Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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How About A Dry Run? [Kail Myn]

Adiara watched as drunken patrons stumbled from the Romping Rugger, one slender brow raised in amusement. Cantinas were always so full of inebriated and narcotised individuals, at least in all the downbeat areas of planets like Nar Shaddaa they were.

Still sat there, sipping at his stimcaf and blissfully sober, the Morellian kicked up his feet against the edge of the table and closed his eyes. A quiet yet drawn out sigh escaped his lips. This was bliss, when morning struck the smoke-filled establishment and the patrons were being kicked out. The music had already ended, the jukebox turned off and emptied of credits.

"Hey, Adi, you fancy a game of--"

"It's Adiara, and if you say anything other than Novacrown then you can count me out. You know I can't abide gambling games, Sinnat."

With a gruff grunt, the owner of the Romping Rugger pulled up a chair to the table Adiara was sat at and snapped his fingers; this caused one of the Besalisk who had been tending to the bar the night before to bring over their gameboard, which was still set from the last time Adiara had passed through.

Pulling out one of his gabaki sticks, Adiara lit the end which exposed the leafy interior and took a long draw of the soothing cigarette, knowing it was his turn to move. Sighing somewhat, and after five minutes worth of pondering in silence, he finally pushed a blue Karabbac toward Sinnat's purple Duuvhal.

Leaning back in his chair, he watched as a very slow stream of daylight patrons made their way into the establishment, heading to the bar in order to obtain some food or a caf to help them get ready for a long day at work.

"So, what brings you back to Shaddaa, Adiara? It's been about a year now"

The Gossam landlord narrowed his shrewd eyes towards Adiara during his query, before carefully moving a purple Mynock to take Adiara's blue Wompa.

"I'm supposed to be meeting a client" he offered, with a semi-casual shrug. I should have seen that move coming he internally scolded himself, forgetting that this game had been left untouched for a year now.

The Gossam was always such an amiable foe when it came to Novacrown.

(If you need to know what anything mentioned in here is, let me know!)
 
Kail arrived on Nar Shaddaa only a few days ago. The young Jedi of the Silver Order had heard of this world numerous times but never actually been there before; similar worlds, of course, but that did not make them Nar Shaddaa. The smuggler's moon itself was amongst the most legendary locations in the galaxy; battles, fateful events, and heroic journeys have all found their way to Nar Shaddaa once upon a time.

Now, the world is less important -- seemingly -- it had briefly been home Jedi following the Fall of Coruscant but now it's a nest for criminal syndicates that no longer relive the glory of history. A shame really, all these wars and conflicts have drawn away the good memories and replaced them with what's right in front of you. A slum filled with drunks and the unlucky.

"The Romping Rugger?", she breathed the words softly to herself. If one thing was true, Kail had always found cantina names to be a source of amusement. Each one told a story about their origins and the person who founded it. Why not?, she thought to herself. She was supposed to be on the flight to Voss but she could stay a while... No harm, right? Walking through the cantina doors -- midday -- she looked around and noticed only a few patrons. Daytime drunks tended to be either the worst of folk or the most interesting. In this case she guessed the former as her feet pulled her to the counter.

Kail's eyes glanced around the location before singling out the bartender, waiting on her order, "...Jawa Juice?", she asked quite awkwardly. This always happened, she became anxious towards wasting time that she just pulled an item off the top of her head. The Bartender nodded, "One Ardees.", he said before going to fill a plasteel cup with the drink. She placed down a chit worth five credits after being handed the beverage. Now it was time to find a place to sit. She looked around, it was quite empty and she noticed a rather abandoned table a few places near where it seemed two men were playing a game.

As she approached the table, she sat down; the cup made a small noise when it made contact with the table. Her training lightsaber was partially disassembled making one bit look no more like a transceiver of some kind and the other a storage canister; of course this was only true to most people.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 
It wasn't difficult to pick up on a newcomer during the Romping Rugger's daylight hours. Squinting down at the board, he tried not to let the woman attract his attention too much. With a grumble to himself he shifted his Karabbac to one side and deftly knocked aside the purple Mynock. It had been a petty move, which hadn't really gained him anything, but the blasted woman had placed her glass down rather noisily - at least in the mind of Adiara who was too jumped up on caffeine to focus properly.

Turning his accusatory gaze towards the table she had sat at, Adiara tilted his head to one side and watched the woman as she awkwardly sat there drinking... With a sniff he deduced the contents of her glass, and shook his head. "Don't drink that, Sweetheart." It was a friendly warning if nothing else, most of the Romping Rugger's drinks menu should never be sampled by anyone who wanted to keep their sense of taste.

"Here, come try this." He pulled what remained of the Mandalorian Whiskey he had tempted Aerin with the night before from behind his seat and settled it on the opposite side of his table - careful not to knock the novacrown board. "Alternatively, you're welcome to some of my caf" It was a better suggestion than alcohol, given the time of day, but how did Adiara know she wasn't actually here to lose hours at the bottom of a glass?

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
She didn't want to admit that her time spent in Cantinas was usually waiting on others, not drinking. Although she knew names enough to pretend she was experienced it was clear by her demeanor that she indeed was not. A bit startled at first, by the man's sudden social attitude -- he was a stranger -- she nodded to his suggestion; about not drinking it. Jawa Juice wasn't exactly a tastey alcohol anyway, glad she didn't find that out the hard way. Her glance turned to him, "Caf sounds good.", she said.

Truth-be-told Kail didn't actually know what caf was. Then again she didn't know what just about anything was but she wasn't about to let him know that, she may have been a Jedi but she'll still lie whenever she gets the chance. I guess she wasn't totally a Jedi, not yet anyway. The temple on Voss was somewhere to be and go and although it helped her come to terms with problematic scenarios throughout her past, it didn't feel like home. Her interests were primarily in the study of Sith ruins and artifacts and the Silver Jedi were one of the few Orders that didn't consider it a crime.

Her face procured a smile to him, a bit of an awkward one at that -- looking down at the whiskey like she was studying a dig site.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 
He raised a brow and watched her for a moment. Poor dove didn't know what she wanted, it was a shame really. Had she stumbled into any other Cantina during the day on a planet like Nar Shaddaa it might have ended badly for her. With a sigh he gestured for her to sit. "Do not knock the table" he carefully instructed, "I'd hate to win by default."

With a soft sigh he glanced to the board and noticed that his opponent was taking longer than usual to make his move. Then again, how long had he been mulling over the board at large in Adiara's absence? The thought put a brooding frown upon his face. That was as good as cheating!

"Caf'll wake you up, for sure, but it won't be getting you wasted. If it's alcohol you're after, I can make a nice Whiskey-Caf mix for you?" The smile on his face told that he was, for the most part, jesting - it was obvious she wasn't the sort to be drinking during the day. Which begged the question; "Tell me, Sweetheart, what is a woman like yourself doing in slums like these?"

He was always curious about a person's habits, especially when by appearance alone they were severely out of place. As he spoke, the man grabbed his flask of caf, which was begrudgingly almost empty, and poured enough of it to fill the flask's cap. "Taste it first, if you like it we'll fetch you more. The Whiskey I don't mind wasting, but caf? That's my drink of choice, Sweetheart."

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
Honesty... She wanted to be honest but there were rumors of a Jedi that had gone missing on Nar Shaddaa; so telling him the truth could go bad. "Family business.", she quickly responded. Really, is that the best I've got?, she thought to herself; careful to make sure the mistake didn't shine on her face. He seemed nice enough but sometimes it was the nice ones who were the most dangerous. Especially on a world like this, the fact he used the word sweetheart seemed like a personified catchphrase, much like a criminal would use in holovids. Was that naive? One couldn't be too careful.

"Caf is good.", she said. She's heard of it but never had it. Most worlds she's been on were desolate and abandoned; the few city-planets like this tended to be quick stops with her doing the labour not visiting. Now that she was on her own for good, she knew that things would change. She did have her training lightsaber if anything were to happen. It may not cut but it does bruise and damn does it bruise. With that little thought of confidence added she began to relax, visibly her shoulders were no longer tense.

She had time to waste and he did seem nice enough.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 
Adiara was not certain he believed the girl, but then again why did he blame her for trying to protect herself on a planet full of some of the Galaxies worst scum? "Family business? Sounds intriguing." No point in letting on that he knew better, he wasn't cruel after all. Instead he held his hand up to signal for her to wait a minute then wandered to the bar.

Taking up a mug, he smiled at one of the bartenders. "Can we get a few servings of Panna cake with carbosyrup, please?" Flashing a charming smile, he handed the man some credits and then strode back to his seat where he served up a healthier portion of his Caf to the lady who had joined them. "Here you go, Sweetheart, with breakfast on the way."

Sinnat had finally made a move, but it must have been tactical as none of his pieces were missing. "You're welcome to sit with us until you have to leave, of course I have places to be by the end of the day too." He shifted a Kath Hound to the right and smiled knowingly at Sinnat. He had him this time. "Have you ever played Novacrown? It's quite an interesting game, Sweetheart, if you've the time for it of course. This one's been going for a year and a half now, by Nar Shaddaa's standards"

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
It couldn't hurt, she thought; sitting with them. After all she probably stood out seated alone than she would with two others, it made sense. Perhaps Kail thought too much, rarely going with a gut feeling. Novacrown?, even if one hasn't played it they've heard of the game. A checkered board and coloured pieces. "I've dabbled.", she stated. Looking at the Caf she grabbed the mug and slowly made her closer to them; careful not to mess up their game. He was intriguing to say the least, kind enough, but she had her suspicions.

"A year and a half?", she pondered. "I guess you take the game seriously enough, It's a wonder you're not a General.", she remarked and then immediately became reserved. This is the most she's said yet and it was kind of dull; the kind of 'small talk' followed by a joke that you do with boring people but he didn't want to insult them or make them believe she was boring. The anxiety covered up her face quite noticeably but was quickly repressed by the sudden realization that she had yet to try this 'Caf' he spoke so much of. Looking into the mug at the liquid she raised the object to her lips before taking a sip, the smell was strong, and the taste was equally strong. Of course she's had strong in the past. Her throat swallowed the liquid quite aggressively and forced an audible sigh. Was it of pleasure? Or just a necessity? Who knew. Well, someone probably knew.

Her eyes darted between them, the game, the scenery, and the cook. "...Breakfast?"

Hopefully she wasn't being conned.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 
He laughed to the mention of the general. Oh that was funny, Adiara could not imagine himself on a battlefield again. His time in the Medi-Corps had scarred him for life, seered a mark upon him -- he had seen the outcome of war, the countless wasted lives which are quickly covered up and forgotten, the maimed individuals who will never be the same again. Such gruesome visages, and if the damned Force Users got involved? Well then the casualty count would always triple. The fools didn't realise that they were taking down living beings, they just see obstacles between Force Users. Adiara was a self-proclaimed craven, and that was something he was proud of given the circumstances.

"You wouldn't find me on a battlefield without extremely good cause, Sweetheart, I've seen enough bloodshed to drown half the Galaxy and then some." Leaning back in the chair, the man sighed softly and watched as the food was brought over by one of the servers. Three plates, loaded with Panna Cakes and carbo syrup, it was always a delight to all his senses, perhaps the nicest thing the Rugger made.

"Breakfast" he repeated with a small grin, gesturing for her to choose a plate so as not to worry about tampering. Adiara wasn't that kind of a man anyway.

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
He was being quite enigmatic. Not that she minded too much, she liked people with a tale or two to tell; people who talked too much about themselves bored her. His little gesture was meant to be reassuring but by now her reservations weren't towards whether or not he'd try to harm her but whether or not she was being played for a fool. Nonetheless she couldn't refuse a free meal... Jedi didn't exactly get paid, they were given credits for only what they absolutely needed and a good time out wasn't on the menu.

"You seem too formal for a place like Nar Shaddaa.", she finally said it. She didn't want to use the word 'nice' as she felt it would come across a bit gushy, besides being polite and being nice weren't necessarily the same thing. It was difficult to tell, really. Sometimes people said one thing but thought another. Kail was actually doing just that.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 
Adiara locked gazes with Sinnat, who in turn did the same, and almost in perfect unison the pair chuckled to that notion. "Formal?" he inquired, with a soft shake of his head. "Now whatever gave you that impression?" His lips twitched in amusement, before he took one of the plates and set it down infront of him, pouring the carbosyrup over the top without any real care for the amount. It tasted good regardless. Cutting off a bitesize piece the man reflected on the woman while staring at the game board. "This is probably the most amount of moves we've done in one sit-in, Sin', how odd."

He ate the slice of panna cake and washed it down with some more of his Caf', the combination going perfectly together. Not that he expected any less. "So tell me, Sweetheart, where did you come from? Certainly not these slums..." He glanced to Sinnat apologetically, while the owner of the establishment simply shrugged knowingly. They were in the rough part of town, after all.

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
"Voss," she spoke with a mouthful of panna cake; the word that came from her mouth was almost unintelligible with how much food she had stuffed into her mouth. She swallowed roughly, exhaling as her heart raced more quickly at the sudden devouring of her food. "I came here from Voss," she smiled awkwardly in an attempt to provide a friendly impression despite her lack of manners. Kail wasn't used to this, being offered anything really. The Jedi on Voss were more-or-less very simplistic and only offered her what she must have. When she grew up those who raised her cared very little for the girl, offering her next to nothing.

Her odd manners and behavior probably showed some signs of this lack of 'development' in her social skills. Or maybe it really wasn't that much of a shock for those on Nar Shaddaa. It probably didn't matter at any rate.

[member="Snowflake"]
 
"Voss" came the cool response, as Adiara slipped out a gabaki stick and made to light it before halting and turning to the girl. "Do you mind?" He lifted it so that she could view it. He had only just really put the thing out, but habits were habits and it was safe to say he was well and truly hooked. There were worse vices out there. He settled his hand back down to the table.

"So, is Voss your home or simply a place between places? It seems to be a pretty lonely world from what I've seen of it." Granted, his time on that planet had been rather short-lived, he didn't enjoy battling with wildlife anymore than he did fellow sapient lifeforms.

He picked up his fork and began to eat his breakfast, with Sinnat following suit. The little Gossam didn't really like the food his establishment offered, but the panna cakes were hard to resist. Maybe there was something in the syrup? Adiara didn't mind; it hadn't done anything adverse to him so far, and he'd had the same meal every time he came to Nar Shaddaa since leaving the Medi-Corps behind.

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
Kail shook her head at his question, she didn't mind personally, and even if she did she wasn't going to say so.

Then her mind drifted off of the topic when he began asking her about Voss, for a moment the thought sank deep into her heart, reminding her of the fact she really never had a home. Yet how many in the galaxy, how many of these trillion souls didn't have a home? It made her feel guilty, even though her problem was real, she knew many other suffered as well--and many more suffered worse. But still, that feeling wouldn't go away... Sadness and guilty at the same time was not exactly what she wanted, but instead of showing it she simply smiled.

"No... I was born somewhere else, Voss is merely a residence for the time being. Not sure where else to go," she attempted to maintain a facade of bliss in the face of this stranger.

Why do I feel so comfortable? She thought to herself, perhaps being able to talk about what you felt made her feel better.

[member="Snowflake"]
 
As she expressed no ill toward his habit, Adiara promptly lit the stick and took a generous puff; the natural effects of the gabaki calmed his nerves and quenched some of the natural tremor his hands usually held. He may have been mostly over the experiences from his earlier years, but some things were harder to overcome than others. Not that it was anything obvious on the surface.

"Many thanks" he said, before exhaling the smoke away from the girl. It would be ill mannered of him to direct it over their table, especially with food present. He watched the girl's expression, noticed the pained faraway look and couldn't help but feel sympathetic. Whatever had brought her here clearly struck a chord, or perhaps it was the conversation concerning Voss. Did she have no love for the world either?

And then what she said made him come to the conclusion that she was a lost soul, pining for a home she did not know. How amusing, not in a cruel or malicious manner but more in an abstract fashion. For was Adiara not doing the same? His true home was nothing to him, not since the foolish Jedi stole him away, and since he had come to loathe planet-life there would be no permanent place for him to call home. Such a shame.

"Your tone tells me you do not wish to remain on Voss" he said, raising a brow, "is there any particular reason? Perhaps if you talk it through you may realise what you feel is missing. It's the easiest way to right a wrong." Why can't you ever give advice to youself, Adi? If only it were that simple, though, surely the whole Galaxy would be as rich as Kings with the freedom of thieves.

[member="Kail Myn"]
 
Was she longing for something else? Kail did not know, but he wasn't wrong in his assumption. Voss meant nothing to her, it was just another place to be when she had nowhere else to go, the Jedi were gentle enough to take her in despite the darkness in her past. So was it rude, if not even cruel, to take that for granted? Yet she still wished to be somewhere else, the life of a Jedi was not the path she chose but instead a burden of one who did not choose this power in the first place.

At that, she wasn't even good at being a Jedi. Having no talent in the force, only mediocre ability with a lightsaber... She was hardly one to fight Sith, to defend the galaxy from disorder, and to protect the helpless. She just wanted to be somewhere where she could feel wanted, and found.

So with that, she let out a light sigh. "I don't know, I just don't feel at a home there." Hardly the truth, but she didn't have the energy to tell it.

[member="Adiara Drelas"]
 

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