A Chance Meeting on Coruscant

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf's alarm rang in his ears for several seconds before he got around to shutting it off. He struggled with getting up initially, but he managed to do so and stumble into the shower. Today was sorta important as he had a job interview and he didn't want to go there filthy, so a shower was a must. Some time passed and he was finished freshening up. Shower, clothes on, teeth brushed, hair fixed, satchel on and Daxter Noth was ready. Looking presentable was pretty important to the young man. He doubted any job would hire him if he walked into their business dirty. It was also important because Wil's father always made him wear an outfit so it kinda stuck with him.

After trashing his ship Wil began looking for other methods of travel. Air taxi's were good enough to him and he used them almost everyday. That's how he got from one place to the other on Coruscant. One day, he may buy himself a new ship but it seemed wasteful at the time. Besides, he didn't have any plans to travel off world. For now, riding in an air taxi would be fine. Once the taxi arrived he stepped inside, sat down and waited for it to reach it's destination.

Along the way he wanted to visit the slums for a bit, noticing he had extra time. "Sir, head towards the slums district. Please and thank you." ironically, he was entering the criminals' territory even though he swore not to do that ever again. Actually, this wasn't the first time. Wil visited the slums fairly often, once, maybe twice a week. When he reached his destination, he hopped out and paid the pilot.

Coruscant's underworld was dark and full of trouble as usual. He walked to an alleyway where some children typically stayed with a bag in his hand. The bag contained their favorite food and drinks, he came down here so much that he figured out what they liked. It made him feel good if they enjoyed his gifts, though charity would be the better word. As he walked around the corner, something was strange... they weren't there. Wil automatically assumed something bad happened to them but he'd wait just to be sure. He leaned against the building's wall, datapad in one hand and the bag in the other. Where are they?

[member="Vela Kryss"]

 

[Cyern Aarseth]

Coruscant had treated Vela well thus far. The metropolis planet was a sight to see, with interesting places rounding every corner, stories she'd need three lifetimes to hear and organized systems. Of course, not everything was bright gold in a planet such as this, housing so many millions of inhabitants was bound to join the prettiest sides of a community with the darkest ones, it is how things were. Today she knew she would face the harder reality of the planet, Vela needed to visit an old...friend who had made her home deep within what the Coruscanti called the slums. She did not feel uncomfortable with the place in itself, back in the day she had been no stranger to districts like this one, her family had never held much prestige or much wealth. What worried her was that the place was a known hotspot for criminals, and since Kryss Industries had inaugurated its new branch on Coruscant not long ago, she was alone with no one to ask to accompany her.

It was funny to see someone who had been in the military corps of her home planet worry about potential danger. But truth was she had never been much of a fighter, not in the traditional way at least. During most of the year, Vilosorians were peaceful, calm and physically weak people. It was only in the summer when they took on the powerful forms they were famous for, their predator shapes. And now, with the cold season in the peak of its annual period, Vela was as dangerous as a slightly annoyed pup yet to teeth. This would not stop her from reuniting with a long lost friend nonetheless.

So, filled with resolution and with the calm demeanor that characterized her, Velathri Kryss hopped onto a taxi and gave the directions for the place she was to visit. Last time she had seen Morai they had been teenagers finishing high school. Morai married young and had a child, she moved to Coruscant and they lost contact. All she knew was that she had lost her husband and son in an accident and after mourning them, opened a children's home in the place where the home she had once shared with her own family. It did not surprise her, Morai had always been the type to bring in and help any lost soul who needed it, more so if they were children.

Finally, she arrived and was quickly surrounded by cheering children of all species and backgrounds. She should have been aware that Morai would tell them about her visit, the woman couldn't keep to herself for the Maker's sake. In any way, she instinctively returned their happy smiles and hellos, chuckling whenever one of them threw the familiar 'shouldn't Vilosorians look scary?'. Soon enough, they had pulled her inside the house, all to follow, leaving behind an empty street that had been filled with children not long ago.

Next thing she knew she was engulfed and cut from breath by the arms of a long lost friend. "I'm so happy to see you too, Morai.". The two friends did not take long to fall into a much needed conversation, while the kids crowded the area around them bringing their toys and drawing and tales to share with their visitor. Their chat was cut short when one of the kids who had been peering out from a window shouted, calling the attention of her friends and of the two women. "Daxter's coming!" And that was all that was needed for the children to stampede outside the house, two worried women following in their wake.

Once outside, Vela saw how a young man was sort of attacked by a pack of infants, thought that caused her to chuckle slightly. Morai simply sighed, now that she was assured it was no one to worry about. "Hello, can we help you with anything?" she inquired, and Vela offered a kind smile as she waited for the man's reply herself.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf only waited a few minutes before the children suddenly appeared. He quickly jammed his datapad into a pocket and greeted them with a smile. They didn't seem to be harmed in any way, he sighed. Knowing these kids were fine allowed him to have a genuine smile on his face. It'd devastate him if someone laid a finger on them. Even thinking about it happening made him tremble with fear. Wil tried to forget those thoughts and focus on the kids as they were very excited. "Hey kids. I've brought your favorites." he informed as he held out the bag for one of them to grab it. Then, he noticed the two women who'd been watching from the very start. His eyes moved up to meet their's, he grinned and waved.

He would give an answer to the woman's question momentarily. Wil recognized the one who asked the question and assumed both of the ladies were the kids' caretakers, though he had never seen the other woman. His visits were usually cut short thanks to job interviews, so he didn't get to see who took care of the children. Today was different in that he could stay a little longer and now, he was able to meet them. He moved past the children and walked over to the women. "You've probably seen me around here at some point. I just come here to spoil the children. That is all, dear." he explained why he was there with a smile.

Feeling it was appropriate, he held out his hand and went on to introduce himself. "I'm Daxter Noth, call me Dax." he said with the smile unfazed. He turned to glance at the children, they looked happy. Good. working at an orphanage caused him to let his guard down in the presence of kids. Wil faced forward again, waiting for their response.

[member="Vela Kryss"]

 

[Cyern Aarseth]

As was to be expected, the generous attention the kids were providing to the man was immediately diverted as soon as the bag with the different treats and drinks had passed from his hands to theirs, eliciting a short laugh from the Vilosorian woman. These children were the most energetic bunch she had seen in a while, it was good spending time with them...maybe some of that energy would rub off on her to help her get through the long working day she had waiting ahead.

Morai instead offered a smile at the man, she did know who he was, partially at least. The children had mentioned him quite often. "Yes, its good to finally meet the famous Dax. I'm Morai, the caretaker of the kids and this is my friend Velathri, recently moved to Coruscant for work." She introduced and Vela did not take long to extend her hand, offering it to Daxter for a shake. "Please call me Vela, pleasure to meet you, Dax" Then an alarm on her wrist watch went off, signaling it was her time to leave.

"Well, I must leave now or I'll definitely be late for work. Can't have that happen. It was so nice seeing you again and meeting the children, Morai. I'll definitely be back as soon as I can." She said her goodbyes to her friend before turning to the man that had arrived. "It was good to meet you too, Dax. I'll probably see you again around here sometime"

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

The first lady to speak called herself Morai, and she was indeed the caretaker of the children. She introduced her friend too, the friend's name was Velathri but she insisted he use the shortened version. His eyes would move back and forth, depending on who was talking. "The pleasure's all mine, Vela, Morai." he said this in a friendly tone but he didn't really care about befriending them. The children were the only reason for him being there, he could care less about anyone else. Of course he wouldn't be rude to the women until they did something to deserve such treatment, even he'd feel a little guilty in that scenario. So far, they've been very polite. The alarm scared Wil with ease, he was paranoid in a way and feared an attack but soon dismissed his negative thoughts when she spoke.

He remembered Morai mentioned that Vela came to Coruscant for work as she talked about leaving. Wil was curious, "I'm afraid it's my time to leave too. You're doing a wonderful job at taking care of these kids, Morai. Feel free to ask me for anything." he turned to face Vela next. "Would it be a bother if I accompanied you to your transport? A young woman in this dark and dangerous place sounds like the perfect setting for a horror film." he said the last bit with a grin, though it was lost after a few seconds. Wil was still on his quest of search for the perfect job, he didn't waste this opportunity to possibly find it.

[member="Vela Kryss"]

 

[Cyern Aarseth]

Morai smiled kindly at Dax, she had always been a very sweet woman and always responded to everyone with a composure and ease that for many years, had made her jealous in the best of ways. "Thank you! Bye you two, hope you have a great day!" She said, before bidding the kids back into the house and disappearing behind its door. Vela ruffled one of the kids hair before waving at them. They were a happy bunch, she'd made sure to come back and help whenever she could. She could use the friendship and distraction and they certainly could use the help, it had been far too long since she spared some time to do things in which she enjoyed herself in a manner that was not related to professional or labor-accomplishments.

Once her friend and her wards were all out of view, she directed her blue-green eyes back to the man who had offered to accompany her. She laughed lightly at his last remark, before accepting "Of course, I'm taking an air taxi. I'm headed to the industrial district, we can share if you want to and that direction suits you too." She started walking, keeping to Dax's side. For some moments she remained silent, simply enjoying the feeling of calmness and happiness that seeing an old friend arose within one. However, it wasn't long until she spoke again, a friendly tone in her voice, "So, where are you headed to? If you don't mind me asking, its okay if you'd rather not tell." She sometimes forgot that in planets such as this one people weren't so prone to sharing in their personal business, so she was quick to excuse herself just in case Daxter had rather not divulge the information she had inquired about.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf returned the smile and waved to the children as they went back inside the house. The kids really did brighten his day even if it was only a little. Morai was nice too, he could trust her in handling the little ones. She'd done a good job thus far after all. Wil wasn't a fan of making friends but Morai would certainly be someone he'd care a little about in the future. Anyone who helped the less fortunate was someone he'd love to meet and thank, though he wouldn't let that person get close enough to be called a friend. After a few unfortunate events, he'd started seeing the worst in everything. For example, he thought people that got close to him and became his friend fell victim to his curse. Whether there was any truth to it or not, he wasn't willing to take that chance.

When Vela began to walk, Wil followed with no particular emotion stuck to his face. She didn't mind if he accompanied her and even invited him to share an air taxi. He smiled and nodded, showing that he liked her idea. There was an interview he planned on attending but the job she mentioned earlier interested him. It'd be hard to miss with the extra time so he wasn't too worried. Vela asked where Wil's next stop was, if he didn't mind her pry. "I've always been bad at keeping a job that I don't fancy so I'm going to a job interview in the Uscru district... as I'm currently jobless. A nightclub is looking for a bouncer and I figured a man of my great stature is sure to be hired." he wasn't lying, he had no reason to, not as Daxter Noth.

[member="Vela Kryss"]

 

[Cyern Aarseth]

Vela payed attention to Daxter as he spoke, nodding in understanding once he was done. "Well your height is sort of intimidating, that would make you a good match for the job." She said, her smooth voice calm and encouraging. Vela was naturally a friendly person, she just had it in her to show genuine care for others. It was then that curiosity arose within her but she wasn't sure if she'd be making a good decision by following it. After some short moments of consideration, she decided that there was nothing to lose by simply asking.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I suppose you know about fighting if you are going to try getting that job. Do you have previous experience in that field? You know, military, weapons...the like." Maybe her question could come off as being a little weird or out of the blue. Yet the case still remained, she was looking to hire people to help her with designs for Kryss Industries. People that could try out the new models and provide feedback, ideas, opinions. Those were vital for the success of an enterprise like the one she was leading, so she couldn't just let that slip away without trying. The fact that she'd be helping him out was he able to take on a job of that type was simply a bonus.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

She agreed with him that his height would be good for the job. Being tall had many benefits and he was happy to have extra inches on other people, but there were also negatives. As a sniper, he found himself struggling to fit in the tightest of spots, though he'd get around that somehow. Then there was the issue of standing out in crowds when he wasn't trying. However his choice of clothing probably attracted more attention than his size. Wil remembered something when shesaid his height was sort of intimidating. "You can always lower a person's height. A few kids taught me that after they broke another kid's leg at school. Cruel, but remove the support and that tall thing isn't so intimidating, yes?" he learned quite a bit of life lessons during his childhood. Most of them, he shouldn't say casually to a stranger.

Wil's eyes immediately locked onto Vela when she asked her question. Can she tell I'm acting? he moved his right hand behind his back and gripped one of the pistols in his satchel. It could just be a coincidence that she asked about previous combat experience but he wasn't sure. He left his hand on the pistol inside the satchel for a quicker draw, he answered in a normal tone. "You must be capable of removing a threat if one appears. It can't be that hard, right?" okay, now he was lying but telling her about his criminal background would cause problems for both of them. He gave it some thought and considered that maybe he was overreacting, slowly moving to let his hand rest.

[member="Vela Kryss"]

 

[Cyern Aarseth]

Vela would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bewildered by his choice of anecdote. It was a somewhat...strong, or shocking to hear. Still, upon the passing of that initial surprise, she did understand what he meant by it and had no remedy but to agree. After all, there was no flaw to that logic. The advantage of height could be easily nullified with a blow to the legs. She was about to answer, after all her initial question hadn't meant that much to her besides her curiosity. But her words stopped in her chest when her eyes caught the movement of one of his hands, reaching towards his back.

She was generally a nice woman, friendly and easy-going. But still, there was not an inch of dumbness in her. She used to be a sniper back during her time in the Vilosorian military. There were certain movements that had, sadly, become more familiar to her than she would like. It was easy to hide the tension pressing up her back, and plastering a believable smile on her lips. Understanding she had went for a sensitive question, the logical solution was to change the subject. And keep her suspicions to herself for the time being. "Well, I guess. Though I wouldn't be so sure about the difficulty of it. There are pretty tough people out there." She laughed, and became more relaxed herself as she noticed his hand wandering away from its previously intended direction.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf had always been on edge, even in primary school. Kids were seen as harmless to those around them but in reality, the enemy could be anyone and that included a child. He'd became aware of this after some attacks during school. Father taught him how to fight and warned him about the 'bullies' in the future. He heeded his father's words because at that time, the innocent Willulf Montari existed and he looked up to the man who'd raised him. The bullies did come and he'd take care of them. Usually, he'd be the tallest boy there and guess what? They'd go for the legs. Though it never worked on him, Wil took note of the way that they fought. Going for a taller person's legs was pretty smart in that you can stop their movement and shake off the intimidation. Remembering this during the talk about height, he decided to say it aloud.

He kinda daydreamed for a minute as she answered his question. Vela's laugh brought him back. She wasn't certain of how difficult the job would be. Wil put on a grin, as if he was trying to act friendly. "I'm confident in my own abilities. Someone taught me how to fight long ago and I've added on to those skills over time. There's no way I'd fail completely at my job." this may make him sound like a narcissist but he trusted himself before anyone. Snipers typically run solo without anyone keeping an eye on them, as they are the overwatch. His training wasn't about teamwork or any communication at all. It was about being all alone and working in a self-reliant way. Even when he wanted to leave that life behind, Wil found himself using it as the back bone for a new one. "What do you do for work, Vela's? My guess is modelling." a little flattery didn't hurt.

[member="Vela Kryss"]