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.

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persephone wasn't surprised she had been put on bucket duty. So far in the screening process three pieces of mosaic tile had been found. Although no idea whose bucket it had come from - didn't matter, it wasn't as if they were going to be getting credit for these discoveries. Although given her time here could put it on her resume for university. Just another feather in her cap for admission into the program - although she was still debating between the two.

Break time was signaled as the sun climbed into the sky. Which meant fishing a wrapped sandwich out of a cooler of ice, grabbing a piece of fruit, bottle of water and finding somewhere to sit. Carefully she was unwrapping her soggy sandwich while sitting on a rock. It wasn't exactly appetizing but she had eaten worse - or nothing at all. Persie could just push the weird texture out of her mind and power through. Even now spending time with her adoptive parents was she going to waste perfectly good food, even if the bread was soggy.

Eyes left the sandwich and looked to Kiran Arlos .

"At least now you can skip arm day at the gym."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell
​

He followed Persephone toward the shade, grateful for even the smallest bit of relief from the sun. The air smelled of dust, salt, and warm metal from the nearby equipment. Around them, students sat in small clusters, talking in tired laughter, swapping stories about who had found what. He'd caught glimpses of the tiny mosaic tiles earlier bright fragments against dull earth but he hadn't known where they came from. Didn't matter, really. None of them would get their names on a paper or even a mention. Still, the quiet hum of discovery hung in the air, enough to keep everyone going.

He plopped down beside her. His sandwich was just as soggy as hers looked, but hunger didn't leave much room for pride. He tore off a corner and chewed in silence for a moment, watching the heat shimmer across the dig site.

Kiran gave a short laugh through his nose and flexed one sore arm in mock triumph. "Oh yeah, I'm feeling it. Pretty sure I've got new muscles forming just from carrying those buckets." He gestured toward the line of students still trickling back from the screening area. "You'd think they'd at least give us some fancy title 'material relocation specialists,' or something."

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Just think of it as a jump start on muscle building."

For all the technology in the universe, it seemed discoveries relied on the backs of sentients. Something to think about really. Persephone supposed at some point droids could do all the work. Zee was advanced. Other droids were advanced. Perhaps there was something about sentients unearthing echoes left by sentients past rather than by inorganics that was poetic. As if life had a way of hanging on long after everyone and time had forgotten.

"I mean, you can put the fancy title down on a resume or something similar. Who is going to care? If anyone looks into it they can easily just assume you were a trash collector or smuggler. Leaves a lot open for interpretation. Suppose that is the beauty of it."

Half her sandwich was already gone.

"Thanks for joining me. Or taking me...however you want to view it. Appreciate it. Good news for you...we can probably leave at any time. No one will notice us being gone and this will be going on for days. Months even."

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell
​

Kiran smirked faintly, still rolling the stiffness out of his shoulders. "Yeah, jump start's one way to put it. I'll be lucky if I can lift my arms tomorrow." The ache wasn't unbearable, but it settled deep into the muscles earned, honest fatigue that didn't come from sparring or running, but from something more methodical. There was a strange satisfaction in that.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, watching the dig site stretch out before them. Droids hummed quietly along the perimeter, their scanners sweeping the dirt in perfect lines. Yet for all their precision, it was the students who sifted through the remains, bucket by bucket, handful by handful. He couldn't help thinking there was something oddly human about that the need to touch the past, to quite literally dig into it with one's hands. Machines could find things, sure, but they couldn't feel them.

He chuckled, glancing her way. "I don't know—'independent excavation consultant' sounds impressive enough. Might even help me talk my way past a customs inspector someday." He took another bite of his sandwich, still damp, still unappetizing. "Though, yeah, you're probably right. No one checks the small print."

For a while, they sat in a comfortable sort of quiet, just the low hum of droids and the murmur of other students breaking through the stillness. The light shifted as a few clouds drifted by, scattering pale shadows across the ground.

When she thanked him, his gaze lingered on her for a moment—longer than he meant it to. Her tone was casual, almost dismissive, but something in it felt genuine. Her next words—we can probably leave at any time—made him glance back toward the open horizon. The idea was tempting. The air beyond the dig shimmered with heat, and somewhere in the distance the faint sound of laughter carried from the town.

He turned back to her, smiling slightly. "You sure? I mean, if we vanish, they might actually notice the buckets moving faster."

Then, after a beat, quieter: "We can leave when you're ready. I got nothing planned tomorrow."

He tilted his head, eyes still glinting with humor but softened at the edges. "Besides, spending the day here wasn't just about the dig for me."

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Yeah, those customs inspectors are something else. Some just take their jobs a little too seriously."

Persephone wondered how many items customs inspectors missed. It wasn't as if all ships were searched, just the larger cargo ones. Company vessels. Depending on the government, maybe random civilian searches. All this naturally explained the trade of illicit items. Or items from dig sites. Which was good for her - Persephone knew treasure hunting was in her future.

Finishing up her soggy sandwich, she nodded once, as in affirmation. Bottle of water would be going with her as they made their way out of the dig site. It was a small hike. Hands brushed off on her pants, water grabbed, she stood. Kiran Arlos looked as if he was finished as well an her head inclined back to the trail.

"Spending time with me eh? You must be desperate for human contact. I feel for you." Persephone nudged his shoulder playfully before they got started walking. Voice dropped quieter, just so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. Not that they could be stopped from leaving. "Let's go. We can even stopped by a pharmacy and get you some anti-inflammatory. I wouldn't want those muscles to suffer. I know your legions of fans would just die if they went days without seeing you."

Another grin as she joked around.

"Appreciate the trip though. Really. I know its boring for others but it was nice to have the company. Lately its been just me, you know?"

Carefully, they made their way back down the trail, leaving bucket duty behind them.

 

[Kiran Arlos]

Persephone Dashiell
​

Kiran huffed a small laugh at her comment about customs inspectors, brushing some dried dirt from his hands. "Yeah, I've met a few of those types."

Persephone's movement drew his eye; she was already brushing off her hands, her motions neat and unhurried. He admired that about her how she moved through things without needing to rush or prove anything.

He laughed, the sound genuine this time. "Desperate is a strong word. Let's call it… selective companionship." The corner of his mouth lifted into a crooked grin as she nudged him, and he returned it in kind a light bump of his shoulder against hers as they started walking.

"Anti-inflammatories, huh? You're not wrong. Pretty sure I'll wake up tomorrow feeling like I arm-wrestled a wampa." He smirked. "Legions of fans, I don't need all that, if you are my only fan that's something I can live with." He laughed and shook his head lightly.

"No problem." Kiran said with a small smile. "I know what you mean, its been just me out there before I met you, before I met your father. Since then it's been fun. So, I guess I'm saying thanks for putting up with me." He let out a small, yet happy sigh, as the days went on, he didn't feel so by himself anymore. He had a friend, and that was worth everything.