Bad Day

[Kurt Meyer]

Pelagon
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

How the hell had this happened?

How in the fuck did he let this happen?

How in the fucking fuck. Kark.

Fuck.

Kurt slammed his head against the cafe table. His arms hanging limply at his sides over the armrest of the chair, his expression entirely defeated as the cup of caf he had ordered spilled onto the table, the smooth hazel liquid quickly spreading all over the glass and finding its way to his head. A deep sigh escaped his lips, sputtering against the table as the liquid soaked into his hair. The Courier sat there for a few moments, refusing the move until one of the waitresses slowly walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. She attempted to get his attention for a few moments.

"S-sir?"

This is my life now. Kurt thought to himself. I can just stay here with caf in my hair. That would be okay.

"Sir."

Shit. She knew he was awake. Maybe his plan of simply sitting there forever wouldn't quite work out. Another sigh escaped him and slowly he shook. His hands finally came up and were placed on the side of the table as though they were needed for him to sit up. Kurt pushed himself upright, some of the caf in his hair flicking back onto the person behind him as he lurched slightly. "Yeah."

He looked up at the Waittress. The Courier had expected her to be angry, perhaps even livid, instead however she seemed more perplexed than anything else.

He opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head.

"I'm just gonna go." Kurt stood from the table and fished a credit chit from his pocket, putting it into the Waitresses hands and then walking away out of the small cafe. His head swiveled around for a moment as he tried to get his bearings. The Starport was just down the road, that was where he was supposed to pick up Jamie. She was heading here to see him from Sullust.

Pelagon was another nice little vacation world, though instead of sandy beaches it had dozens upon dozens of house boats. It was a tourist world, a nice place really. Kurt would have enjoyed it far more without the dark cloud of what he had to tell Jamie hanging over him.

He sighed, and then headed towards the Starport, checking his comm to make sure he knew which gate she would be arriving at, his hair still smelling like caf.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

There was a subtle vibration in the shuttle as it breached the atmosphere of Pelagon. Jamie's eyes remained glued to the window as she looked out over the vast planet beneath her. Rolling waves surrounded the massive seascape that slowly came into view beneath the low clouds in the sky. The planet, while not quite as beautiful as Spira, was still quite a marvel for the blonde to lay eyes on. A smile beamed across her face as the Captain of the ship radioed to the passengers that they would be landing in ten minutes. Beside her sat her backpack she'd brought along for the trip. Within it carried several changes of clothes, the camera she'd bought with Kurt back on Naboo, her datapad, and lightsaber.

Retrieving the datapad from the small pocket in the front of the bag Jamie sent Kurt a quick message.

Hey! Landing now. Should be out of security in about 15 minutes. Terminal C28. See you soon!

Jamie

The spaceport at Pelagar was incredibly active, with small shuttles coming and going, transport freighters loading and unloading cargo as their crew worked tirelessly at their jobs. Jamie strolled down the ramp of the Dusty Rose and into the security offices for screening and identity checks. Initially there was a bit of concern as to the young woman's carrying of a lightsaber, but that was shortly cleared up after confirming the woman's identity. The brief delay however would have meant that Jamie was a bit late in exiting the security offices by another fifteen or so minutes.

Collecting her belongings the girl repacked her bag that had been emptied during the screening process. Sliding her arms through the straps and hefting the bag onto her shoulders she headed for the exit to find where Kurt would be waiting. She was later than anticipated, but then again it was Jamie, and Kurt knew her well enough that he should have expected this. The moment she stepped through the main archway and into the space port, the sound of life rushed into existence. People everywhere were going about their business, preparing for the arrival of family members or the departure of their own shuttles. Dozens of small cafe's and restaurants sprinkled the walkways as Jamie headed through terminal C28.

She looked a bit different from the last time Kurt had seen her. The blonde hair was now substantially shorter, though still just as curly. She had a few more bumps and bruises, and perhaps a couple scars on her thigh and stomach from some less than fortunate experiences. But all in all she was still the same chirpy girl as before, even despite the recent happenings on Naboo.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt was standing at the entrance of the terminal, figuring that Jamie would wander around for a little bit and then actually find her way to the exit.

He had tried to cheer himself up just a little bit, try to look on the bright side of things. His hair still smelled like coffee but the bright sun outside had at the very least dried off his hair on the walk over here. A part of him thought about just not telling her, thinking that it might be better to wait a few weeks until Kaile could have the test...but he knew he couldn't do that. He loved Jamie, and if he lied to her, even by omitting the truth then he'd just end up spoiling what it was they had.

The Courier sighed.

There was no way out of this. There was no way to avoid what was coming, so the best that he could do was...well spend as much time with her before the bomb dropped. He wouldn't tell her immediately, not here, and he wanted to hear about her trips first, Bastion and Dxun.

He wanted to enjoy talking to her for a little while before she inevitably...he frowned for a moment and shook the thought. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he assumed, maybe she would understand. Kurt only hoped that she would. A hand rand through his messy shaggy hair, slowly sliding down over his face as he scratched his shadowed cheeks. His head shook and eventually he looked up from the floor, eyes scanning the expanse of the terminal.

Kurt searched, and then saw her.

She looked different, her hair a little bit shorter, tired lines on her face, a few bruises on her skin. He smiled slightly for a moment, not saying a single thing but instead just watching her as she wandered through the terminal searching for him. Finally, when she nearly walked past him he called out to her.

"Jamie!" Kurt waved his hand, starting to walk towards her.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

It had been a rather early morning for her. Hitching a ride from Sullust to Pelagon was hardly a simple task. A single passenger ship destined for a world in a distant system was kind enough to adjust its course for her, for a small fee of course. Still, she had awoken far earlier than she would have typically, and had yet to eat anything as of yet. On her way out of the gate the girl stopped for a moment, reaching into her bag to remove a small credit chit and with it, purchased a fruit and vegetable smoothie, loaded with antioxidants and nutrients to at least make it through the next couple of hours. After she'd twisted off the cap she used her free hand to pull her bag back up onto her left shoulder, using the other hand to hold the drink she was now enjoying.

Wandering through the crowd she eventually came to hear Kurt's voice call out to her. The blonde froze in her stride, eyes shifting from left to right, drink in hand and up to her lips. An elderly couple passed between she and Kurt before her eyes finally caught his. Swallowing the bit of cool liquid in her mouth she lowered the beverage and shouted back, making her way over to him. "Hey!" She nearly bumped into several people, coming close to spilling the drink she held loosely in her hand as she rushed over to hug him.

"I've missed you!" She shouted as she threw her hands around his neck, carefully trying to avoid spilling the open container all over him.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

More caf spilled on him likely wouldn't have been that big of a deal in all honesty.

As soon as she reached him his arms slipped around her, a broad smile falling onto his face. For that moment, every single bad thought was gone, every doubt, every bit of fear, it all fluttered away to some place else. His arms tightened around her, he squeezed her gently, taking in a deep breath. He forgot about what he would have to do later, forgot about what was surely to come, instead he simply enjoyed the warmth of her presence. The joy of being with her again.

"I've missed you too." He slowly pulled away and smiled at her.

For a second he just took her in, looking at her, inspecting as if searching for scars, cuts, or other injuries she might have gotten while on her trips.

"I got us a boathouse." He told her. "Apparently that's what you do here."

The thing had been pretty cheap to rent, just a few hundred credits for a week. Kurt had no idea if they would actually stay that long, in fact while paying he had thought she would probably kick him out in the first three hours but...well for some reason he'd taken the entire week anyway, optimism.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh! Okay!" She exclaimed, nearly hanging off of him for a moment as her feet lifted off the ground. "That sounds lovely!"

She was excited, though much more so to simply be back with and to see Kurt again.

Notably the scent of Caf filled the air around him. When Kurt finally released her she leaned inwards, lifting up on the tips of her toes and kissed him. "This place is pretty." She remarked, settling back down level on the ground as the two turned to head towards the main lobby of the space port. "Thirsty?" She passed her oddly colored fruit and vegetable concoction over to Kurt in offering.

"It tastes better than it looks, I swear."

The large, open lobby was filled with an endless variety of alien species, as well as humans and near-humans. HoloProjectors all around posted departure and arrival times for inbound and outbound ships. Dozens of people held signs waiting to pickup those arriving to take them to their destinations. Taxi shuttles and private drivers waited just outside the main gates for those looking for transport around the seascape. The all glass panoramic layout of the lobby made for a brilliantly beautiful view no matter which direction one looked.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt leaned in and sniffed the drink, his nose scrunching as he caught a whiff of his scent. "No thanks."

He would just stick with the caf, and water.

His arm slipped around Jamie's lower back, and for a few minutes at least, he forgot about what a nightmare this would eventually become. Instead he took on his role as the good boyfriend, one that...well might not fit him all that well in truth. He lead Jamie out of the spaceport and into the town center, the bright sun casting the city ahead in a warm glow. In the distance one could hear the ocean, a waft of salt water rushing over the air mixed with the smell of dozens of different foods.

"Hungry?" He asked her. "Not sure if they fed you on the flight."

Kurt said as they wandered down the busy main street. Speeders were notably absent from the small town, as if they were actively attempting to create a certain atmosphere within the city. There were dozens of people streaming both ways, some into gift shops, some into restaurants. The feeling of the place was similar to Spira but also notably different. Whereas everyone back on Spira had been heading for the beach here everyone seemed far more enamored with the city itself.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Your loss." She said, poking out her tongue as the two continued their walk.

It might have smelled of a Dagobah swamp, but it sure tasted good! Besides, it was healthy and full of energy!

At first the sun nearly blinded her, forcing her to squint before making a bit of a visor out of her hand as the two wandered along the side of the street. Thankfully just up ahead there was a small vendor selling just what she needed! Hats & Visors! "Oh!" She exclaimed. The girl stopped in front of the few racks of sunglasses, trying on a few pairs before she found a pair of rose tinted, red heart framed glasses. Plucking them off the rack she tried them on, looking at herself first in the mirror before turning to Kurt with a gleaming smile. "Cute, yeah?!"

She didn't quite wait for him to answer, instead taking out the necessary credits and paying for them.

The rumble in her belly reminded her of Kurt's question seconds before they arrived at the sunglasses hut. The blonde looked down, poking her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry. Wasn't enough time before I left Sullust, and the ship's food was rather tasteless. What about you?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt smiled.

Jamie had a way of...overriding him. Not in a bad way of course, if the issue was important she would always stop and make sure to get his opinion, but on certain matters, like buying sunglasses he often found that his opinion didn't really matter all that much.

Something he really didn't mind.

"I could eat." In truth as of late he hadn't really been doing much of that. The two weeks that Jamie had been away on Dxun had been...well hard on him. He'd found out about Kaile just a day after Jamie had actually got to the forest moon, and that...well that had significantly decreased his appetite. He had done his best to keep Kaile comfortable and happy, had even assured her that everything was alright, but just below the surface Kurt had been an absolute mess.

Couldn't really blame him given the facts.

"There's a little cafe down by the docks." Not the one that had seen him embarrass himself. "Near the boat."

He pointed down the way as his arm replaced itself around the small of her back. "We can drop off your stuff then head there."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It's alright." Bright smile shining through, blue eyes hidden behind tinted heart shaped lenses. "I don't have much. I can just as easily carry it to lunch. Besides," She added, "I'm kind of really hungry." Admittedly she had wanted to stop for food before meeting up with Kurt, but knew that would have been incredible inconsiderate. Instead she held off, simply getting a nutrition shake to stave off the desire to chew her own hand. But it simply wasn't doing it for her.

And also, there was nothing worse than a hangry Jamie.

"I have my camera in there also, so in case there are any opportunities, best to keep it with us!"

She hummed to herself as they walked, her hand slipping into his. "Did you bring Kaile with you this time? Been wondering when I would see this elusive friend you share a ship with."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt nearly tripped over a rock. "N-no."

That might have seemed suspicious.

"She had to do some stuff for the SIS." Not a lie, thank force. "Wait...can I tell you about that? I mean you technically work for them too right? You said that in one of your messages? I don't understand how it all works."

He fumbled through the conversation and played it off as though talking about the SIS made him uncomfortable, which in truth it did. Spooks were always feared, even by regular Navy guys like him. He remembered well what it had felt like to see one of the Republic Naval Intelligence Officers stalking his hangar deck. Those guys had been on a whole other level. They were ruthless, intelligent, and quite honestly scary. He shook slightly as he pushed the thought away.

"I don't think I was made for spycraft." True enough.

He really didn't like pretending to be someone else. His game was flying, sitting in a cockpit and shooting at stuff that flew towards him. It was simple, easy, way more efficient than running around pretending to be someone else. Something that both Jamie and Kaile now did.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I see." She said, giving him a peculiar stare through the glasses. "I don't really know to be honest. It's a whole different world in that environment. But I don't think we do the same things. At least not directly. Maybe I should ask Aela next time about her, she could probably get into her file and see what's up." She shrugged, "That's too bad though. It would have been fun I think." They continued walking down the roadway, passing locals and tourists alike. It was rather obvious to her the people that called Pelagon home, they were dressed all relatively similarly, whilst the others, the tourists, all had on clothes from the various vendors throughout the city. Some had shirts with Pelagar written across the front, as if they might just forget where they were if not for that constant reminder.

"Do you like the haircut?" She shifted her head from side to side, the distinctly shorter blonde curls twirling in the breeze. "I thought it would make me look older, and more appropriate for a Jedi and intelligence agent."

She had also done it somewhat in spite of her family. Her parents had always loved her long, glowing, curly hair. With what had transpired she wanted to now shatter any illusions of what a perfect childhood she had once had, and to start anew. Though she wouldn't openly admit to that.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"It's nice." He answered truthfully, thankful to move away from the conversation. The SIS was just another peace of Bantha poodoo on an evergrowing pile that he'd rather not think about. Part of him wanted to start running away again, but when he glanced at Jamie...he knew that wasn't an option anymore.

He didn't want to run, especially from her.

"Frames your smile." He told her as he leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips. "Where'd you get it done?"

Not that such a thing really mattered, but he was hoping to eventually segue into her time on Bastion and Dxun. A part of him had been far more worried about the latter, though from the vague bits she had told him the former had been just as dangerous. His own work in comparison was a piece of cake, even though that delivery into the core had been somewhat..well sketchy. The storm and the manor having scared him half to death.

As they wandered the smell of food began to overpower the smell of seawater, the restaurant district quickly filling in around them.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Kurt's approval of the style change gave her pride, putting a bit more pep into her step.

"The day after you left I had it done. There was a woman there who I discovered was a masterful dresser. I told her to cut it however she thought best, that I wanted to look more prominent. And this is how it came out. I wasn't sure I was going to love it as much as I do." Her hands pulled at the free falling locks on either side of her cheeks. "She did a really lovely job. I think I might have given her a headache with the number of times I thanked her."

Her lungs drew in a deep breath, the smell of the dozens of restaurants and their various offerings filling the air like a concoction of the heavens was euphoric. The vocal chords in the girl's mouth called out on behalf of her tongue and stomach for a sample of the flavorful goodness as the two made their way to the cafe Kurt had mentioned. "I want to eat everything!" She said hungrily. "The food we ate on Dxun was like mixing wood chips and paste together. I haven't had anything that smelled this good for weeks!"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Military Rations." She didn't even have to tell him. He knew that description all too well. Kurt had it a bit easier on the starships, but he'd crashed once or twice and lived off of nothing but rations for a few weeks. The stuff was...well it was just awful. It had zero taste, and seemingly didn't change at all no matter which military you were serving on. He'd asked a few PoW from the One Sith if it was the same for them, and the answer was always and emphatic yes.

Sad really.

"How about you pace yourself." Kurt said as Jamie practically dragged him forward towards the nearest cafe. "There's plenty to eat here."

More than plenty really. "We have time to try it all."

Well...he doubted that either of them would have much of an appetite soon, but again he tried to push that away for now. Kurt wanted to enjoy what time he could with Jamie, especially considering that after today he might never be able to do so again.

"Pick one place, we'll go there first." There was plenty to choose from. Apparently this place had everything from Gungan Home cooking to Voss grilling.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The girl's nose scrunched up at the term military rations.

YUCK!

Her head quickly zipped to the side, her hands pulling down her glasses to glare at Kurt's telling her to pace herself.

Clearly he had never met hangry Jamie. If he didn't want to, the harsh stare from her typically soft blue eyes would be the reminder that she was close by.

The girl was being overly dramatic and joking, for the most part anyway. They did have plenty of time, and she wasn't exactly dying of famine just yet. She was pretty hungry though. "It's fine." She said, gingerly sarcastic. "We'll go to where you had suggested at the end of the pier." There was a small smirk that formed at the edges of her lips. "We'll just make a few stops on the way back to the boathouse. You know, for later."

Judging by her emphasis on later, it was hard to discern whether she meant that in a literal way, or a seductive one. Someones one never really knew what was going on in that head.

"Anything really would be great. The one treat you could say we got was fishing. I caught a couple for us while Aela and I camped by a river. It was hardly home cooking, anything but, really. A charred fish skewered on a stick. But that is how awful those rations were. I'd rather eat that than what came out of those packages." A bit of laughter behind her rant followed.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"On Dxun?" An emphatic nod from Jamie confirmed his quesiton. He smiled slightly as he lead the way, pushing through a small crowd that was forming on the pier.

It was clear that Jamie had at least...some urgency to her regarding food, and while Kurt didn't quite share her gumption he well understood that if he didn't feed her soon she was liable to start tearing down buildings in their local area. Thus they quickly headed off to the cafe that he had earlier talked about, his fingers gently squeezing hers.

"Didn't eat any Cannoks did you?" Kurt asked with a wry grin. "I hear they can be quite gamey."

Generally just awful.

When he'd traveled to Dxun on a training mission they had ended up just eating the rations. The prospect of hunting, or even fishing had been a big no go due to the creatures that stalked to forest. Jamie had likely seen much more of Dxun than he ever had, but at the height of the Republic Onderon and it's moon had been a pretty good Naval base, at least while Kurt had served. That was why he knew at least a little bit about the moon.

Enough to have been very concerned when she'd told him she was going there.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Yes, Dxun." She affirmed with a nod. "Bastion was a disaster. But we have plenty of time to get into both." She wasn't entirely sure what to tell Kurt of Bastion, knowing full well he would not approve of that little situation.

Perhaps after we're settled in...

"But no. No Cannoks. Though we did spend some time with them. Odd little things."

As they reached the doors to the cafe at the end of the pier Jamie paused for a moment, wandering just a few feet further to the railings that stood between she and the water below. For a long minute she simply stood there, hands on the cold durasteel looking out across the water and horizon. A pattern of clouds hung low in the distance beneath otherwise clear skies, breaking the rays of sunlight into a series of razor sharp looking spears that dove into the water. The girl smiled, slipping the pack off her back and setting it gently on the ground in order to retrieve her camera. She went about it quietly, simply enjoying the sight that the planet had to offer as she centered, focused, and adjusted the lens to her liking before taking a few quick photos.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

While Jamie took pictures Kurt went about getting them a table. He signaled for the hostess who seemed to scrunch her nose when she got close to him, her eyes giving him a rather curious look before he finally managed to get a word in. She nodded, and then motioned to a table near where Jamie was already standing. Kurt thanked her and took two of the cafe's menus, smiling and wandering back over towards his girlfriend.

"I got menus." His hand came to settle on the small of her back.

The view really was quite pretty. Mostly ocean mixed with half a dozen different ships and house boats. Oddly enough it somehow reminded him of Mos Eisley. Not the water of course, but the size difference of everything. Back home the buildings weren't at all uniform, more of a mix and match of greatness and...well run down shabbles. At the center of it all was the tower that belonged to ATC, a beautiful structure. He smiled slightly.

"Come on." He urged her. "I can hear your stomach from over there."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek before wandering over towards their table.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She hadn't even noticed Kurt had left before he returned. "Oh!" She said, pulling the strap that was attached to the camera over her neck, folding it neatly. "Sorry! I thought you were right there this whole time." Sometimes she was oblivious to even the most obvious of things. "I got caught up looking at the scenery." She felt moderately embarrassed for having ignored him for a few minutes mid-discussion. Carefully the girl set the camera back into her backpack and hoisted it back over her shoulders to follow him inside.

Kurt lead the two of them to the table he had reserved moments prior, helping her into a chair as she opened the menu to take a quick look at the offerings.

"What is that smell? Did you spill caf on your clothes or something?"

Now that they were far enough away the blonde noticed that the smell had followed them the entire time, leading her to believe the possibility that he had by chance spilled some before she arrived on Pelagon.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]