Private Gamble

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell
​

Kiran couldn't stop the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth as the attendant handed him the oversized nexu plush. The thing was ridiculous its fabric fur was too soft, its teeth too round but it felt like victory all the same. Persephone's expression, calm and mildly satisfied, said everything. She'd just cleaned the floor with him, and she knew it. Maybe he did underestimate her sometimes, though not out of arrogance. It was just… easy to forget how sharp she really was when she carried herself like everything was a casual inconvenience.

He laughed quietly under his breath, the sound nearly lost under the hum of the crowd and the crackling noise from above. Fireworks burst over the fairgrounds, splashes of red and gold reflecting off the glass bottles still lined up behind them. The air smelled like sugar, oil, and faint ozone. Maybe the carnival really was winding down; families were clustering near exits, kids clutching prizes, vendors shouting about last-minute deals. The chaos of it all wrapped around them, alive and fading at the same time.

Kiran chuckled, looking down at her, then out toward the streaks of color above them. "Guess that's the carnival way. Make people think they're winning when they're not." He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the nexu still tucked under his arm. "Then again, I think I did alright tonight."


The fireworks continued to bloom and fade, painting the sky in brief flashes. For a fleeting moment, he let himself just stand there no games, no back-and-forth teasing just the warmth of the night, the sound of her laugh caught in the noise, and the soft, light weight of a plush nexu against his side.

"We are going artifact hunting tomorrow morning." Kiran said with an easy smile. "There was an discovery just a few days ago a few miles outside the city, they say it could change the history of Alderaan. From what I read about it there are still plenty of things to uncover and our looking for reliable people to help catalog and sift through."

Kiran looked up again as the show continued.

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Yeah, a large stuffed Nexu seems a better prize than like...a bouncy-ball in the shape of holocron or something. Or a slap bracelet."

Persephone knew she had gotten lucky with the bottles. A little bit of hand-eye coordination was all. Part of it was due to fashion - cutting fabric, sewing alterations on her own clothes, making seams straight. Who would have thought? The other part was just merely growing up in a place where there were scammers everywhere.

Fireworks danced across the sky, joined by a small drone show. Persephone was surprised they didn't charge for this portion as well. Probably built into their initial entrance fee.

"Oh really? So you're ready for sitting in the dirt with a toothbrush for eight hours?"

Or screening dirt. That was the worst. One shovelful at a time, looking for anything left behind. One would think in this day and age there would be something different but no. She supposed optical sensors of droids could miss the smallest of pieces in the substrate. Mistake bark for a piece of leather, that sort of thing.

Kiran Arlos​

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell
​

The fireworks overhead burst in gold and silver, reflected in her eyes for the brief moments he let himself look too long. Then came the drone show, shapes flickering and reforming into familiar symbols against the night sky. The crowd's cheers rose and fell in waves, but he barely heard them. The air was cooler now, carrying the faint scent of ozone and fried sugar from the food stalls closing up for the night.

He turned toward her, one brow raised. "What's wrong with doing that?"

Still, he pictured it, them crouched in the dirt, focused and determined, sunlight on their faces. The image didn't seem so bad. "Guess someone's gotta keep history from getting lost." he said after a moment, voice quieter now. "Even if it means turning up nothing but bark and broken glass."

He nudged her lightly with his shoulder, the nexu's paw bumping her arm in the process. "But if I'm going to be stuck sifting dirt for hours, I'm bringing the nexu. He can be moral support for us both."

The next firework burst in a wide arc above them, scattering blue sparks across the night. For a few seconds, he forgot all about the crowds, the noise, the flashing lights everything but the way she looked up at the sky, her face illuminated in the glow. He gave her a gentle nudge with his arm. Speaking truthfully.

"Besides if you are there, its more than worth it."

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Keep that same energy tomorrow."

Persephone shook her head, knowing Kiran Arlos had no clue. Even with modern technology it was boring and time consuming work. Optical sensors now often did much of the super-boring work but then sentients were brought in to discover what those sensors found. Oh, and someone had to feed dirt to the screening system with very gentle shovelfuls.

"I am excited to go though. Thanks for thinking of me."

CULTURAL SITE

As promised, the site was full of older teenagers and college students assisting in the dig. There was the sound of pickaxes and shovels - hand tools. Using machinery was too iffy. Sometimes a laser tool was brought out, often used by droids since their optical sensors were much better than a sentient eye. Even then, shovels had to be brought in to take that lasered away dirt to the screen process.

Of course, the Professors would be handling the big things, like large pottery or stone steps. The rest of the group would be doing one of two things. Bucket duty or inspection duty. As they entered the site, a Professor pointed at both of them.

"Newcomers? Excellent. Go ahead and join the bucket line to the screening area."

At least she didn't have to go to the gym anytime soon.

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell ​

Kiran smirked when she told him to keep that same energy tomorrow. He wasn't sure what she meant exactly. How bad could it be? Dirt was dirt. He'd done worse jobs before, though something told him this was going to be a different kind of challenge. Still, he only offered a small shrug and a crooked grin. "You'll see. I'm a fast learner."

When she thanked him, his expression softened. "Yeah. Figured you'd like it." he said, though the truth was he hadn't been entirely sure. It just seemed like something she'd find meaning in—quiet, meticulous work that required patience and precision. The kind of thing that suited her.

The next morning, the sun hung high over the dig site, heat rolling off the bare soil in steady waves. Kiran hadn't expected this many people—rows of students, sleeves rolled, heads bent over the dirt, all moving in rhythm like a living machine. The sound of metal scraping stone, the crunch of gravel underfoot, and the low murmur of conversation filled the air.

He took it in, the smell of sunbaked earth and the tang of rust from old tools. His jacket was slung over his shoulder, boots already dusted brown from the walk in. Persephone seemed perfectly in her element. He, on the other hand, wasn't entirely sure where to start.

The call came soon enough one of the professors, a tall man with a datapad tucked under his arm, pointed right at them. "Newcomers? Excellent. Go ahead and join the bucket line to the screening area."

Kiran glanced at Persephone with a half-laugh and smile. "Bucket duty. Of course."

It didn't sound glamorous, and it wasn't. Within minutes he was standing in line with a shovel in hand, passing filled buckets down the chain to others feeding dirt into the screening system. Every motion was the same scoop, lift, pass, repeat. Luckily he was in a decent amount of shape for this and the rhythm had a strange satisfaction to it. The steady movement, the scrape of tools, the occasional call of discovery from somewhere down the line it all built into something that felt… grounded.

He caught Persephone's eye once, just long enough to see the faint smirk playing at her lips. She was enjoying this, but the quiet structure of it. The order in the chaos.

He shook his head with a grin and passed another bucket down. "Alright." he muttered under his breath, "So, maybe you were right."

Still, as the sun climbed higher and the distant hum of the screening droids mingled with the chatter of the crew, Kiran found himself thinking it wasn't such a bad way to spend the day, sweat, dust, and all. And plus, if it put a smile on Persephone face, that's all that counted.