Exodus Day - the Bathroom Sequence

[Scherezade deWinter]

"You're a Jedi representative, and while the Confederacy claims to be neutral, it's just mostly Sith and other people that like to shoot things," she replied with a shrug. It hadn’t bothered her before. It was not about to start bothering her now, “better be comfortable when facing a natural enemy instead of presentable.” And what was part of why she hated the dress. It filled the role of presentable out, but she was completely uncomfortable in it. “Come on, let’s get it over with,” she said. She couldn’t bring herself to smile, but she extended a hand to Josh.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I know" He responded. "It doesn't weird you out at all that I'm a Jedi, by the way?" Josh would finally ask. It was a question that'd been burning for a little while now. She hadn't poisoned him. She hadn't stabbed him. She hadn't planted bombs on the ship, or a tracker, he'd checked and done in-depth scans. He'd gotten his blood tested, he'd gotten every test possible, taken every precaution he could. There was nothing wrong with him, nothing wrong with the ship, nothing wrong with the droids. She had left him completely unscathed.

And he didn't understand it. She was a Sith, wasn't she? She had ample opportunity to try to kill a Jedi, but she hadn't. Sure, they could say the same for him, but... She'd given him no reason to. Unlike most Sith, and even some Jedi he didn't do it for no reason other than principal.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"It does," she admitted, "you're the second Jedi I've met, and the first one almost succeeded in killing me. I asked you on Zeltron if you were going to do the same, and you said no. Other than that, no. You've given me ample of reasons to want to kick you or stab you or Force Scream into your ear until your brain explodes, but none of those reasons were because you're a Jedi or a former Jedi Grand Poobah." Scherezade shrugged. There wasn't really more that she could say on the subject.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I mean, I'd rather lick you than kick you... Or stab you... But we'll just agree to disagree on that matter" The Jedi would lightly joke in turn. "But no, I... Really don't have a reason to hurt you. I mean, yeah, the whole stabbing the guards thing was a little much, but I guess I don't exactly expect non-lethal from someone of your training. But you haven't stabbed me yet, you haven't tried to poison me or anything. Okay, sure, you've thrown a few tantrums, but nothing all that harmful."

Josh chuckled lightly. "None of our colleagues are going to be happy about this" He admitted with a shrug. "But considering one of our head honchos has a reputation for doing what she wants... Eh. And I doubt either of us give a chit what the Confederacy thinks considering they already think you're inferior. Which is wrong by the way. W-r-o-n-g. You've got a heart, unlike them, even if you hate your heart. On top of that, you're pretty cute. Which is always a plus" He teased, that grin starting to return.

"Jedi Grand Poobah? Come on, Valae's a sweetheart" He teased. "I think you'd like her."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She didn’t grin in return. Her mind was already running around in circles. She wasn’t drunk, so thinking came faster, and she realized that Josh was right. She had a heart. She’d always known it, of course. Most bodies were designed to work with a heart. But… Hers was giving her nothing but pain. It was bleeding, it was shattered, it refused to grow the stone. Which meant, that if she wanted things to be better, she simply had to get rid of it. Now she did smile, and motioned for Josh that they should start walking. The night wasn’t getting any younger and the sooner they were there the soon they could leave.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

A bad omen was one he could feel, but he didn't show it. Instead, the Jedi would give her a smile in turn, holding out an arm to offer for her to take if she wanted it before they walked in. She was cleaned up, seemed to be sober and looked good. He was happy that Wrinkles was going to eat his words. Still, that feeling continued to bother him, and he looked at her. "Something's on your mind" He pointed out. It was just a feeling. But his smile had faded. "I don't like the feeling I get from you" He spoke truthfully.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

“A lot of things are,” she replied, “but I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just go and get this over with.” Carefully, she guarded her own thoughts. She didn’t know what the extent of Josh’s abilities were, but she supposed that being able to read minds was on that list. She didn’t want her mind read, not by accident or otherwise. Her thoughts were here own. She might change her mind when she was drunk again, which would be happening quite soon, but up until then, there were other plans to make. Research to be conducted. Trees to be drawn. “Please,” she said softly.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He couldn't read her thoughts, but something, some sort of intuition was bugging him. He would bring his arm back down, seeing as she didn't take it. He supposed she didn't need it anymore. She was sober. It almost made him sad, like she didn't need him. Though he supposed she didn't to begin with. Stupid of him to get attached as he'd started to. Letting out a sigh, he decided to just be upfront in some measure. "I'm worried about you" He spoke softly.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

“Don’t be,” she said, smiling again, and this time she took his arm even though he had brought it back down, and entwined her fingers in his. “Tonight is tonight, and unless I make a silly mistake, nothing is going to happen. Tomorrow, a Hutt might decide to kill me because I have baby Hutts in a lab somewhere. The day after that, a Mandalorian might kill me off just for existing. These things happen.” Yes… They did. “And they will continue to happen. So let’s finish tonight, because we can’t see the future.”

Again such similar words to those that had been traded with Gerwald. Scherezade sighed.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh took a deep breath and nodded his head. "I want to talk, after this is done. Over drinks, preferably. I apologize if I'm coming off a bit overbearing, but while I know you can't and won't trust me enough to answer some questions... Which is fine, I'll respect it... I hope you'll at least provide me enough to know I don't have to worry about you" He requested. "That's all I ask. Maybe I'm asking too much, I don't know yet. But..." After a pause, he decided to just come out and say it.

"No matter what happens, I want you to remember that there is someone here who cares about you. I know that's hard to believe after before, but... That's just the truth of the matter. I'd ask you don't do something you might regret... You may not just be hurting yourself anymore."

The two would come to the door of the banquet, and Josh stiffened up a bit, his breath hitching as he seemed to have a realization. "We'll likely be separated soon after we enter. Odds are there's arranged seating... Protocol. Probably so we don't all kill each other." He honestly didn't want to be. A part of him wanted to stay with her, for whatever reason. If he could, he'd suggest ditching this shtick and going to have a few drinks back at the ship. But they were here. They'd have to deal.

The moment they approached even a step further, Scherezade would likely be able to feel the change coming from him. All of the guards, all of the wards, everything that he had opened up to her, doors, windows, barriers, everything that he'd let her into... All closed in that instant. His guard had gone completely up. Not due to her, but it showed that the Confederacy could not be trusted. And yet, now he felt alone all over again.

"... Wait" He suddenly stopped to say as he looked toward her again. "Did you say you had baby Hutts in your basement?"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Again with the talking.

Her thoughts might have been closed off to him, but the expression on her face was not. By the Force, she was so tired of talking. Talking talking talking. Talking didn’t lead to anything but broken hearts. Josh claimed to care. The voice inside her head told her he probably wouldn’t anymore within in a few weeks at best, especially if she wasn’t sleeping with him. And besides, he was repeating Gerwald’s words again, about not hurting herself, about…

She let a frustrated sound out, and suddenly they were just in front of the banquet’s doors. That was good. There was liquor and alcohol behind those doors. A promise for less clear thoughts, for less feeling pain. She didn’t know how to do Josh’s trick with everything being closed off. She was going to have to ask him about it next time. “In a lab,” she corrected him, and gave him a predator’s smile, “no one ever looks for Hutt babies on a battle field.”

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It was ironic then that it had never been his intention to bed her to begin with. And just how wrong she was. But his expression, his eyes... As much as his thoughts were closed to her, his eyes said his words were genuine. His face visibly fell when she didn’t answer a word of it. He looked toward the doors then. “I would call you on that but I have yet to meet a nice Hutt” He would admit with a shrug as he approached the door, and it wasn’t hard to tell he was hesitant. He did not want to go in there for a multitude of reasons.

The other half of him wanted to be back at the temple with his son where his thoughts were clear and happy again. He wanted to be happy again.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

“Me neither, and I speak fluent Hutteese,” she answered with a smile, “and about a month ago I killed one and danced inside its body. I don’t recommend it, their insides really smell.” She didn’t want him to ever forget. If it would help keep him away, keep them from getting too close together, she would remind him time and time again. She was a weapon, a tool of destruction. The CIS might treat her like the weapon you forgot in the back of the closet, but her ability to be deadly had never diminished because of that. She gave him one last assuring look. “We are going to be fine tonight, Josh. Let the politicians do their stupid politicianing. We’re going to finish this and then you’re going home to your son, because I’d like to not have to add you to my kill list for the same reason as Katrine’s mother is currently on it.”

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

“That’s karked up” He commented with a light laugh. “I have a story that might gross you out more though... See there was this time that I saved a bunch of baby seels...” He began, before starting to laugh a bit harder. A dark-side joke? Well he did make fun of anything. Though he stared at her a moment when she mentioned his son and “kill” even just in the same sentence, different meaning or not. The look he gave her for just a few moments told that perhaps it was best not to bring up his son while also talking about your kills. Of course it was true that if one even had killing intent near Jason, Josh would kill them instantly. He made no secret of this.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

He was protective of his son. She hadn’t missed his expression. That was a good thing. At least he had the decency to care, to know that he was needed in his son’s life. Scherezade nodded. The baby seals would wait. They had a banquet to attend to.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Knowing they would be separated soon, he was tempted to shut himself off to everyone, even her, just as she did, to make getting through this easier, but... It wasn’t fair to her. So instead he would take a deep breath and place a hand on the door. “Ready?”

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade nodded. They were ready to enter the banquet. ... And get drunk.