Festival Log | OPEN

[abominable]

Characters: Anyone and everyone, OPEN
Location: The streets near the starter apartments
Planet: Coruscant
When: Wednesday evening
What: The mysterious community hippies of Coruscant throw a festival. Hilarity ensues.
Rating: pg-13 (??)

Comments

[sand_wormie]

Nights on Tatooine, if there's no wind it's usually perfectly clear and you can see up to forever. If none of the moons are up you can see more stars, everywhere you look - it's like there's no darkness.

[With all the light here, the skies between firework explosions are completely dark. Luke's looking up and not seeing them.]

The sky's like a huge bowl with patterns, and I know it's not, that's just what it looks like. That's just how humans see the sky. And usually when I go out there I see individual stars, and think about what they are, what planets they have, what those're like.

But sometimes, if I look for long enough, or if I'm tired or coming down with something... [He pauses, and for a moment it seems like he's done, will need prompting, but he goes on, more quietly.] Sometimes it changes. Sometimes I feel like I see more - like the stars and everything are so close, like I'm already there. Like I'm touching it. And it all feels... I don't know. Maybe... whole. One.

[And the mood is apparently shaken, because here's a self-conscious smile.] Does that make sense? I tried to explain to Biggs, once, and he had no idea what I was talking about.

[...It's a Jedi thing. When he's much older and teaching his first class, he induces a much more focused, controlled version of this once.]

[pathtosacrifice]

You think a lot for a kid. [She leans over enough to bump him with her shoulder.] But it makes sense. Or... I think it does. [Catty chews on her lip for a second.] I've felt that once. Okay, no, that isn't right. I feel that way a lot, but what I mean is that I was whole once. I was one with everything. Life, death, the universe, good and evil and just... everything.

[She usually doesn't talk about things like this, but it feels important to attempt to reach a certain understanding with this kid, Luke Skywalker or not.] So I get it.

[sand_wormie]

I'm thirteen and from a rough world - we have to grow up faster than city kids. [He grins when she bumps him.] Though most of them don't think about far-off places much. I'm just weird.

[He listens, and there's the sense that he is listening, paying attention. Beneath the wild enthusiasm and the occasional moping, there's something... strange about Luke. He's a bit of a strange kid, really, and he's totally blind to that.]

Well. I guess they'd say we're both crazy, huh? [And strangeness is gone; he has a very broad, unselfconscious smile.]

[pathtosacrifice]

Hey, even city kids have a rough time. At least where I'm from. [She grins back.] You're not weird. Having dreams is normal.

[It's a good thing that Catty has seen the movies back home. And also that she's pretty close to the people in his future. She already knows why he's strange.

But strange is cool.]

I've been called worse before. And being crazy? So much better than being normal. Trust me on that one.

[sand_wormie]

The ones here - in the upper city, anyway - are nothing like the ones at home. Hardly any of them've even been shot at before. I keep thinking they're younger than they really are. [He's made some NPC friends, but is considered rather strange by them, too. ~forever an outsider~ and so on.]

It's just that the galaxy is so much bigger and stranger and more fantastic than anyone who's only lived dirtside guesses. It's probably more than what most others think, too - maybe even spacers get blind to it. I want to find out.

[pathtosacrifice]

[She purses her lips, giving him a look over.] Have you been shot at, then?

Then... You should do it. You want to travel and see the galaxy and discover what it holds for you? Do it. And don't regret it.

[sand_wormie]

Well, yeah. [He sounds faintly surprised, and reminds himself that this isn't Tatooine.] Tusken Raiders. You know, the Sand People. They've never gotten anywhere near hitting me, yet. Closest was about, oh, four meters.

I plan to! I'm saving money. It'd be an awful shame not to take this chance, while I'm here - I can't leave my aunt and uncle without saying goodbye, so I'll have to talk them around when I go back. [And a little glumly.] Which could be hard.

[pathtosacrifice]

[Look, unless you're part of a gang or gotten yourself into bad circumstances around here, Catty just assumes that tiny children are perfectly safe from the dangers of being shot at. Her hand goes to her stomach, to the place where she had been shot at by a droid months ago.] This place is made for the insane.

But at least you're have the chance here to do it. That's what I'm planning on doing eventually. Just... being out there, among the stars. [She pauses when he mentions his aunt and uncle before giving him an encouraging smile.] I'm sure you'll find a way to do it.

[sand_wormie]

It's an Outer Rim world. I told you, we have to grow up faster than these city kids if we don't want to spend all our time inside. [Luke sighs. She didn't believe him.]

It'll be great. You'll see.

[pathtosacrifice]

[She frowns at him.] Look, just because I've been here longer than most people doesn't exactly mean I understand everything that happens. Earth is only one planet, although I guess the countries there are as diverse as the galaxy here. Different cultures and everything.

I hope so!

[sand_wormie]

All right, all right. [He makes an 'I'm surrendering' gesture and almost instantly seems to be interested and engaged again. Luke tends to put higher priority on getting along then on assuaging his own feelings, and this is no exception.]

So what's Earth like, anyway? It seems like there's lots of people from there.

[pathtosacrifice]

[Yeah, winning! Never fight against a woman, Luke. Your first lesson.]

Earth? It's the only planet in our solar system with life. It's not as big as Coruscant, less people, no aliens. Or at least, as far as we know. It seems to be different for everyone you talk to, really. We're not as technologically advanced as we are here, but we manage. There are some bad places, that are dying, and some places that are so beautiful... [Catty pauses, staring down at her hands. She's homesick. She's been trying to ignore it for awhile, but ever since she's gotten back from Korriban, it's been stabbing at her. Her voice lowers a bit.] I used to live by the ocean. I could go there every day, sit on the sand, watch the waves roll in.

[sand_wormie]

The varied worlds - the ones which aren't all or mostly one thing, you can't sum them up as desert or city and know you're not leaving a lot out. They're always more interesting.

[He catches that, and his tone of voice isn't dissimilar.]

I've always wanted to see an ocean. We have waves out in the Dune Sea, sort of, but they don't move. At least not like prairies or liquids are supposed to.

[pathtosacrifice]

Earth is a mix of everything. Desert, city, water, forest, rainforest, snow...

[She glances at him, smiling softly.]

You've missed out! In good conscious, I cannot let this travesty continue on. Everyone should see the ocean at least once.

[sand_wormie]

Yeah? Maybe when there's a chance to leave Coruscant! They say there were seas here, once, and they got diverted underground. There are some reservoirs, but nothing with its own currents like air. The way oceans are supposed to have.

[pathtosacrifice]

Well, quarantine's lifted. All that's needed is a ship. [Her eyebrows lift up in surprise.] I can't imagine there being anything that isn't artificial around here.