#Khavni Alritak

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: Theron Shan, the next time I order you to stay behind, you tell me to go to hell.

Theron: Noted.

[rhianthialritak]

I wasn't going to post this bc it was acoping fic but I'm actually proud of it so... CW/// self harm mention, unhealthy coping mechanisms, death mention, suicidal ideation mention Joyshum found himself pacing. Frustrated and disgusted and disturbed by his sister's decisions. She hadn't been like this in a long time, so close to the edge, teetering on the cusp of darkness with hatred clouding her mind. He hated to admit it frightened him. The sharpness in her voice when she spoke. The concern that radiated off of Lana. The scars on her knuckles, fresh and raw. A slight increase in surveillance would have been acceptable, expected even. The fighting, the betrayal, the four new faces she'd chosen to accept into her inner circle. All of this could have justified an increase in security. But not like this. Never like this. And then, there was the issue of Theron. Joyshum tried to remind himself that it wasn't fair to blame Jace Malcom's actions on the decisions of his sister. But the man's death clearly tore at Theron, and he hated it. "I'm the last person he'll want to discuss this with." Indessell had told him, her voice had been heavy, weighed down with sorrow, but he suspected she was right. Any attempts she made to help would be brushed off as "Jedi meddling", he'd done the same once before, six years ago. "And I suspect you know more about this than I would anyway." She was right, of course, she was always right. Joyshum hated that too. For a while he'd wondered if perhaps Indessell and Lana and everyone else were wrong, that perhaps the way Theron was choosing to cope was fine, acceptable even. But then he'd noticed Rhianthi, and the way she drew back into her old habits, the way she'd stew in her own emotions, letting everything build up to a breaking point, and then come crashing down. He remembered the scars on her knuckles. --- Rhianthi was a mess. Her amber eyes bloodshot, although whether the cause was a lack of sleep or crying was anyone's guess. She scraped her fingers across the stones again, letting out a sharp hiss as the jagged edges dug into and tore at her flesh. It was a distraction, and one that was sorely needed, or so she told herself. It may have been true, the burn of shredded skin was the only thing currently keeping her mind off of the ever more tempting idea of simply placing her saber against her chest and igniting the blade. "I couldn't do it anyway..." she murmured "not to Yuo'ie. She already lost me for five years, I won't force her to say goodbye forever." She drew her knuckles across the stone once more, letting another hiss leave her throat, more reflex than a genuine reaction to pain at this point, stopping only when she noticed the red on the ground beside her, blood dripping from the freshly opened wounds. She stood, slowly, eyeing her surroundings carefully as though she was watching for someone, she was, she supposed, attempting to keep this from her daughter at the very least. "I thought I'd find you here." A gruff accented voice spoke, and Rhianthi turned her head sharply. "Joyshum." She said. "You're bleeding." He replied, biting at his thumb. That would bleed soon too, Rhianthi suspected. But unlike hers, Joyshum's habit wasn't deliberate. The blood was an unfortunate side effect of his absent-minded gnawing, not the intent. The fingers on his robotic hand twitched, he was nervous. "What do you want?" She asked, though the question was an empty gesture and they both knew it. "I want my sister back, Khavni. Go away and let Rhianthi come play." Joyshum regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, and the sneer that spread across his sister's face only further confirmed this. "That is not my name." She snapped, the words sharp. "Khavni Alritak is-" "Dead." "Do not interrupt me, you insignificant pathetic excuse for a half-wit." Lightning was already sparking from her left hand, there had been a shift in her voice, her words less spoken and more spat. Another place, another time, he may have see her threat as genuine, but he knew Rhianthi, knew her too well to be scared away by the small light show in her palm. "You aren't going to hurt me." He said, calmly, not an order, an understanding. She was shaking, barely holding herself together underneath the facade she wore. "You don't know anything!" She growled. "You aren't going to hurt me." He repeated. Watching as Rhianthi dropped her arms to her sides, sunk down, and buried her face in her hands. Joyshum moved closer, sat down beside her, and didn't say a word. They sat there in silence for a long time, Rhianthi would occasionally look up, to confirm he was still there. His lips turned upwards into something reminiscent of a smile, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here as long as you need me." A gentle reassurance, a side of the man only a select few ever got to see. His words were genuine and soft, and to Rhianthi, they meant the Galaxy. ---

[alritaklegacy]

Lana: Are you out of your mind?

Khavni: Ah, yes, completely, but that's not a recent thing.

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: I’m so happy two of my favorite people are getting along now.

Joyshum: Uh, Lana and Kayari are not getting along.

Khavni: They’re not trying to kill each other.

Joyshum: You may have a point.

[alritaklegacy]

Zumasha: Lana is mad at me, and I'm not sure why.

Khavni: Okay, did you talk before she got upset?

Zumasha: ...yes?

Khavni: That's probably it.

[alritaklegacy]

Kayari: From now on, we will be using code names. You can address me as Eagle One. Kaliyo, code name: Been There, Done That. Khavni is Currently Doing That. Raina is It Happened Once in a Dream; Vector, code name: If I Had To Pick a Dude. Lana is... Eagle Two.

Lana: Oh thank goodness.

[alritaklegacy]

*Khavni is talking about their past*

Khavni: I guess it was that day I came home to a cold, empty house, devoid of light and love, and I knew then that my sorrows would only grow.

Zumasha: Khavni, this is the saddest life story I have ever heard! And you haven't even covered the teen years!

Theron: Oh, I'm sure it gets better!

Khavni: Ha! No, at eleven, things really took a turn for the worst.

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: Did it work?

Axethri: Yup. Boreallius's right behind me. Like, literally right behind me. He's driving a bright red speeder. He's actually terrible at this.

[alritaklegacy]

Axethri: What do you do for an encore, Commander?

Khavni: I win.

[alritaklegacy]

Rhianthi: We'll have to cut down on expenses. What can we live without?

Zumasha: Probably Joyshum and Nesh.

Khvani: That's a good start.

Nesh: Huh. Well that makes the things I was gonna cut irrelevant.

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: How could you possibly think this was a good idea?

Nesh: Many ideas were not appreciated in their time.

Joyshum: Electricity.

Nesh: Shampoo.

[alritaklegacy]

Masvia: It'll take years to rebuild these systems.

Khavni: You have two weeks.

Masvia: Yeah I can do that.

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: Did anybody ever tell you how pretty you are when you're homicidal angry?

Kayari: I'm not angry. In fact, I could slit your jugular vein 11 different ways from where I'm sitting and wouldn't lose my temper.

[alritaklegacy]

Zumasha: Where's Yucartio?

Nesh: Uh... that is an interesting question. The answer, uh... what was the question again?

Khavni: You're perfectly aware that Nox is capable of eating you, right?

Nesh: It's a recurring nightmare, yes.

[alritaklegacy]

Kayari: What do you want me to do, fire her?

Khavni: Kayari, I am shocked that would even cross your mind. But if you must, you must.

[alritaklegacy]

Khavni: Did I say both of you?

Joyshum: Well, you didn't not say both of us.

Indessell: Yeah, he's kinda got a point there.