A Pass Or Two

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

Theed was a nice city.

Beautiful in it's architecture and kind in it's people, the hallowed palace's parks, and homes of Theed were something to be admired from both afar, and close. A serene beauty hung over the city, a stillness that Kurt could hardly even begin to explain. It seemed that within the cities center there was always life, but a calm and peaceful life, not the ruckus of a city like Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa. He supposed that was why people lived here, why they ventured to Theed in the first place.

He'd come here once before, and had been arrested for the trouble of it.

That was his job of course, traveling all over the galaxy and delivering packages. He was a courier, and the last time he had made this trip the people whom he had delivered the package to had ended up accusing him of kidnapping their daughter. The event had been...awkward, especially since Kurt had later gone on to meet that daughter and help her run further from her parents. That had been an adventure and a half.

Now he found himself back, for much the same reasons ironically.

The delivery had consisted of a small box to one of the higher nobles within the city, not the Queen herself but apparently close enough to it.

This time he hadn't been arrested, and thankfully Kurt was now able to wander around the city for a few hours before he had to go back to The Messa and pick up Kaile from a nearby tradeport where she was meeting with some Alliance spies. He had taken this time to tour the Cities parks, one of which he was now wandering through. The trees hung over the walkways and the grass seemed to be made of pure green, looking beautiful as the sun shone down.

Kurt walked through the park, unattached to a thing and not caring for the world. He admired the views he saw, one especially. A woman sitting on a park bench, beautiful and blonde, reminiscent of The Reviver herself. Slowly Kurt moved towards her, putting on his most winning smile.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Sitting on the park bench seemed to be the only thing she could do right. She had just been spoken to by the authorities about harassment and how she shouldn’t try and convince someone that they were her dead lover reincarnated. Spencer put her hands to her face as she sighed, maybe she was going insane and that she should probably start letting Ashin go. Leaning back on the bench she pulled out a small compact and looked in the mirror. Her hair looked out of place, but she quickly ran her fingers through it and straightened out her bangs. The rest of her hair fell against the shoulders of a leather jacket she had taken from Ashin’s closet.

It still smelled like the woman and felt as if she was being hugged. The thought made her feel childish, but for the most part it was all she had at the moment. Staring down at the birds that had gathered at her feet, Spencer decided she would try. She would try and move on letting go of Ashin once and for all. The sense she had been picking up seemed to have faded away again, which to Spencer meant it was a sign that things were finally showing that Ashin’s transfer hadn’t worked. If it didn’t work, she wondered if she had become a part of the Five or something. Memories were still foggy especially after the insanity that she had unleashed on Lujo months prior.

Nightmares still haunted her from that night, not only Ashin’s death, but the feedback she received from releasing the memoires of the dread lords. Pausing, she decided to look at her surroundings, the park was beautiful there were children playing, people walking and a guy with the cheesiest grin who seemed to be coming her way.


[member="Kurt Meyer"]

It was time to move on right? Ashin help me…

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

Kurt moseyed his way over to the woman on the bench.

He wore the same confident smile that he always wore, the same clothes that he always did. The climate of Theed was warm and sunny, inviting for comfort and mindful of those who wished to wear nothing but a simple shirt and pants. For him, this was the epitome of comfort. Many within the city wore ornate clothes, fine garbs and grand robes that denoted them as high born nobles or people of people. The woman on the bench wore no such clothing, instead appearing more casual, like he was.

Immediately it made him think she wasn't from Naboo, or at least part of a more inviting generation of the people from this planet. The Courier shifted slightly moving over to her and offering her a warm, boyish smile. A gesture fell out towards the empty seat on the bench beside her. "Mind if I sit?"

She looked to be about his age, perhaps a bit older, though that hardly mattered. She had beautiful lustrous blond hair, though most of his attention was drawn from it towards the expression on her face. There seemed to be a sadness there, a grief that Kurt had not noticed from afar. He wondered what she had lost, perhaps a lover? That seemed the most likely with someone his age, especially when sitting in a park and mourning that particular loss.

He supposed he would find out.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer looked away from the man as he continued to make his way towards her, the last thing she needed was to somehow manage to give him the impression that she was staring or wanted to have him look at her. His voice chimed through her thoughts and she knew it was too late. Her shoulders tensed for a moment feeling almost guilty that she was noticed by someone else. Spencer knew that the guilt was misplaced – she had been noticed before by others even when she was on Ashin’s arm. This time though produced the guilt that started to sit in her stomach.

Looking back up, she nodded slightly and looked towards the seat next to her. There were so many other benches why did it have to be the seat next to her? “Oh, yeah you can sit.” It’s not like someone else was going to sit there. She thought quietly to herself as she brushed her blonde hair behind her ears and looked over at the man once more. She felt she was being rude and should probably say something, but what could she say.

Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind. She was over thinking every little detail of every moment she was experiencing. The guy just wanted to sit down and decided to sit near the closest bench. It wasn’t because of her, it was because he was tired from walking and the day was too nice to pass up. Finally working up a little bit of courage and social normality, she opened her eyes to look up towards the tree canopies. “Nice day, hmm?” [member="Kurt Meyer"]s

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

Kurt looked around himself, his eyes falling on the beautiful scenery that lay all around them. The woman was right of course, it was a beautiful day, and the park all around them only helped cement that beauty to an almost ethereal level. Kurt couldn't quite describe it, but there was a calm here, a stillness, it was as if his entire body had finally settled into place and for once he didn't feel like he needed to run an entire marathon and a half.

His eyes wandered from around them to the woman sitting beside him, a small smiling pulling at his lips. "Beautiful, really."

Hard not to notice he wasn't talking about the park.

That was Kurt though, taking a moment, making it his own. The mark of a selfish man, or perhaps a man with just a little bit too much confidence for his own good. The Courier of course couldn't have known of the tragedy that Spencer had just gone through, couldn't have known of her grief. He likely would not have said what he did if he had, or maybe he would have tried something else.

Hard to tell with him.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer was well aware as to what he was referring too. A part of her welcomed it slightly, while the other part wanted to kick her own face in. It had been nearly four months and she had spent most of it either eating ice cream and cake while flow walking her memories or searching for the feeling of Ashin’s spirit within the living. Both have sent her on a wild goose chase and now she ended up in this park, on the verge of tears. Though with the man’s arrival she was able to keep them choked down.

She feared meeting his eyes, so instead she focused on the sky above her. The sun was bright as it illuminated the spots it could find through the canopy of leaves. Spencer softly closed her eyes fighting the return of memories. She wanted a moment of peace, just to be who she was and to try and find her way without the woman who had molded her into the person she was today.

“I love Theed. It always seems so peaceful despite the terrors that have plagued the galaxy.” Finally working up the courage she looked over at the man. “Are you from here?” [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

"I think it's the buildings." Kurt answered to her claim of peace. "The way they're built, the rounded stone and the great archways. It adds to it, makes it less harsh."

He spoke as if he knew a bit about architecture, but in reality he just knew what the opposite of this construction brought.

Tatooine was all harsh limestone constructs and great durasteel buildings. He had never liked the way that Tatooine was built though he understood it's necessity. He loved his homeworld dearly, but it had nothing on the city of Theed when it came to man made beauty. He appreciated what the Naboo had done on this world, so much so that he had been delighted to find a structure very much like Theed on Cloud Nine, the city in the sky constructed on Bespin by Vanir Technologies.

His head shook. "No, I'm afraid such a noble place doesn't suit me. I'm from Tatooine."

The greatest hive of villainy and scum in the galaxy, or so most called it. His home was a meeting place for gangsters, smugglers, and pirates, but Kurt loved it all the same. To him there was nothing that could match the natural beauty of Tatooine. The great ocean sands, the huge rocky rifts, there was a natural beauty to them that Kurt would never have ascribed to any other place.

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Tattooine is a good place to be from.” Spencer closed her eyes and nodded remembering the lectures of some of the great Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, some girl she couldn’t remember Rai, Rey, Renola...either way there were some great people coming from Tattooine. The buildings were nice, though she was from Dathomir she was used to mud and slaves. The memory put a frown on her face as she opened her eyes.

“I’m from Dathomir, witch clan and all that stuff. My father though was an Echani - so guess I inherited his affinity with the Force. Couldn’t do a witch spell to save my life” She laughed, probably the first time in a long while. “My poor mother, my twin brother and I couldn't do anything pertaining to their witchcraft” Shaking her head, she opened her hand closest to him and nodded. “I’m Spencer Varanin, you are?”

It was polite and she had hoped he didn’t put any numbers together to figure out who she was. Sometimes it's nice to just experience life as the person you are, not what your reputation says you are. [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

Kurt had no idea who she was, or rather, what her name meant.

The exploits of Ashin Varanin had mostly been lost on Kurt, even though the woman had one been Empress of the place that his own parents had called him. He had never much liked history, and truthfully he had never really watched the news either, it made him too sad. So when she said her name he could only smile and nod, being a bit taken aback about all of the information that she had offered on herself. It was interesting, and something entirely new given that he usually had to drag that from a woman.

"My name is Kurt." He said simply. "Though I'm afraid I can't use the force."

He stalled for a moment. "Or cast any spells. I'm just a charming, handsome courier."

The man offered her a small wink.

 

[Allyson Locke]

He seemed to be unaware, which was something that was extremely welcomed by Spencer. To be just a random stranger to someone was a blessing. He wouldn’t ask questions such as how her wife was, or how she was feeling now that the woman was dead. Nothing about Ibaris or what she was up to and if she was still with that idiotic Mandalorian boy. Above all else, he wouldn’t be trying to impress her so that he could get her support for some war that she has no business being in. Everything she was he knew nothing about and she was happy.

“Being charming is a spell, a different kind of spell that happens naturally for some. For you Kurt, I do find you quite charming.” A smile remained on her face, she was enjoying the small talk in the park with the man known as Kurt. She didn’t know who he was or who he worked for, not like things like that mattered anyways. Having that sort of stuff interfere with pleasantries always ruined the experience. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to stop caring about the Republic, the One Sith and whatever else decided to pop up and call themselves something meaningful to the galaxy, in the end the only meaningful thing was the people around you.

“I still can’t believe how beautiful it is today. With everything that is happening in this galaxy, war crimes and death - there’s still this beautiful day.” Slowly, she started to remove the jacket she wore, leaving her in a white loose fitting tank top. The weather was nice enough to start peeling away layers.

“So what is a charming, courier like yourself doing sitting in a lovely park. Aren’t there important packages needing to be delivered?” She laughed at her comment and her pathetic way of being funny. [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

"Oh I assure you I'm usually quite busy." Usually anyway, but not as of late.

It helped that Naboo had such a relaxed atmosphere. Even with everyone dressing like they owned everything nobody ever really bothered to move quickly. He supposed that was just the nature of this world, the way that everything was about it, the peaceful grasslands and the tendency for there never to be a storm here. He frowned for half a second, then returned his attention to the woman that sat at his side. Kurt offered her a charming smile, boyish and confident.

"I can't always be delivering packages." The Courier said with a shrug. "Otherwise I'd never have the time to meet beautiful women like you."

The smile widened into a grin.

Maybe his charm was a spell, or maybe it was just a silly aspect of who he was. Kurt couldn't really help it though. He had seen her and immediately he had known that he would try, immediately he had known that he would not fight that temptation.

It was simply who he was.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Compliments were something she wasn’t used too, mostly because she didn’t pay attention to them. When Ashin was around the woman possessed her entire attention, but now she had to become aware to others in the galaxy. Without much effort from the man, he drew a blush on her soft cheeks. Spencer couldn’t help it, being called beautiful was any woman’s weakness and it made the corners of her cheeks pull into a small smile.

“You are far too kind Kurt. Thank you, I needed that.” He had done work and his efforts were paying off. Spencer was beginning to feel comfortable with his presence and she began to lower her walls. Her body shifted and she faced him slightly, a hand brushed aside her blonde hair. “Well then I’m a lucky woman to have been sitting here when you decided for a stroll in the park.” Biting her lower lip, she pondered if she should continue to indulge his efforts. Her mind wandered to what she would be doing if she decided to end the conversation and return to the room she was renting. It would be filled with report reading and probably alcohol with a side of tears.

Again she brushed back her blonde hair behind her ear securing it there. “What...what does the rest of your afternoon look like? Any important packages need your attention?” The smile widened as she rested her elbow on the back of the bench and placed her hand casually against her head. She waited for his answer, if he had things to do she wouldn’t press the issue, but if he didn’t...she was tired of being alone and company would be welcomed at this point. [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

He had to muse on that for a second, well, not really. Kurt knew his day inside and out, mostly because when he had time to waste, he usually knew exactly how he was to waste it. That didn't mean however that he couldn't reschedule for a shot with a beautiful girl, after all, what kind of man would he be if he turned down a woman like this? The Courier thought that might have broken the very barrier of reality itself, or perhaps that some kind of god would come and pushing him for doing something so very silly.

"Me?" Kurt pointed to himself, as though he were shocked that she would ask.

"Well, I was supposed to meet the Queen." He waggled his eyebrow, though from his tone it was clear that he wasn't being serious nor actually bragging. "Though I suppose if you'd like to buy me dinner I could blow her off, she's not half as beautiful as you anyway."

Kurt actually had no idea what the Queen of Naboo looked like, but that hardly mattered.

As he looked at her he could still see that hint of sadness within her gaze, the thinly veiled despair that told a story of loss and depression, perhaps a tale that she had wanted to tell but could not. He found himself with a deep seeded need to break that gaze, not to look away from it, but to simply change it.

 

[Allyson Locke]

“You sir are too much, but you’ve caught me on a good day so your compliments are being well received.” Spencer couldn’t help but laugh softly. He was doing a good job of making her feel better mostly about herself and her situation. The sadness was something that would linger, until she finally had some sort of closure. That closure would either be finding where Ashin’s soul finally ended up, or finding out that her soul couldn’t find a body and it had finally passed. The latter thought bothered her the most, especially since she really didn’t get to say good bye.

Yet, it would be closure and she would be forced to move on. She still had Ibaris to look after for the most part – the girl was like her Papa, too smart for their own good.

“The Queen? You must be someone important, far more important than a simple courier. There’s more to you than meets the eye Kurt.” Spencer was curious as to why the man was to meet the Queen of Naboo and why he was willing to blow her off for dinner. Shrugging, Spencer felt for her wallet and nodded. “Sure, I’m open for dinner; you’ve won me over Mr. Class Act. Anywhere in particular you think would be suiting for a pair like us?”

Spoiler

Leaving work now, I won't be back for the evening, but after tomorrow if you've posted I'll get to it. Vacation time :] Night [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

Her perked an eyebrow, smirking slightly.

Apparently she had either not caught the sarcasm in his tone or she had disregarded it completely. Either way there was amusement playing across his face, and as he pulled himself up from the park bench the Courier simply stretched and folded into himself slightly, as if the exertion of sitting had actually been a strain on his body. He offered he hand up and off of the bench, his fingers curling slightly in a sign of trust and motion to make her take his palm.

"Perhaps something fancy." He said for a moment tapping his chin with his free hand then seeming to change his mind.

"Nah." Kurt said. "I think you need something a little rustic. The Hangar forty three diner, just off Hangar forty one."

Why the restaurant called itself the Hangar Forty Three Diner when it actually sat off of hangar forty one was something that Kurt, and probably several others, would never truly understand. The owner of the place was a rather eccentric Gungan gentlemen who had made his way to Theed some four or five years ago. He was a good man, and the food at the diner was actually quite good. It wasn't anything fancy, mostly fried Nuna, some Bantha steaks, simple things that most rich folk in Naboo wouldn't really appreciate.

The Diner survived off of Naboo's thriving trade hangars, of which Kurt was often a patron of.

 

[Allyson Locke]

He first suggested fancy which made Spencer's mind start to wonder if he was a con artist just trying to mosey his way through his time on Naboo get some free food, free sex and the rest. Then the guy changed it up and went towards casual. Spencer had heard of the small diner and had been meaning to stop in.

Starting to gather her things she stood and stretched. It was a sign she had been sitting there sulking for too long. Kurt coming along was a blessing in disguise. "Alright the diner sounds like a plan. I pay for dinner and you get us there?" Smiling, she offered her hand to help him off the bench.

"After dinner we see what we can get into?" [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

He chuckled slightly. Kurt was no con artist, not really anyway, but he did know his way around people. It had often been a part of how he'd survived, how he'd moved around the galaxy and how he'd found his fun after seeing everything else through. He smiled slightly as he took her hand and began to drag her away with a gentle tug, pulling her towards the hangar bay where they would find the diner.

"I assure you." Kurt said. "I can get you anywhere you want to go."

That wasn't just a lie either.

Kurt had an uncanny ability to befriend people. It was an odd skill that had formed over the years, one that he had practices on Jedi, Soldiers, hell even a Sith or two. It was something that he was good at, making friends, and his simply country-boy charms seemed to be a great help there. "All you have to do is ask."

The Courier told her as they moved towards the spaceport.

 

[Allyson Locke]

His hands were calloused like her father’s, not the one that helped create her, but the man that had raised her like his own. She remembered how he used to pull her along towards activities in the tribe especially when she was hidden within the living quarters. There was another man that dragged her along, his name was Erich and he usually did this when she was in trouble and he was playing hero to drag her out of things. Blinking she tried to snap herself out of the quick memories that were flashing before her.

It seemed that her mind was still shaky from Lujo. Blinking Kurt’s back returned as he pulled her along, but with another blink she saw Ashin – the way she had met her when she was eighteen. Her mind was playing tricks on her and she did her best to push them out of her mind. Finally finding her focus she caught her stride and walked beside Kurt. Her hand never left his as she looked around Theed. “How long are you planning on staying on Naboo?” It had been so long since she just walked down the streets holding someone’s hand. A smile remained displayed across her face as she walked with Kurt. [member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Spencer Varanin"]

"Naboo?" Odd question considering his occupation.

"Not long." He said with a shrug as the massive cliffs of Theed came into view. In the distance one could see ships of all class and type floating from and towards the great hangars built into the side of the Rock. Great freighters, tiny fighters, even a few ships built by the Naboo themselves, their bright silver skin giving off a brilliant reflection of the sunlight. Kurt watched them for a moment, then turned his attention back towards Spencer, his blue eyes settling on her for a moment. "We don't really stick around long after delivery, we set out own schedules for the most part, but generally it's better to take more deliveries than sit around on the same planet for days on end."

"No money in doing that." A shrug rolled over his shoulders.

Kurt had never minded taking small vacation days in between the delivery of packages, especially when he was on a world like Naboo. Of course the last time he had been here he had been arrested, but that was an entirely different story. He found that this time things had gone much more smoothly, and had become much more enjoyable. As they drew closer to the star Port he could heard the whining of engines in the distance, the sound of ships taking off and landing.