Continuing the Search

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

He applied just the right amount of pressure so she could feel his fingers through her boot. His touch almost tickled. "Well. I'll take your sage," yes, she was being very serious. Or was it mock seriousness? "...boot observations into consideration. Perhaps you know of a good shoe shop on Sulon?" Eyebrows waggled in his direction.

Kinsey brought her other foot so it crossed at the heal over the one currently on Armaud's leg. Careful not to hit his hand with the tea. She took a sip of her own. "Oh ho," a roguish grin flashed above the mug. "I absolutely do. Let me guess," free hand tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Underground berry running? Sunflower seed laundering?"

 

[Armaud Eden]

"No..." He chortled faintly as he leaned back, absentmindedly checking her other boot. It was the same issue. These were old boots and she had bad walking habits, the sort that needed correction or it would ail her for the rest of her days. "No cobblers that I know of but, as you noticed, I would rarely have the need."

He nodded at her guesses and responded with a pause and thin smile. "Those aren't terrible guesses..." He shook his head shallowly as he took his final sip of the tea, leaning over to place the mug on the floor. Running that hand through his dreads, he scratched at an itch on his scalp with little regard towards his habits. "A little estate out in Sulon, East of Baron's Hed. The Matriach, Baroness Higgins..." He stopped scratching as he looked up, pursing his lips. "Ya know, I can't actually recall her first name." He shrugged subtly and returned to giving Kinsey a thoughtful gaze. "Guess it didn't really matter. Anyway, she was running an illegal trade of exotic animals out of her estate. Gabe was in charge of taking it down but...he was hamstringed due to the commissioners familial connection to the Higgins estate." Familial came out with a tone that approached sardonic.

Maud began fiddling with Kinsey's shoelaces as he told the story, untying the bow only to restring through the upper eyelets and retie it. "So I broke in and let every last animal out. They were planning a safari expedition to hunt some of the animals and...I don't know. That felt wrong. Animals should be hunted in the wild, not cooped up and starved for easy capture." He chewed on his cheek as he recalled it, the last real memory he had of Des. Letting out a long breath, he smiled. "I told Gabe. And Gabe had to arrest me. Commissioner requirements and I insisted. He would have resigned if not for that. And...Sulon is now the residence of three mischievous but otherwise graceful Arkanian Dragons...among other creatures."

He tied up her shoe lace another time and raised a finger. "But...I also found out that iron bars make for a very good form of music. Had a solid trio in lockup for a week or so before one of the Sullustan's posted bail." Maud shook his head as he chuckled lightly. "That man could play a jail house bench like no one's business."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

A low whistle left her lips. “Dragons, eh? I’d like to see that.” And she really would.

“I’m impressed you turned yourself in. I bet your uncle hated having to arrest you.” She smiled. Brows lofted at the music comment and a quiet bubble of laughter escaped her throat. Head shook slightly, hair ticked behind one ear coming loose.

“Only you. Well. I’ll have you know you’re sitting across from a fellow convict.”

She surprised herself by saying that. Though her story was probably a lot more serious. The girl leaned back in her seat, head dipping back, eyes drifting up to the ceiling.

“Sad to say there were no musicians in the Alliance prison. At least. Not in my block.”
Blues flickered back to Armaud’s face, wondering what she’d find there.

 

[Armaud Eden]

"That surprises me..." He stated with a coy smile. "That there weren't any musicians in the Alliance prison." Though, suspended over magma, he imagined it might be difficult to find the energy for music. He hid surprise, regarding her being in the Alliance prison, but maybe not all too well.

When enough time passed, he offered her a thin smirk. Verdant gaze shifting to those orbs of blue. They seemed almost reflective in the way they searched, as if she was waiting for him to be overtaken in awe or shock. He was cognizant of what the Alliance was, cognizant of their mode of operation. Many times he had held disagreements with them, even coming to a boil with his uncle.

Those who ended up in their cross-hairs weren't always the bad guys. And even then, nothing was ever set in stone.

"So you going to spill the beans on that or am I going to have to find out on my own..." He innocently raised one of his hands, waggling his fingers.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She tried to hide the relief when she didn't immediately see the look of, 'Kinsey, you're a monster,' on his face. "Pfffft," air left between slightly pinched lips. Tension slowly eased from her shoulders. "As if. You're far too polite for that."

A slowly curving smirk and wiggle of her boots.

"It's not as heroic as yours. No dragons involved. I was," she scratched at the back of her neck, clearly feeling awkward. It was a dark part of her past even if it hadn't really been her fault. "Coming in from One Sith. I wasn't turning myself in, more like running from them."

She wasn't a saint.

"It's a long story but there was a Sith Lord who targeted my last name. Wanted a piece of my uncle. And since he couldn't get to Uncle Coren...," voice trailed off. "I was much less responsible back then," she smiled weakly. "There was a bar and drinks and then later....I was with that Sith." She shivered. "He did something to me. My thoughts weren't my own anymore. Like a hazy veil was pressed over my eyes. I'm not sure if I got stronger over time and resisted him until finally I knew enough of what was happening to get away. I dunno."

Tooth bit into her lower lip but not enough to draw blood.

"I know it wasn't all my fault. Kriff. Maybe any of it but that doesnt mean I don't remember what happened. Or what I did, even if it was under his wacko mentalism."

She took a slow breath.

"I deserved to be in there. But I definitely wouldn't want to go back."

Lips twitched as she fell back into her usual self.

"The food sucked."

 

[Armaud Eden]

He didn't feel like his was a particularly heroic story. Saving a few animals just felt like what was right and in many cases, what's allowable by the law and what is right are two different things. He considered interjecting to explain that but he sensed the difficulty of the upcoming story by the shift in her aura. He imagined it took quite a bit for her to admit what had happened.

In a universe filled with beings, such as Sith, who are entirely capable of controlling vast populations - it's no wonder that those who are otherwise good may be swept up in a series of unfortunate events. While Kinsey seemed to own her part in the circumstances she described, it didn't wash away the fact that she was a victim too.

Even if the law didn't see it that way.

As she told her story, his hand had found a comfortable spot resting over the ankle of her boot. Though he did mourn the current lack of tea.

"So I'm confused..." He interjected as the story came to an end, a pause allowing him time to soak up the story. "If the food sucked, does that mean they did or didn't have bags of chips?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Ha," pensive face lit up. Hands covered her face for a moment, before slowly drifting downward. "Oh Armaud. The horror. NO bags of chips," fingers cleared her face, uncovering a wide smile. "Just little piles of bland mush. All day everyday."

Kinsey finished off her tea and put the mug in the armrest's cup holder.

"Did they have chips in the Sulon prison," she asked innocently. One finger came up to absently curl around her hair. She'd left it down for a change. They had a few hours before they'd get there. Maybe even some time for a quick nap.

 

[Armaud Eden]

​He laughed, decidedly unsure of whether piles of bland mush was better or worse than chips. He settled in his state of limbo, certain that with proper seasoning, anything could work out. Watching her hand for a moment, he blinked steadily and his eyes went wide - taking a deep breath. He was actually tired. The stop at the free port hadn't given them much time to rest, what with the bartering and gambling that needed to be done.

Curling over, he laid across the crash webbing with a hand held behind his head. Using his hold on her ankle, he pushed the webbing to begin to rock.

"Oh Sulon doesn't have a prison. Just a small jail. Far too rural for that sort of thing. Anyone who does anything really noteworthy gets shipped off to Sullust...I assume." He actually wasn't sure. He wondered if Gabe wasn't around, if his fate would have been different. "And no..." He jutted out his jaw, the shaking of his head unnoticeable in the small movement of the webbing.

He pulled his hand out from behind his head and dug into his pocket for a pine seed. Then proceeded to crunch on it loudly until there was nothing left between his teeth. "Everything was just bland home cooking. The guards were bored and most of us were well mannered. Sometimes Gabe would even make sandwiches for the whole group. Uncle knows his way around a kitchen, that's for sure."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

His yawn was contagious. She couldn't help it. With the tug of her boot, she felt herself sliding out of the bucket seat into a decidedly uncomfortable position. "Uncle Gabe sounds like a rare man, indeed."

A man who knew his way around a kitchen?

Yeah.

Of course, Kinsey couldn't cook for a mynock's fork. She lived on snacks and ration packs. And noodle snacks.

With a force of will, she pulled herself up from her slouched position.

"Scooch over," pulling her boots from from his grip, she began taking her boots off. Not to worry. There were warm, fuzzy socks beneath.

 

[Armaud Eden]

With relative ease and a slight smile, he scooched into the interior of the webbing. Exhaling, he watched her for a moment before placing another pine needle in his mouth. And then he went to getting comfortable with a hand beneath his head. "Rare...yeah."

He scoffed.

"And stupid." He shook his head, emerald eyes looking up towards the top of the hull. "I mean. He gives up his twin sons for adoption, one who has particular abilities to tell the past through touch, and never tells them that he's their biological father. Just saunters around as Uncle." He wasn't entirely bitter about it, though he would confess that he appreciates honesty above everything else. He remembered confronting Gabe about the issue and Gabe doing his typical thing with the boys. Nodding and smiling, going back to tinkering on some ring or gem.

"I'm not complaining. His decision gave us Mom and she was better than whoever it was that left us with Gabe, alone." He had seen her through Gabe's eyes. And if there was someone he resented, if he was capable of feeling such negative emotion, it would be her. But for all she had done, or not done, Maud spared her very little consideration. She was just another person who had lost her way.

"What about your uncle? I get the impression you weren't close with him..." Even though he was part of the cause of her corruption.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

His tone caught him a sharp glance of surprise. She’d never heard him sound negatively about, well, anything. Maybe about himself with that swarm of bugs. Lofted brows lowered.

With boots off, she squeezed in next to him. Wasn’t quite as good as her hammock. But better than feeling his gaze of jealousy than if she was in it. At least it was warmer.

The space was small so she rested on her side, turned his direction. One arm bent at the elbow and cradled her head. Curled up knees and legs rested partially on top of his upper thigh of his closer leg.

“Your family sounds like a real holo-drama. That’s a load of chit about your biological mom.”

She poked him lightly in the side with her free hand. “At least your folks weren’t hoarders.” Grinning, eyes went to train on the rise and fall of his chest.

She sighed. “My uncle. I can’t blame him for what happened. At least. Completely. He means well. Or, he thinks he does. And I know he cares about me. He’s just military and I’m not.”

There was definitely a small root of bitterness in her tone. But it was faded. Was what it was. She couldn’t change her Uncle’s nature and if she had to learn the hard way not to throw out her last name, so be it.

“So your Uncle Gabe gave you two up but he stuck around? Was he really involved in raising you guys?”

 

[Armaud Eden]

Much like in the arctic worlds, it was kosher to cuddle in space to keep warm. Helped preserve the heat - at least that's what he told himself. He wasn't sure it was entirely necessary in a vehicle capable of heating itself but he also couldn't find it in him to complain. Being a wanderer went hand in hand with being a loner but he found comfort in closeness with a friend.

Squirming as she poked him, he smiled as he surveyed her from the corner of his eye. "It's good that you don't blame him. When you blame someone, you give them power over you. How you think or how you view things. It taints your perspective." He sensed the bitterness from her and whether that was from the touch or just from her tone, it was hard to tell. And it didn't really matter either, the fact remained that she was overcoming things just as he was.

"Gabe was always a better uncle than a father. He was always around, we lived in the homestead that he rebuilt. It was given to him as compensation for putting together the law enforcement group on Sulon." Maud could recite the story of Gabe walking into the commissioners officer, pretty soon after being released from the magma cells on Sullust - and demanding appropriate payment. He had heard the tale numerous times, especially once the mead started flowing. "Maybe it was so he could watch over us..."

Maud closed his eyes as he yawned, raking his fingernails over his chest. "Sometimes men have trouble showing that they care..." He considered Gabe in that way, similar to her uncle. Maud turned to look at Kinsey sleepily, shutting his eyes. "I'm sure he cares about you...your uncle..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Okay. I won't blame you for dropping your seeds all over my ship, then." A sleepy smile and another poke. Lighter this time. Blues drifted up to meet green before they closed. She realized that Armaud had long eyelashes. She'd never noticed before.

Her turn for a yawn.

Her own eyes drifted lazily closed. "Probably just as much as Gabe cares for you." Well. She imagined Gabe might care a little more. But she also knew Uncle Coren did care. About all his family. She knew he was looking for her just like Kaia. She just wasn't ready to see him. Not yet.

Men sometimes has trouble showing that they cared.

For some reason that made a faint smile shimmer across her lips before she felt herself drift off to sleep. At some point during the travel, she nudged closer to Armaud, an arm flopped over, hand resting on the fabric of his shirt. Head partway on his shoulder as a pillow.

Probably from a little bit of turbulence.

Hours later, a soft pinging noise sounded as a warning that they were about to enter real space. That and the chatter of Pibs.

 

[Armaud Eden]

[SIZE=11pt]He went to stretch but didn't seem to have the space for it. Fluttering his eyes slowly open, he picked up on a smell he hadn't noticed before. A nice[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] smell. Looking down, he realized he was nuzzling Kinseys scalp - and they were quite a bit more entangled then when they had began. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Not really coming to, he fought the urge to move until an incessant sound filled his ears. Normally he could sleep through just about anything but given the fact that they were on a ship, trapped by the vacuum of space, it was liley best to not ignore it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Kinsey…” He whispered groggily as he nudged her head with his nose. “Wake up…the ship is making weird noises.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Kinsey Starchaser"][/SIZE]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Mrrrrggg," face buried instinctively into the pillow. Except it was a mixture of Amraud's neck, dreads, and the edge of his bearded jaw. Wait a minute. That wasn't soft and fluffy.

Smelled like pine trees. Nuts?

Blues fluttered open. Beeping sound. Beep. Beep. Intrinsic ability to feel those certain things in flight that only Starchasers had a knack for.

"Oh. Oh!"

The pilot sat up and disentangled herself from Armaud. Though she found herself loath to leave the warmth he'd provided. There was no sense of embarrassment. Just a tad of urgency. She eased out of the crash webbing and stood, grabbing her boots. Hopping her way to the cockpit, she began tugging them on.

"Hey sleepy head. Better strap yourself in instead of using that stuff as a bed, yeah? About to exit hyperspace in three...two...,"

She made it to the pilot's seat, dark hair still a tangled mess. Viewport suddenly cleared. Sensors lit up with activity. And there were a lot of ships out there. More than she expected.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He took her suggestion with groggy enthusiasm, aware of the fact that she was the expert in this regard. Though he didn't know why she needed her boots back on just yet, it's not like they were going outside. Unless she was worried about slipping around on her fuzzy socks - that was an understandable concern.

As soon as he locked himself in, he felt the inertia shift as they dropped out of hyperspace. He closed his eyes and was almost rocked back to sleep until he felt something. Or more importantly, didn't feel something.

Unclasping the buckle, he moved up into the cockpit, rubbing his green eyes awake. And with a lazy stretch that he couldn't achieve in the crash webbing, he looked into the space between them and Sulon. And Sullust. Even being born beneath the planet, he never really got used to the way fire arced across its surface. Where some worlds had rainbows for good luck and joyous occasions, Sulon had the whip like tendrils of a fire arc and the radiating waves as they crossed into the moons atmosphere. Like the force was crawling out from the world and saying hello.

He blinked and something dropped in the pit of his stomach.

"Those don't look like Alliance ships. Or anything related to the Republic..." He paused, narrowing his gaze. "Those look Imperial..." It wasn't a blockade but it was a roaming trickle that were entering and exiting orbit. Like it was some sort of hub for trading. Maud didn't like the feel of it, especially when the sound pinged as Port Control helmed the vessel.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Unidentified vessel. Send your credentials along this frequency and proceed to customs at these coordinates. Do you copy? Over."

Sounded like some bored recruit with an edge of over importance.

Kinsey had the voice filter through the ship instead of just her headset for Maud's sake. Well. And Pibs. She'd never hear the end of it from that droid of hers if it was left out of anything.

"Copy. Wanderlust credentials sending now. Over," lips pressed against the speaker on her headset. Of course her credentials had been recycled so many times. Kept her off most radars. She tended to rotate through the IFF frequencies too. Hands eased them down and in, following the coordinates for the check in for Sulon. Atleast they weren't going where most of those other military ships were.

"Granted. I was out last time I was here but it's not always like this, right?"

Blues flickered to Armaud.

Pibs whistled and reported what ships they were. First Order.

Kinsey gnawed on the inside of her cheek. Armaud wouldn't like that.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He exhaled, the mirth absent from his eyes. So often fully of whimsy and with not an ounce of gloom, he wasn't entirely sure what was going on. But he wasn't stupid, he knew where Sulon had existed and despite his desire to be entirely devoid of political endeavors, he knew the score.

Gabe used to always say that it was just a matter of time but Maud just thought he was being melancholic. Closing his eyes as he searched the force signatures across the planet, he searched for his uncle and his mother in particular. And it only took a few moments to not pick up on them. That left three options: gone, concealed, or dead. Gabe had always joked that they could take his farm from his cold dead fingers, chewing on a piece of wheat and wearing his oafish straw hat. Maud just hoped that someone had knocked some sense into them.

"When we land..." He finally came to. "We'll tell them that we're looking to renew our gem export license...if they ask. I've got an active one but if what I think has happened, actually happened, well then I doubt it will mean much." He narrowed his eyes. "I hope they don't take my plants..."

Customs was never fun for a botanist, though he assumed that it was more focused on weapons and illegal goods. Sulon was as backwater as it got, he was sure the First Order didn't really care about it beyond the gesture of taking their former enemies former capital. Letting out another breath, he sat down in the seat next to Kinsey and met her gaze. With a slight smile, he tilted his head back and emptied a quarter hand of pine seeds into his mouth. "Better finish these off, wouldn't want to lose them to some grubby-handed trooper..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Armaud," she paused, trying to think of comforting words. But to say anything like that seemed like a lie. "Ah. So you've made me a jeweler now?" She fell back into light humor. Easier that way.

"Yeah. Specially not a First Order grubby handed trooper," she smirked.

"I've got a smuggler's den beneath the deck plating. Feel free to stow your plants in there. Just in case." She went on to explain how to open it. It was hard to find and a bit tricky. For a reason.

Sulon grew larger until it took up the entire viewport. Details of the planet began to show. "Guess that means I'll need to leave my blaster. Gorramit." Pibs whistled at her about a swear jar. Kriff if she would let the First Order get their hands on it. Well. Really anyone else.

"Alright, approaching the landing docks. I guess we'll see what we'll see."

 

[Armaud Eden]

He followed her directions with relative ease, giving the impression that he might have actually been good at it. Truth was that he just liked his plants and desperation was as good a motivator as anything else. Sliding the metal sheet back, as instructed, he emptied an assortment of contents into the compartment. From plants that were dried in small plastic bags to a book that had several rare species pressed within parchment. Finally, he dropped a pouch of various precious stones - worth more than his clothing might have suggested.

Coming back to the front, he sat back down and put on the head set like he was about to actually about to pilot anything. Which, obviously, he wasn't.

Instead he watched intently, scratching at the goat patch beneath his bottom lip. The ship came in nice and smooth, landing against a rotating dock that clamped down as soon as the feet set in. It was like the old starport he recalled but instead of Sullustans, it was relatively averaged height men and women. Like the place had gone and gotten itself gentrified, if black and white armor counted towards that credit.

A man in a fresh pressed uniform approached with a clipboard and a less than tasteful smile. Putting his hands behind his back, he waited for Kinsey to power down the engines and open up the ship for inspection.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]