Just a Casual Affair (Rik'Tani)

[Kamon Vondiranach]

His life was a simple one by most standards. Take the time to study it and you'd find that Maddock was no different than your average twenty-eight year old male. There were differences about him, of course, such as the fact that he was half-Shi'ido and a Sith, but in reality he was a man who enjoyed the simple pleasures in a complex way. Reading books, for example. Most wouldn't dare read a book these days, but he did. He enjoyed it. Thrived on it. The books he read were deeply Force focused, though, which added some serious depth.

As it was, he was sitting in a small cantina on Annaj, the capital seat of the Fringe. A well worn label was laid out in front of him, the binding severely cracked and threatening to discharge its innards every which way at the slightest breeze. It was a miracle the thing was still holding itself together. He flipped the page and continued to read, basically oblivious to what was going on around him.

A half empty wine glass was held lightly between fingertips, the purple liquor within swirling about as he twirled it, eyes still focused on the page in front of him. Every so often he took a sip of the drink, careful to savor the aroma and texture of the beautiful liquid. It would a waste to simply drink it. Wine was to be enjoyed, tasted, not simply drank. He really hated to see people chugging wine from the bottle. Wino's as it were. Such a waste.

He was, of course, oblivious to the fact that a fight was starting to break out between a Bothan and an Anzat. Not good, but not really his business at the moment, even if he had noticed it. If it made its way to him he'd notice, but for now he was too engrossed.

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Well, this was just dandy. Rik'Tani was just in the lowly cantina to get a decent drink and maybe a meal before heading back out into the galaxy. But then, a Bothan and an Anzat just had to break out into a brawl right next to her. Normally, she'd just let them go at it and watch from the sidelines. However, when one completely spilled her ale all over the floor? Well, then it got personal. Rikki sighed angrily and stood up. "Alright. Now, I'm going to give each of you the chance to apologize to me before I decide to kick you into Vong space." She said, her voice almost tired. When the two beings continued brawling, going so far as to slam directly onto a gentleman's table, she cracked her knuckles and got involved. She grabbed the Bothan by the collar of his shirt and threw him halfway across the room, his head hitting the wall. To the Anzat, she dug her claws into his shoulders, making him scream. She kneed him hard in his stomach and threw him to the ground.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Well dang blast it. They just had to pick his table to get rough on, didn't they? Fortunately he managed to save the book and his wine. The former he closed, gently, and put into a satchel that he slung over his shoulder. The latter he took a small sip from as he stood from his seat and watched the horned one take on the other two. She was doing alright for the moment, but Maddock was quickly on guard when he saw the slits alongside the nose of the Anzat.

The Anzat was on the ground, but as soon as he turned back to her, he was throwing the weight of his hypnotic abilities upon her. Now that he was angry, he was hungry too. Maddock didn't yet interfere, chiefly because he wanted to see if it was really necessary that he do so. With the Bothan currently down after headbutting the wall, it was only the Anzat and the Zabrak. His fingers itched for him to do something, but he needed to see first. If it wasn't needed, then he would be ruining her fight, and that wasn't very gentleman-like. However, if the powerful Anzat hypnosis did work, well, someone was about to die.

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani could feel a strange sensation in her head. She felt happy, and carefree. Someone was telling her to break her own neck. For a few seconds, she thought, "Gladly". But then, she started to think, "Why"? When she received no answer but the same command, her Force Sensitive mind began to weed out the controller. She snapped back into reality, realizing that she was holding her face. She laughed a little. "Nice try, buddy." She said. Then she swiped him across the face with her claw-like nails and kicked him squarely in the chest. She took him by his hair and dragged him to the door. "Next time," She murmured to him, "Just say you're sorry and buy me a drink." Then she tossed him out into the street.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

When she tossed the Anzat out, he lifted a brow and took a sip of his wine. She had some strength to her, but she was missing a crucial factoid about the individual she'd just tossed out. Not killing him, meant that she was going to have to deal with him again.

"You know he's going to find a way to eat your brain, right?"

He motioned with his free hand towards the door so she knew who he was talking about.

"That Anzat isn't going to give up on a tasty meal like yourself."

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani smirked, crossing her arms as she heard the gentleman speak. "He's gonna be a little disappointed then. I don't part with things easy," She replied. She headed back to the bar and scooped up her empty glass. "I'd like a refill, tender!" She called to the woman behind the bar.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Interesting. She didn't seem to care that she'd just made an enemy of an Anzat. Well, as it was, it wasn't him who'd made an enemy, so why should he care that she had? Still, he was instinctually drawn towards her as she moved to the bar. He stepped over and set his glass of wine down as he regarded her, adjusting his coat just a little bit so that things weren't out of place. He didn't like it when things were out of place.

"I find it interesting that you don't care that an Anzat wants to eat your brain. You're strong, I can feel it, but foolhardy just a little. Attractive. Curious, really. What's your name?"

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first Anzat who's gotten a little negative toward me." She said, accepting her refilled mug from the bartender. She cocked a brow at the man's question. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She replied a bit coyly. There were always men flirting with her, or trying to kill her, or both. This was nothing new.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Yes, I would."

He sipped his wine and slid some credits across the bar to the barkeep, indicating that he wanted a second helping. In addition to that, there were enough credits to pay for her tab as well. He wasn't offering, he was simply doing. That way she couldn't refuse the offer, even if she wanted to.

"It's not often I meet someone who wins a staring contest with an Anzat. Usually it means something. In your case, I sense it's because you have capability with the Force."

A sip of wine and he set the glass down.

"Have you been taught, or is it all instinct?"

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani smirked. "I'm no Jedi, if that's what you're implying," She said, sipping her drink. "To be honest, I don't really know how I do it. When that guy got in my head, all I did was ask why he wanted me to break my neck. After that, I figured out what was going on, and snapped out of it."
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Maddock nodded.

"You resisted. Most people can't do that."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he brushed fingertips against his chin. She wasn't a Jedi, she said. Well, he wouldn't have cared if she was. He didn't have a personal hatred for Jedi or what have you like some Sith did. To be truthful, he relished in the darkside of the Force, but not because he wanted to destroy or control everyone. Merely because he sought to understand things. He could very easily have once been a Jedi instead.

"I take it you haven't had training then. That's understandable. Most people don't ever receive it because they don't realize that they have that potential. You do."

He offered her his hand, to shake if she wished.

"I'm Maddock Kane. You might call me a philosopher of sorts. I'm a dark side practitioner, but I prefer to think of myself as a gentleman scholar who just doesn't want to be restricted as Jedi are."

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani shook his hand. "A scholar, huh? That would explain why you were buried so deeply in that book of yours a while ago. I'm Rik'Tani, but everyone usually calls me Rikki." She said with a grin. "So, what's a man with such an obvious taste for the finer things in life doing in a dingy little cantina on Annaj?" She asked casually.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"We're on Annaj, my dear. Not a lot else to do."

He didn't yet release her hand, feeling the softness, but firmness, of her skin. These were the hands of someone who worked for a living, and didn't pamper themselves. Interesting. His hands were also calloused, from years of working himself hard, but nowadays he preferred the quiet life to that of someone who did manual labor. Every so often he would step out into the limelight and do something particularly interesting, but it didn't happen often.

"As for why a cantina, well, to be truthful I enjoy the atmosphere. Raucous noise sometimes stimulates good thoughts, and good thoughts lead to interesting discoveries. In this case, that discovery was you. I can't say I'm displeased so far."

A sip of his wine and he motioned towards his table.

"Join me for a bit?"

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

((OOC: *looks at post* ........ >.<........... You saw NOTHING. *edits*))

Rik'Tani gave him a sideways glance as Maddock held her hand. "A nice little play on words on your part, I won't deny that. But you will find that flattery or any other pointless banter will get you nowhere with me," She replied, gently taking her hand back. She looked over at the table he had come from. "The table's nice, though. I could sit there."
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Maddock smiled into his glass, and walked over to take a seat. The glass of wine, newly refilled, settled in front of him as he regarded her with open curiosity. Flattery wouldn't work, she said. He doubted that, but then, he wasn't really out to get her into bed with him. That could come later if things worked out, but not his goal here.

"Tell me a little about yourself, Rikki. What brings you to Annaj? I doubt it's the local color that drew your attention."

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rikki took a seat across from him. "I came because I could, basically. With no ship and no place where I'm expected to be, I've just been drifting along. I stop here and there just to keep my boredom at bay. Otherwise, I'd be going insane right about now." She took another sip of her drink.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Would you care for a reason to stop drifting?"

Some people didn't, which was why he asked. There were always those people who just wanted to drift, with no responsibility to anyone but themselves. He'd been there before, mindlessly drifting along in search of nothing at all. Some of them were incredibly smart, gleaning tons of information in their travels, but all of them were lost, making no mark on history whatsoever. It was those who came to realize a purpose that set the galaxy spinning.

"Or is drifting to forever be your fate?"

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

She shrugged. "Drifting's in my blood. It's all I've ever known. Truth be told, I love it. The silence of space, with the endless stars and nebulae and galaxies all stretched out around you, just waiting for you to find them." Rik'Tani said, her red-orange eyes twinkling. A ship was her idea of a permanent home. One day, it might change. But for now, that's all she needed.
[member="Maddock Kane"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Ahh. So she was one of those. A drifter with delusions of exploration. He'd met many of them.

"Why not stay here a while and let me train you in the Force. I'm certain it will make your drifting much more enjoyable. If nothing else, it might open your eyes to what you've been missing."

This one was tricky. Enticing her into sticking around was becoming a hard proposition and he really didn't want to threaten her into it. What he wanted was to woo her into the line of thinking that seeking training from him would enlighten her future. It would, so he wouldn't be cheating her or anything. He sipped his wine and reached his hand across the table.

"Let me see your hand."

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

She chuckled. "I can stay a little longer, but only for a month or two. Then this little bird's gotta fly." Slowly, she placed her hand palm-down in front of his.
[member="Maddock Kane"]