Private After All This Time

[Riamah]

It had been quite a while since Ra had gone into a market on Naboo without her partner. Today she was given that opportunity and decided to just go shopping. Hitting up a cab, she paid for her fare when she arrived and hopped out. Dressed for a day of shopping. Comfortable shoes, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and jeans. Certainly not at all looking the part of any Jedi order. Just looking like an everyday person.

Walking with a confidence that wasn't present a few years ago, she started perusing some of the items at one of the booths. Setting an item or two to the side, this was the first place she had stopped at. Telling the clerk she would come back, she turned to leave the stall.

Continuing along, she smiled as she remembered her first visit here. Coming up to the park, she looked up at the sky for a moment and wondered if it was going to suddenly start raining again. Luckily there wasn't a cloud in the sky and she kept walking.

Another stall caught her attention and she walked up to that. Blinking slightly, she must be imagining things. Looking at the backside of a man, she could have sworn it was Jim. Deciding to risk looking and feeling like a fool if she was mistaken, she walked right up to the man.

"Excuse me. You remind me greatly of somebody I knew quite a few years ago."

Jim Pehico

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim had been retired for a couple years at this point. A quiet life like he was currently living was a boring life, and so to shake things up he decided to go shopping at the market, buying something, anything to get away from the shop. As Jim left his pawn shop, he looked around wondering how he would pay off his shops rent fee this month, at that thought he sighed and walked out the door.

Jim arrived at the market piloting a beaten-up land speeder, sputtering as it came to a stop on the street outside the market. Getting out of the lemon, he looked like a shadow of his former self, Jim felt average, goal-less, drifting through space without purpose, no better than an asteroid. But this was Jim's life now and he has all but accepted that. "Nobody will hire a scoundrel who has been out of the game as long as I have", Jim would continue telling himself, hammering it into his mind as untrue as it may be.

Jim's mouth continually frowned now, no longer sporting his signature grin from long ago. as he was inspecting a stall that had some quite intriguing collectibles he noticed a case that looked familiar. Opening the case his face was shocked, in the case laid two S-5 Heavy Blasters, He looked at the first, handle and there was nothing, could he have been mistaken? He searched the second and saw the inscription "JP". Something he remembered inscribing years ago when he was only just beginning as a smuggler. He looked at the vendor, It hadn't been anyone he ever remembered meeting, which was not surprising as he had spent the first few years of retirement as a drunk, selling nearly everything so he can continue drinking, including his prized blasters.

"How much for the blasters?" Jim asked trying not to look too eager to buy them back, but the vendor easily caught onto Jim. "6,000 credits." the shopkeeper grinned. Jim tried to do the math in his head, when the shopkeeper continued "each." Jim's mouth curled into a frown. He couldn't afford to pay rent or even live on Naboo if he bought back the blasters. But maybe it was a sign. Time to get the Roska out of storage and try to find some jobs. But this shop was his responsibility. Maybe this was good bye for ever. Just as Jim was about to come to terms with his new lifestyle, A spark.

"Excuse me. You remind me greatly of somebody I knew quite a few years ago."

Jim jumped dropping the box he was holding. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time. A voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand tall. he grinned in what felt like the first time in years. Turning around was the woman he almost fell in love with. Fiery red hair. Golden brown eyes. He was shocked.

"Ra... A... Mah…" Jim said surprised, Eyes wide opened, mouth unable to close. Jim regained himself and continued "What a pleasant surprise." He grinned.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

Perhaps it was her old assassin ways or just something else entirely. Maybe how surprising she could be. Who knows? All Ra knew was she startled the man...who ended up being exactly who she thought it was so much he dropped the box he had been looking at.

It took him a few moments to collect himself but he succeeded in doing that. Most likely she was going to shock him again with her action. Unless Jim pulled away, she would give him a friendly hug and step back, released her hold on him.

"What the feth have you been up to, Jim? After our date here, you just seemed to disappear!"

That wasn't entirely accurate, but to Ra, it wasn't far from the truth. They had actually encountered each other after that, but it really hadn't been very often or for very long.

"I'm glad you're alive, my friend."

When they had met, Ra was very closed and didn't open up easily. For the most part, she was still the same. Not with those, she considered friends though and Jim was one.

"What are you looking at?"

If she wanted to, she could probably purchase anything she wanted in this market. If there were something she could help him with, she would. Knowing him, he probably couldn't pay for it himself. She wouldn't hold it against him and if that was the case, would buy the blasters for him.

Jim Pehico