Private Bull, Meet China Shop...

[Nei]

Location: Non-Descript Spaceport on Non-Descript Planet

Nei had been hired, and that was a good thing. The big man was running a little low on funds, and that was just simply crimping his lifestyle. Not that he lived lavishly, but he was not a man accustomed to rationing food. Indeed, his contact for this job was to meet him at a food court in a space port here, and not for the first time, Nei wondered if the Spirits were toying with him in their sense of irony. Simply shrugging, the giant took a seat on a wall at the back of the court and set his club down. Balanced on his left knee was a bowl of noodles, and balance on his right was a steaming bowl of some sort of meat with pepper flakes and a dark red sauce.

The man had said it was spicy, and the mountain of a Mandalorian quite liked that, so his helmet sat next to him on the wall as he slurped the noodles, using a pair of chopsticks in a not unfamiliar but far from the elegant or graceful way of those who ate regularly with them. Overly hot, he huffed his breath to cool the molten experience in his mouth as he consumed the meal with a rather frightening speed. His mother had often said he would twist his guts if he ate this way, but he hadn't recalled much but mild gastric issues, and so habit became norm.

This was all done as if blissfully unaware of the world around him, and almost with childlike humor writ on his large face. But it would not bode well for anyone who interrupted his meal to try and take advantage of a weak target. Even without weapons, Nei could wrestle wookies. Even though it wasn't his favorite past time.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

So far as non-descript went, this place was everything it needed to be. Wasn't often Hazel required back-up for her jobs, but her client had insisted it would be necessary. You'll need an extra set of hands - strong hands for heavy lifting among other things.

A short look through the local sector's Mercenary listings had brought her to Nei. One of at least a dozen options to fulfill the role of lifting-heavy-things, he was widely an unknown. Barely any history of jobs to speak of, which was just as well. If he was new to the field it meant he likely wasn't stuck in his own ways and could, potentially, be up for following directives rather than bulling his way through.

"Neigh?" the voice came from the woman-shaped suit of armor standing just a few feet away from the large man. The helmet glanced up and up and up. Yep, that was him, no doubt about it, "Or is it Nigh? I'm Scheler."

 

[Nei]

"Knee-yay... It's Dathomirian. Sort of."

The baritone rumble was greeted by an easy grin and a final slurp as he carefully put down the bowl of spicy food and huffed a bit, taking a swig of water. Tiny droplets of sweat beaded his upper lip and brow. But he seemed unphased that what he had just ate was spiced heavily enough even the stall owner he had purchased it from had seemed to think him insane. But this methodical, careful man had few excesses. Not drink or dice, but spice. In food, you see. Not the drug. He had tried that once on a dare and woke up wearing a gonk droid, or the remains of one. And not much else. Never again.

Hefting a club only a foot or two shorter than Hazel Scheler he dropped the weapon to rest on his shoulder as he rose to tower over his new associate, grabbing his helmet and clipping it to his belt. The buc'ye had uses, for sure. But he found his natural and spell-enhanced senses were preferable in most cases except a firefight. Grabbing a repeating blaster that might have damn near been a chopped-down E-Web by it's looks, he nodded.

"Where we headed to?"

Some might think this showed servility. Truth was, Nei would go along with the flow until he didn't like the direction. Then he would stand such that no current would move him.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Knee-yay.

"Well alright then," couldn't fault her for trying. She pocketed the datapad into a leather messenger bag hanging by her hip and took a few steps more back to allow the very big man the very big space he required.

"Tatooine, but first," Hazel lifted a hand to point at his empty bowl, "where did you get those noodles?"

 

[Nei]

A beaming grin and a booming laugh as he pointed over to a hustling rodian in a dirty apron with an Atrisian in the back of the large speeder truck they had modified to be a floating food stall. The aromas were wild and varied, and he nodded excitedly.

"The number 5 with extra spice is my favorite. Every time I pass through here, I get it and a sweet bun or two. They give me a discount. I helped them out a while back."

Rolling his neck with a resounding crack, he waved for her to follow and walked over to the vendor with the same beam fixed on his face, and the Rodian chittered at him in Huttese, which Nei spoke apparently quite fluently and with an almost natural-sounding accentuation. They exchanged more pleasantries as the food cooked, talking about the man in backs' sour attitude and the price of fuel these days. Shortly, the order was up, and the big man gestured to Hazel Scheler that it was for her, both noodles and the sweet buns. He could easily eat that second and a third, but a physique like his could turn to pudge without watching it. The Rodian thanked the pair in heavily accented Basic, and refused Nei's payment, claiming there was a debt owed to the mountain of a man. Nei merely turned shyly almost and nodded as he handed the dish to Hazel, steaming hot and smelling divine.

"Trust me, you'll like it. On the house."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

It was a fun exchange to behold. Hazel stood back while it happened, gaze flickering from Rodian to Nei and back again, noting the fluent discussion of Huttese - a language of which she had a respectable grasp, but not nearly as good as he did. The offered bowl and bag of sweet buns was taken with brows raised.

"That's ... very kind of you. [Thank you]," the last spoken to the Rodian in Huttese before she looked up to Nei with a grateful smirk, "and thank you. Let's see if I can noodle and walk at the same time, eh?"

Let no one ever say she wasn't one to take on a challenge. Hazel lead the way through the crowds, balancing bowl and blowing gently at the steamy broth. When they came to a break on foot traffic she took up the chopsticks in her right hand and carefully began to eat. They reached a lift, paused while it emptied, and packed in - quite literally for Nei. Boy had to hunch.

"Well so much for putting you in the crew quarters," Hazel chuckled, slurped, swallowed, "can set up an oversized hammock for you in the main cargo hold."

 

[Nei]

Nei grunted at Hazel Scheler , but the grin didn't slip as he spoke, deadpan, following her. Inwardly he was impressed with her coordination.

"I have one, actually. Armorweave fabric. Repulsor and mag clamps. I don't fit the bunk of my own ship. It's a common problem for the Maui'i male. Too much awesome to contain in the standard package."

He shrugged and rolled his shoulders. Lifts were a literal pain for the big man, and he looked rediculous bent over so.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

The Merc had to laugh, "I suppose it behooves a man of your size to carry around his own bed."

Slurp. Ding. The lift gate opened to the docks. Hazel lead the way out, slopping a bit of broth as a hover-tram zoomed by.

Watch the tram cart please.

She stung it with a seedy eye and pressed on, "I should probably mention you'll have company in the cargo hold. My hound Biggs stays back there, and our target will be secured in the hold once we've gotten it. Might get a little cramped."

 

[Nei]

"I take up less space than you'd expect. Though, i'm told often it's more than wanted. Biggs and I will be friends, i'm sure. I've had some training with familiars and animal soothing through the Force. I like animals. Easier to manage than humans."

Smiling he turned and eyed the tram and as it slow-chugged along merely stepped over the rear end of it, causing the droid pilot some concern to see such an act. He looked at Hazel Scheler in mild guilt and shrugged.

"I can't resist messing with droids..."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

The merc did a double-take at the man's big step, bypassing the tram like a wayward mutt on the floor. She laughed, shook her head, and lead the way down a narrow railed corridor that split the docking sections, "You'll be the only person big enough to make Biggs look little. That's me."

She tipped her head to the AT-120 freighter hunkered down toward the end of the dock, "So you're one of those space magicians." A fact that would have given her pause had it been listed in his dossier. Anymore Hazel had been forced to work in close proximity to all manner of Forcers, which had begun to dull her harbored ill-will toward them.

"No funny stuff then, aye?" the smile she afforded him was mostly genial, but it held that edge in check just beneath the scarred surface of her face. Scars left by Force users.

 

[Nei]

"Spellweaver... Probably not like you're thinking. Dathomirian magic, in a crude form. Making myself stronger, faster, more agile, better senses. That sort of thing. That's most of my training, and it's crude at that. I don't advertise it, for obvious reasons. And would never do anything 'funny' with it.. But with the right bit... Well... "

Striding over to a full crate of parts, the man strained and lifted a corner. A dock droid squealed. He ignored it, closing his eyes and muttering in a old tongue. The next lift saw the entire box come up, albeit with some strain, for a few feet, about shoulder high from being roughly waist high.

With a huff of breath, Nei sat down the box and the droid came over whirring and beeping. There was a moment of staring down, and a relenting boop from the droid and Nei rejoined Hazel Scheler with an easy step.

"Big doggo, eh? I'll have to find him some bantha ears. Most like those."

There was nothing more said of the fact he had just lifted close to or slightly over a ton with moderate strain and effort and appeared no worse the wear. It was just a demonstration of capability to him.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

She watched, she blinked, she slurped a few more noodles.

"Alright, I'll admit that's a handy trick."

Hazel shared her own elements of super-human strength, but that was a side-effect of her cybernetic limbs and not space magic. His demonstration was enough to put her forward wariness at some ease. They rounded the catwalk to her ship and came to a stop outside of the entry door.

"If Biggs can eat it, he'll love it. Hey, Brom."

["Welcome back Miss Scheler,"] a voice sounded over a speaker module in the access panel. Hazel stepped back as the security disengaged and the entrance ramp slowly dropped, ["Who is our guest?"]

"This is Nee-yay," Hazel said as she stepped inside, "Nei this is Brom, the ship's AI."

If Nei were sensitive to it, he would pick up on a certain aura of Lightside energy within the ship.

 

[Nei]

The aura did tickle mostly innate senses, coming across as a relaxing, warm feeling. He knew it only distantly, and in terms most users of the Force might not associate with it. He was then introduced to a ship's AI, and nodded as if the program were physically present.

"Hello, Brom. You have a lovely ship you run. Quite solid!"

Then he nodded, smiling.

"It's a sort of traditional treat for canines. Though the ones I have are peppered a bit. Keeps the smell more pleasant to us."

Hazel Scheler

 

[Hazel Scheler]

["Pleasure to meet you, Nei."]

"You get used to the smell after a while," Hazel remarked, smirking, and made way for the ship's cockpit, "cargo hold is straight back, feel free to set yourself up there. I'll get us starbound here shortly."

["You now have access to all accommodations within the ship, Nei."]

Within a few moments the ship's engines had roused to a healthy thrum. With a slow hunching motion, it lifted off the docking platform and lumbered out into open space with all the grace of a thundercloud. Hazel took them through the traffic lanes to the nearest jump-point and set in their destination to the auto-navigation. They lurched into hyperspace a few moments later.