Private Hi Friend - New tale with tails

[Diarch Rellik]

The afternoon crowd flowed lazily through the market district, a blend of metal clatter, chatter, and the hum of passing speeders drifting between the vendor stalls. Rellik moved through it all without hurry, letting the noise fade beneath the steady rhythm of his thoughts. A rare quiet day. He had almost reached the end of the street when a sharp commotion caught his attention, something being knocked over, a voice barking, the scrape of a door sliding shut a little too aggressively. Then silence again, abrupt and awkward.

Rellik slowed.

A few feet ahead, someone stood alone just outside the doorway of a small cantina, the kind whose staff didn't bother hiding their impatience.

He stepped closer, softening his voice as he approached, golden eyes catching the afternoon light.

"Are you alright?" he asked, stopping a respectful distance away. "You look like you've had a rough moment."

A small pause. His tone stayed warm, steady.

"I was about to get something to eat. If you'd like to join me, you're welcome to."

Zaytee

 

[Zaytee]

With a few quiet swearwords under her breath, Zaytee tried to dust herself off while she still stared at the door of the canteen, tail anxiously swishing behind her. A few small coins still rattled quietly in her tightly closed palm, showing that she didn't even have time to spend them before she got thrown out of the place, but she rather cursed at her own stupidity.

She worked so hard to get these coins, she didn't even try to steal anything in the meantime, even when her stomach growled like a wild beast... but learning that this much was only enough to get her a cup of water was more than devastating news.

Eryn would've surely find a place where they could eat until they fall asleep from a full stomach...

As she heard the voice, the young Kiir glanced at the newcomer, head tilting to the side with curiosity while she watched the usually freely dancing lights of the Force making odd, jumping like motions around the man, staying close but not too close to him, like a school of little fish. He was tall compared to her, clothes unfamiliar, making it unclear for her if he was a scholar, a merchant, or a soldier.

This world was still so foreign to her, and learning about every new species she met with took time, patience and attenion. And the gods seemingly gave the last two very sparingly to her.

"Just a little disagreement with the staff over overpriced meals." She muttered quietly, eyes following the lights to ensure he had no bad intentions. "Do you know a place that's NOT OWNED BY A BUNCH OF RUDE BUGGERS?" She yelled the last part toward the building in front of them, her tail making a low thump as it slammed against the ground.

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

A faint hint of a smile touched the corner of his mouth as she shouted back at the cantina, the tail-thump against the stone drawing a quiet flicker of amusement through his eyes. Rellik gave the door one brief glance, then returned his attention to her.

"Overpriced meals and rude staff are a bad combination," he said lightly. "You're right to object."

He shifted his cloak back just enough to make his posture seem less imposing, one hand resting loosely at his side as he angled himself so he wasn't blocking the street behind her.

"There's a place a few streets over," he continued. "Best Bantha wings, soups and salads on the planet." With a childish smile he also stated while rubbing his head - "And I know the owner. A really funny bald guy." In a rather cartoonish fashion he pointed at himself with his thumb. "I am Diarch Rellik. Pleasure to meet you."

His gaze dropped briefly to her clenched hand, the faint jingle of coins not lost on him. "I'll pay. you can return the favor by being my company for the meal. Maybe you can tell me a little about yourself. I do not think I have ever met someone... like you before." The words were laced as politely as he could put them. Not trying to insinuate that there was anything wrong with the girl. But that she was good company.

Raising his arm to show the direction they would be going in - "Come, please. it will be fun and the food will be good."

Zaytee

 

[Zaytee]

"Really?" At his words, the young Kiir's tail started to wag with much more speed, while she jumped up and down excitedly. "That would be great! Well, basicly anything is better than this mudeater canteen."

She rolled her eyes one last time, quickly forgetting about the events before pointing at herself with a wide smile on her face, not showing any signs of wariness in front of this new companion.

"I'm Zaytee, nice to meet you, you 'really funny bald guy'!" She chuckled quietly, shrugging her shoulders and hiding the coins in her pocket. "Truth be told, some company would be good for me too... And as the elders say, food is always better when it's shared with someone."

With quick, bouncing steps, Zaytee followed the man, staying close to his side to not loose him in the crowd around them, while sometimes took small, peeking glances toward him, or rather the small lights around him.

Forceusers were not a completely unusual thing to see, most person always had at least a few blinking lights around them, some following, some not, always changing with practice, race and age, all different for every person... even some simple housewives had similarly strong lights as soldiers or higher ranking officials. The real Jedis always had the strongest aura of them all, no matter if they already knew about their ability or not, but there was so many different levels based on the color, fluctuation, and waves that she never tired herself to learn.

The older Kiirs always told that seeing this lights were the gift of the gods, letting their kind see the truth behind the veil of lies... but Zaytee had never much interest outside of knowing if others were a threat to her or not. And this time, it seemed she had no need to worry.

"I'm just a simple traveller." She said cheerfully. "Just hitchhiking through the galaxy... or rather touring around to see everything. What about you?"

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik let out a soft laugh at her enthusiasm, the sound genuine as her tail wagged. Keeping an easy, unhurried pace as she walked close at his side, the flow of the crowd parting naturally around them.

"Zaytee the traveler, then," he said with quiet approval. "That sounds fascinating. Travelling is the only way to see some truly special things."

At her question he answered immediately.
"I'm the Diarch," he said simply. "Think of it as a counselor and protector for everyone who lives in our space. I make sure people are okay. Fed, safe, and heard."

A brief glance down toward her, checking that the explanation landed.

"Most days it just means listening and fixing problems before they turn into worse ones."

The scent of cooked meat and spices drifted closer as they walked. They turned off the main street, following a shorter side road until the market noise softened into something more comfortable. Ahead, an open-fronted restaurant spilled warm light onto the stone walkway. The interior was wide and airy.

"And today," he continued, gesturing ahead, "it means lunch." Taking a big step the Diarch walked Zaytee inside.

The host spotted Rellik immediately and gave a nod. They were led past the entry and into the wider dining space. There were plenty of people already eating, laughing, talking but enough room that no one felt crowded, no tables packed too tight.

Rellik followed the host toward an open table, gesturing casually for Zaytee to walk alongside him.

"As promised," he said, quiet and amused. "No rude staff."

Once they were seated, the noise of the room settling into a comfortable hum around them, Rellik rested his forearms lightly on the table. His posture stayed open, relaxed.

"Hitchhiking between worlds, Has it been treating you well?" The question was asked as if everything was normal and okay. Yet, it was Relliks way of making sure Zaytee was not having trouble on the road. It might be her lucky day. Maybe he would gift her a ship so she could be safer.

He paused, then added casually, as if sharing a bit of context rather than testing her.

"For what it's worth, you're in Diarchy space right now. We try to make sure travelers don't get lost or taken advantage of." as a scientific man, he did wonder what her people were. Did they travel in space often and typically by getting rides. That would make since why they have a low presence in systems.

Zaytee

 

[Zaytee]

"Wow..." Came the answer from the young Kiir at the sight of the inside of restaurant.

The dimmed, but warm lights, the soft creakings of the fornitures and the mixed scent of all the foods felt welcoming and sweet, with the mood reminding her of the dinners her tribe shared alongside the firepitches deep in the darkness of the swamp. No weapons or harsh words in sight, just the low and light shirping of conversations and laughter causing a stable background noise around them while they sat down at their own table, and Zaytee pulled her tail around onto her lap, not wanting to take the risk of anybody stepping onto it, or tripping any of the waiters with it by accident.

"Until now, it's very interesting. So many species, so many language, foods, traditions, clothings... some places hire daily workers because there are too many people travelling through, and not enough long time laborers, so it's easy to find jobs between ships... And a few ship let me board in exchange for work too, until they think I don't cause much trouble." She chuckled lightly. "Which happens sometimes, but not too regularly."

She looked around, her eyes quickly finding the closest waiter and waving them over, ordering a glass of fruit juice and slipping a few coins into their palm before turning back toward the Diarch.

"I'm not very knowledgable in technology like guns, ships, robots, and all the different kinds of machines... it's a miracle that I still have my tail, after it got stuck in an automatic door." Her tail twitched on her lap as if it would remember the event with embarrassment, but the Kiir just smiled lightly. "But there are other jobs to do, like treating the living cargo, or helping in the kitchen." She shook her head quickly, a cold goosebump running down her spine. "Too many ship use foodpastes, I tell you that. It's a relief to have real food around without all those artificial flavors."

As her drink arrived moments later, Zaytee excitedly started sipping it, her legs going back and forth under the table like a young hatchling's, not fully reaching the ground with her small size.

"What about you? Do you travel for similar 'lunches' all around your territory?" She tilted her head to the side with pure curiosity.

Diarch Rellik