Private Friend Time

[Shai Maji]

Coruscant/Semi-decent part of it​

18:01 local time​

A light drizzle was falling as Shai walked through the streets. However unlike last time, she wasn't wasting time. She was on a very tight schedule on this particular day. She needed to finalize an order with some people and get a great tip on the current patrols towards the destination she had to go to. And then after that, she had to meet Zemi. It's been a while since they saw each other and Shai was missing her best friend quite a lot. Not to mention, she was missing that laser sword of hers as well. And for this particular job, she was hoping Zemi could arrive a little earlier so she could drag her along just in case. She wouldn't mind, Shai was sure of that.

Though that might be the wrong thing to do as well, taking advantage of her friend like that. Luckily she prepared to make up for that.

She had put aside a decent sum of money to spoil her friend a bit. Not only did she have a cotton candy-scented bottle of shampoo hidden in her grenade satchel slung over her shoulder, but she also figured she could help Zemi get some proper clothes in her closet as well. The Jedi stuff looked horrible on her. Something more modern would work wonders on the Hapan, Shai was sure of it...but before all that, she had to meet these gangsters.

With one hand she slipped a cigarette into her lips and lit it, while checking her datapad with the other. She adjusted the hoodie she was wearing to shelter the device as well. Thankfully she had it with her when the rain came. Otherwise she would be smelling quite horrible by now and probably scare Zemi off properly this time. She opened her messenger and selected Zemi's chat. /Hey! How far are you? Rain's also here, bring something for that. See you in a bit!/ she sent her. She had sent a meeting point earlier and was getting close to it. All she had to do was find out how much time she still had before Zemi got there...

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira was surprised when Shai had invited her out but pleasantly so as she had never really had a friend by choice, rather they had always been by circumstances. Spending as much time with Jedi as she did meant she was bound to make friends with someone eventually, though they would've never made friends by choice had they not been in the Jedi. This was different as Shai seemed more than happy to befriend her, though she couldn't help but wonder how much her status as a Jedi had to do with Shai's decision - she was sceptical but until proven otherwise she would entertain Shai.

The meeting coincided conveniently with a mission she had been assigned to on Coruscant but upon arriving it had been cancelled and seeing as she valued punctuality, she was already exceptionally early for the mission, let alone meeting Shai but she didn't want to bother Shai about her predicament so she managed to find refuge in a cafe for a couple of hours before leaving to meet Shai once the time came near.

The Jedi checked her datapad and replied to Shai. /I'm already here. Too late!/ She pressed send before sliding the datapad back into her bag. The hood would shield her from light drizzle but offered no protection from heavy rain so she just hoped Shai got there soon. Her gaze fell upon Shai approaching her and she offered her friend a smile before walking to meet her. "Hey." She opened her arms for a hug, knowing that Shai would likely go in for a hug. "What's the plan?" She asked. The situation was foreign to her, having been a servant of the Jedi for fifteen years, shopping was a frivolity that she knew not of.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai heard a ding on her datapad and pulled it out. A bright smile spread on her face as she read the message. She slipped the device back into her pocket and hurried onto the meeting point. She spotted her friend the moment she got there and waved at her. "Hi!" she called out and rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around her in a great hug. Some passers-by glanced at them but luckily Shai didn't notice. "How've you been, Zemi?" she asked happily, leading the way towards her speeder. "The plan is to simply relax and catch up. I figured we can get you out of the previous millenium and into this one by getting you some proper clothes. After that, I was thinking of going to a movie and something to eat." she explained to her with a grin still stuck on her face.

A ding on her datapad caught her attention and her smile faded somewhat. "But before that, I just have one stop along the way. I got a job offer from this guy the other day with a very promising payday being on the line. A crew's planning on going after a lightly guarded sith shuttle carrying some goodies off Mandalore supposedly. Can you imagine that? Mandalorian gear and stuff will be a hell of an income!" she explained, enthusiasm clear in her voice. "And before you say anything, I can promise you it'll be easy. Just pay the guy, get the info and then we're off. You don't even need to get out of the speeder!" she reassured Zemi, giving her a light bump on the shoulder. Underneath, though, she was a little nervous. Zemi might be able to sense it if she was paying attention.

"Do you have anything you wanna do on Coruscant? Can't imagine the Jedi will just let you go for some free time just like that." she asked her as they walked. After a few minutes they reached the speeder and Shai hopped into the driver's seat. She rummaged through her satchel and handed Zemi the shampoo. "Oh and I got you this! Figured it'd go well with your looks." she said with a warm smile, starting up the speeder and blasting off at a rather unsafe speed. However one quick glance at the Jedi next to her brought the speed down to below the speed limit. She tried to play it cool like nothing happened...

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira offered Shai a warm smile when she pulled out of the hug. When they got some glances in their direction, Zemira was reminded of how she ought to be mindful of her conduct as she was still representing the Jedi after all, even if she was off the clock. However, a hug wasn't a reason to worry. "I've been good, thanks, how about you?" She asked. "Not gotten into any more trouble like last time?" She asked with a playful nudge of her elbow. "Ok, nice. I haven't done any of that before." She replied. Any free time off was spent at the Temple or the surrounding areas and even though nothing forbade her from doing as she was doing now, she would've never thought of doing so as the whole situation seemed foreign to her.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Shai promptly interrupted her to reassure her. "Ok, I guess." She replied hesitantly. The Knight wasn't completely opposed to this particular job as she was more than happy to steal from the Sith but less convinced about stealing from Mandalorians who had already lost a lot recently. However, the strained history between the Jedi and Mandalorians and her lack of knowledge on it gave her little reason to disapprove as she could not form a proper judgement. Still, it would be better in anyone's hands but the Sith so she agreed again with more certainty after a moment of mental debate. "Ok, let's go."

"Not really. I was supposed to attend a diplomatic meeting of somesort here but I was already on the way here when they cancelled it so now I'm just waiting to go to Kashyyyk." She replied. "Oh wow, thanks." She replied sincerely as she looked over the bottle before slipping it into her own bag and offering Shai a grateful smile - She was sweet. Zemira hopped into the speeder with Shai and stared at the outside momentarily before looking back at Shai at the sudden acceleration and then slowing down of the speeder. She simply smiled and shook her head before returning her gaze to the passing scenery. Once they arrived at what she could only assume was their target location, Zemira looked at Shai with another doubtful expression. "I'm not sure I should come in. Seeing a Jedi didn't do any good last time." She told Shai.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Naturally Zemira would be curious over Shai's adventures. But Shai simply waved it off. "Oh I was in all kinds of trouble, but nothing I couldn't handle. You worry too much!" she assured Zemi with a bright smile. She snickered at her comment about her lack of getting out, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close. "I figured. Which is why I'm going to spoil you a bit today." she said with a confident nod. How good this plan will go down, however, was still up for speculation...

In the car she piqued Shai's interest with her explanation. "Oh? Meeting with who? Don't tell me the war is coming to the inner rim, that'll just be depressing." she spoke as she casually passed several airspeeders in the skylane. "Oh well. Luckily there's plenty to do on Coruscant before you have to go back." she reassured her. The drive was calm and comfortable until they reached Shai's destination. It was a sketchy part of the upper levels. Two men were standing around in an alleyway, eyeing the speeder rather aggressively. Shai gave Zemi a nervous smile. "Yeah, I think that'll be for the better. These guys aren't exactly on good terms with Jedi at this point." she admitted before opening the door. "I'll be right back." she said, hopping out and closing the door.

She adjusted her hoodie and rested her hand on the grip of her pistol as she approached them. Speaking to Shai, they gestured to the speeder and its occupant but Shai simply waved them off. After some intense glaring, Shai managed to convince them and they both gave a hearty laugh. A few moments later they handed over a datacard and parted ways with a fist-bump. Walking back to the speeder, Shai gave Zemi a reassuring smile and held the datacard up for her to see. She got back into the speeder and released a heavy sigh of relief. "Now I can confidently say that any sketchy business for the next day or so is handled and wrapped up." she reassured Zemi as she loosened her gunbelt, dropped her holster and grenade satchel behind her seat and made herself comfortable. "Off to the mall." she declared, starting up the speeder and blasting off once more at unsafe speeds.

The 'trip to the mall' unfortunately was cut significantly short when they got there and the realization dawned on Shai that most shops on this side of the planet would be closed. This realization was, naturally, accompanied by a nervous smile and a quick thought from Shai as she escorted Zemira to the theatre. "No worries! There's still plenty to do at this time on this planet. Believe me, the fun only starts after the sun goes down." she said with a rather careless snicker. "But don't worry. I won't punish you like that by dragging you off to a nightclub or something." she said as they approached the entrance. "...Unless, of course, you want to." she continued, giving Zemi the option if she wanted to try that out.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"Who said I was worried?" She cocked her head at Shai. The smuggler seemed capable of handling herself, though she could use a little help at times... "I'd be worried if you didn't turn up but you did so I'm just curious." She replied. At times she missed the thrill of the life of a smuggler, she had only ever seen it through other people and living aboard a smuggler's ship was the closest she ever got but now she could live vicariously through Shai. Despite the excitement it gave, she would never leave behind the life she had now for smuggling - Smuggling was fun but her place was with the Jedi.

Zemira smiled and shook her head. "No, no. It's just standard practice. One of the parties requested a Jedi but we don't need to be there." She replied. "And I have no idea who. It was cancelled before I even got here." She told Shai. Once they arrived at their destination, Zemira was wary that she could accidentally trigger the same situation as last time as two men eyed the speeder, causing her to slide down into her seat a little, not wanting to implicate her friend in anything. When Shai got back, Zemira seemed noticeably nervous until they were out of the vicinity of the alleyway, ensuring that no one would be coming after them. It wasn't good for them to be seen together, at least not when Zemira was so obviously a Jedi.

"I bet." She raised an eyebrow and smiled, clearly not very disappointed. It wasn't like she had any expectations to uphold anyway. "I've heard a lot about the nightlife here." She told Shai, though she had never taken part in it. "A nightclub?" She seemed surprised but not disgusted by the idea and after a few moments pondering on the thought, she shrugged. "Why not?" She replied but then looked down at her outfit and then back at Shai. "But I don't think some people will take too kindly to me being so obviously a Jedi." She said.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

To Shai's surprise, Zemi didn't object at all. She seemed to be game for a night out, but naturally her clothing was a little problematic. Shai looked her over, took a step back, looked some more and finally gave a hum and a nod. "I got a solution. Come on! Let's get back to my ship." she said happily, escorting Zemi back to the speeder. "I got a few outfits that should fit you solidly. And don't worry about hair and all that jazz, I wash my clothes properly." she assured her. However 'wash' was more synonymous with 'tell Baby to scrub like there was no tomorrow and relax', but Zemi didn't have to know that part. "It's not the best stuff, but it's baggy enough that it should fit nicely on you." she explained as she got back into the speeder.

In a few moments they were off again, zooming through the air as Shai drove them back to her ship. "I won't lie though. I think you might look better in most of the stuff I got. Half of it is too big for me and the other half is worn as hell." she admitted with a hearty laugh. Soon enough they were at the ship and Shai led the way in. "Welcome back home!" she called out over her shoulder with a giant grin. "Come on, let's see what will turn you into the hottest thing on Coruscant after the sun." she quipped, walking through the ship to the top level where she led Zemi into her rather messy quarters. The bed was a mess, a bunch of weapons were leaning against walls or on the desk. Shai unzipped her hoodie and dropped it on the bed along with her satchel and holster.

"Time to suit up." she commented as she opened her wardrobe. Inside were a bunch of clothes. Some were good...others not nearly. But given the size of the clothes and of Shai, odds of them fitting Zemi were pretty good.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"Ok." Zemira agreed, unsure what she was getting herself into. She wasn't completely oblivious to the world but the Jedi didn't exactly allow time off for nights out so the experience would be new to her. The Knight nodded in agreement. They were of a similar height and build so it didn't seem unlikely that they would be able to share clothes. "I don't really care what I look like." She lied, though it was a lie she wanted to believe. After all, Hapan culture dictated that beauty was of extreme importance but this clashed with her Jedi values of modesty.

"I doubt it." She replied with a modest wave of her hand. Upon being presented with Shai's wardrobe, Zemira stared at it for a moment, unsure where to begin, before looking through the clothes. It didn't take long for her to pull an outfit out as she wasn't particularly fussy, though she showed Shai to get her approval, nor was she fussed about changing in front of Shai and after figuring where to place the lightsaber on her person, unwilling to leave it behind, she loosened her hair from the braid. Satisfied with herself, she signalled her readiness. "Let's go." She declared.

"I've never done this before." She told Shai as they left to go wherever Shai deemed best, though she was sure she didn't need to tell her friend that as it was far from typical of a Jedi to do such a thing which made her wonder whether she should go ahead with their outing and what the repercussions of her actions would be, though she did not turn back.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai scoffed at Zemi's comment. "I'm calling you out on that!" she spoke, poking Zemi on the shoulder. "You definitely care what you look like. If you didn't you wouldn't be looking like a supermodel." she playfully scolded. She kept trying to act modest but Shai didn't give her any wiggle room. "Doubt all you like, I'm tellin' ya. Mark my words, I'll be resting my case tonight." she spoke as she stepped back and sat down on the bed to get rid of her combat boots. She waited for her friend to choose first before picking out a simple t-shirt and jeans for herself. As she got dressed she glanced at Zemi as the Jedi found a spot to hide her lightsaber. She chuckled as she watched her. "Just in case, huh?" she joked as she finished tying her boots. She decided on following her friend's actions and strapped a holdout blaster around her ankle. She tucked the bootleg around it and stood up.

"Right behind ya." she quipped as she walked with Zemi to the exit. Outside she got into the driver's seat and waited for her to get in before once again blasting off. "Oh don't worry. Just relax and enjoy yourself." she assured Zemi as she flew them to a seedier part close to them. They reached a neon lit building with several people bustling about the entrance. Some were just hanging out, others were waiting on people and a few were getting let in by the bouncers. Shai parked the speeder on an open space and opened the door to muffled thumping coming from the building. She flashed her friend a smile and nodded to follow as she lit a cigarette. "This is gonna be awesome. Just keep an eye on your drink at all times. Just in case." she warned Zemi as they reached the entrance. They were patted down but the bouncers didn't do a very good job at it, given neither of the mhad to hand anything over.

Inside the music blared away, the bass reverberating all around them while lasers and lights danced around. Shai was bobbing her head to the beat as she led the way to the bar. "Get whatever you like. On me." she said to her before ordering a beer for herself.

Once her drink was in hand, she raised it to Zemira. "Cheers!" she toasted before taking a big swig. Glancing around the place, her eyes found a small group around a pool table next to the dance floor that was packed with people moving with the music. A DJ was on the stage working on the music while some people were cheering him on. She didn't have much of a taste for that situation, not when she was still sober. "You in the mood for some games?" she asked Zemi as she gestured to the pool tables.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Despite Zemira's efforts to seem modest, Shai was able to see through her facade, prompting a shrug from the Jedi who was unable to deny it any further. She wasn't raised on Hapes engrossed in their neurotic love of beauty but she did learn about the culture through a Hapan man who raised her and though he had tried to steer her away from the more toxic aspects of Hapan culture, such as the sexism he had escaped from and the obsession with beauty, being hyper-aware of how the galaxy perceived you tended to make you vain, although the modesty of the Jedi helped to minimise such beliefs somewhat. "It's better to be safe than sorry." She justified.

The likelihood was that the Jedi would never be aware of her straying from the cancelled mission. There was nothing to do but wait so as long as she didn't arrive at the Temple obviously intoxicated then they would have no reason to inquire about her free time so she nodded to Shai in response and tried to remove any worries from her mind. It wasn't as though it was a direct violation of the Code but it was likely frowned upon as the Jedi were supposed to be selfless servants who didn't pursue hedonistic desires.

The experience was new and exciting to the Knight who had little room for pleasure under the Jedi Order's customs, though she didn't say it, the look of wonder on her face told all. Once they reached the building, she gazed upon the bright lights and colours like a hypnotised moth before following Shai inside. With no idea where to begin, she ordered the same drink as Shai and joined her toast then took a sip of the beer, seeming surprised at the taste but not disgusted so she took a larger swig. "Sure!" She replied, walking over to a free pool table.

Zemira set up the game and grabbed a cue to break. As the game progressed, so did the empty bottles of beer than had begun to collect on the side of the pool table. Wary that she didn't want to leech of Shai's money, she began using her own credits, the few she had, after the first two drinks and got more adventurous as time went on with more colourful looking cocktails that she had seen others having. By the end of the game, which had taken exceptionally long due to her clear lack of skill, Zemira was considerably more chatty than she had been and was filled with a newfound confidence. "Shai!" She exclaimed as though she suddenly had an idea. "Let's daaance." She looped her arm around Shai's and started dragging her to the dance floor.

Shai Maji