Mark calmed her down, those feelings went away. Replaced with control. If Garth knew Jedi, he probably could guess this was Jedi training. Though it cracked a little when he mentioned going to her home planet. Shock mostly. Desire for a family. Along, with a little anger and fear at the imaginary family. But mostly shock that Mark was going out of his way to be nice. Again, the Jedi control kicked in.

But there was something else. When he used Sense on her, he could immediately tell that she was a Force user. And she could tell that he had used a Force Power on her. It couldn't have been Mark. He had one trick. And she knew it.

"I am alright. Excuse me, but are you a Jedi?"

Mark suddenly became uneasy. Garth didn't need the Force to tell Mark was not a Jedi fan.

Overwhelmed, Garth wanted nothing more than to give Barris a hug and comfort her, but her words shocked him back to reality.

"No! Are....are you? Ah'm...touched, they say, but weren't never trained. Ah'm so sorry, ah'm sure it weren't your fault." Garth took a half step forward until he saw Mark's face and instead took a few steps back.

Barris blinked. He obviously was stronger than her. He probably would be Jedi Knight level had he been trained. She started to say something when Mark interrupted. "Barrie, stop. We are under the light of the beautiful day during a festival of love. No reason to dwell on the painful past. No reason to argue with a man who only wants you to feel better."

Barris considers for a moment. "Thank you for your kindness." She smiles, feeling appreciative of Garth's intentions even if she still blamed herself for her part. "I was a padawan until I realized I.... wasn't the hero I thought I was. That's when I joined Mark. Mark is may not be a hero, but he does good in the galaxy." Sure, the occasional shady behavior happens, but overall, he does good. Even if it's just a paycheck to him. "He's like you. Learned it on his own. Though he doesn't like Jedi or the Sith." Of course, the way she said Sith, it was clear she agreed with him on that one.

Mark went over to pick up the credit, a little annoyed. No reason to throw him under the bus. "You were asking what senses we were training. Well, it was that one." He flips the credit to Barris who catches it. He then turns back to Garth. "We will keep quiet about you and would appreciate the same. The Jedi are annoying but the Sith? Well, the Sith have no problem taking Force users and forcing them to become Sith. I doubt they would try it here, but best to stay off their radar all the same."

"Hell, ah didn't even know ah was usin'....it, until a Jedi sensed it in me 'bout five years ago. She told me much the same, us who ain't trained tend to piss off both sides o' the fence: the Sith hate us and the Jedi fear what we might become." Garth shrugs in resignation.

"Spent the last five years on a planet called Bankor, learnin' from a group of gifted natives who don' judge. Them's the one's what taught me that...taught me to feel like that. But ye got mah word, on m' mother's grave, your secret's yer own, ah won't spill th' beans."

"Thank you. Bankor? You a soldier?"

Garth nods. "Not great wi' a gun in m' hand, but ah consider m'self one o' the better pilots in the Republic Navy. You serve before this detectiving?"

The pilot comment got Barris's interest. Though Mark responds first, "No. I respect those that do serve, but I never had any interest in it myself. I'm bad with a gun and can barely pilot a ship. Actually, that's Barrie's specialty. My talents would do little good in the army, since I can always work as an independent investigator."

After he was done, Barris spoke up. "What kind of ship do you fly?" Obviously, ships were definitely her interest. Garth wouldn't his Force power to tell that.