The odd smell suited the drab studio apartment. The air was stale and moist, filled with dust. Clothes were pilled on the floor, food table and chair, around the entertainment center, and in boxes near the refresher door. Shelves heavily stocked, the contents in disarray. The shadows were quite bold, heavily massed behind furniture and on the walls. At the center of the room besides the couch was a candle. Its shine segregated the room, casting large spaces into shadow and others in the dim glow. It flickered. The shadows danced with the unsteady light.

Kenas acknowledged this passively, trying to listen to the hushed words of a dying man. Known by the other tenants as Artur the wretch. A doughy face nestled beneath the covers of his blanket. The table's corner was positioned closest to Artur, giving him access to his holonet guide, a tebac pipe, and cup of water. Artur's hand extended from the shroud and gestured, catching Kenas's attention.

"Don't stand, it makes me nervous. Sit... a-and pour yourself a drink or something. Careful, though," Artur said. He clasped his cup and rotated his body onto his back.

"...Right," Kenas said hesitantly. The seat indicated was a cushioned dome piece of a R3 unit. He watched Artur drink from the corner of his eye. The odd way he raised his neck and titled his bald head back. Once the slurping began, Kenas took to his seat and inspected the water. There was an queer scent and a light green haze on the rim of the pitcher. He poured the water into a cup and held it silently. His reason frantically deliberated his mistake, while his intuition patiently reassured him.

"It's hot there and a bit off, you know? The place was empty but you could never convince yourself of that. Moving shadows were our eyes fooling us. I hate the desert, best part was when the sun set..." Artur said. He went silent, his reddish-brown eyes started to drift.

Kenas felt a breeze touch his face and neck. He sipped the water and then began to speak. Immediately he was interrupted by a loud thud in the walls. The small family upstairs was moving furniture he concluded and took another sip. Kenas wanted to speak but he hesitated.

The springs in the couch moaned as Artur shifted his body again, turning to see Kenas clearly. Artur's skin was pale and oily and his lips were rough and cracked. In Artur's gaze, though, Kenas found that his eyes were clear and penetrative.

"You get me, man?"

"I don't like a desert, it's too extreme. After, though, what happened?" Kenas asked.

"You know what happened, I don't want to tell anymore stories... I-I want to watch something. Hand me that changer. There, beside you."

A tickle crept across the back of his head and his vision grew sharp. Kenas blinked and breathed slowly, warm breath flowing through his nose. He reached over to the holonet remote, leaned further, and handed it over. The shadows took colors of its own, mostly bronze and violet where not in the light. The holonet activated, the screen displayed the experts explaining clone war skirmishes between popular commanders and relating the effects of the war on contemporary society.

Artur dropped the remote onto the table, nicking the cup of water with a loud crash, but not spilling it. Artur and the room was a gloomy, technicolor picture. Vibrant colors washed over everything, distorted and wild. Kenas watched Artur. The man didn't seem to be looking at anything at all.

Added (08 Mar 2009, 9:28 Am)
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A growled ached in his belly. Kenas's stomach churned and he felt a sniffle coming on. He stood, careful not to block the holonet screen. The candle quivered as Kenas rounded the table and knelt beside Artur. He touched him, his slender fingers gripping the man's fat wrist. Artur awoke, he took a long breath, and stared at the ceiling. Kenas felt pain in his stomach and chest, hunger. Artur flexed and sprawled out on the couch. Artur muttered something inaudible. The corners of his mouth curled towards a smile then stopped. His expression faded, his head reclined, and life passed from him. The man's presence in the Force dwindled to nothing. The corpse exhaled and defecated.

The room was busy with the loud music of an advertisement. The hollow light painted Kenas in the product logo's array of hues. He released Artur's wrist and walked back to his seat. He knelt and fingered about the de-activated droid. Finding his way to the computer's root menu, he checked all saved logs. His fingers fumbled when typing on the tiny keys. He paused, focusing on his task. Artur's files were well documented and few. It took him little time to find the particular files he sought. Kenas copied the information and loaded it to his data-pad.

A disturbance came from the shadows at the far end of the apartment. His senses flared. Kenas half turned to the pale corpse at his back. A noise came from the furthest wall, then again from the family above. The chilling suspense faded. He was alone.

Kenas pocketed his data-pad and prepared to leave. While donning his leather fatigue jacket, Kenas regarded the candle. It hunched so weakly, short and old. He waved his hand at it, the slight air disruption too pathetic to quiet the light.