Private | How to hunt a dragon |

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: annoyed
Tags: | Jala |

Sometimes it felt as though the galaxy was moving much too fast for her taste.

There were times that she was reminded that the conflict on Ryloth had only occurred a few weeks ago. That only a few weeks ago, she was riding on the back of a dragon, picking off Twi’lek terrorists left and right. Before even getting to ride on that dragon, pulling off the most hairbrained of schemes to destroy a massive number of energy spiders. Unfortunately, even though it had worked, the…explosiveness of the plan had cost her a lightsaber in the process. It left her down one. This was a position of weakness that Xobos would have much rather corrected sooner than now.

But, certain situations always seemed to garner her attention first. The continued protection of Illyria, making sure to cut out some time to visit naboo, and the Zeltron that occupied that wonderful world, and other conflicts popping up like lilies in the spring all made sure to distract her. Her mind was still on the fact that she needed to replace a blade, yet the time had seemingly allowed it. Eventually, however, with the conflict on Talay ending, she was able to break away from the galaxy’s troubles long enough to begin construction of a new blade, or perhaps, a new pair.

A Krayt dragon pearl was the best place to start, in her opinion.

That required going to a planet she had yet to visit in any of her travels, Tatooine. Everyone had heard the stories of the desert world and it’s barren wastelands. How, and why, people decided to live on such a horrible rock of a world was beyond her. If given the chance to be marooned back on Roon or having to spend any long amount of time on Tatooine, Roon was the choice immediately.

Krayt dragon pearl’s could only be found in numerous amounts, relatively speaking, in one place in the galaxy however. That barren rock, making this trip a necessity. That didn’t mean Xobos had to enjoy it much, which was probably the reason why the voices also seemed to be in a cranky mood. Typically that would mean they would be less talkative within her mind, which might provide the Miraluka with a brief moment of relaxation.

Not today.

As Sergeant Hin, her personal pilot, slowly brought the shuttle down for a landing in one of the larger spaceports that this planet was occupied by, Ambrus made sure to once again voice his displeasure at the experience ahead, as he had done many times on the ride there. “The pearl’s are not even necessary for a lightsaber, little master…I do not understand your obsession with gathering some.” That rumbling voice echoed throughout her mind while Xobos packed up what little overnight supplies she had brought with her, in the case that this hunt would not go as quickly as hoped. She did not respond to the voice for now, instead choosing to hoist the pack onto her back and proceed out the back of the shuttle once the ramp was lowered.

Once her boots crunched lightly against the dusting of sand over the metallic landing platform, Xobos quickly realized that there was little chance that her armor would stay sand free this day. A discouraging thought, which just seemed to continue to pile up on top of the last. There was a barely a moment’s pause from the woman as the hanger master approached her, instead jerking a thumb toward the shuttle followed by a curt, “The man in the shuttle will pay your fee,” before pushing past him to exit the hanger.

Pearl hunting was a profitable, and dangerous profession on this planet she had read. Explorers came here to find the pearl’s and create a massive payday offworld, assuming they left with their lives. The people here more than likely knew the foolhardiness of some of these adventurous souls, and were more than happy to lead them to their death’s…for the right price of course. Xobos would need one of these guides, and there didn’t seem like a much better place to start than the spaceport’s cantina.

Ora’s words seemingly mirrored her own thoughts, speaking as the Miraluka pushed her way past the crowds and into the dimly lit bar. “Let us find a guide, master. Hopefully one that’s…somewhat reputable. Not that we need to leave him alive after..of course.” This made Xobos crack the smallest of smiles, though it would not be seen with the faceless mask she wore. Instead, the stoic expression remained still with each step she took into the disgusting little bar.

Oh, what a new adventure today had brought her.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Immediate area of the main spaceport, Mos Espa, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Survive
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈
Jala wasn't one to consider it an easy task on any level to label herself a good liar. An innocent, honest girl with nothing to hide was who she had seen in herself for the best part of her whole life. And whenever she had ended up in trouble the easiest and quickest way out had more often than not been achieved with her feet rather than words.

The innocent young woman leaned toward the wall on her right. She clasped the lining of her mocha brown pilot's jacket with her right hand in an effort to hide the mustard yellow shirt hiding beneath it. Her hair, usually flowing freely down her shoulders and along her back had quickly and amateurishly been hidden under a simple and thin hat resembling a beanie, most likely stolen from a back alley somewhere nearby. To a dumber eye, she might've even looked like a bounty hunter or a scum of similar sorts, but anyone that knew better than the girl herself could surely see through the weak layer of deception she had formed around her.

Like the dozens of times before, Jala found herself regretting her actions. A mere half an hour ago walking into the spaceport and simply asking for a ride off-planet had seemed like the most genius of ideas ever. "They wouldn't expect it, it'd be easy" she had said to herself... Proving once more that she could lie just fine.

It had taken approximately fifteen minutes of her plan for the goons to walk into the bar and sit their asses in front of the counter lying mere feet away from Jala who tried to hide in the shadows the dim ceiling lights cast around the pub.

"A drink, please", the girl muttered to the droid that has sneaked up on her to question her about her order. The only thing left for her to do was to pray one of her "brothers" wouldn't fill the empty seat in front of her.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







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[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantina
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: annoyed
Tags: | Jala |

There weren’t many more dingy, dank, and worse places to be than some trash world’s spaceport cantina. Space traders coming to take the edge off, freelancers hoping to join a crew, and swindlers hoping to make a quick buck off an overwhelmed traveler. None of these people were particularly who Xobos was looking to deal with, and the very thought of it sent another wave of annoyance through her mind. But there was one person in this entire establishment that the woman had the direct intention of speaking to.

The bartender.

See, the bartender of these establishments was in a very special sort of position. One where he got to see all sorts of people enter into his place of business, and typically had a good eye that were and weren’t with. And for enough credits, one might just end up getting the exact information they were coming for. Most of the time, these Bartenders could not afford to give any sort of bad information. Rumors of their untrustworthy information would spread quickly, and they couldn’t afford that type of bad press.

That was why Xobos made a beeline for the first open seat at the bar she could see. However, by the time she wove her way too it, what looked to be a bounty hunter of some type had taken it. Her brow furrowed for a moment as the Miraluka stared at the hunter’s back through the force. There was something…interesting about this one. Although, there were more pressing matters at the moment, so she took her leave and instead moved into the seat next to the hunter.

The low lights of the bar glinted ever so slightly off the metal of her mask that peaked out from underneath her hood. Xobos allowed the Ithorian bartender to continue to serve the different guests for a few moments, patiently awaiting when he would make his way over to her seating. The hunter beside her quickly ordered a drink, sounding much more…shakey than might’ve been guessed from the woman, and she still couldn’t shake off that odd feeling she had felt about the hunter when first walking in.

A grunt from the Ithorian prompted her attention to return to the moment. In response, on gloved hand moved to her belt, shifting through a small bag of credits, then depositing them onto the bar’s flat top. “Information, for me, if you would.” The voice emitted from her mask, robotic in nature, was spoken just barely over the low hum of the bar. Just loud enough for the alien, and perhaps the hunter, to hear. She was not here for any sort of drink, and would be happy to get out of the tender’s….”hair” as soon as she got what was needed.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Immediate area of the main spaceport, Mos Espa, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Drink. (And do it convincingly)
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈

For a good while, it had seemed as if one of the three cutthroat men sitting an arm's length away from the girl had noticed her and planned to move next to her, but despite it making the girl feel her impending doom approaching faster than she had hoped for, the glance was nothing but an effort to search for something else than her.

Jala kept squeezing her jacket tightly and her head low to the best of her ability, but she was forced to look as she noticed a saving angel she had perhaps prayed for seconds back sit down next to her in the corner of her eye. This otherworldly savior came in the form of a shady figure who possibly might've even been a bigger threat to the girl than a few drunk men dressed in yellow ever could've been, but at the moment she couldn't thank the stranger enough.

Her golden eyes followed along as the figure threw their credits on the bar. Her ears picked up the muffled voice which the helmet they were wearing translated to proper words which echoed in Jala's head for a good while.

"Information? Ha-ha-ha!", roared the voice of the creature which took the role of a bartender alongside a few droids, before it rather quickly snatched the pile of credits lying in front of him. It didn't give a chance for a single one of the scum filling the pub to take advantage.

An Ithorian. One that was clearly amused by the stranger's words, but wasn't bewildered by it (As if it was the slightest of surprises, he'd probably gotten such offers countless times before. Perhaps even the earlier the same day?). A masked figure with malicious intentions was clearly just the most typical of customers to him.

"It's good price for questions, yes? Ask away", he continued with a gravelly and deep voice which resonated in a rather odd way as it came out of the creature, with a tone similar to an off-tune instrument. His words and pronunciation were shaded by a heavy accent which was expected of his kind.

Ithorians were possibly the only alien creatures the girl didn't have negative memories of, if any when she thought about it.

As Jala's attention slowly slid back on to the stranger who had fortunately taken the free seat next to her, she couldn't help but eye them as stealthily as she just could in her anxiousness. The helmet and attire as a whole hid their features rather effectively, but Jala couldn't help but feel the hairs in her back stand up as her eyes followed along with the glimmering metal on where the stranger's face presumably would've been. She felt watched as if the figure stared right back at her despite hopefully looking away from her. It was as if she could feel their gaze, even if they had their eyes shut.

The girl flinched as the Ithorian slammed the drink she had unwittingly ordered in front of her. Most of the liquid most likely poured over the edges of the rather worn stein. She handed over the few credits she had left from her pocket and grabbed the drink, not entirely sure what the bubbling mixture of liquids offered to her was.

It wasn't the greatest of her concerns. The innocent girl just wanted out alive.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







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[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantin
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: finished.
Tags: | Jala |

The Ithorian spoke basic, which wasn’t exactly a surprise considering how many people it must speak to on a daily basis, that learning basic became a simplicity to him. The accent was interesting, though not off putting whatsoever. Speaking basic would make this whole process go quite easier, something that xobos only found herself becoming more and more thankful for every moment she was in this dump. But before she could get on with the questions and let everyone get back to the day they were having, the hunter to her right had her drink slammed down quite…rudely.

For the smallest of moments, her eyes slowly moved to look over at the drink and where it had spilled lightly. Not necessarily at the hunter themselves, but the look in their direction would allow them to see more of the helmet underneath the hood. Much as the name implied, faceless. Few distinctive markings, and nothing to indicate just who might be underneath the veil. Not that there was any reason to know.

“A bit rude, isn’t he..” Ora’s voice echoed through her mind, pulling the former apprentice’s mind from the admittedly, not so nice gesture, instead back to the conversation at hand. At least the alien seemed receptive to her questions. As long as she had the credits for it, of course. Probably best to strike while the iron was hot, then. No need to drag it out.

Reaching into the pouch on her belt, she pulled out another ten credit chip, beginning to roll it in between her fingers while she regarded the Ithorian for a moment before starting. “I need information for two things. One..a guide to the nearest inhabited Kyrat dragon den.” If there was such a thing as a causal atmosphere shifting into a predatory one, then the words that the Miraluka just spoke triggered that. Almost as if every single person around them suddenly started thinking that the vague traveler was yet another fool coming to this planet for adventure, and they could be taken advantage of. Even if xobos wasn’t a force sensitive, she could still have sensed the air in the room practically changing.

Regardless, upon tossing the ten credit onto the bar to add to the growing pile, she continued with her second information inquiry. “And a function of transport to get there, if you would. Know anyone like that?” Before the Ithorian could utter out a response, one of the patrons decided to test his luck with the hooded figure. A rodian, slimey as they come, slinked over and wrapped an arm around the Miraluka’s shoulders. Xobos made no motion to removed it, just yet, and the green skinned alien seemingly took that as a invitation to keep going. “Well, my friend, I can offer you both those things for quite the nice price! Just a few thousand credits..and we shall be on our way to get you your pearls..”

Again, no reaction from Xobos, but her answer did seem long and drawn out, as if testing the Rodian to make one more idiotic statement. “And what makes you so sure that is why I am here…” A laugh exploded from the alien, clapping the Miraluka’s shoulder as he did so. “But of course you are here for one!” He exclaimed, letting out another slimey laugh. Xobos was quickly remembering why she despised Rodian’s as a whole. “Why else would one of your..mystic come here? Though..it would be nice to see who I’ll be taking out to the desert, so why don’t you just..” Two of those long, suctioned fingers began reaching for where the helmet met her neck undersuit. No motion, no reaction was made by the stoic, hooded woman, at least until those fingers finally made contact.

Without a move made from Xobos, the Rodian’s head suddenly slammed into the glass countertop, sending a spiderweb of cracks away from where it’s hard skull met the top. Then it’s body was lifted up and thrown across the room, slamming into the pillar with a sickening crack that reverberated throughout the room. While the patrons exclaimed and clamored to quickly move out of the way of the now very dead alien, xobos was reaching into the sack and tossing another credit onto the pile. “Apologies for the mess. Now..my questions..answers, please.” Despite the please at the end, it was obvious there had been a change in her demeanor. The bar’s grungy interior had been…charming, at first, but it was obvious now that the woman very much wanted to receive her answers and leave as quickly as possible.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Unnamed spaceport pub, Mos Espa, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Get out. Preferably with a head on your shoulders.
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈

Shyly, the girl both lifted her drink, took a careful sip, and eyed the figure beside her. Even for her, it wasn't exceptionally difficult to sense the atmosphere inside the bar slowly shift toward a more pressuring one with a hint of cautious interest sprinkled in.. It was clear the offer the stranger had made alerted more of the outcasts lying about than just Jala and the Ithorian counting his credits (Which he just had earned through brutally hard work, obviously) with a chuckle.

A frown took form on Jala's face as she felt a raw cough escape her mouth. She finally took note of how bitter and burning whatever filled her glass was, forced to spit the remains of the mouthful back to the glass, obviously offending the Ithorian. Luckily, the creature only made the effort to give the girl a disapproving gaze and a grunt as like the rest of the people around them he too kept his eyes mostly on the masked stranger.

...Clink...

It was clear the noise of yet another credit hitting the countertop wouldn't help change the mood around the masked figure... for the better that was. It only seemed to add fuel to the fire, but luckily just ever so slightly. That was until the questions the stranger had paid so handsomely for echoed around the pub, which in turn practically threw the whole gas canister into the wildly raging flames.

A Krayt dragon? Judging by the memories of the enormous skeletons Jala had come across in her time outside the city walls, she couldn't help but query why a stranger ever would've seemed so intent on delving straight down into such a creature's den. Nonetheless, as she lifted the glass up to her lips and took a noticeably smaller sip of the strange brew, Jala realized the saving angel sitting beside her could turn out to be her actual savior after all. The girl knew where the beasts the figure was seemingly after lived... or at best had lived and could easily lead the stranger there. And while the method of transport to the caves was still a mystery to her at the moment the girl was sure she'd end up coming up with something good enough on the go.

However, as Jala was still busy trying to hide the fact she spat out her second mouthful of the drink as well, the countless other exiles and no-good people saw a similar opportunity in the stranger like her. The quickest of the bunch to answer to the figure's call was a... Rodian, a detail which hardly surprised Jala. As creature as slimy and vile as they come with it's blue bulging eyes similar to an insect's. As a direct contrast of her experiences with the friendly Ithorian tradesmen filling the back alleys of her home, Jala had nothing but awful memories and an overall picture of the reptilian creatures. She had had the displeasure of living quite close to one for a notable part of her life after all.

Like the crowd that that gathered around the interloper and simultaneously around the girl as well, Jala couldn't help but take cautious glances at what was taking place next to her. The stranger had turned awfully quiet. The Rodian's strange voice was the only one that had the power to fill the whole pub at the moment, which made it that much easier to hear as he slowly attempted to slide himself into the masked figure's payrol-

SLASH

Once again not too dissimilarly to the crowd around her, Jala instinctively recoiled as far away from the stranger as she could sitting down.

The Rodian, having only moments before talked his trumpet-like mouth dry, was dead silent and stood oddly still... however only for a matter of seconds. Jala's eyes followed as the creature's head smashed against the crummy counter before rolling down to the floor, followed shortly by what was left of his lower half. With the one move they had made, the outsider had managed to shift the atmosphere inside the space into one that heavily avoided them. A point had been made, in usual Tatooine standards. The Rodian had merely been used as an example, and memories of countless similar situations flooded Jala's mind as her eyes forced her to follow as the reptilian's body was dragged away.

Her eyes widened and she finally managed to lower the drink which she still had lying against her lips. The saving angel had only proven their power in her eyes, but Jala couldn't help but feel hesitant to ask such a ticking time bomb a single question in the fear of enraging them further. Luckily, the Ithorian gave the girl very much needed time to think as it slammed its fleshy fist against the countertop.

"YOU KILL A PAYING CUSTOMER", the alien growled, clearly not having thought about the fact standing behind the bar wasn't going to stop the masked figure from chopping his long neck in pieces if they felt like doing so. As the creature took the hint, however, he slowly grabbed the remaining credits on the counter with a snarl. "For that, you pay his drink also. Dragon? Don't ask me". It was quite clear the bartender had no cause better in his mind than anyone else crowding the bar. Selfish and greedy, for sure, but he seemed to actually care about the business judging by his panicked motioning for a couple of shady men to drag the body out the small back door to not stain the reputation of the already cruel place.

However, as the crowd backed away, clearly dazed, Jala saw her chance. She'd be the one to not require any more credits for her actions and would gladly work as soon as she'd get the chance to walk out the bar without a few old friends on her tail. Something inside her, perhaps a survival instinct of some sort, made efforts to pull the girl back, but she pushed through. The girl leaned toward the stranger cautiously and almost whispered her words to them.

"I've seen where those things live. Don't need to pay me neither"

In her head, Jala took her words as an elevator pitch, but they came out rather shaky and quiet, making it obvious she wasn't the most confident of saleswomen. Perhaps the chance of losing her head had a play on that part, but Jala ignored such thoughts and instead focused on the stranger's possible answer.

​

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[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantina
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Jala |

Perhaps she had been..hasty, in killing the Rodian with the force. While her blade had never been ignited, the shock and fear that permeated from every single patreon in this disgusting establishment told her well enough that she might have gone a bit too far. Maybe it would’ve been better to just incapacitate the thing. It had tried to remove her mask, but there was always the possibility that it didn’t exactly deserve to die.

There was the flipside of the coin, at least in her mind, to consider as well. As intimidating as her outfit could look, she did have a smaller, thinner stature than most. If one looked past the fear inducing visage her outfit produced, they might feel bold enough to attempt to interact with her in ways that weren’t…acceptable. Much like that Rodian tried to do. Sometimes, shows of force were acceptable and needed. That was what her master had taught her.

That didn’t guarantee that everyone would see the necessary evil that way. The bartender certainly didn’t, judging by his yelling and screaming. Xobos wanted to go right off back at him, tell him that the slimey scum was just as likely to get shot in the next five minutes from swindling the wrong person. Logic, at least in the moment, didn’t seem to be ruling this situation. The Ithorian was much more concerned about losing a paying costumer, than the woman in black still sitting in front of him, that had just sent that Rodian slamming into the wall hard enough to shatter whatever backbone he had into a thousand pieces.

Xobos sat there, silent, for a moment while the hulking alien yelled at her, regarding him with what seemed to be a piercing gaze. Within her mind, the conflicting natures of the voices were once again making themselves known, threatening to drive the Miraluka crazy on the spot. “Perhaps this one needs a lesson as well..” “And for what purpose? It is obvious he won’t give us the information we need.” “The purpose is making it so that people will not disrespect us as such. If we do not demand respect…” “Then we move forward until we earn it. Putting this place out of business just because we wish to settle a score for the perceived disrespect..” On and on they went, and Xobos practically turned to slicing the tall alien up herself just to get the two voices to quiet down in her mind.

And she might’ve, had the hunter to her right not spoken up.

There was a tremor in her voice. Perhaps fear, perhaps excitement. She couldn’t tell in the moment. Regardless of which, as Xobos turned to look over to the young woman, voices quieting down as she did so, there was nary a hint of untrustworthiness. Whoever this was, they believed they could lead Xobos to the dragon’s den. Whether or not that was true was to be seen, but there weren’t many better options at the moment.

Turning back to the Ithroian, her gloved hand swept across the bartop to return the credits back to her hand, leaving only enough to cover the expenses of the Rodian’s drink. “That should pay for..it’s drinking habit. No credits for the information you failed to provide, however.” Before the alien had the chance to complain or reply, Xobos swept out of her seat, motioning for the young hunter to follow. The rest of patrons moved hurriedly out of their way as they exited the establishment and back into the crowded corridors of the spaceport.

It took a minute, but Xobos was able to find them a less than crowded side hallway. Her back moved to lean against the wall, turning to the young hunter to look her over for a moment before beginning to speak. “You say you can lead me there. I would assume then you have the transport to also get there?” The words were spoken matter of factly, like there wouldn’t be many answers that she’d accept beyond what she was looking for. But the more she looked over the woman, it wouldn’t surprise her to hear that there wasn’t exactly the good answer coming after her question.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Spaceport, Mos Espa, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Come up with a plan. A good one, please.
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈

The sheer silence that seemed to fill the space around Jala and the stranger after the echo of her shakey words had quietened down didn't exactly help with the growing anxiousness inside the girl. She was given way more time to regret her decision than what was even necessary, and Jala's head made sure she'd be feeling the tense seconds pass on her skin. After all, the brunette was, nonetheless, a fragile little mouse, practically cornered by the drunken beasts seated right behind her saving angel... or the wolf in sheep's clothing, the girl never would've had the chance to know before they'd even give a reaction to her words.

A cold wave of shivers ran down Jala's back as the masked figure finally turned over to face her. Having only had the chance to imagine the stranger's gaze on herself before, Jala could instantly feel it as a freezing tingle on her skin. Whatever hid behind the mask was examining her features carefully, trying to spot even a slight hint of disingenuousness in the young woman. Judging by the fact that Jala still had her head lying on her shoulder, she was beginning to believe her delivery had perhaps been better than the previous contestant's.

As if it was a surprise. At least she wasn't wrapping her slimy fingers around the stranger's neck or anything.

Jala's ambered eyes followed as the stranger slowly turned back the other way and snatched back their credits from the Ithorian which wasn't given much time to do more than squint its red eyes at the two and grumble under its breath, finally moving over to the actual paying customers he might've still had lingering around the dirty counter after the ordeal with the Rodian. It took a moment, but as soon as the distracted girl could recognize the dark figure had left their seat and motioned for her to follow she too jumped down from her stool.

Taking a few more moments to let her bare hand slide along an emptied pocket on her jacket to confirm she had indeed paid for the less than half of the odd beverage she had managed to down, Jala couldn't help but stare at the spines of the three armed men left sitting in front of the counter. The bunch talked to each other in a language unfamiliar to the girl, which was practically further reduced to completely incoherent grunts and noises since the three were drunk out of their minds.

It wasn't as if the girl had genuinely cared to know what the men were talking so excitedly about, but she couldn't help but merely wonder if she was indeed the target of their harsh-sounding pairs of words. Nevertheless, Jala quietly whispered her (Hopefully) last goodbyes to the bunch before turning around and following in the mysterious figure's footsteps, which rather safely finally led her out the pub.

She was free... or would be given that the kind stranger would do more than walk off into the sunset without even muttering a word to her.

Finally letting go of her jacket and revealing the mustard yellow attire she was wearing under, Jala hurried to the emptied hallway the stranger eventually led her down. Also leaving her hat behind, the girl finally let her hair flow free. It could've simply been the stress too, but the heat her headwear and hair had gathered had formed sweat drops on Jala's forehead, which she wiped off with her hand as the stranger came to a stop.

The first question the masked person had directed straight to Jala herself immediately made her realize her plan wasn't exactly fool-proof. While walking for days under the blazing sun to find the caves was always an option it wasn't exactly one the woman would've fancied as her main one.

"Not... Not exactly."

Jala looked down at the floor before looking the stranger... at least hopefully in the eye, as she admitted she hadn't thought her actions through. She could've always begged and cried for the person to take her with them anyway, but as soon as a green light was almost given to such a thought in her head, the girl finally happened to remember a connection she could for once benefit from.

The girl quickly looked up and the stranger could see her face brighten up as she realized she wouldn't be doomed quite yet. "But, I know someone who does !", Jala continued with her words coming out faster than the stranger would've had the chance to decline her offer. Offering a shy smile for the figure, the girl took a few light steps back to invite them to follow.

"Follow me, yeah? The route can be a bit tricky, but the place isn't far away from here."

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







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[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantina
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Jala |

Xobos should have dropped the woman right then, right there. She had dragged the apprentice out of the cantina promising something that she, at the very first hurdle, was failing to uphold. There were plenty of other cantina’s on this backwards planet, and surely they would have some better, more experienced, and actually truthful hunters.

Yet, there was something that did keep Xobos there for a moment longer, exploring the situation. It was the way the woman seemed..unsure of herself. In a horrible, unwanted way, the shyness and lack of self confidence in the situation actually reminded her of herself. All those months ago, when Adron first found her, exiled on Roon. He had given her a chance to show off exactly what she knew when she formed the spear out of the dark side energies. Perhaps now was Xobos’s chance to find out exactly what this hunter was made of herself.

So, instead of walking away from the situation, she quietly nodded in prompt to follow. “Perhaps this one has more intrigue than originally thought..it would be good to see more of her power outside of finding us a ride, wouldn’t it little master?” It was rare for Ambrus to say something that didn’t make Xobos immediately cringe at the though of his voice acting on the actions he described. Here, however, there was something about the words that were spoken in her mind, pushing her to continue on her present path.

She’d be lying if the woman did not have an interesting signature within the force. It was small, weak at the moment. But there was potential there. The potential to grow into herself, Dia, perhaps even Adron himself. How well it could be cultivated on a planted like this was minimal, at best. The hunter still needed to prove she could even produce on the most menial of tasks, but if she could, maybe Xobos would extend an offer of some kind.

Their journey ended at some sort of speeder shop. They stood across the street, allowing Xobos to take the time to look over their destination with a critical eye. “This is…quite the interesting establishment you’ve brought us to. I don’t exactly have the amount of credits necessary to pay for one of these things. I hope you have a good idea of how to..procure one.” Did Xobos have the credits necessary on her to buy a speeder? No, not at the moment. All it would take would be a quick walk back to the shuttle to gather the rest.

But that wasn’t the point here, was it? The hunter didn’t know that Xobos could get the credit’s easy enough. This was a test. She wanted to see how the woman would deal with a bit of adversity, and what kind of solutions she would come up with. While helping her might get Xobos to her goal faster, perhaps the force had given her a secondary objective on this day.

And she was never one to go against the will of the force.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
-
Time: #### AM
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Objective: Gather the goods... Or at least try to, would you?
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Tags: [ Xobos Yakieer ]
┈┈┈┈┈┈

As she awaited a reaction from the masked creature, Jala found a miniature bit inside herself growing anxious once more. Mostly still keeping her eyes on the figure, the brunette still gave the area behind her back some quick glances. Partly trying to spot an immediate threat, but also in the search of the green piece of headwear she had thrown away as premature celebrational move already. No matter the stranger's response, now the girl would have to find her way out of the spaceport without the additional (Though thin) layer of protection she previously had on her.

As she turned around to face the figure again, however, she was greeted by a wordless acceptance to her offer, the stranger signaling for her to move out for them to follow. She didn't waste time rethinking her choices, but rather turned around and cautiously and quickly walking out of the huge spaceport with the stranger breathing down her neck.

The pathway Jala had in her mind lead the pair down numerous back-alleys and other more deserted areas of the sun-worn town, parts of it time had seemingly forgotten, but which the woman seemed to know better than a newcomer would've even dreamed of when looking at the maze-like layout of the city. It wasn't the quickest route of-course, that having been dumped by the girl in the fear of the stranger not being as agile as herself. The original route, at its worst, would've included jumping from roof to roof after all, and the girl wasn't in the mood for taking such chances.

Nevertheless, soon enough the familiar sight of a small round-roofed building similar to.... practically every other one around greeted the girl. Standing in the cool enough shadow cast by the multiple other similar structures standing behind her back, Jala let out a sigh of relief at the discovery before taking a glance over her shoulder once more, however, this time to search for something friendlier than practically ever before.

"Take it easy, I know the guy who runs the place." Jala assured the stranger before quickly and with a minimal bit of anxiety still left in her checking nobody was following the two before making her way over to the entrance to the building. She didn't spend much time examining the countless - and most likely of higher quality than the ones she was after - speeders lying around in the sand.

"Rogg!" Jala called out as she stepped inside, inviting the stranger to step through the doorway as well.

The interior of the building was rather roomy, more so than the view from outside made it seem like would be possible. Following the usual standards expected from a shady corner store or rather any building in the worse parts of the city for that matter, the atmosphere inside the workshop was mostly overly humid and dark.

The only light source lighting up the room alongside the small lamps lying around the corners was the huge circular opening in the roof, which wasn't covered by more than a set of rusty metal bars. The dark-brown stone walls, curved enough to form a room with a round ceiling, were covered in various posters that were too worn out to make anything out of. The area between the counter and the door was filled by various shelves that held several types of what most likely were scrapped or reusable speeder parts on them.

"Rogg! " The girl exclaimed once more. Having made her way to the middle of the room, she hit one of the various odd metal parts scattered around the shelves to potentially wake up whoever Rogg was if her words weren't impactful enough on their own.

As a response, though, an asking groan echoed from behind the seemingly empty corner lying against the opposite wall to the entrance. A connection had been made. Rogg was present.

"We'll borrow two of the bikes. I'll- I'll probably return them when the sun sets, yeah?" Jala informed whoever was lying behind the counter before taking the first steps backward and back toward the entryway. However, as soon as the hope of an accepting response hit the girl's mind, Rogg finally decided to stand up to reply.

Rogg wasn't the most pleasing sight one could ask for. Being a Gran, his three black eyes jumped from the girl to the stranger as his tan lips formed a sneer revealing his stained teeth. He wasn't a tall creature which was only boosted by his hunched over posture.

Rogg's attire was rather simple; most of his torso being covered by a thick and dusty armor of some sort and judging by what covered his arms a pilot's jacket of some sort under it. His legs were covered by similarly thick workers pants and sturdy almost knee-high boots that held them in place. On his forehead rested a pair of pilot's goggles, which were obviously custom made to fit his three-eyed needs.

"Who's your friend?" The Gran questioned the girl in a hissing manner. The accent in which he spoke basic in his deep voice had a slight hint of strange poshness to it, which only made possible theories of his upbringing even more confusing. Stopping dead in her tracks before answering, Jala's voice came out with a clear sense of confusion in her voice. "Does that make a difference?" She asked, quickly trying to figure out where she had messed up.

The creature was clearly eyeing the masked outsider, but the fact that Jala was present seemed to make it possible for him to restrain the will to grab the large blaster hanging on the wall behind him. "He's not a part of the deal, hm?" The gran explained, further clearing up his meaning by pointing at the figure with his long skinny finger before continuing. "At least I can't see yellow on him."

"Eh... Yeah, I doubt that." Jala muttered rather uncertainly as she too realized she had just promptly looked at the color scheme of the stranger's attire and took a quick look as well. "But remember the promise you made me a while back? It counts if I have the colors, yeah? See the yellow? We had a deal about this." The girl's words were rather frantic as they escaped her lips. She had counted on the creature to simply groan as a response to her offer.

"It wasn't a deal done only between us, Jala." Rogg replied as he laid his hands in front of him on the countertop. It was obvious from his implying who he meant and Jala knew well enough the alien had most likely accepted the deal of giving out his work for free for certain people not out of sheer generosity.

"Oh come on, Rogg. We'll bring them back and disappear." Jala practically pleaded, her voice trembling slightly as she realized her desperation. Having one person sit on the back of a speeding bike that didn't have the luxury of a second seat was a death trap. The sand might've seemed soft, but if one was to fall off at such a speed... Unfortunately, the girl had the power to say she had seen the results.

"I've heard words of you, Jala. And unlike you, I still prioritize ensuring my own survival. You'll take one speeder or nothing."

The alien had made his point clear but had shattered the girl's plans in the exact same small time frame. Jala, staring at the creature for some moments as she tried to figure out a way to turn his mind, looked over at the stranger with an asking expression on her own face. Perhaps, by a freak chance, they'd either know a way to ride a speeder bike with a second passenger staying mostly alive?

It didn't matter to the girl what the stranger would do to help, but as she realized her wish could come true way too literally, Jala rephrased her prayers to not include Rogg's head falling off any time soon...

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







​

 

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantina
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Jala |

The store was..nothing special. At all, really. It looked like practically every other shop on this kark forshaken street, on this practically worthless world. Still, the woman seemed competent enough, and most certainly knew this planet better than Xobos in practically every way. It was a good idea to trust in the judgement that her new guide had. At least until it started putting Xobos in more danger than it was worth. At that point things would take a much less…kind turn. For what the woman had shown already, she was very much hoping that that time wouldn’t come for quite a while.

Entering into the shop didn’t exactly fill her with the most confidence either. She had been in way too many places like this in the past where the situation had ended in a firefight, a couple of dead bodies, or both. In most situations…it was both. Dark, dingy interiors filled to the brim with places for an assailant to hide. Just walking into the dark interior sent her nerves into a frenzy, and Xobos found herself moving closer to the other woman. Not as any sort of comforting technique, but one could never be too close to potential hostage.

Or a bodyshield. Depending on if this hunter had lead her into some sort of trap.

But for the moment, things seemed to be on the up and up. A particularly nasty alien, one that Xobos had only ever seen the type of in passing, emerged from the back and immediately made an inquiry in her direction. Her head tilted to the side, and before the knight had a chance to make an particularly venom filled inquiry right back at the alien, the hunter answered the question with a question of her own. She didn’t particularly like being talked about like this, but the comment about the yellow coloring not being on her did pique her interest in the slightest. At least enough to keep her occupied listening to the conversation instead of moving herself into the conversation.

As confident as the hunter had seemed at times, now that she was being confronted with this alien that very much seemed like her didn’t want to go in on this deal, her confidence in her decisions was beginning to wane. It wasn’t exactly the way that Xobos would like the conversation to go, but the situation was a good one to observe how the woman, who’s name was apparently Jala, did in the face of confrontation. Not exactly the most impressive of reactions, and when the alien had laid down the ultimatum, it seemed like this was the best time to step in if there was one.

But perhaps not in the way that Jala would think.

The helmeted and caped individual walked forward, tilted her head as she regarded the taller alien, then bowed her head lightly. “Thank you for the hospitality of speeder. You have my word it will return to you.” Her head raised, and with a simple nod, moved to grab the starter from across the counter. Where her eyes would have been focused on the Alien’s three while doing so, keeping the gaze until she had returned to a fully upright position, starter in hand. With another bow of her head, Xobos moved to exit the establishment, laying a hand on Jala’s shoulder as she did so. “Come on. You have a dragon to show me.”

Xobos didn’t have to watch to know that Jala would be following, though she certainly wouldn’t be the one driving them, even if she did know where they were going. The miraluka climbed onto the corresponding speeder, one that very much looked like it might fall apart under her feet before they even got out of town. Despite it’s rustic look, it did start when prompted, allowing Xobos to rev the engine once or twice in place. Black smoke billowed out from the tailpipe while the knight shifted to allow Jala onto the back of the speeder. She would, if intuitive enough, feel a slight pressing on her back, making sure to keep her pressed against the seat. It would only make things harder if she had to go to a new bar to find a new guide if this one crashed to the ground on any particularly hard turn.

Once both woman were firmly on the speeder, Xobos speed backward, before zooming forward at a quick speed through the streets. Her voice carried loud enough to be heard over the sound of the rattling engine, speaking to her passage in a calm tone, despite their speed. “Which way out of the city? And how far of a journey are we looking at?” Hopefully the journey would not be far, but she was prepared if it took them through the night. Perhaps it would be a good chance to get to know this hunter now pressed firmly against her back. There might be some clues to the woman’s heritage, and why she had such a strong connection to the force, if just a few questions could be answered.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Hold on for your dear life, yeah?
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈

Jala could about sense the cold, empty stare from the masked figure slowly sliding up her spine. Or at least she could’ve sworn she did, Jala wasn’t brave enough to meet her partner in crime eye to eye before they’d give out something resembling a reaction to the situation from which they had, up until now, kept themselves out of. The brunette’s original approach to arranging the two a ride had admittedly relied too much on the loose friendship she had with the alien creature (Which had already made its point clear by kneeling back down on the floor behind the counter to continue fiddling with whatever it originally had been before the two came in.) and as the realization of the fragile state of her grand plan as a whole hit the girl, her hopes of survival reached an all-time low in seconds.

Jala gave the figure in the corner of her ambery eyes a pair of worried glances. She could already start counting the days she’d have left after her and Rogg’s mutual associates would turn upside the hole she’d dug up for herself next. Perhaps sneaking on a cargo ship didn't sound like such a suicide mission after all.

However, the reaction she found from the stranger wasn't anything short of surprising. Jala's anxious eyes followed along as the masked figure walked past her and reached for a speeder's starter lying just behind an arm's reach at the back of the counter. But what struck the girl as odd more than their actions were the stranger's seemingly changed stance on the freckled brunette herself. She wasn't quite able to give a name to the reason why, but Jala could recognize the way the atmosphere around and between her and the stranger had shifted from cautious interest to... something else. Something controlled by forces other than random chance...

But what?

"Wha-, you can't just, hey-...", the surprised creature exclaimed as it quickly stood up from the cracked concrete floor, focusing its efforts on grabbing the small starter before it was rather effortlessly snatched by the masked person. Missing his chance, however, Rogg disappeared back down with a defeated swing of his long, skinny arm paired with disgruntled grumbling. He'd lost and didn't do much to change it.

"Fine, take the speeder then, hm?"

Before she could confuse herself more, the stranger managed to pull Jala back to the reality from her thoughts. The pat on her shoulder worked well enough as a wake-up call and before she perceived it herself, the girl was instinctively following the figure which disappeared back outside through the round doorway to look for the quality product they'd just been promised.

The sight of the speeder bike she'd been after wasn't one bit easier to lay one's eyes on than the creature selling it. A rust-covered bunch of mismatching speeder parts welded and tied together, the whole package just about able to support itself and not fall apart then and there on the burning sand it was lying in. Having made her way outside just as the stranger started the machine up, Jala had the pleasure of having to narrowly avoid the thick black smoke that it spat out directly in her face. It was of the exact quality one would expect when doing business in an honest and hardworking side of town, but the girl made every effort to remind herself of Rogg's skills in creating such oddities to work as intended.

If anything, he only lacked the eye(s) for making a good first impression.

With the bike growling under her, Jala hesitantly made her as comfortable as she could on the seatless back of the levitating rustbucket. Terrified to the core, the brunette could feel a cold shiver run down her spine as the speeder finally jerked backwards before the stranger seemingly took control over its rather unreliable movement. To put it simply, the girl was afraid, making it even more evident by instinctively letting her hands wrap around the stranger's abdomen as she firmly leaned forward against their back to feel even a fraction of safety in herself. She could feel the sheer, raw speed which the bike was designed to move in as the burning wind slashed against her face.

"Out of the eastern gate and then just forward. The caves aren't that far away.", the brunette muttered as she held on, the fear clear as day in her words as they came out faster than she'd hoped for them to. Jala toughened herself up and delivered the words after with a tad bit more confidence in them to hopefully not instantly ruin the stranger's hopeful stance on her.

"It won't take but a few hours. That's if we go fast. "

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







​

 

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Spaceport Cantina
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Jala |

Speeder bike piloting had been a somewhat integral part of her training while with Adron, which may have come as a surprise so some that viewed their relationship as a purely force based one. When she had been taken off of Roon, there was quite a few skills that she needed help relearning, or learning the very foundations of. With her spotty memories of what was left of her childhood, she couldn’t remember if her old village had speeders, much less whether she had ever driven one. Judging by the sheer number of crashes that she went through early on in training, one could easily surmise logically that there had been very little speederbike piloting in her childhood.

Thankfully her training had seemingly paid off in situations like this one, as she weaved her way through the traffic heavy streets. Even with her split attention on driving and listening to the directions from her fearful travelling companion, she was still able to avoid most all of the pedestrians and street stalls. Mostly. There was one close encounter with a fruit stand of sorts, their speeder clipping the side as they took a particularly tight turn. Xobos didn’t stick around to deal with the infuriated Rodian, which was probably the best for the Alien’s health and continued livelihood.

Jala’s fearfully given directions received a curt nod from the former apprentice. The rest of the journey out of the city was taken in relative silence. Once they reached the eastern gate, Xobos a fun little secret that had caused their journey through the city to go a little slower than it might have otherwise gone had she followed through.

“Well then, let’s see if we can cut down the journey even more then..” She called out, and just as the speeder passed through the stone archway of the eastern gate, whatever brake she was holding onto in the city was swiftly released, allowing the speeder to jerk forward and gain speed at an incredible rate. Despite the whines from the engine, it seemed like the beast of a machine was staying together. A little black smoke out the back never hurt anyone.

Even with their increased speed, Xobos knew the journey would take quite a ride, so her mind shifted from focusing mostly on the piloting, and instead to the rider clinging to her back. Her attempts to cover her fear had been..admirable, but the force never lied. It couldn’t. The woman oozed fear out of every pore of her body. Whether that was fear of Xobos, fear of the journey, or fear of everything that surrounded her was a mystery to her, but it didn’t hurt anything to pry a bit.

Xobos pushed the machine to a safe, high speed, allowing it to settle in a bit before looking over her shoulder slightly to the woman. “You are fearful. Do you know something you are not telling me? Why are you letting your fear consume your mind?” Of course, she knew that the situation wasn’t exactly the easiest to navigate anyway. That’s not what the questions were for, in actuality. She more wanted to know if Jala would be honest with what was bothering her. If that was the case, Xobos would know it would be easier to mold her, help her push through the walls that kept her in place. If not..well, Xobos hadn’t been much different. Hopefully they could find some common ground on this long, sand filled journey together.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

-
Location: Mos Espa --> Mos Espa Desert Zone, Tatooine
-
Time: #### AM
-
Objective: Stay dead still, please.
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer
┈┈┈┈┈┈



As the speeder's roaring noise became more deafening and the whistling of a warm breath of wind hit her ears, Jala could vividly start to make out the memories she'd buried deep down within herself. Like pages ripped off an ancient history book, the girl had sought to put her past behind her, but to no avail... yet.

Oh yes, she had seen the same cracked walls fly by her vision while sitting on a machine even more unstable and faster many times in her past. However, the change of context was welcomed rather warmly by the young woman as she gave a glance up at the odd figure in control of the vehicle. And so, slowly, but surely her mind slid back to its back-alleys of puzzlement.

Jala didn't possess a barrier strong enough to hold her curious spirit back. The stranger's attitude on her had sparked a light of questions inside the girl. She was reasonably sure of herself being the naive one of the two, which made the masked figure's look on her stand out even more. It couldn't only be her potential as a guide... the stranger must've seen something else in her.



Something she couldn't comprehend for the time being.



Hadn't she found herself on the back of a barely functional bike which had seemed to deliberately be speeding down the most overly lively markets and streets of the spaceport town while hurling all the dust on her face, the brunette might've even let the growingly eager bit of curiousness inside her verbally question the stranger's interest on her. However, she was forced to keep such questions to herself as the masked figure loosened their grip of whatever held the full potential of the speeder back, causing its odd body to violently shake as it attained a speed more efficient in traversing the vast desert and prompting the girl to tighten her grasp once more.

In a way, passing the eastern gate of the ruined walls she'd been trapped in the middle of was a minor victory for the young woman. A victory she definitely would've celebrated had the scene been different. However, the girl settled for a small firework show inside her head instead.

"...Why are you letting fear consume your mind?..."

It took a split second longer than expected for the girl to realize the words had been uttered by the stranger, who had turned at least partly around to face her. Giving the faceless figure a pair of questioning glances, Jala finally recognized the fact she was still leaning against them, prompting her to hurriedly let go of the stranger's stomach before sitting up straight behind them.

Jala's hands were swift in their efforts to discover an exposed edge they could hold on to on the rusty body of the speeder, an option which might've been a more attractive one to begin with. It wasn't too easy to tell by the touch of her fingers alone if the piece she was holding on to was anything important (Knowing Rogg, it might've rather plausibly been a simple little accident in engineering.), but the girl sure as hell hoped she wouldn't cause the machine to crash down the dunes under them as she held on to it. Jala gave her answer a second more worth of thought before opening her mouth for once. She wasn't sure what the right answer the stranger was seeking would've been, but the girl had exactly zero reasons to fabricate her words.


Honesty would go a long way. So she had heard.


"I'm scared of... falling down.", the young woman finally explained, with a pause and quick eyeing of the rough ground under the speeder in between her rather straightforward words. The brunette's long, charcoal-like hair wildly wavering behind her as the burning wind hit her face. She rather keenly awaited for a response from the stranger as the barrier of speech seemed to open up between the two. She wanted to solve the riddle which sat masked in front of her.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵







​

 

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Riding the dunes
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Jala |

For the moment, it seemed as thought eh speeder was going to hold it all together very well. Apart from some shaking and the occasional smacking of sand against the rusted bottom, it felt sturdy enough driving that the threat of them bottoming out or hitting the sand hard enough to go flying everywhere was minimal at the moment. There was no telling if this was the toughest terrain they’d face, or if this speeder would even last them for the entire journey. No reason to worry about things that were out of their hand and control, after all.

Jala’s answer seemed..genuine. At least as genuine as the absolutely terrified woman could muster up in the moment. She didn’t know if this was to be expected from the woman, but she did appreciate it. Maybe the fear scared her into keeping from lying at all. Fear could do that in certain situations, among other sense heightening things. Through one question, she was already learning about the little hunter on her back.

“I wonder if there’s more behind that fear than just falling off…we aren’t exactly the most kind looking individual in the galaxy.” Ora’s words were true, that was to be sure. The entirety of this armor was made to keep her identity a secret and to strike fear into those that saw it. And..she had seen Xobos smash the head and back of a rodian for getting too close. The nosey thing still deserved it, but again, she understood the fear. It was a natural reaction to the stimulus that she had gone through during the day so far.

That didn’t mean it needed to completely control her, nor fill her and dictate her mannerisms.

The woman did not get the instant response she might’ve liked, rather, Xboso allowed her answer to marinate between them for a few moments, both to allow Jala to speak more if she wanted, and for Xobos to pick the right words in response. Her head turned back forward as she began to speak, just loud enough to be heard over the roaring and sputtering motor. “Fear is an interesting emotion. It most sentients, it rises and falls with the simplest of actions. For you, your fear might subside were I to slow down this speeder, or perhaps if I was not here at all.” Her head turned slightly again at the end of her sentence, interested to see how the woman might respond.

She didn’t give time for Jala to speak again, starting anew very soon after she had turned her head once again. “Yet, unlike most in the galaxy, I have learned to not consider fear an inherently bad thing. Fear can make us irrational..but also can heighten out senses. Make us more deadly, quick to act on our feet. If we do not look at fear as something to be suppressed, we then begin to understand much better that our fear keeps us alive. All we need..is to learn how to control it.” She turned forward once again, but this time reached out into the force to feel through whatever emotions Jala might have. Xobos had serious doubt that she knew of the force, and even more doubt she knew of her strong connection to it. That information might be for a later time. For now, she wanted to see how the hunter’s mind operated. And as they powered through their journey, there would be plenty of time for it.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Mos Espa Desert Zone, Tatooine
-
Time: #### AM
-
Objective: Sweat.
-
Tags: Xobos Yakieer

Playing:

Spoiler

A new addition to the post thingy! Seriously though, couldn't get this track out of my head while writing the last few posts, so I figured I'd put it here.

┈┈┈┈┈┈
Jala found herself instinctively trying to discover the speeder pilot's eyes... or rather anything resembling such through their thick mask as she waited for a response from them. If anything, she didn't find herself to be the one to expect for the person in front of her to react with more than acknowledging nod, perhaps even a grunt if the girl was lucky. However, as she listened to the almost lecture-like speech the stranger gave her under the noises of the speeder, Jala was left reminded of her weak talent in foreseeing the future.

"Sure...", the brunette muttered, scanning the surface of the back of the stranger's mask as she did.

The sigh-like delivery of the singular word she had uttered as a response made it clear the girl knew the ins and outs of fear better than she'd care to admit at the moment. The somewhat troubled glimmer in her ambery eyes would've told anyone observant enough of the uncounted sleepless nights she'd spent running chased by nothing, but merely the anticipation of being watched. She was certainly an expert on the field but had definitely never used her feelings to her advantage as the stranger seemed to.

A quick shiver ran down Jala’s back and she swiftly corrected her posture as the speeder violently jerked under her once more. The unreliable machine wasn't giving her much of a chance to instantly take in the stranger's chosen words, which definitely hadn't helped in putting out the countless questions about the stranger lighting up in her head. The girl silently cursed Rogg's magnificent engineering as her inquisitive eyes were finally drawn off of the foreigner’s neck. After she had assured herself of the nervous grip on whatever she’d been holding on to having been tight enough again, the young woman finally let her sight lie on the horizon instead.

The deep blue sky, the two burning suns, and the sand which glimmered under them stretching endlessly in every direction around the girl. In fact, Jala had to take a swift look behind her back to confirm the corrupt city, which she had mere moments ago seen as her premature grave, had indeed disappeared far on the other side of the smooth dunes.


They really were all alone; the girl, the alien, and the speeder roaring under them.


Silence took over for some time between the girl and the odd person in control of the speeder. No words most likely would've been needed anyway, but Jala's inquisitive nature begged for her to question the figure that much more than it had until now. Especially after having experienced such an in-depth lecture about fear of falling face flat on burning sand from a speeder bike from the masked figure, the brunette couldn't be the one to stop herself from seeking sense to the great number of wildly burning bonfires of questions in her head.

"You know... I-... I don't know if-..."

The brunette clearly stumbled with her words as they first came out, but they unintentionally represented her racing thoughts rather wondrously. However, Jala took a moment, regaining her power to speak in actual somewhat coherent sentences before opening her mouth again.

"I’m sure I should be afraid of you, but... something's telling me otherwise."

She wasn't quite sure what the answer she sought of the stranger exactly was, but Jala leaned slightly to the side to face the masked figure earlier if they'd happen to turn around to confront her as a response.

Curious to her core. Always had been.

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[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Mos Espa, Riding the dunes
Equipment: Faceless Armor, Lightsabers (1)
Mental state: Quiet
Tags: | Jala |

Her movement didn’t betray any sort of thought from sith apprentice, and the stone cold visage of her mask most certainly did not either, so the curious woman behind her would not know how her little statement made her smile. Xobos took all of this precaution, all of these steps to build this visage of a cold killer, a tool of complete and utter destruction and menace. Yet, through either the force or her own institution, Jala had managed to realize that Xobos, at least at the moment, meant no bodily harm to her. Things could change, but Jala had no threat to her life from the sith while they rode over the sand dunes.

“I would say that..most people would have a reason to fear me. And that isn’t to say that I mean every person I come across harm in some way. It just so happens that it is..rare for me to meet someone while doing my work that isn’t trying to kill me, or stands as a target.” Xobos shrugged, her words perhaps sounding a touch terrifying or sad, her bodily language spoke of how she had gotten used to this life. It was one that she had been forged into, molded for, and took quite a lot to rattle her anymore. After letting her words hang in the air for a few seconds, she continued, this time looking back to catch the eyes of the street rat. “You have also proven yourself useful so far. Both as a guide and as someone able to procure transport. Do not think I haven’t recognized that. I may be cold, but I am not uncapable of feeling thankfulness.”

Of course, there was one more reason why jala had so quickly endeared herself to the sith apprentice. Throughout this journey along the desert plains, Xobos had been taking the time to reach out in the force toward her guide. That kernel of a feeling that the sith had felt at the spaceport had rung true, and she could tell that Jala did have a strong underlying connection with the force. It was weak at the moment, most likely a feeling that was attributed to nothing more than intuition or instinct on Jala’s part, but it was there.

She had never considered taking on an apprentice before. Her own skill level was not to a point that she believed was..right. But something had changed when she had taken on the moniker of a knight. The empowerment that had begun to flow through her body made her believe more in her own skills, pushing her to take on missions for her own. That is why she was here. A personal mission.

For a while, the pair returned to riding together in silence. Much of her focus was kept on the speeder itself, careful to not push it too hard and force the rattling machine to fall apart. The suns had begun to set, painting the dunes underneath them and surrounding their speeder in a sea of oranges and reds. Xobos found herself allowing her eyes to wander, taking in much of the scenery, a sight that she might not ever take in again. “As..desolate as this world is..it does have some redeeming qualities, it seems..”

Allowing herself to take in the sights for just a while longer, eventually the apprentice exhaled a long sigh to attempt to recenter herself. “I assume we are getting close,” the faceless sith turned back to look at Jala as she spoke. “What am I looking for? A cave of some kind?”

 

[Jala]

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Location: Nameless Dunes, Tatooine
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Put your incredible navigation skills to play, yeah?
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Tags: Xobos Yakieer

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The brunette let her own words echo in her head after they left her dry lips, almost absorbed somewhere beneath the roaring noises of the speeder. She tried to study the feeling in her chest more carefully and readied her ears for a response from the cloaked being while she did. And as searching for even the slightest bits of unease toward the figure seated in front of her proved surprisingly challenging, the girl couldn't help but grow that much more puzzled by the atmosphere looming over herself.

Jala's ears yanked her attention back on the masked creature which finally shared their answer to the curious girl's inquiring. And while they weren't exactly quite enough to fill the hole in her question in a way she would've hoped for, the words the stranger spoke shone a light bright enough to reveal an answer satisfying enough for the girl... at least for the time being.

However, she could tell the odd lack of any form of instinctive dread toward an ominous and frankly dangerous (To say at least that is) character who had very much proven themselves worthy of such a title couldn't be the work of any instincts alone. Something was clearly steering her through a path through the dunes, and Jala wasn't going the one to prevent such power from getting her as far away from the crime-ridden ball of dust as possible if it wished to do so.

And so, the girl gave way for mutual silence to fill the space between herself and the stranger once more.


As the deep blues of the sky peacefully shifted to bright oranges and yellows dancing over the two setting suns, Jala would sooner or later find herself gradually leaning forwards against the stranger's back yet again. The girl wanted nothing more but to claim back even the tiniest portion of the innumerable number of lost hours of sleep piling up on her. However, before she could do much more than calm down for once, the sleep-deprived bandit would find herself shaken awake by the odd stranger's question.

"...A cave of some kind?..."

Jumping back up with some of her charcoaly hair blocking her sight as it landed on her face, Jala was reminded of the actual reason she'd found herself lying against a cloaked stranger's back in the first place. The unusual presence around them hadn't exactly helped the girl focus on the few landmarks she might've still had memorized on her rather a sorry excuse of a mental map of the area outside the city's cracked walls, and she was quick to realize she'd most likely be paying a brutal price for such an oversight.

Hurriedly, the brunette looked around in an attempt to recognize even the most minuscule of hints of her whereabouts. And just as she was about to face her defeat, the girl noticed the familiar, rugged peak of something resembling a small mountain hiding behind a dune rather far away to her left.

"Wait, hey! That's the place there. The mountain to the left there!", she pointed out for the stranger, her rather obviously relieved words paired with the pointing of a finger. She hadn't run out of luck. Not yet at least. And as the speeder changed its heading rather drastically, the girl couldn't help but feel as if she had dodged a blaster bolt.


Crossing the dunes which the small formation of rocks hid behind revealed a change in terrain. The sandy floor would gradually shift to a more rocky surface under the speeder as it traveled down a well-worn path into a deep canyon, on top of which the mountain-like formation lied. Fortunately, the sight brought rather blurry memories to the girl's mind, but they were enough to reassure Jala of her luck having yet to run dry. She had been here before a long time ago. And once more had her mother's kind words of ruthless sand people and gruesome creatures hiding beneath and above the dunes reached only deaf ears.

As soon as the speeder finally came to a halt, Jala jumped down and took a moment to purely appreciate the feeling of solid ground under her feet. Before long, however, the girl noted the utter lack of anything resembling a sign of dragon presence inside the canyon. Strange, when considering the fact that she'd been warned endlessly of such creatures, but more so since she could vividly recall a massive snake-like skeleton having rested in the middle of the valley on her previous visit.

"So the dragons you were looking for... Right?", the girl began, standing in front of an opening to a large cave. It had most likely served as the desolate home to the primal beasts which had once walked the sands under her. The walls of the canyon absorbed the echo of her words, and Jala took a second before continuing.

"At least they used to live here. That's good enough, yeah?", the girl questioned, turning her head to face the stranger standing behind her over her shoulder as she did.

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