Private Corrupted Data

[Aren D'Shade]

Looking at the dark sky above them, Aren started walking the familiar streets. Nodding when Korra pointed out how she carried herself, she gave the other woman a bit of a smile.

"I've got a fantastic place. An old friend of mine hooked me up before he died. When he died, his gift continued and will be there until I go with him. Hopefully that isn't soon, mind you. I certainly don't plan on it."

Leaving out any important details, who that old friend was shouldn't matter to Korra, and Aren was not about to offer those. The two of them had just met, and she wanted to keep her secrets buried.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra walked beside her in comfortable silence, the case cradled in her arms like it was nothing. At Aren's words, her head tilted slightly—curious, but not prying.

"Sounds like he meant a lot to you," she said after a beat, voice quiet but sincere. She didn't push further. Everyone had ghosts, though some talked to theirs more so than others.

The city thinned as they moved into an older district—less neon, more stone and steel. The noise gave way to the quiet hum of power lines and the occasional distant speeder. They entered a tower, the kind you'd overlook if you weren't paying attention. Korra liked it already.

Inside, the the elevator doors slid open with a muted hiss. They stepped in, and Korra shifted the case slightly, adjusting the weight. With the doors closed, it brought them up.

"Top floor?" she asked, raising a brow.

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Adrian had been a friend and mentor. He'd also provided Aren with everything she'd wanted to explore her passions. Had he meant anything to her? Yes, he had, but he wasn't a lover.

"He was a good friend."

Leaving it at that, it was in the past, and she could only hope to do as he would have wanted her to. Be herself and follow her passions, which was exactly what she did. When Korra asked if they were going to the top floor, she shook her head.

"Nah, that would raise too many questions and cause people to notice me. That isn't something I want."

Somewhere in the upper middle of the building, the elevator stopped and opened up to a hallway.

"This is our floor."

There was only one door in the hallway, and Aren opened it for them with very little flourish.

"Welcome to my home. Make yourself comfortable."

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

As the door opened, she took in the space with a practiced eye—not judging, just absorbing. The kind of habit you form when you live a life where walking into the wrong place could be your last.

But Aren's home didn't feel dangerous.

Korra stepped inside and exhaled through her nose, something just short of a sigh. The air was cool, faintly metallic with undertones of machinery. Her boots thudded softly against the floor as she moved further in.

"Nice," she said, setting the case down on the floor. "Where do you want me to put the droid head?"

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The door closed behind them, and Aren turned to the right as they entered. Another hallway was there, and it had a few doors. Opening one of them, it led to a guest room, and she motioned for Korra to check it out.

"You can sleep here. Bathroom is there, and kitchen should be pretty obvious."

She asked where she should put the droid head, and Aren returned to the front room and headed down another hallway. With a follow me sign, she unlocked the far door, and it took them into a room just as large as the main living area. It was a workshop, and there were several tables with different projects on them. The air was dry and had a metallic smell. Not overwhelming but present.

"There's a spot over there you can put it."

The spot was a mostly empty table with a durasteel top with vices to hold an item securely so she could work on it more easily. Several tools of the trade were next to the clamps on a tray, and a chair for her to sit on nearby.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra followed without a word, her steps steady, deliberate. As the door to the workshop opened, her eyes flicked over the space, and she let out a quiet, appreciative exhale.

Now this was a place built for focus—practical, sharp, lived-in by hands that knew what they were doing. She recognized the scent of metal and circuitry, the faint heat of spent energy in the air.

She moved to the indicated table and gently placed the case down on the durasteel surface. With a quiet click, she opened it and lifted the droid head, setting it into the nearest set of vices with a practiced ease that showed she'd handled tech like this before—even if she usually left the slicing to someone else.

Stepping back to give Aren space, she glanced at one of the unfinished projects on another table but didn't touch. "I'll stay out of your way. But if you need a second set of hands, I know how not to break anything." A pause. Then, with a smirk, "Usually."

Aren D'Shade

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Making sure there was a second chair to sit in, Aren didn't stop her guest from unloading and locking in the droid head. She wasn't paying too much attention and brought another chair over. Noticing it was secured, she gave an appreciative nod.

"Thank you. That makes it a bit easier and one less thing for me to do."

Having given Korra a quick tour, she sat down, turned a light on that shined directly on the back of the head. Adjusting its position just slightly, she picked up two slim tools. One looked like a pair of needle-nose pliers, and the other was a razor that was exceptionally thin. Prying open a part of the casing, she shoved the razor into the narrow slot and set about prying it open the rest of the way.

Looking over at Korra, she nodded her head.

"So far, so good. Do you want anything to drink?"

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

At the offer of a drink, she shook her head once, a small appreciative tilt of her chin following. "Thanks, but I'm good. Figure I'll check my own gear while you work. If you need quiet, just let me know. I'll try to keep the fiddling to a minimum." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth

She moved toward a clear patch of wall space, unholstering her blasters. Sitting down crosslegged on the floor, Korra began to take them apart for cleaning and checking to make sure everything was in good working condition. Korra occasionally glanced up to keep an eye on Aren—less out of suspicion, more out of quiet respect. She wasn't one to leave someone completely unwatched when they were working with sensitive tech, but it was clear in her posture: she trusted Aren to do her thing.

Aren D'Shade