Private A ghost in the night

[Tawnita Wren]

Vren Rook

TEN YEARS AGO
CANTONICA


The footsteps were getting closer.

She daren’t turn to see just how many were closing in on her but Tee knew they would be troublesome, nonetheless. She maintained a solid running speed, determined not to be caught by them. They were well armed, well stocked, and up for a fight. She knew she’d get a kicking to remember, if they even allowed her to live.

Her right hand grabbed for her right holster; the blaster sat ready to deliver whatever brand of justice she felt like doling out that day. She grabbed it, held her breath and slowed down rapidly, turning as she could to face whatever was chasing her.

She counted four individuals immediately, each armed and looking incredibly angry. A human charged towards her, a sort of spear-like weapon in his hand. Before he could get any shots off, she dropped him, the blaster bolt cauterizing where his nose had once been. His momentum carried him forward, rolling as he fell and slumped lifelessly, steam wafting in the dry air. The sun shone of the barrel of the blaster, the thin muzzle releasing another stream of shots.

Flomp. Flomp. Flomp.

They contacted the chest armour of another human, the impact sending him reeling backwards as if he had been kicked from behind in the small of his knees.

A sound. Behind you.

She dropped to her knee as she turned behind her, catching the image of the marauding Zabrak as he cried a vengeful sound, guttural and full of angry assault. She squeezed the trigger once again, the first two shots missing him as he weaved and ducked out of her line of fire. The third shot made light work of him, clipping his shoulder, and sending him tumbling, clutching his arm.

She didn’t expect the impact. She had been so focused on the enemy ahead of her, she hadn’t seen the fourth antagonist approaching so rapidly. She tussled in the sand and dirty, grasping for anything she could find that might do them a damage. They were lightly armoured, mostly a leather of sorts, and Tee felt for any exposed flesh she could utilise as a weakness.

There.

Her gloved hands found a small, exposed area underneath the neck line, no doubt where a respirator pack would have sat had this suit been fully operational. But alas, it had been likely scavenged and thus was not intact. Pity.

She parried with her forearm as the attacker threw their weight down, Tee bringing her left arm to catch them in the stomach. As they lurched backwards, winded, she caught them again with a right hook in their poorly guarded face, sending their head back like It was caught on a line of wire.

She pounced forward, landing atop of them, and using her weight to try to contain their waving hands. It was a female. She shrieked and spat as she fought, commendably thought Tee. But Tee’s gloved hands found the fleshy exposed area and made light work of them, gripping tightly as she could. They locked eyes, willing the other to die.

-------------------------------
Tee sat, exhausted. The body of the girl she had strangled had offered some rations, ammunition that could be utilised and a few fobs, data, and the sort. The others were barren as far as she could find. She had found a nice repeater blaster on the back of one and it now hung from its strap on her own. As she walked back to the ship, a stitch formed.

I need to exercise. The moment I get of Cantonica, the better.

She huffed and grumbled, taking tentative steps towards the outcrop area she had left her companion in.

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

THE DEVIL'S AISLE​

Cantonica.

He hated the damn place. But it was a good a planet as any for a stop over while carting a bounty from one side of the Galaxy to the other.
"Mister Mandalorian sir, could you uh, loosen these cuffs a bit, please? They are pinching." the Bothan asked Vren docilely.
"Sorry to break it to you, but that is sort of the idea, chum." Vren answered as he was busy dragging a crate into the alcove to set up camp for the night.
"Right, yeah, of course."
The Mando'ade could not remember the last time he had such an easy, docile bounty in custody.

The Bothan sat on a crate and watched as Vren scratched around like a tip-yip.
"Where did your lady-friend go? She's been gone for quite a while now." he asked.
"She's scavenging to put food in your belly, seeing as we're to deliver you alive and well." Vren answered, straightening up and placing his gloved hands on his hips.
"Oh, that's quite nice. Truly. Thank you." The toothy grin the furry humanoid gave him was quite genuine.

Why was there a bounty on this guy's head? Seriously. He couldn't even hurt a fly.

Yet, the creds from this bounty would set him and Tawnita up well. They'll be able to settle down at last. Do some good, honest work for a change. They had gotten word of a settlement of Mando'ade on Roon - a haven for those that survived the attack on Mandalore. That's what he was aiming for.

A place where he and Tawny didn't have to scrounge for a living.

But Vren had to admit that the Bothan was right. Tee was taking a bit long to get provisions. Keying in a code on the comms on his vambrace, he then brought his arm to his mouth.
"Tee, how far are you?" he hailed her over their secure line.

No answer.

He was starting to feel uneasy. The area had fallen quiet. Too quiet. So when the thundering footfalls approached, the ripper pistols were out of their holsters faster than anyone could blink and pointing in the direction of the noise as he stood squarely in front of the Bothan.

And he nearly shot Tawnita as she entered the outcrop where he had set up camp for them.

"Damnit, Tee! I nearly planted an AP round in your face!" he snapped at her, lowering his pistols slightly. He did notice, however, that she looked winded. And roughed up. "What the kark happened and were you followed?" he asked her, a bit more concerned.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

Vren Rook

Tee righted herself after taking some deep breaths. Her helmet worked simply fine but she removed it, taking in luxurious gulps of air. It was hot but there was some comfort in the moving breeze. Her hair, cut short, seemed to collect around her neck and she drew her hands through it, moving it back to behind her ears where she kept it.

She sat down opposite where Vren had been and began to take off her gloves. She muttered sarcastically.

“Welcome back, Tee. I missed you, Tee. I came as soon as I got worried, Tee.”

She spat a concoction of spittle, blood and snot onto the dusty ground.

“Mudders. At least four of them. Must have tracked me for a good while before pouncing. I started limping eventually just to give them the encouragement to attack. I was getting…bored.”

She emptied her pack, swinging the new blaster rifle onto the ground too.

“Dinner is served. It isn’t much but will keep us going for the next few days. Here, this ration pack says ‘Ousen-berry’ on it. Bet the Both will like that!”

She looked Vren up and down. Even fully armoured he was a handsome devil. A devil. That he was, she mused. She could trust him implicitly with her safety, never fearing betrayal or being left behind. She did wonder, though. She wondered what their life might be like had they not taken the paths they had. She wondered if she was becoming too soft, too concerned about his well-being. And the sad truth was that she knew he cared too. That he might be reckless enough to risk his own life for her.

Unacceptable.

She counted through the ammo cartridges and placed them in a larger container, the blaster needing a good once-over to make sure it wouldn’t blow up in her face.

She moved towards Vren, her hands tracking up his arm affectionately.

“We should stay here for one more night then make for the ship. If we left at first light, we’d be far enough from here by the time word gets back to anybody else that might be looking for us or the target.”

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

MUST BE THE WHISKEY​

"Feel better now that you got that out of your system?"

Vren's tone was teasing, but at the same time, he was glad she was here, despite her foul mood. She had become a constant at his side. The duo had turned from necessary partners of survival to much more than that since the sacking of Manadalore.

When she threw the pack on the ground, Vren sniffed exasperatedly before picking it up. There was something about her demeanour that worried him slightly. She had been snippier than usual these last few days. Even though he tried to brush it off as her being a typical woman, but the worry was still there in the pit of his stomach - gnawing away at him.

He rummaged through the pack for a second while Tee kept spouting obscenities until he came across a ration bar. Unwrapping it, he held it out to the Bothan.
"Here, chew on this for the time being until I get proper dinner started." he told him.
The Bothan took it with his cuffed hands. "Why, thank you. And thank you, Miss." he said gladly to both the Mandalorians before munching away on the bar.

Vren turned his dark eyes to Tee as she finally approached him, affectionately taking his armoured arm between her hands. Resting his free hand over hers with a sigh as he listened to her speak.
"I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. We're quite exposed here. We leave before daybreak. No later. Got it?" he asked her earnestly, looking at her through his lashes. He then lifted his hand from hers to gently tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I'll get dinner started." he said softly before pulling away. He did linger, however, squeezing one of her hands affectionately, before turning around to get the primus going.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

Vren Rook

0400 Hours.

Her mind was made up.

She had watched him sleeping. She was often awake long after Vren, taking a first watch or just kept awake from all the worry. Worry for the future, worry of the past. This last job had been easy enough but it had extended and extended and extended.

Just another planet.

They had kept moving for as long as they could, for as long as her head could muster the strength and fortitude to press forward. They were being hunted. She was being hunted.

Each encounter made it that more difficult, each encounter made for a quicker escape or a harder landing. She couldn't do that to him. She couldn't do that to herself.

Heck, I don't need him. He's just slowing me down. I can't have attachments. I don't need this baggage.

She watched again.

She moved.

She moved as softly but swiftly as she dared, gathering her pack. Her shadow danced as the light heating element played off her movements, betraying her to anybody that sat watching them. She picked up the new blaster she had taken from the cadaver and checked it one final time.

She stood, her helmet in her hands, ready to be placed on her head. She took in the sight one last time. Vren.

Vren.

She sighed as deep a sigh as she had ever, the air releasing with it any sense of reticence she held still about her decision to leave him. She stole away and made for the Dancing Angel. She had always hated that name but Vren had laughed. He knew it near killed her to have to declare it to customs agents or border patrols on planetary approach documentation. The large Corellian Freighter was Vren's, a prize from one of their many bounties together. She couldn't take it from him. It was their home...his home.

She rushed towards it, catching at the gangplank as it descended. The ship was far enough to be inconspicuous; Vren mightn't not hear her. She climbed inside the large hull of the freighter, the regular steams and noises of the ship echoing as she sat in a low power, always ready to jump when needed. She eyed the singular shuttle. Nothing fancy. He called it The Joy of Mandalore. She just called it Rust Bucket.

"Cause that's what it is. A literal bucket of rust." she would say to him when he scorned her.

She shook her head, the sentimentality building disappearing. She had to move. Fast.

She jumped into the cockpit of the Shuttle, an oversized starfighter in essence with a basic living compartment attached. It wasn't designed for long journeys. You'd go mad in it.

She activated the freighter hatch, a slow release triggering the aft doors. A red light dimmed, allowing her to acclimatize her eyes to the night.

This was it. She wasn't coming back. Would he be okay?

That was no longer her concern. That was the point. She was leaving this behind so that she could no longer be comprised. They would endanger each other for the rest...for the rest of their time together.

The engine lurched her forward, the fighter clearing the freighter swiftly. She angled the control, allowing it to climb. She would be out of atmosphere soon. Then out of the planet's gravity.

Then out of the system.

Out of his life.

------------------------------------------

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren | Siv Dragr

GLASS HEART​

The night was quiet.

He had retired from watch in the early hours of the morning, curling up in the thermal bag next to Tee. The Bothan was snoring solidly a few paces away, furry hands still cuffed.

It took Vren a little while to settle his mind - his worry. Something was bothering Tee. He could not put his finger on it, but he knew her well enough to just tell. He also knew better than to ask her about it. The bounty also did not make things easier. Fretting about it, however, never helped anyone. He still had her comfort next to him, and with that thought he finally drifted off to sleep.

The cold of the pre-dawn woke him. It took him a few minutes to realise that Tee was not there. Neither was her pack or helmet. She always kept them close to the bed. With a start, he sat upright. Aside from the Bothan's sleepy breathing, all was quiet.

Launching to his feet, he ran out of the outcrop. The Angel was still there.

But the Mandalore was not.

The realisation of what it meant, the pain it caused, drove him to his knees.

Why now? After everything?

All the struggles. The fights. The hunts. The quiet moments.

The promises.

"Mister Mandalorian, sir? Are you all right?" the Bothan's docile voice drifted through the heartache. The questions.
Vren looked up at the furry face that was filled with concern. Why the kark was there a bounty on this guy? He didn't have a bad hair on his body.
The Mando'ade sighed. "I will be." he said as he got to his feet. And then he made up his mind. He stepped closer to the Bothan and grabbed him by the cuffs...

....and entered the code to release the mechanism.

"You're free to go." he said. "Name's Vren Rook. If you ever need a hand, you can catch me on Roon."

THE ENCLAVE - ROON SETTLEMENT
PRESENT DAY​

Vren ogled at Siv Dragr .

"You look like chit. I hope Kestri is more hospitable if you look like that? I'm not moving there if that thing is still swimming around. I like my fishing." he teased his comrade-in-arms and friendly rival.

He was looking forward to moving shop to the newly claimed planet. A new home. A place they had all bled for. Almost died for.

A new Mandalore.

As he had promised all those years ago.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

PRESENT DAY-ABOVE ROON

THE MOTHER ABBESS



The exit from hyperspace was as gentle as could be in The Mother Abbess. She was as smooth a ride as any out of the might factories of the Breshig War Forge; Tee had picked up quite the deal on the Gunship-something about old stock and a good price.

She sat, her hands firmly attached to the console that acted as the central hub of the cockpit. A rattling sound alerted her to something behind her. She knew it wasn’t an intruder; they had been in transit for a couple days now and the ship wasn’t all that big!

“A-V, what are you doing back there?”

A small spherical astromech rolled along a makeshift track that linked around the console and main array areas of the ship’s command centre, whirring, and chattering as it went.

“I’m speaking to you, A-V.”

The ball stopped short in front of her, just at her hip height, and she looked down at it, raising an eyebrow.

“I am looking for the Atmospheric-friction Shield coupler. The datalink has been compromised.”

Tee squirmed a little. She hated when things went wrong on the ship. It meant she would have to get up and do something about it. She walked back towards a much wider, more open area, filled with all sorts of living quarters and general belongings, small cargo containers, a table. She reached into a large metal crate and fumbled around for a short while; A-V having skirted along his running track to check up on her.

Found it.

She turned triumphantly, showing the droid the part he was looking for.

“Can you install it or will you need my help?”

A-V3 gave out what could only be described as a sarcastic laugh through his somewhat ‘electronic’ tone of voice.

“Very amusing, Tee. You know full well I do not have digits with which to insert that.”

Tee walked towards him, giving him a playful rub on the top of his body.

“I know. I’ll just get it in now. Hold the ship steady before we descend.”

A-V rolled off towards the cockpit, hooking into the main ship’s interface. Tee walked along, her hand running against the steel inside. She was looking for the right compartment. When she found it, she gave it a hearty thump and it popped open, revealing the inner mechanics and cabling. She pulled the coupler and replaced the broken one, checking against the data-pad she had kept in her pocket to see if the integrity was back to 100%.

“She’s good to go, A-V.”

A small voice answered back.

“I know.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------


The Abbess had found a hangar with relative ease, a large ship by personal standard but there was room for more certainly. A small army of droids rolled out to meet her, an armoured wrangler approaching her. They both wore their distinctive Mandalorian armour and helmets.

“Su cuy’gar, vod. Welcome to the Enclave. You’ve caught us at an opportune time.”

“Is that so? I’ll just need Her giving a once over.”

She threw some 'what-she-hoped-would-serve-as' credit towards the hangar overseer.

“And ignore the droid. He gets antsy a little too quickly.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Clan Wren…

No, I don’t know anybody from the Clan…

They could very well be my relations, yes…

I’m not sure…

I paid good money if you’re in doubt…

No, I am not on the run…

Does it look like I need that..?”​

She was tired of answering questions. The Mandos were cagey, that she understood, but they were processing all sorts of history from her, trying to link her up with Clan or House members.

“I already know somebody here…Rook. Vren Rook.”

The attendant had looked sideways at his colleague. In a society of people wearing helmets pretty much most of the time, you learned to read body language pretty well.

“Oh good. He’s popular.” She muttered sarcastically to herself.

“Where can I find him?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The walk towards Vren’s quarters was long. It probably wasn’t altogether a large distance but it felt long, like she was stalking through a muddy bog and all her emotions and baggage were beginning to weigh her down. What would she say to him? Hey! Funny story! I left cause I cared?

That wouldn’t do. None of that would. Why was she even back? To prove a point? To learn a lesson? To make smart remarks at him because she was bored of a lonely existence in the universe and he was the only family she had ever truly loved but she had abandoned him near ten years prior with no word or sign?

Perhaps the last one was a little too close to the mark. She shook her head.

Be cool, Tee. It’s been a long time. Maybe he’s forgotten you.

She doubted that highly. Vren was a sensitive creature, deep down under all the bluster and bravado and skull-duggery. She stopped as she arrived.

There was no way of going back from this one. She was already coming back after leaving for the first time. There would be no second. This was going to change her life, whether she wanted it to or not. But she was done running. No more hiding. No more “ghosts in the night”.

She stepped towards the open door, taking off her helmet. She had made a few touches cosmetically to her armour, though he would have recognised it in an instant, she was certain. However, she wanted the first thing he saw to be her face.

She stepped into the door and saw him, talking away with another. She spoke in her usual dry tone.

‘Nobody seemed that impressed that I was looking for you. I figured they’d hope I was here to kill you...’

She smiled. Inside, she wept.

Siv Dragr Vren Rook

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren | Siv Dragr

LOST WITHIN​

The colour suddenly drained from Vren's face.

His heart beating in his ears.

He had just let Siv into his home for a glass of tihaar on ice and had just said something about a pink umbrella when a voice he never thought he'd hear again, spoke up behind him.

The teasing smile slid from his face quicker than a snot-rag on glass.

Ten years of healing came undone in a second. The usual laugh lines on his face turned hard and cold as he finally turned to face the ghost of his past.
"They should know better than to think a spectre of the past can do anything to me." he answered coolly. "I should arrest you for trespassing. What is your business here, Wren?" Keep it formal, Rook. Keep it together.

Using her Clan name felt odd on his lips, but if he had to use her true name now, he'd break, and that definitely wouldn't do - not for a hardened Karjr of the Enclave.

She was bold to show up on his doorstep after what she had done. After everything she threw away. And yet, even after ten years, she looked exactly the same. He knew every line of her face, the way her eyes changed colour with her mood.

He became aware once more of his fellow Karjr that was probably very confused right at this moment. He cleared his throat.
"Siv Dragr, this is Tawnita Wren, my....an acquaintance." he said, hesitating towards the end.

My ghost...my shadow...

 

[Tawnita Wren]

Siv Dragr Vren Rook

She sighed loudly. She was exasperated by him already. As if ten years hadn't happened. As if she were still holding out with him in some trash can of a dive-bar. As if she hadn't spent the last ten years fighting for a survival that didn't mean she was bound up with him.

“You could arrest me. I don’t think it would do either of us much good. Afterall, I’d still be here whether I was detained or not.”

She looked at him as intensely as she might.

“I’m here because I’m here, Rook. I got tired of wandering alone.”

She watched the complicated flurry of emotions spring about Rook like a jumping Frog, bouncing from synapse to synapse, determined to not settle on any one emotional response. What had she expected? A cake? A party? A cry from the depths of despair as his heart was torn asunder once again?

She turned to the accomplice.

“Siv, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. Most friends call me Tee. I know we’re not friends but I figured we might as well start that way if I’m to be detained for trespassing.”

She eyed Rook, giving him the “Really? You’re gonna threaten me like that? Okay-suit yourself” look that only she could muster in a moment like this.

“Is the holding cell nearby or is it a walk? He knows I hate walking.”

She furrowed an eyebrow and held out her hands. Her body said:

Cuff me. I dare you.

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

LET THE RAIN COME DOWN​

And just like that, he wanted to wring her neck.

Vren's jaw set. She just had a way of pushing his damn buttons on a good day. And she just pushed them good by pulling Siv Dragr into this spat. There was no fething way he was allowing that.
"Dragr, we'll have to take a rain check on that tihaar, Vod. Excuse me." he told Siv sideways while holding up an excusing finger before marching towards the door. On the way, he grabbed Tee's bicep in a vicegrip and almost dragged her outside.

Once outside, he let her go, but got in her face, figuratively.
"You have some nerve showing up here after all these years. Why now suddenly? You pick up another spat and now you need back up again? That it?" He was annoyed.

Vren didn't do well when he got annoyed.

His hands rested on both his hips and his holsters in exasperation as he looked at the woman who had the gall to waltz into his home with a quip as if nothing had happened.
"Where's my shuttle, Tawnita? Or did you pawn it off for some Spice?" he asked her pointedly.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

Vren Rook

She was somewhat surprised when Vren grabbed her. She wasn't expecting him to make such motions so early on in their encounter.

Perhaps he was changed. For the better?

"Woah woah woah, slow down, shabuir."

She looked deep into his brown eyes. Years of time spent together danced across his retinas, searing into her consciousness. She didn't know why but she wanted to grab him right there and...

"Listen, vaar'ika. If you think I've come back to find you because I'm bored you're way out of your depth. I've spent enough time running round this fething galaxy, trying to outrun whatever it is I've been escaping from and now I'm not even certain myself why I came to find you."

She huffed very loudly and turned away from him, giving out an exasperated primal scream. She raged at him.

"I come to find you and all you have is the audacity to ask me WHERE-YOUR-SHUTTLE-IS?!"

She punctuated each word with a hit of his chest with her hand.

"I sold it the moment I could! The Cartel weren't ever going to let me go! You know that! They would have kept following us until they locked me away in carbonite or delivered me to Anniya the HUTT."

She punctuated the last word with final push on his chest.

She had forgotten how strong he was.

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

HELLFIRE​

Oh yeah, there we go.

He was waiting for her start raging. He just stood still and let her hammer away the Iron Heart.
"That shuttle cost more than your damn life savings. So yes. The shuttle is more important than your face right now." he deadpanned as he spread his arms wide in argument.

And then she just rubbed salt in the wound.

"Well, they would have done us all a fethin favour if they carbonated you." he shot back, rocking slightly from her final shove. "You got that out of your system now? Is my 'gam my own again?" he went on.

She was cute when she raged like a Loth-cat.

"You owe me for that ship." he said, sticking a finger under her nose. "You'll pay up or I kick you off this rock." he continued. "Come to think of it, I might do that anyway." he then mused almost to himself.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

She didn't know why she was just so angry with him. She hadn't felt this angry when she had decided to come looking for him. She hadn't been this angry when she had made the rounds asking after him. She hadn't been this angry when she had gathered up her entire life, her entire operation, and head for Hoth-forsaken Roon.

She realized she wasn't angry. She was in grief. Grief for the life she let go. Grief for the future she killed off when she left. Grief for the person she could have become, instead of the tribulations and trials she had suffered to keep herself alive.

She laughed scornfully.

"Classic, Vren. Real classic weapons-grade typical, certified VREN ROOK. Doesn't even think about the cost of hanging about with him for years left on me. Doesn't think about how much it cost me to have to watch my back every ten seconds in case one of the Cartel found us and took your lifeless body from in front of my eyes to spite me."

As she spoke, she fumbled into the side pack that sat on her right hip. Her fingers found what she was looking for and pushed it out in her clasped hands.

"There you go, Vren. Three hundred thousands credits. More than enough to cover the cost of that hunk of garbage I took from you."

She looked at him intensely one last time.

"This was an enormous mistake."

She motioned to leave. She stopped, bitterly confronting him once more.

"No, it wasn't a mistake. I've paid you back. So now we're nice and even and clean and you can buy a nice shiny toy. I'm sorry I took the old one; I know how much you cared about it." Her words dripped with angry sarcasm.

"Nar'sheb, Rook. I wish I'd never set foot on here."

She pushed past him and headed in the direction she had came from, making for the hangar where she was stationed.

Bitter tears began to fall down her face; there wasn't a chance in Hoth that she would let Rook see those!

Vren Rook

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

Her words cut like vibrodaggers.

And then it hit him what she had said. He was still trying to come to terms what had initially come out of her mouth when she stuffed some credits against his chest and raged some more before trying to push past him.

By then, his mind had caught up with his body and he dropped the credits before grabbing onto her arm once again just as she passed him to stop her from leaving, but his grip was gentler this time.

Years fell away in that instant.

"Tee, I..." he began as he gently turned her to face him but stopped when he saw the wells in her big brown eyes. In that moment, all the pride and scorn and hurt fell away and Vren Rook buckled slightly.

He pulled her into his arms and just held her, resting his cheek on her head.
"Stay." he said softly and simply, the familiarity of her form against his easing away some of the initial shock of her appearance.

 

[Siv Dragr]

D R I N K

Location: The Enclave
Tag: Vren Rook | Tawnita Wren

Siv did look like chit.

A long, freshly-healed cut ran down his face, from the top of his nose to the bottom of his cheekbone. His cheeks were gaunt and drawn, and bags under his eyes hinted to the little amount of sleep he'd managed to get. "Gurista on Abrion Major," Siv grunted unhappily. "Glad to see you decided not to grace us with your presence." To the bartender, he turned and rapped on the table. "Tihaar, on the rocks," he ordered, and the droid bartender nodded and turned to prepare the drink.

He was interrupted from his in-progress drink by sudden words from Vren, but not to him. He turned to see Vren facing off with a woman, a stranger that Siv hadn't seen before. His eyes glanced back and forth between tthe he two, and he didn't need a Sith's sorcery to sense the sudden tension that had entered the room. Even other Mandalorians at the bar were watching with a nervousness. When two Mandalorians faced off against each other, nothing was off the table; the tavern was one wrong word away from a full-on brawl.

It seemed that Vren remembered that Siv was there, and tentatively introduced him to the woman. A Wren, he thought. He'd heard of a few of the small and ancient clan, but he'd never met one. "Please to make yours," he responded nodding to Tee, careful with his tone, still very much aware of the tension in the room. He couldn't tell if Vren's threats of detainment were serious or another one of his jokes, but Siv knew that he wouldn't be able to make good on it; Wren had done nothing illegal by coming to the Enclave.

And suddenly, Vren was grabbing her by the arm and marching her outside. Siv stood there, and he really didn't want to follow. All of the sudden the Tihaar sounded even more appealing. He grabbed the drink from the counter top and took a long draught before setting it down. He looked at the droid, maybe thinking that the inorganic being would share in his exasperation, but all he got was an emotionless stare back from its metal photoreceptors.

Siv sighed. He'd let the two work out whatever the needed two -- obviously they had a past -- and be there to clean up whatever mess they made when they were over. He hated being the responsible one.
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[Tawnita Wren]

She was overwhelmed. She felt like the world was spinning erratically. She was in his arms. She felt joyful. She felt desperately sad. She felt elated. Her mind was racing, her breath was struggling to find a regularity. She was grasping for air, grasping for a sense of what was really going on. All she knew was that Vren was there and Vren wasn't letting go.

She pulled away somewhat and looked up at him. She resentfully and sadly struck his chest one last time with a clasped fist, her energy and resolve dissipating. She sniffed and pulled back fully, tucking her hair behind her ears. She wiped her cheeks.

"I'm not expecting anything, Vren. I'm not expecting the last decade to disappear, like it never happened. I can't explain it all right now but I just need a chance. I don't need to move in or marry you or ruin your day. I just needed a friend and even after all this time, you're the only one I knew I could count on. And that still scares me."

She moved in again, resting her head on his chest.

Vren Rook

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

Well, at least she got the initial fight out of her system.

How long it would last, however, was the question. He had learnt long ago to enjoy the quiet moments while they lasted before the whirlwind returned. The bigger question was - would the rest of the Enclave know how to deal with that whirlwind.

Sigh.

She finally decided to speak like a normal person when she pulled away slightly, and what she said made his brow furrow. He was still frowning slightly when she leaned against his chest again. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly and deeply as he held her for another minute or so before resting his lips softly on her head and pulling away. He still held onto her shoulders while he looked down at her.
"Damnit, Tee." he said, almost chuckling. "There's nothing to be scared of. There never was." He shook his head, a half-smile almost creeping onto his face as he dropped his hands.

He stepped back, running a hand over his face with a sigh. "All right, fine. You get your chance. Though I wouldn't get too comfortable here on Roon if I were you. We'll be moving most of the shop soon....ish." he finally agreed.

He had to quietly admit that he was strangely glad to see her alive.

To have her here.

"Come one. Let's get you a place to bunk in the meantime." he said, moving to head back inside to kick Siv Dragr on his backside to help find space.

 

[Tawnita Wren]

It had been three days. Three blissful yet complicated yet uncomplicated days.

Tee couldn't quite believe what was happening. She had wished it so, to find Vren and make good her promises. She had left him so long ago and to think that he could find something worth remembering of her that didn't call for him to cast her aside now was nothing short of a miracle. She was almost giddy.

She was learning to navigate her way round the settlement. She had walked the journey from her ship, The Mother Abbess, and Vren's living quarters countless times now. A-V3 had been most determined when she told him they were staying put for a while. Now he ran up and down on his track, barking out orders to the team carrying provisions and cargo boxes into the hold of the ship. Tee stood at the entrance to the cockpit, giving directions.

"Vren, this is the last of the tech equipment from that container. Its all been cataloged and marked up ready for transit."

She was excited to move with the rest of the population. A new settlement. A new city. A new life.

She had never been one for paying homage to either her lineage or upbringing but she was a Mandalorian. She knew where she was from and she knew the quiet respect she owed its very makeup of her core, the very essence of who she was. Of course she liked to break the rules now and then; it was a guide far more than a strict code, her father had told her. He had been a shipbuilder and armaments technician, turning his talents with metal into a source of income for their small group. This was why she felt so comfortable flying-it was in her very soul.

She approached Vren.

"V, I've had the manifest checked three times-you should be all good for this tech to travel."

She smirked.

"You look so serious! What's on your mind?"



Vren Rook

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Tawnita Wren

Three days.

Three days that have miraculously passed without incident. Vren was still slightly baffled by the appearance of Tee. She had hurt him, yes. But even after all these years, she had been in the back of his mind constantly. He never expected to see her again, but here she was - the only family he had left.

The only one that had held his heart.

Moving home was a big undertaking. Why did he have to be an upstanding member of this community? It came with a lot of extra responsibilities. But Tee has been a champion with helping to organise the move.

Yet, he could not help but wonder....

Tee was speaking to him. Vren snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her as she approached him. He gave a tired smile.
"Just wondering how to get rid of the droid." he quipped, chuckling at the droid's alarmed exclamation.

He looked back at Tee.
"Right, then we good to go. Wanna come along? See it for the first time? It's quite something, despite the snow. Just....don't go in the water." he said. He still had remnant psychological trauma after the spat at the docks. To know how close he had come to death....a shudder went through him. He daren't think of what would have happened if Kale Onara had not gotten him to the surface when he had.

He definitely would not have seen Tee again.

"Let's get this lady underway then." he said, looking about the ship. One had to respect the technology coming from Shuklaar Kyrdol and Breshig War Forge as a whole.