"Well, uh… go ahead and make yourself at home, then."
With that, Braze left the area and padded off toward the galley.
Kip, the ship's Chadra-Fan pilot, leaned forward against the table, studying Kivah with open curiosity as one of their newest ship 'guests.'
Fizz, the Squib mechanic, lowered his ears slightly at the question... He glanced toward the others, and the easy humor around the table quieted.
"Braze gave me a job after catching me stealing from him," Fizz said at last.
"Which was either very kind or very poor judgment from the lad..."
Jek, the hooded Jawa responsible for keeping the ship supplied, gave a sharp little sound into his cup.
"Taa baa. Bota-bota."
Fizz pointed at him without looking away from Kivah.
"I'm still employed."
"Tikka now."
A few quiet laughs moved around the table before Kip leaned forward, folding his arms against its edge.
"He generally seems to... find people when they are out of options," Kip said.
"Then he... gives them one."
Gibit, the Ewok weapons specialist, nodded slowly, his utensil resting beside his plate.
"Work and a room... and... trust." His small, dark eyes settled on Kivah.
"Usually before you have done anything to earn it."
Jek shifted beneath his hood and tapped one finger against the table.
"Braze paya fair. Braze worda good. Nyeta tossa people."
That earned a quieter pause from the group. For a few long moments, they exchanged uneasy glances... Fizz rubbed at the grease along his cheek with the back of one hand.
"He is reckless," he admitted thinking about the Black Wall ccoment.
"And nosy. And I doubt he has ever met a problem he immediately decide wasn't his problem."
"But he does not leave people behind," Kip added.
Gibit lifted his cup in a small, solemn salute.
"Especially when everyone else... already has."
Fizz's ears rose again, and some of his usual amusement returned.
"So, yes, we like him." He took a drink.
"We would simply prefer that he tell us before adopting another crisis."
"Nyeta. Too late. Braze grabba trouble."
"The rest of us are mostly here to make certain he survives doing what he does.... Which does rather beg the question..." Kip said, his gaze settling more deliberately upon Kivah.
"Why might you be here?"
Before Kip could press Kivah with another question, the galley doors opened and Braze stepped inside.
Several heads turned at once towards the pale haired male.
Fizz looked up over the rim of his cup, one broad Squib ear rising higher than the other. Jek paused with his utensil halfway to his hood, while Gibit glanced between Braze and Kivah as though weighing whether the conversation had just become more interesting or considerably less 'safe'. Kip remained where he was for another moment, his sharp eyes following Braze's approach.
Then, almost as though some silent signal had passed between them, the crew began clearing the table.
Fizz drained the last of his drink and gathered his plate beneath one arm. Jek scraped the remaining scraps into a tidy heap before stacking his dishes with meticulous care then taking them to the sink. Gibit pushed back from the table, collected his utensils, and carried them toward the washing station. Kip lingered longest, still watching Kivah with a faint curve at the corner of his mouth.
"Well," Fizz said, sliding his cup into the proper rack,
"some of us have to keep this ship running while its owner collects strays."
Jek gave an approving chirp from beneath his hood.
"Voom-box nyeta fixa solo."
Kip rose at last and gathered his plate.
"Try not to plan anything expensive before we finish our shift," he told Braze, then glanced toward Kivah.
"He will, of course. We merely like to pretend our opinions matter."
Gibit passed behind him with his empty cup tucked beneath one arm.
"They matter," the Ewok said.
"Usually after the damage report."
A low ripple of amusement followed them from the galley as they filed back toward their stations, leaving Braze and Kivah with the table, the lingering warmth of their meals, and considerably more privacy than either had possessed a moment before.
Chi'no Su
Braze
